Stories for December 2017

Friday, December 29th 2017 - 09:57 UTC
Relatives and friends honor 132 police officers killed in Rio de Janeiro in 2017

Relatives and friends of some of the 132 police officers killed in Rio de Janeiro this year have taken part in a protest to honor their loved ones. It was organized by human rights NGO Rio de Paz. Police uniforms stained with red paint and red roses in their pockets were hung alongside plaques with the names of the officers killed in 2017.
Friday, December 29th 2017 - 09:38 UTC
Argentina's Merval breaks the 30.000-point barrier and ends 2017 gaining 77%

Merval, the benchmark stock market index in Argentina, ended Thursday's last trading session of 2017 above the 30,000-point barrier for the first time in history. The index rose 2.84% to 30,024.24 after the local government increased the inflation target for the next couple of years, but reinforced its commitment to lower fiscal deficits in the future.
Friday, December 29th 2017 - 09:32 UTC
Argentina increases inflation targets for 2018/19, closer to private estimates

Argentina changed its inflation target for 2018 to 15%, up from the central bank’s previous goal of 8-12%, Treasury Minister Nicolas Dujovne said on Thursday, raising expectations for interest rate cuts. The government will postpone by one year its goal of lowering inflation to 5%, pushing it back to 2020, Dujovne said.
Friday, December 29th 2017 - 06:55 UTC
US withdraws support for the search of the ARA San Juan submarine

The United States Southern Command announced the U.S. was withdrawing support for the mission to find the Argentine submarine that went missing last month with 44 aboard in the South Atlantic.
Thursday, December 28th 2017 - 10:30 UTC
Argentine Senate approves tax reform and 2018 budget; economy expanded 0.2% in October

Argentina’s Senate on Wednesday gave final approval to the government’s tax reform and 2018 budget plan, part of President Mauricio Macri’s push to cut business costs and attract investment to Latin America’s No. 3 economy.
Thursday, December 28th 2017 - 10:18 UTC
Argentina's stock market Merval has gained around 75% in the last twelve months

Merval, the benchmark stock market index in Argentina, rose 0.25% to 29,260.33 on Wednesday, reflecting investor optimism that the Senate would pass the 2018 budget and a tax reform. It was the seventh consecutive increase of the index.
Thursday, December 28th 2017 - 10:15 UTC
YPF reaches agreement and will pay US$ 114m on a conflict from 2009

Argentina's state-owned oil company YPF will pay US$ 114 million to Transportadora de Gas del Mercosur (TGM) to end a conflict that began in 2009 when the company suspended the shipment of natural gas.
Thursday, December 28th 2017 - 10:07 UTC
Thousands of government papers “vanished” from UK's National Archives

Thousands of government papers detailing some of the most controversial episodes in 20th-century British history have vanished after civil servants removed them from the country’s National Archives and then reported them as lost. Documents concerning the Falklands war, Northern Ireland’s Troubles and the infamous Zinoviev letter – in which MI6 officers plotted to bring about the downfall of the first Labour government - are all said to have been misplaced.
Thursday, December 28th 2017 - 10:03 UTC
Brazil creates National Mining Agency to promote and regulate the industry

Brazil's President Michel Temer has approved a law to create a National Mining Agency (ANM), according to a statement published in Wednesday's edition of the country's official gazette.
Thursday, December 28th 2017 - 09:59 UTC
Parliament demands release of studies on potential impact of Brexit on the economy

The United Kingdom government is facing new calls to release confidential studies drawn up by officials looking at the potential impact of Brexit on the economy. Twenty-five Labour MPs have written to Chancellor Philip Hammond calling on him to release the material after he disclosed the work was being carried out during a recent session of the Commons Treasury Committee.