Economy

• Thursday, March 21st 2013 - 02:28 UTC

  Cruise vessel calls increased 9.3% so far this season in Uruguay

  

  The number of cruise-vessel calls in Uruguayan ports has increased 9.3% so far in this 2012/13 season with an influx of 20 million dollars for the local economy revealed Deputy minister of Tourism Antonio Carambula during a primary evaluation of business vis-à-vis the 2011/12 results.

• Thursday, March 21st 2013 - 02:22 UTC

  South America again attracting migrants looking for jobs and residence

  

  South American countries, as in other times are again attracting migrants looking for work and a place to live, according to a report from the International Organization for Migration, IOM, which states that the US and Canada continue to lead immigrant preferences in the Americas but interest has started to drop.

• Wednesday, March 20th 2013 - 23:40 UTC

  Argentines expect inflation to reach 33.5% in the next twelve months

  

  Argentines expect inflation to reach 33.5% in the next twelve months, according to the latest report from the Finance Research Centre, CIF, which belongs to the Torcuato Di Tella University. This is half a percentage point higher than the previous release.

• Wednesday, March 20th 2013 - 23:29 UTC

  UN aviation and tourism agencies pledge to coordinate efforts to facilitate travel

  

  The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) signed a special Joint Statement on Aviation and Tourism acknowledging the intention of the two UN agencies to begin cooperating more closely on issues of common priority.

• Wednesday, March 20th 2013 - 08:29 UTC

  Suspended potash project top officials left Argentina following union threats

  

  Top officials from the Brazilian mining company Vale which suspended a 6 billion dollars potash development project in Argentina left the country for Sao Paulo last Friday following “on instructions from the security department” of the corporation, according to reports in the Brazilian press.

• Wednesday, March 20th 2013 - 08:26 UTC

  Mining and construction boom fuelled Chilean economy in 2012, growing 5.6%

  

  Chile’s GDP expanded 5.6% in 2012 as a boom in the mining and real estate industries demand boosted investment and sparked an increase in consumer spending. The economy grew 5.7% in the fourth quarter from 2011, the central bank said in a report on its website.

• Wednesday, March 20th 2013 - 08:22 UTC

  FAO first wheat forecasts for 2013 anticipates second largest crop on record

  

  First forecasts for the 2013 wheat harvest point to production increasing to 690 million tons, 4.3% up on 2012. This would be the second largest crop on record, according to the latest issue of FAO quarterly “Crop Prospects and Food Situation” report. The production hike is expected mostly in Europe, driven by increased plantings in response to high prices and a recovery in yields in some countries, notably the Russian Federation.

• Wednesday, March 20th 2013 - 08:00 UTC

  Germany warns Cyprus ‘banks might never reopen’ if terms of bailout are rejected

  

  Germany's finance minister has warned Cyprus that its crisis-stricken banks may never be able to reopen if it rejects the terms of a bailout. Wolfgang Schaeuble said major Cypriot banks were “insolvent if there are no emergency funds”.

• Tuesday, March 19th 2013 - 06:30 UTC

  Cyprus closes banks to give time for Parliament to vote on bail-out package

  

  Finance ministers from the Euro-zone have asked Cyprus to reduce the burden on small investors from a proposed levy on savings, linked to a bailout. Plans for a one-off tax of 6.75% on savings up to 100,000 Euros have outraged Cypriots.

• Tuesday, March 19th 2013 - 06:22 UTC

  Corruption reports on several OAS country members and private sector involvement

  

  The Committee of Experts of the Mechanism to Follow Up on Implementation of the Inter-American Convention against Corruption, MESICIC of the Organization of American States began its 21st Meeting with an agenda that includes the approval of reports on Peru, Costa Rica, Argentina, Trinidad and Tobago and Honduras, and a discussion on the responsibility of the private sector in the fight against corruption.