
Brazil's Supreme Court delayed until Thursday a crucial decision related to a procedural question in a case that could lead to President Dilma Rousseff's impeachment. The decision, originally scheduled for Wednesday, was postponed after the court ran out of time. Tomorrow we'll stay as long as necessary, said Chief Justice Ricardo Lewandowski.

The United States Federal Reserve on Wednesday delivered its first interest rate hike since 2006, with the decision a unanimous one. The central bank raised its key federal funds rate to 0.25%, up from at or near zero percent for the last seven years.

President Mauricio Macri's administration announced the end of restrictions on imports into Argentina, with the current controls of 'sworn statements' or DJAI, replaced by a system of automatic and semi-automatic licences.

HMS Lancaster, a type 23 Frigate is in Gibraltar for a few days to top up on fuel and supplies and allow its crew some rest and recuperation. HMS Lancaster recently completed a 9-month deployment to the South Atlantic where she conducted Atlantic Patrol Tasking, and made over 23 port visits in 18 countries.

The all powerful Sao Paulo Federation of Industries, FIESP, formalized on Tuesday its support to the impeachment process against Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff, thus becoming the first business corporation to publicly express such stance that could end with the removal of the head of state of Latin America's largest economy.

Petrobras, Brazil's largest corporation, carried out asset sales and underwent a restructuring this year in response to a severe financial crisis, emerging smaller but with a more profitable and productive future ahead, CEO Aldemir Bendini said Tuesday.

Brazilian federal police searched the home of lower house speaker Eduardo Cunha on Tuesday as part of a series of anti-graft raids against senior political figures, dealing a blow to the man who opened President Dilma Rousseff's impeachment proceedings.

Argentina's foreign minister Susana Malcorra said on Tuesday the Falklands/Malvinas sovereignty conflict “can't be sidestepped because it's a historic and central issue” for Argentina, although this “does not impede” acknowledging that relations between the two countries “have a lot of other areas in which we have to work”.

Financial and political turmoil that have Brazil on the brink of a depression is also contributing to one of the best years ever for domestic farmers. Economic stress and a weak currency has facilitated export revenue for everything from soybeans to beef to coffee.

Analysts expect Brazil's economy to contract by 3.62% this year, with inflation hitting 10.61%, the Central Bank said Monday. GDP and inflation estimates come from the Boletin Focus, a weekly Central Bank survey of analysts from about 100 private financial institutions on the state of the national economy.