Crude oil prices were volatile after ministers from the Opec cartel decided to hold production levels at 30 million barrels per day. Brent crude traded in a narrow range around $62 a barrel, before ending the day up 1.8% at $63.15.
Argentina must pay US$5.4 billion to more than 500 “me-too” holders of defaulted debt before it can pay the majority of its creditors, a US judge ruled on Friday. Argentina anticipated it would appeal the ruling.
Colombia’s Congress has voted to bar presidents from seeking re-election, a move backed by President Juan Manuel Santos that undoes a law passed by his predecessor and rival Alvaro Uribe. The decision also marks a difference with the ongoing Latin American trend of successive re-elections, when not unlimited.
The Treasury of South Georgia & South Sandwich Islands have launched a crown coin which marks the 30th anniversary of the territory’s granting of a Coat of Arms by Royal Ascent. The Coat of Arms of South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands was granted in 1985, upon the formal creation of the territory.
Uruguayan president Tabare Vazquez removed the country's ambassador before the European Union following comments on Mercosur/EU trade and cooperation negotiations which contradicted recent statements by foreign minister Rodolfo Nin Novoa regarding trade strategy and policy.
Major food commodity prices declined again in May, hitting an almost six-year low as cereal prices fell substantially amid a favorable outlook for this year's harvests. The FAO Food Price Index averaged 166.8 points in May, down 1.4% from April and as much as 20.7% from a year earlier.
Food group Nestle has withdrawn Maggi noodles from sale in India due to an environment of confusion for consumers, following a food scare sparked by reports of excess lead in some packets of the popular instant snack.
In the age of derivatives, swaps, and electronic money transfers, a new form of warfare has emerged: financial warfare. Recently, the US has passed sanctions on countries such as Syria, Venezuela and North Korea, but the majority of energy related sanctions passed have been targeted at Iran and Russia.
President Cristina Fernandez met with former US National Security Agency (NSA) contractor Edward Snowden when she visited Moscow in April, according to the Buenos Aires Herald. Snowden became world famous when in 2013 when he revealed the extent of Washington’s global Internet and phone surveillance.
The Colombian government and FARC guerrillas said they plan to form a truth commission to investigate atrocities committed during the country's five-decade civil war. The agreement was announced on Thursday and will consist of an independent and impartial body as soon as a final peace deal is reached.