Latin America

• Thursday, August 8th 2013 - 03:33 UTC

  Wonders of marihuana: sigh of relief as Vazquez confirms his presidential candidacy

  

  Uruguayan former president Tabare Vazquez confirmed on Wednesday he will run for the presidency next year, following a meeting with representatives from the groups which constitute the voting majority of the ruling Broad Front catch-all coalition.

• Wednesday, August 7th 2013 - 17:45 UTC

  Brazil farmers ask until when will ideology prevail over economics and trade in Mercosur

  

  “Until when will we allow ideology to prevail over economics, markets, competitiveness grounding the great vessel of Brazilian trade in the port of little regional pretensions”, asks Katia Abreu in a column published in Folha de Sao Paulo openly criticizing the administration of Dilma Rousseff for its Mercosur policy and the results of the recent Montevideo summit.

• Wednesday, August 7th 2013 - 14:17 UTC

  Mujica says Mercosur members must have more negotiating space with third parties

  

  Uruguayan president Jose Mujica said that Mercosur should give its members more space to negotiate with third parties and supported linking to the Alliance of the Pacific, which nevertheless he argued is “part of a geopolitical involving China” and not accepted by Brazil.

• Wednesday, August 7th 2013 - 03:16 UTC

  CFK lectures Security Council: end of veto power and UK must abide Falklands’ resolution

  

  President Cristina Fernandez, CFK, used the opportunity of Argentina at the rotating chair of the United Nations Security Council to demand an end to the veto power of its five permanent members (United States, Russia, China, Britain and France), and criticize the UK refusal to engage in Falkland Islands sovereignty discussions.

• Wednesday, August 7th 2013 - 03:07 UTC

  Rough going in Venezuela: opposition leader killed; media group suspends activities

  

  Venezuela is becoming a rough environment for those dissenting with the Bolivarian revolution: in the last few hours a leading Venezuelan opposition was killed and on Monday media group announced the suspension of activities following the freezing of bank accounts and arrest of the owner and publisher.

• Wednesday, August 7th 2013 - 03:04 UTC

  Chile investment in mining expected to reach 112 billion in eight years

  

  Chile expects mining investment to reach 112 billion US dollars by 2021, Mining Minister Hernan de Solminihac announced this week. This includes the 27bn planned by Chile’s National Copper Corporation, Codelco. Overall the sum is 8% higher than the November forecast.

• Wednesday, August 7th 2013 - 02:39 UTC

  Uruguay floats 2bn dollars in bonds to help spread debt payment

  

  Uruguay priced 2 billion dollars in 10-year benchmark sovereign bond on Tuesday at a spread of 187.5 basis points over US Treasuries as part of the government's bid to improve its debt profile, according to reports from Thomson Reuter’s unit IFR. The bond priced at 99.833 with a 4.5% coupon and 4.521% yield, according to IFR.

• Tuesday, August 6th 2013 - 22:03 UTC

  Falklands: “there are three parties to the debate” UK tells Cristina Fernandez

  

  The United Kingdom reiterated on Tuesday that there can be no Falkland Islands sovereignty discussions with Argentina unless and until the Islanders so wish, because there are three parties to the debate: UK, Argentina and the Falkland Islands people.

• Tuesday, August 6th 2013 - 03:24 UTC

  Tight race for President Cristina Fernandez candidate in Buenos Aires province

  

  Next Sunday the Argentine electorate will be participating in the different parties’ primaries ahead of the mid term October ballot, which could signal the beginning of the end of the Kirchner decade. The event is identified as PASO, open, simultaneous and mandatory primaries.

• Tuesday, August 6th 2013 - 03:19 UTC

  Iran’s activity in the Americas to be re-evaluated, pledges Kerry to Congress

  

  In a recent letter to Republican senator Mark Kirk, the US State Department said that in light of Argentine prosecutor Alberto Nisman's report on Iran, they were now re-evaluating the information in their highly criticized May report on Iranian activity in the Western Hemisphere.