Mercosur

• Saturday, February 16th 2013 - 20:50 UTC

  Brazilian business community demands the country signs trade accords with third countries

  

  Brazilian businesspeople and diplomats expressed their disappointment with Mercosur and said it was crucial for Brazil to sign free trade agreements on its own with third countries, which under current rules of the South American trade block are not allowed.

• Thursday, February 14th 2013 - 01:49 UTC

  Argentina’s January inflation, 2.58%, highest in 22 months according to private estimates

  

  Argentina’s inflation last January was the highest in twenty two months, 2.58%, according to the average of private estimates which are banned from making public their findings, but which are released by the Congressional Freedom of Expression Committee.

• Thursday, February 14th 2013 - 01:02 UTC

  Malvinas cause in another dead alley

  

  By Vicente Palermo (*)
  
  The international resolutions which Argentina appeals to support its claim over the Falklands/Malvinas Islands are not definitive on the sovereignty issue, and do not ignore the rights of the Falkland Islanders, argues an Argentine scientific researcher and member of the Argentine Political Club who published an opinion article in Buenos Aires daily Clarin.

• Wednesday, February 13th 2013 - 20:45 UTC

  We are a People and We do exist

  

  Opinion by Robin Goodwin -
  As a Falkland Islander, I do wonder where Alicia Castro the Argentine Ambassador to the United Kingdom was educated. To not recognize that Falkland Islanders exist is plain ignorance on the part of the Argentine Government. Particularly that she is based in England.

• Wednesday, February 13th 2013 - 19:05 UTC

  Peruvian lawmaker supports Falkland Islanders’ referendum

  

  Peruvian lawmaker Lourdes Alcorta openly dissented with President Ollanta Humala latest statements on ‘unconditional support for Argentina and the Malvinas issue”, and called to respect the Falkland Islands referendum next month.

• Wednesday, February 13th 2013 - 19:01 UTC

  Argentina labels Uruguayan lawmaker as ‘traitor’ for observing Falklands’ referendum

  

  Argentina’s president of the Lower House and Malvinas veteran Julián Domínguez described as “treason to Latinamerica” the fact that Uruguayan lawmakers will be travelling to the Falklands to observe the coming referendum on the Islands political status and future.

• Tuesday, February 12th 2013 - 21:05 UTC

  Argentina says three-side dialogue on Falklands/Malvinas issue is unthinkable

  

  Argentine ambassador in the UK, Alicia Castro described the coming Falkland Islands referendum on March 10/11 as a ‘media ruse’ and insisted that a three-side dialogue on Malvinas sovereignty is ‘unthinkable’ because the issue is bilateral: UK/Argentina.

• Tuesday, February 12th 2013 - 18:00 UTC

  Punta Arenas cruise business picking up; 62.000 visitors expected this season

  

  The cruise business has been picking up for the last three seasons and so far including January an estimated 31.000 visitors landed in Punta Arenas, extreme south of Chile, which represents a 7% increase over the previous season and 10% for international cruises, said the head of the Austral Port Authority, Ignacio Covacevich.

• Monday, February 11th 2013 - 22:08 UTC

  FAO January food price index shows oil and fats up, cereals down, dairy and beef unchanged

  

  FAO Food Price Index held steady at 210 points in January 2013 after three straight months of decline. Increases in oil and fats prices offset lower cereals and sugar quotations while dairy and meat values remained substantially unchanged. The pause in the Index's decline tallies with a significant upward revision in FAO latest forecast for 2012 world cereal production. This is now estimated at 2.302 million tonnes - 20 million tonnes up on December's forecast.

• Monday, February 11th 2013 - 21:21 UTC

  OAS celebrates 50 years of ‘electoral observance’ which makes to democracy foundations

  

  Electoral observance “serves to build the foundations of Latin American democracy” said Organization of American States, OAS, Secretary General Jose Miguel Inuslza during opening remarks at a Roundtable entitled “International Election Observation: Progress and Challenges,” held at OAS headquarters in Washington, DC.