Latin America

• Sunday, September 10th 2017 - 12:53 UTC

  Update regarding Irma’s impact over the Caribbean Islands.

  

  Assessments are still coming in from the impact of Hurricane Irma on a number of Caribbean countries in the northern Leeward Islands and the northern Caribbean with warnings and watches still in place for a few countries in Irma’s path. Additionally, due to the projected path of Hurricane Jose, a category 4 storm, tropical storm and hurricane watches and warnings have been issued for some countries in the northern Leeward Islands.

• Sunday, September 10th 2017 - 08:25 UTC

  Hurricane Irma forces the evacuation of 6.4 million people in Florida

  

  Hurricane Irma’s leading edge swirled toward Florida state with 195 km/h winds Saturday on a projected new track that could expose Tampa — not Miami — to a direct hit. Tampa has not taken a head-on blow from a major hurricane in nearly a century.

• Saturday, September 9th 2017 - 19:54 UTC

  Brazil's central bank slashes rate one full percentage point to 8.25%

  

  Brazil's central bank slashed its key interest rate this week by a full percentage point to 8.25%, the eighth consecutive cut as the country slowly exits a painful recession. The one percentage point fall in the base Selic rate had been predicted by markets and matched a previous cut in July.

• Friday, September 8th 2017 - 17:06 UTC

  Strongest earthquake in a century rocks Mexico

  

  An earthquake of magnitude 8.1 struck off the southern coast of Mexico late on Thursday, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said, killing at least 61 people and triggering small tsunami waves but no major destruction.

• Thursday, August 31st 2017 - 10:36 UTC

  Argentina considers renting fighter aircraft from Brazil for the G20 summit in Buenos Aires

  

  Argentina will be hosting the 2018 G20 summit of world leaders and is considering renting fighter aircraft from Brazil as part of the security preparations since the country's air force is mostly grounded or with very limited interception and strike capacity, according to Argentine military sources.

• Thursday, August 31st 2017 - 07:24 UTC

  Ecuador sentences 20 Chinese fishermen for poaching; Beijing cautious about how to react

  

  Overfishing has given rise to a diplomatic trouble between China and Ecuador. In mid-August, Ecuador detained a Chinese vessel in the Galapagos Islands and found 6.600 sharks on board. The 20 Chinese fishermen have been sentenced up to four years for illegally fishing and to pay US$ 5.9 million.

• Wednesday, August 30th 2017 - 08:35 UTC

  Meirelles expects the Brazilian economy to grow between 2.5% and 3% in 2018

  

  Brazil's Finance Minister, Henrique Meirelles, said on Monday that he expects the economy to grow “at around 3%” in 2018. His statement was made a few minutes after a ministerial meeting at the Planalto Palace, at a time when the government is preparing itself to confront a new charge against President Michel Temer.

• Sunday, August 27th 2017 - 09:28 UTC

  Guilford will export 90 iconic red double-decker buses for Mexico

  

  UK-based vehicle manufacturing outfit Alexander Dennis will be exporting 90 iconic red double-decker buses to Mexico, the company confirmed on Wednesday. The contract was backed by an equivalent £44m finance deal via UK Export Finance – part of the Department for International Trade - which has provided £1.7bn of backing to businesses since the department's creation in 2016 to “help businesses export post-Brexit”.

• Saturday, August 26th 2017 - 10:53 UTC

  Colombia, Chile and Uruguay with the lowest money laundering risks in Latam

  

  An annual report by one of the world’s leading institutions working against financial crimes ranks countries around the world in terms of their money laundering risk levels, providing a sense of where Latin American nations stand when it comes to this important aspect of combating organized crime.

• Friday, August 25th 2017 - 12:05 UTC

  Falklands' war Peruvian air force Mirage on exhibition in Cordoba

  

  One of the ten fighter bombers donated by Peru to Argentina during the 1982 South Atlantic conflict is being exhibited in the Velez Sarsfield Plaza, at the heart of Cordoba City, as part of the 105 anniversary celebrations of the Argentine Air Force.