
The Union of South American Nations, Unasur leaders meet on Friday in Peru to consider advances to the integration process and a report on the political and electoral situation in Paraguay, which remains suspended from the group since last June.

For the first time a Falkland Islands fishing company is seeking to have its good management certificated by the internationally recognised Marine Stewardship Council (MSC).

The Bahamas flagged cruise vessel ‘Seabourn Sojourn’ that on Thursday berthed at Ushuaia reported to Argentine port authorities it has no plans to visit the Falklands/Malvinas Islands according to press reports from the capital of Argentine Tierra del Fuego.

The presence this week of Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff next to Cristina Fernandez at Argentina’s Industrial Union, UIA annual conference was considered a major integration success and highlights the growing interaction of the two leading Mercosur partners.

Brazil's central bank kept its key interest rate unchanged at 7.25% on Wednesday, ending a series of cuts since last year, as the world's sixth largest economy tries to contain inflation.

President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner ratified on Wednesday that Argentina will continue to pay all its financial obligations and described as “absolutely unfair” the ruling from Judge Thomas Griesa who favoured the hedge funds to the detriment of 93% of bondholders who joined the 2005 and 2010 debt swaps.

Argentine president Cristina Fernandez announced on Wednesday that wellhead natural gas prices are to rise substantially from current levels, an estimated 44%, with the purpose of attracting more investments and increasing production.

A US appeals court on Wednesday granted an emergency stay order that gives Argentina more time to argue against making a 1.33 billion dollars payment to investors who rejected two debt restructurings in the nation's 2002 sovereign debt default.

Chile and Mexico will manage to a great extent to avoid the negative prospects from OECD members in the next two years. The half year report from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development anticipates a serious weakening of activity in the Euro zone, the US and Japan, but the two OECD Latinamerican members as well as emerging power Brazil will have a contrasting performance.

The European Commission gave on Wednesday the go ahead for Spain to overhaul its stricken nationalized banks and opened the door for nearly 40 billion Euros in Euro zone aid to be disbursed, offering hope for an end to Spain's banking crisis.