
The Argentine media group Clarin presented a plan Monday to divide its media assets into six different companies to comply with a controversial media antitrust law. The move was announced shortly after the head of the authority set up to enforce the law offered assurances that the group would be allowed to keep its most valuable TV and radio licenses.

A member from the European parliament, Jean Pierre Audy who headed a mission to Brazil last week said he was confident that next year the long standing negotiations for a free trade and cooperation agreement between the European Union and Mercosur could be concluded.

Uruguay's President Jose Mujica said he plans to withdraw his country's peacekeeping troops from Haiti because of the lack of democratic progress and pointed to delays in convening Senate elections and a general political impasse in Haitian society.

Argentina's clash with Uruguay over the Botnia/UPM pulp mill has led to furious retaliations from Buenos Aires severely limiting trade and not allowing Argentine exporters to make use of the port of Montevideo for transshipment.

Argentina Secretary of Domestic Trade Guillermo Moreno anticipated that the current policy implementing obstacles to contain foreign trade will continue to promote the domestic market and production, and ”because I follow the orders from the President (Cristina Fernandez)”.

The Uruguayan government announced it has renewed until 2016 Botnia/UPM pulp mill license so it can continue with production since it complies with the necessary environmental requisites and is committed to the additional standards demanded, said Housing and Environment minister Francisco Beltrame.

Panama reaffirmed its support for Argentina and its sovereignty claim over the Falklands/Malvinas Islands following on a complaint from Buenos Aires regarding a trip of Panamanian lawmakers to the Islands invited by the local government

A massive public share offering from Barrick Gold Corp proved a tough sell, market sources said, as the price of gold dropped and investors digested news that the miner had shelved a key growth project

A US appeals court said on Friday it would leave a freeze in place on an order requiring Argentina to pay 1.33 billion dollars to bondholders suing for full face repayment in the wake of the country’s 2002 default.

Brazil posted a primary budget deficit of 9.048 billion Reais (4.1 billion dollars) in September, its biggest in nearly five years and the government reacted announcing a plan of cuts fearing an impact from credit rating agencies.