
The Swiss banking giant Credit Suisse has pleaded guilty to helping some US clients avoid paying taxes to the US government and agreed to pay a 2.6bn fine. It is the biggest bank to plead guilty to criminal charges in the US in more than 20 years.

People everywhere are living longer, according to the World Health Statistics 2014 published this week by the World Health Organization (WHO). Based on global averages, a girl who was born in 2012 can expect to live to around 73 years, and a boy to the age of 68. This is six years longer than the average global life expectancy for a child born in 1990.

US telecommunications firm AT&T will acquire satellite television provider DirecTV in a cash and stock deal valued at $48.5bn (£29bn). If approved, the deal gives AT&T access to DirecTV's 40 million digital TV customers in the US and Latin America.

Falkland Islands catches of Illex squid surpassed this week the previous record annual catch by 2,022 tons. That record was 266,201 tons in 1999 and Director of Natural Resources John Barton reported midmorning on Thursday that the 2014 catch had just has just overtaken that at 268,223 tons.

Argentina's inflation congressional index marked 2.8% in April, or 15.78% in the first four months of the year and 39% in the last twelve. These percentages contrast with the official data from the Indec stats office which earlier this week said the April CPI was 1.8%.

Argentina's YPF CEO Miguel Galuccio proposed on Thursday in Bolivia a G10 of Latin American state owned oil corporations to strengthen their bargaining power based on their resources and development synergy.

Argentine state-controlled oil company YPF on Thursday defended the partnership deal it reached with one of the world's largest energy corporations, Chevron Corp., two days after a court ordered a probe into alleged irregularities associated with the pact.

The Argentine consumer-price index climbed 1.8% in April over March, which means that during the first four months of the year it reached 11.99%. The CPI announcement was made by Economy minister Axel Kicillof at a press conference on Wednesday. However private estimates and the Buenos Aires City index show greater percentages.

Exploration drilling in the waters off the Falkland Islands will resume in the second quarter of next year, according to Premier Oil. Negotiations are currently underway with rig contractors and joint venture partners, the company said in its interim management statement which was approved as the annual general meeting.

Brazil forecasts that the estimated 3.7 million people expected to visit during the World Cup, including Brazilian and foreign tourists, will boost the country's economy to the tune of 3.03bn. dollars.