Latin America

• Monday, March 12th 2012 - 20:49 UTC

  Argentina expected to announce more protectionist measures this week

  

  Argentina plans to intensify its policy of protecting the trade surplus and impeding the outflow of hard currency and this week is expected to add another one hundred tariff positions which will be submitted to an increase in import levies.

• Monday, March 12th 2012 - 20:05 UTC

  UK minister in Chile accuses Argentina of economic blockade to the Falklands

  

  United Kingdom’s Foreign Office Minister Jeremy Browne on a two-day visit to Chile criticized what he called the “economic blockade” to the Falklands Islands by saying it “wasn’t right” and again reaffirmed the right of self determination for the Islanders.

• Monday, March 12th 2012 - 08:14 UTC

  Mercosur/EU meet for a new round of negotiations in Brussels

  

  A new round of talks between the European Union and Mercosur is scheduled to begin Monday in Brussels for a week, according to a press release from the Argentine Foreign Affairs.

• Monday, March 12th 2012 - 07:36 UTC

  Inter-American Development Bank meets in Montevideo; over 3.000 attendants

  

  Leading figures from the public, private, and academic sectors will participate in the annual meeting of the Inter American Development Bank, (IDB), In Uruguay, March 15-19, to examine issues that include the European crisis, youth employment, citizen security, culture and sports for youth development, climate change, and cooperation between Asia and Latin America.

• Monday, March 12th 2012 - 07:14 UTC

  UK minister Browne to meet Piñera two days ahead of Cristina Fernandez

  

  The UK’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Jeremy Browne arrives Monday in Chile for a two day visit and has scheduled a meeting with President Sebastián Piñera. The event consequently takes place just before Argentine President Cristina Fernández official visit on March 15 and in the lead up to the 30th anniversary of the Malvinas War.

• Saturday, March 10th 2012 - 07:18 UTC

  Uruguay and US will attend Americas’ summit: Cuba and Ecuador absent

  

  Uruguay’s minister of Foreign Affairs Luis Almagro described on Friday as ‘inadmissible” the exclusion of Cuba from the VI Summit of the Americas scheduled for next April 14/15 in Cartagena, Colombia.

• Friday, March 9th 2012 - 22:17 UTC

  First line diplomat and arms control expert next UK ambassador in Argentina

  

  The UK Foreign Office informed on Friday that John Freeman has been appointed new Ambassador to Argentina to replace outgoing Ambassador Shan Morgan, who has held the post since 2008.

• Friday, March 9th 2012 - 03:22 UTC

  Under pressure from Washington Cuba left out of hemispheric summit

  

  Cuba said it was “unacceptable” that it will not be invited to an upcoming hemispheric summit in Colombia and blamed the United States for insisting that Cuba be excluded.

• Friday, March 9th 2012 - 01:12 UTC

  Latam vulnerable to trade shocks and highly China-dependent, warns IIF

  

  Economic growth in Latin America should speed to 4.5% in 2013 thanks to monetary stimulus and steadier global conditions, raising the risk of policy complacency, the Institute of International Finance said on Thursday.

• Friday, March 9th 2012 - 00:20 UTC

  Chilean inflation on target, in spite of February’s spike, says minister

  

  Chilean inflation accelerated in February fuelled by transport and food costs, reinforcing expectations the central bank will hold its key interest rate steady next week.