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Montevideo, April 20th 2024 - 03:11 UTC

Stories for May 2016

  • Wednesday, May 18th 2016 - 11:32 UTC

    US economy good news: inflation reaches 1.1% and housing starts rise 6.6%

    Commerce Department figures showed housing starts rose by 6.6% in April to a seasonally adjusted annual pace of 1.17 million units.

    US consumer prices rose at their fastest pace in three years in April as energy prices climbed, figures show. The Labor Department's Consumer Price Index rose 0.4% last month, the biggest one-month increase since February 2013.

  • Wednesday, May 18th 2016 - 10:54 UTC

    Chile celebrates best cruise season in seven years

    The milestone of the season was the return of Norwegian Cruise Line, with the Norwegian Sun, and 40 calls in Chilean ports and an estimated 100.000 visitors.

    Chile reports that this last cruise season (October 2015/April 2016), has been the best in seven years, according to the Southern Cone Ports Corporation, with a 47% increase in the number of vessel calls and 43% in landed passengers, compared to 2014/2015.

  • Wednesday, May 18th 2016 - 06:01 UTC

    Orthodox economist Goldfajn confirmed as Brazil's central bank governor

    Ilan Goldfajn, chief economist of Itau Unibanco Holding, will replace Alexandre Tombini as central bank governor. Senate must ratify Goldfajn's appointment.

    Brazil's interim government on Tuesday confirmed the lead economist of the country's largest private bank to head the central bank, in a further shift away from the interventionist policies that many blame for deep recession and near double-digit inflation.

  • Tuesday, May 17th 2016 - 11:00 UTC

    Brazil's economy contracts for fifteenth consecutive month

    Private economists consulted in the Central Bank's latest weekly survey expects Brazil's GDP to shrink by a further 3.86% this year.

    Brazil's economic activity contracted by 1.44% in the first quarter relative to October-December 2015 and 6.27% compared to the same three-month period of 2015, the Central Bank said Friday. The figures come from the Central Bank's Index of Economic Activity, or IBC-Br, an indicator used as a preview of the gross domestic product (GDP) number.

  • Tuesday, May 17th 2016 - 10:50 UTC

    Temer meets Brazilian unions to draft a blueprint for pension system reform

    “Temer took no position at the meeting,” said Antonio Neto, head of the CSB union. “Temer just said he is in a hurry and wants a plan in 30 days.”

    Brazilian interim President Michel Temer agreed with union leaders on Monday to draft a blueprint for overhauling the creaking pension system within a month, as he seeks to restore confidence in Latin America's largest economy. Temer has vowed to plug a fiscal gap equivalent to more than 11% of GDP last year.

  • Tuesday, May 17th 2016 - 07:25 UTC

    Temer names a woman to head Brazil's giant development bank, BNDES

    Maria Silvia Bastos Marques, a career bureaucrat and onetime steel executive who worked on Rio de Janeiro’s Olympics preparations, will head BNDES

    Brazil’s interim President Michel Temer will replace the head of the government’s giant development bank with a female economist, following heavy criticism over his appointment of an all-male white cabinet.

  • Tuesday, May 17th 2016 - 07:16 UTC

    Cameron stands by his criticism of Trump: “stupid, divisive and wrong”

    UK PM has called the Republican hopeful “stupid, divisive and wrong” over his call for a temporary ban on Muslims entering the US.

    Downing Street has said that Prime Minister David Cameron stands by his criticism of Donald Trump but will work with whoever is elected US president. UK PM has called the Republican hopeful “stupid, divisive and wrong” over his call for a temporary ban on Muslims entering the US.

  • Tuesday, May 17th 2016 - 06:23 UTC

    Falklands hopeful of improved relations with Argentina, Gilbert House tells BIMR conference

    Cherie Clifford, MLA Dr. Barry Elsby meet CPA Secretary General Akbar Khan at the States of Assembly in the island of Jersey

    Falkland Islands remains hopeful of improved relations with the new administration of Argentina and cooperation in the many areas of mutual interest such as fisheries and connectivity, but sovereignty of the Falklands is not for negotiation, reads the Gilbert House report to the 46th British Isles and Mediterranean Region Conference, which opened on Sunday in Jersey.

  • Monday, May 16th 2016 - 21:42 UTC

    Falkland Islands' biosecurity officers thwart Argentine ant army invasion

    The ants were identified by UK experts as the extremely invasive Argentine Ant (Linepithema humile),

    By Ross James, Biosecurity Officer for Penguin News - An Argentine army, thousands strong invaded the Falklands recently, and their arrival went unnoticed for several weeks before the alarm was raised. The Argentine Ants arrived aboard a yacht which had sailed non-stop around the world from Australia, non-stop that is until huge waves swept the singlehanded 78 year-old sailor overboard and capsized his yacht as he rounded Cape Horn. In a stroke of luck a subsequent wave righted the vessel and at the same time the sailor was able to pull himself back aboard.

  • Monday, May 16th 2016 - 21:35 UTC

    Urban unemployment in Latin America to increase 7% this year, says ECLAC

    After six years without any increase, unemployment started growing in Latin America in 2015, going from 6% in 2014 to 6.5% last year.

    Urban unemployment in Latin America will hit 7% this year, growing 0.5 percent point from last year’s 6.5% rate, the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) said in a joint report — a drop linked to the region’s lower growth.