Stories for July 20th 2018

Friday, July 20th 2018 - 10:47 UTC
Peru shocked at the extent of corruption in the Judicial branch; head Justice resigns

The head of Peru's judicial branch resigned on Thursday in the wake of a mounting corruption scandal involving secret phone recordings capturing numerous judges making behind-the-scenes deals on everything from promotions to criminal sentences.
Friday, July 20th 2018 - 10:32 UTC
EU/Mercosur trade deal has a new timetable: September in Montevideo

A free trade agreement between the European Union and Mercosur is close to being concluded, with a final push over the line seen by early September, Argentina’s foreign minister said on Thursday. Negotiations between the EU and the Mercosur group of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay, the world’s fourth largest trading bloc, have been going on for almost 20 years.
Friday, July 20th 2018 - 10:25 UTC
Brazilian parties begin round of conventions to turn presidential hopefuls in candidates

While Brazil’s definitive constellation of political coalitions remains uncertain, political parties start holding their national conventions this Friday (July 20), to name their presidential candidates for the October elections.
Friday, July 20th 2018 - 10:11 UTC
Double miss for a redesigned Spanish submarine

An attempt to deploy a new submarine for Spain's navy has run aground again, after it emerged it cannot fit in its dock, Spanish media report. The S-80 boat was redesigned at great expense after an earlier mistake meant it had problems floating, and it was lengthened to correct the issue.
Friday, July 20th 2018 - 10:03 UTC
EU, Mexico and Canada warned they will retaliate if US imposes new tariffs on cars and autoparts

The European Union, Mexico and Canada have said they will retaliate against the US if the White House places new tariffs on foreign cars and vehicle parts. The countries delivered the warning on Thursday to a panel examining whether to recommend the taxes on grounds of national security.
Friday, July 20th 2018 - 07:47 UTC
Latin American markets and currencies slide on fears of global trade war

World trade tensions pressured Latin America's major indexes on Thursday, falling in line with other global markets, after the European Union said it was preparing possible retaliatory measures if the United States imposes tariffs on EU cars. Brazil's Bovespa dropped 1.25%, and Argentina's Merval, 0.85%.
Friday, July 20th 2018 - 07:35 UTC
Argentina betting on a 2018/19 record wheat crop to spur the economy

A record wheat harvest expected in Argentina this year could arrive just in time to jumpstart the ailing country's economy in the fourth quarter, after growth has been hit by low investment, high inflation and a soy crop devastated by drought.
Friday, July 20th 2018 - 07:21 UTC
Argentina finances improving: half year primary deficit drops to 0.8% of GDP

Argentina posted a primary fiscal deficit of 105.8 billion pesos (US$3.7 billion), or 0.8% of gross domestic product (GDP) in the first half of 2018, government data showed on Thursday, down 26.7% from the same period last year.
Friday, July 20th 2018 - 07:02 UTC
Trump invites Putin to the White House; summit in Helsinki remains a mystery

President Donald Trump has invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to Washington this autumn, the White House said on Thursday, a daring rebuttal to the torrent of criticism in the United States over Trump’s failure to publicly confront Putin at their first summit for Moscow’s meddling in the 2016 election.
Friday, July 20th 2018 - 06:49 UTC
Theresa May on a two-day visit to North Ireland to bolster her Brexit plan

Prime Minister Theresa May will tell the people of Northern Ireland on Friday that her Brexit plan is the best way to avoid a hard border with Ireland, standing firm against critics in her own party.