
Latin America and the Caribbean’s economy as a whole will grow by 3% this year and 3.3% in 2015 thanks to “improved economic conditions in the United States and Europe”, the Inter-American Development Bank said in a report released over the weekend.

Falkland Islands is reporting record catches of Illex and Loligo squid this season. News first arrived last Sunday when it was announced that local jiggers had caught the highest daily catch and highest catch rate of Loligo squid since at least 2000.

Houston based oil company Noble Energy expects to inject 4 million dollars into Falklands businesses with the construction of the temporary dock facility which arrived in the Islands this week, Senior Vice President Susan Cunningham told those attending a presentation in Stanley on Monday evening.

Brazil's economy expanded 2.3% in 2013, compared with growth of 1% the previous year, the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics, IBGE, said this week. The country's GDP for 2013 was estimated at 4.84 trillion Reais (some 2.05 trillion dollars), the IBGE said.

Argentina formally requested the World Trade Organization's (WTO) Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) the establishment of a panel to address the European Union antidumping measures against Argentine bio-diesel. The initiative was rejected by the EU this week.

Argentina's new subsidies’ scheme will have an “insignificant” impact on prices since the whole package basically involves a 'redistribution' of funds, argued Cabinet Chief Jorge Capitanich, emphasizing the decision aims at “encouraging the rational and responsible use of public services.”

Argentina will cut expensive natural-gas and water subsidies this year which will have an increase impact in utilities' rates between 20% and 80% on average. The gas and water subsidies reduction will reach 80% of top consumers and the accumulative impact will range from the equivalent of 2.5 to 102 dollars, said the Ministry of Economy in a release.

The wine used for the masses of Pope Francis will be made using grapes from small Argentine producers with 500 liters of the drink already in production, according to a report from the Project for the Integration of Small Producers in the Viticulture Chain (PROVIAR).

Cuba's government has released further information on a proposed foreign investment law that will cut the profits tax in half and exempt investors from paying it for eight years in an attempt to attract capital into the communist economy.

The Bank of England has agreed a deal with the People's Bank of China to make London a hub for Chinese currency dealing. The memorandum of understanding, to be signed next Monday, sets out settlement and clearing arrangements for the Renminbi, or Yuan, in London.