Latin America

• Tuesday, April 2nd 2013 - 02:42 UTC

  Uruguay will go ahead with the re-gasification plant “with or without Argentina”

  

  President Jose Mujica confirmed that the project for the construction of a liquid gas re-gasification plant in the River Plate coast, originally planned with Argentina, “will go ahead with of without the Argentine government”.

• Tuesday, April 2nd 2013 - 02:37 UTC

  Brazil postpones until next year increases in car sales taxes to help the economy

  

  The Brazilian government postponed until next year increases in taxes on the sale of cars and trucks in a bid to stimulate demand for manufactured goods and spur economic growth, announced the Finance Ministry.

• Monday, April 1st 2013 - 19:15 UTC

  Chile, Peru, Colombia and Mexico agree to ‘zero tariff’ for 90% of inter-trade

  

  Chile, Peru, Colombia and Mexico plan to sign an accord liberalizing 90% of trade among the group when they meet at the coming Pacific Alliance summit scheduled for May 23 in Colombia announced Chilean Foreign minister Alfredo Moreno.

• Monday, April 1st 2013 - 10:15 UTC

  Argentine central bank says it has enough reserves to contain the run on the US dollar

  

  With insistent rumours of imminent measures to try and control the value of the US dollar in Argentina, Central Bank Governor Mercedes Marcó del Pont, stressed that the country has more than 40 billion dollars in reserves “to manage the foreign exchange market avoiding sharp changes”.

• Monday, April 1st 2013 - 10:08 UTC

  Paraguayan president visits Spain and the OAS where he has ample support

  

  Paraguay’s president Federico Franco has arrived in Madrid, a special guest of his peer Mariano Rajoy with whom he will be holding talks at the Moncloa Palace. Rajoy is particularly interested in showing his support for President Franco and Paraguay that have been suspended from Mercosur and Unasur because of the removal by Congress, following political impeachment of Fernando Lugo.

• Monday, April 1st 2013 - 10:03 UTC

  Sao Paulo will host 1.500 political and business leaders from Germany and Brazil

  

  Germany is keen to boost its already substantial investment in Brazil ahead of the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Rio summer Olympics, the new president of the Brazil-Germany Chamber of Commerce said.

• Monday, April 1st 2013 - 09:55 UTC

  Venezuela auctions dollars; value is estimated at double the official rate

  

  Venezuelan government foreign currency auction for local importers has triggered de-facto currency devaluation, the second in less than 50 days, analysts said. Venezuela has had strict currency exchange controls since 2003 in an attempt to halt capital flight, under which the government sold limited amounts of foreign currency at an official rate.

• Thursday, March 28th 2013 - 11:58 UTC

  Falkland Islands “close to the hearts” of Chileans, says Punta Arenas British consul

  

  A reception was held at the Falkland Islands Government House in honour of the Honorary British Consul in Punta Arenas, John Rees MBE, who is currently visiting the Islands at the invitation of the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

• Thursday, March 28th 2013 - 10:25 UTC

  Chile: Back from UN job Bachelet confirms she is running for president next November

  

  Popular former Chilean president Michelle Bachelet announced late Wednesday that she is running in the 17 November election. Bachelet, the country's first female president 2006-2010, made the announcement at a public event in a southern Santiago neighborhood where she grew up.

• Thursday, March 28th 2013 - 10:15 UTC

  Falklands’ sovereignty belongs to the ‘whole of Latinamerica’ says Uruguay

  

  Foreign minister Luis Almagro said on Wednesday that Malvinas Islands’ sovereignty belongs to the whole of Latinamerica and as part of Latinamerica and the Caribbean, “we will defend the territorial integrity of the continent”.