Latin America

• Wednesday, May 22nd 2013 - 06:03 UTC

  Uruguay: Mujica on a most ambitious mission to China after investments for ports and railways

  

  Uruguayan President Jose Mujica begins on Wednesday the longest and most ambitious of his overseas trips hoping to convince China to invest in infrastructure projects that are crucial for the development of the country and its foreign trade: a deep water port and recovering the rail cargo network.

• Wednesday, May 22nd 2013 - 05:56 UTC

  Uruguay joins the women’s presidential club: Mujica flies to China and Astori to Colombia

  

  For several days beginning Wednesday Uruguay, as its neighbours, Brazil and Argentina will be ruled by a woman. Lucia Topolansky, Fist Lady but also Senator and third in the succession line will become interim president since her husband is off on an official trip to China and Europe, and Vice-president Danilo Astori will be attending the Alliance of the Pacific summit in Colombia.

• Wednesday, May 22nd 2013 - 05:53 UTC

  Uruguay’s main problem is high inflation but no policy changes planned, says Astori

  

  Uruguay's main economic problem is high inflation, and policymakers will continue to use interest rates and bank reserve requirements to bring it under control, Vice President Danilo Astori said on Tuesday. Consumer prices in Uruguay rose 8.14% in the 12 months through April, far outside the country's official annual target range of 4 to 6%.

• Wednesday, May 22nd 2013 - 00:25 UTC

  Alliance of the Pacific promotes meeting with business and finance global leaders

  

  A meeting of leading world and regional business and finance corporations representatives is scheduled parallel to the Alliance of the Pacific presidential summit scheduled for this week in the Colombia city of Cali. According to the organizers the event has 250 CEO confirmed for the First Business meeting of the alliance.

• Tuesday, May 21st 2013 - 23:58 UTC

  Venezuelan opposition airs conspiracy recordings against Maduro from his own party

  

  The Venezuelan opposition has released an audio recording that it said contains a prominent member of the ruling party discussing political strategy with a Cuban intelligence officer. Opposition lawmaker Ismael García said the recording captures a phone conversation between state TV personality Mario Silva, a staunch government ally, and a Cuban identified as Lieutenant Colonel Aramis Palacios.

• Tuesday, May 21st 2013 - 23:48 UTC

  Chile ranked third as most attractive country for copper mining investments

  

  Chile is the third most attractive country for copper mining investments behind Canada and Australia according to a report from the Chilean Copper Committee, Cochilco that includes fifteen leading countries in the industry and was released this week by Mining minister Hernan de Solminihac in Santiago.

• Tuesday, May 21st 2013 - 06:27 UTC

  Massive money easing in rich countries making Latam currencies too strong

  

  Currency strength due to stimulus measures in the developed world is currently Latin America's Achilles' heel, though the region's macroeconomic management is a bright spot, the head of the United Nations' body for the region said on Monday.

• Tuesday, May 21st 2013 - 06:25 UTC

  OAS General Assembly will hold major debate on the drug problem in the Americas

  

  Secretary General José Miguel Insulza presented on Monday the Report on the Drug Problem in the Americas to the members of the OAS Permanent Council, in a special meeting of the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD) in which he expressed his hope that the document is understood “not as a conclusion, but only as the beginning of a long awaited debate.”

• Monday, May 20th 2013 - 19:47 UTC

  Brazil trapped by Argentina and Venezuela economic mismanagements

  

  Brazil’s main financial newspaper Valor Economico revealed that the recent summit between Presidents Cristina Fernandez and Dilma Rousseff from Argentina and Brazil was far from polite and enlightening, rather the contrary with “strong disagreements in the fields of trade and investment” shaking the foundations of Mercosur.

• Monday, May 20th 2013 - 07:03 UTC

  Uruguay satisfied with the latest cruise season, but there could be difficulties ahead

  

  The Uruguayan 2012/13 cruise season experienced a 10% increase in the number of calls to the ports of Montevideo and Punta del Este totalling 240 and approximately 400.000 visitors between passengers and crew members.