US Secretary of State Antony Blinken admitted Thursday that opposition candidate Edmundo González Urrutia had won Sunday's elections in Venezuela despite the National Electoral Council (CNE) announcing that the incumbent Nicolás Maduro had prevailed with 51.2% of the vote to 44.2%.
Chile's Central Bank decided this week to keep the monetary policy interest rate (TPM) unchanged at 5.75%, it was announced in Santiago after Wednesday's monthly Council meeting during which July's 0.25% lowering from 6% was upheld.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro announced Thursday that two maximum security prisons were to be refurbished in haste to house and reeducate the political opponents of his regime who were arrested during the recent protests following his fudgy reelection last Sunday.
Argentine President Javier Milei welcomed former head of state Mauricio Macri (2015-2019) at the Olivos residence. The private encounter lasted about four hours. No information was released about the issues discussed but Spokesman Manuel Adorni said it was a meeting of friends. According to local media, it was a follow-up on the talks they held on July 8 and 9 in Tucumán during the signing of the so-called May Pact.
Brazil's State-run company Petrobras posted this week a 2.4% interannual increase in oil and natural gas output in the second quarter of 2024, with 2.7 million barrels of oil equivalent per day (boed) thanks to improving performances at five sea platforms and 12 wells, eight of them in the Campos Basin and four in the Santos one. However, compared to this year's first quarter of this year, average production fell 2.8% due to maintenance shutdowns and the natural decline of mature fields.
The Brazilian flag was hoisted Thursday at the Argentine Embassy in Caracas, where six Venezuelan asylum seekers were left behind by the departing diplomatic team.
On Wednesday 31 July 2024, the Falkland Islands Government formally stood down the recovery efforts to locate the missing crew members following the loss of the fishing vessel Argos Georgia. This follows consideration of all circumstances and in line with all international requirements.
Tycoon Elon Musk Wednesday accepted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro's challenge to engage in a fistfight. “If I win, he resigns as dictator of Venezuela,” the Tesla CEO said in his reply. If defeated, Musk -whose company SpaceX has launched numerous satellites into orbit- also offered to give Maduro a free ride to Mars.
Brazil's diplomatic mission in Caracas will be representing Argentina's interests starting Thursday at 9 am local time after the Venezuelan regime of President Nicolás Maduro expelled Buenos Aires' delegation given President Javier Milei's decision not to recognize the results of the elections announced last Sunday whereby the incumbent head of state would have been chosen for the 2025-2031 term.
Brazil's Central Bank (BCB) Monetary Policy Committee (Copom) unanimously agreed Wednesday to keep the Selic basic interest rate at 10.5% per year, Agencia Brasil reported. The measure followed through on June's decision to stop the downward cycle that spanned from August last year until March this year, during which the Selic was lowered by 0.5 percentage points at each meeting until in May it was 0.25 percentage points.