
Spain’s economy contracted 0.4% in the third quarter and continues to face strong headwinds, the central bank said on Tuesday. Adverse financial conditions eased “somewhat” and the decline in domestic demand was 1.2%, an improvement over the 1.4% fall in the second quarter.

Inflows of foreign direct investment (FDI) to 17 of Latinamerica’s countries rose 8% in the first six months of 2012, compared to the same period a year ago, reaching 94.331 billion dollars, according to figures released on Tuesday by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, ECLAC.

Airlines must pay compensation to passengers who are delayed by three hours or more, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) has ruled. The judgement upholds the court's 2009 ruling, which was challenged by a group of airlines including BA and Easyjet.

Mexico will ask a World Trade Organization panel to adjudicate a dispute over trade restrictions with Argentina, said Economy Minister Bruno Ferrari.

Brazil said it is hard to see Paraguay rejoining Mercosur and Unasur before next year’s presidential election. The two blocks suspended the landlocked country following the removal of Fernando Lugo last June and replacing him with President Federico Franco.

Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff announced on Monday an ambitious program to boost and make competitive the fishing industry doubling catches for which she promised the government would invest 4.1bn Reais (2bn dollars).

Police in Sao Paulo said on Monday they had arrested the former head of bankrupt Brazilian lender Banco Cruzeiro do Sul on charges of money laundering and crimes against the country's financial system and capital markets.

The man known in Argentina as “soybean king” said the country was facing a “new industrial revolution”, but factories now won’t have chimneys because they will really be “green factories”.

Former Argentine central bank president, IMF economist and Bank of England consultant Mario Bléjer said that with clear long term policies Argentina could rapidly become the “Saudi Arabia of food” because food demand at world level will grow 20% in the next decade.

Argentine president Cristina Fernández in a national broadcast blasted ‘vulture funds’ retaining the impounded training frigate ARA Libertad in Ghana and pledged never to yield the dignity and sovereignty of the country to these funds.