Latin America

• Thursday, September 26th 2013 - 06:27 UTC

  Brazil’s “Clean record” bill shows a third of lawmakers have pending bills with Justice

  

  The recently approved Transparency Law has exposed that at least a third of the 594 Brazilian federal lawmakers have pending bills with criminal and administrative courts referred mainly to cases of corruption, which is expected to have an impact in the coming elections of next year when most of Congress will be renewed.

• Thursday, September 26th 2013 - 06:21 UTC

  Argentina expects at least 50 million tons of soy and 30 million of corn in 2013/14

  

  Argentina’s 2013/14 soybean crop will be above 50 million tons while corn can be expected to reach 30 million tons, according to the country’s Agriculture minister Norberto Yauhar, based on preliminary production estimates. The minister also advanced that caps on wheat and corn exports could be lifted in the near future.

• Thursday, September 26th 2013 - 06:14 UTC

  Uruguayan diplomat awarded a Chevening scholarship at Oxford University

  

  British Ambassador in Uruguay hosted a lunch in honor of Laura Silva, awarded a Chevening Scholarship to study in the United Kingdom. As part of the Foreign Service Program, Laura will pursue a Master in Diplomatic Studies at Oxford University.

• Thursday, September 26th 2013 - 06:01 UTC

  Brazil’s main manufacturing lobby calls for urgent resumption of trade talks with EU

  

  The powerful manufacturers lobby, Sao Paulo’s Industry Federation, Fiesp believes a free trade agreement between Mercosur and the European Union is very much needed so that Latam’s largest economy climbs out from the “commercial isolation” in which it currently stands.

• Thursday, September 26th 2013 - 05:58 UTC

  Brazil’s development bank ‘overbooked’ needs support from the private sector

  

  The Brazilian state development bank BNDES is “overbooked” and needs the private sector to step up funding in investments, according to bank president Luciano Coutinho. Lending by BNDES and other public banks has increased six times faster than credit by non-state bank this year, as the government tries to fuel economic growth.

• Thursday, September 26th 2013 - 05:56 UTC

  Chilean Army Commander in Chief on an official visit to United Kingdom

  

  Chile’s Commander in Chief of the Chilean Army General Juan Miguel Fuente-Alba was in the UK for an official visit to strengthen links between the British and Chilean armies.

• Thursday, September 26th 2013 - 05:32 UTC

  Maduro skips UN speech alleging ‘two highly serious provocations’ against his life

  

  Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said Wednesday he had scrapped his plan to take part in the UN General Assembly in New York to “protect my life” after purported threats on it. Just back from a visit to China Maduro said that on a layover in Vancouver he received intelligence on what he said were “two highly serious provocations”, which prompted him to scrap his UN trip.

• Thursday, September 26th 2013 - 05:25 UTC

  Unasur will attempt to name a Secretary General on Friday in New York

  

  South American foreign ministers are scheduled to meet next Friday in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly to decide the name of the next Unasur secretary general, according to an official release from the main office in Quito.

• Wednesday, September 25th 2013 - 06:14 UTC

  Mujica blasted consumerism and called for political heads to rule the globalized world

  

  In a fiery speech before the UN General Assembly, Uruguayan president Jose Mujica criticized consumerism and waste, electronic surveillance which ‘poisons’ relations among nations, called for a true globalization and blasted individual greed which has “far outstripped the superior greed of the human specie”.

• Tuesday, September 24th 2013 - 08:07 UTC

  Brazil will continue with the 60bn dollar currency intervention program: ‘it’s working adequately’

  

  Brazil’s central bank chief Alexandre Tombini said on Monday policy makers will continue with their 60 billion dollars currency intervention plan, even after the Real rallied more than any other currency in the world as a consequence of the surprise announcement from the US Fed that for the moment it will not taper the bonds’ buying program to stimulate the US economy