Latin America

• Sunday, October 6th 2013 - 06:31 UTC

  Cristina Fernandez prescribed 30 days medical rest, until after mid-term election

  

  Argentine President Cristina Fernández was diagnosed “chronic subdural collection” and prescribed one month of rest after suffering cardiac arrhythmia, according to the official release from Government House on Saturday. Vice President Amado Boudou will manage the Cabinet for the upcoming 30 days.

• Friday, October 4th 2013 - 06:58 UTC

  Uruguay 2012/13 soybean crop was record in volume, area and yield

  

  Uruguay’s latest soybean crop was the highest in history, 2.76 million tons with an increase in the area planted and in yields according to the latest survey from the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock. The area dedicated to soybean climbed 20% and reached 1.049.000 hectares.

• Friday, October 4th 2013 - 06:47 UTC

  Uruguay’s annual inflation in September reached 9.02%; minister confident it will be brought down

  

  Uruguay’s consumer inflation soared 1.36% over August in September boosted by increases in energy and fuel, transport, milk and other basic items, according to the latest release from INE, the government’s data office. This means inflation in the last twelve months climbed to 9.02% from a month ago (8.86%) and 8.2% in the first nine months of 2013.

• Thursday, October 3rd 2013 - 21:24 UTC

  Brazil offers Paraguay Mercosur chair, but apparently Argentina is not convinced

  

  Brazil offered Paraguay the rotating chair of Mercosur as of next December, as part of an overall understanding to have the landlocked country return to the block, while accepting the incorporation of Venezuela as a full member of the group. Paraguay rejects Venezuela’s membership alleging it was done against the will of its Senate and in breach of national and international law and of the Mercosur charter.

• Thursday, October 3rd 2013 - 19:29 UTC

  Collapse of a 35bn dollars empire; Brazil’s Eike Batista defaulted on 45 million interest payment

  

  Two days ago, former Brazilian billionaire Eike Batista crossed a line. He started to default on a 45 million dollars interest payments on his oil and gas company, OGX's, bonds. The default will be official on October 30th, according to Bloomberg. That leaves bondholders, like PIMCO, the largest bond fund in the world helmed by legendary investor Bill Gross, taking a massive hit. And what's worse is that there could be more to come, according to the Wall Street Journal.

• Thursday, October 3rd 2013 - 19:17 UTC

  Moody’s lowers Brazil’s credit rating to stable from positive: rising debt and weak growth

  

  Brazil’s currency Real declined from its highest level in two weeks after Moody’s Investors Service cited rising debt and weak growth in lowering its outlook on the country’s credit rating to stable from positive.

• Thursday, October 3rd 2013 - 07:19 UTC

  Repsol expands 70% a natural gas processing plant capacity in Bolivia

  

  Bolivian President Evo Morales and the chairman and CEO of Spanish energy major Repsol, Antonio Brufau, inaugurated the newly expanded Margarita natural gas processing plant, with a capacity increased of nearly 70%.

• Thursday, October 3rd 2013 - 07:09 UTC

  Argentina will challenge Uruguay’s decision to expand pulp mill production at The Hague Court of Justice

  

  Foreign Minister Héctor Timerman has confirmed that Argentina will go before the international court of justice at The Hague over the decision of Uruguayan president José Mujica, who on Wednesday authorised increased production at the UPM (ex-Botnia) paper plant.

• Thursday, October 3rd 2013 - 06:58 UTC

  Spain proposes sharing embassies and consulates with Pacific Alliance countries

  

  Spain has proposed sharing embassies, consulates and trade offices with its Latinamerican associate-members of the Pacific Alliance, Chile, Peru, Colombia and Mexico. Foreign minister Jose Manuel García Margallo said that the idea of sharing some embassies and consulates already is operational in the European Union.

• Thursday, October 3rd 2013 - 06:31 UTC

  Colombia, Chile and Peru move to integrate foreign exchange markets

  

  Colombia, Peru and Chile announced on Wednesday the integration of their foreign exchange markets in the framework of MILA to facilitate money exchange operations between the three associates which add to a daily average turnover of 2,798bn. So far the Latinamerican Integrated Market, MILA, is operating with a combined stock market for the three nations.