
Latin America and the Caribbean's economic growth might recover modestly to 2.2% in 2015, up from 1.3% in 2014, its lowest rate since last decade's global financial crisis. Despite the slowdown, the region has managed to maintain its gains against poverty, said Inter-American Development Bank President Luis Alberto Moreno.

Tony Mason, Managing Director of the Falkland Islands Tourist Board today discussed plans on marketing to a new generation of travellers.

Magallanes region in the extreme south of Chile reported the lowest unemployment rate in the country, 2.3% during the September-November mobile quarter according to the country's latest release from the Stats Office. This represents 1.8 percentage points less than the same period a year ago (4.1%).

The Euro entered circulation in Lithuania on New Year, bringing the number of European Union (EU) Member States using the single European currency to 19. The European Central Bank (ECB) announced that Lithuania also joined its banking supervision under the Single Supervisory Mechanism.

The euro fell Friday to a 4 ½-year low against the dollar after European Central Bank President Mario Draghi indicated the bank could soon back a government bond-buying program to deal with alarmingly low inflation across the 19-country Euro-zone.

France's influential economist Thomas Piketty, author of the bestseller Capital in the 21st Century, refused to accept the country's highest award, the Legion d'Honneur, arguing it is not the government's job to decide who is honorable and criticizing policies of the current Socialist administration.

The Panama Canal Board of Directors this week formally approved the development and construction of a transshipment port in Panama’s Corozal region. Upon completion, the port will have the capacity to handle more than five million TEUs within a 120-hectare area at the Canal’s entrance to the Pacific. The project is now awaiting the final step for approval from Panama’s National Assembly.

Petrobras, Brazil's state-run oil company, could be declared in technical default on some of its foreign debt if bondholders pursue efforts to force it to speed up its assessment of losses in a giant corruption scandal, according to reports from Reuters.

Paraguay twelve-month accumulated meat and meat products exports (mostly beef) reached 1.6bn dollars according to primary information said the head of the country's National quality and health animal services, Senacasa, Hugo Idoyaga, which represents a 20% increase in value over the 1.3 bn. dollars of 2013.

The Brazilian government announced it will limit unemployment and pension benefits as part of its plans to shore up depleted finances and regain investor confidence. Likewise the Central bank said that following a fourth year of low growth, Brazil will miss its fiscal target for 2014 by a wide margin.