
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said she wants former Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker to become the next EU Commission president. But some European leaders have voiced opposition to the move, including the British government who argue that Mr. Juncker is too much of an EU federalist and called for a lengthy process to find consensus.

A delegation from the American Chamber of Commerce has begun its first visit to Cuba in 15 years. Chamber president Thomas Donohue said he was in Cuba to assess the economic changes taking place under President Raul Castro.

Argentina's lawyers tried on Friday to assure a US federal judge that it would not evade orders to pay 1.33 billion dollars to bondholders who refused to accept its debt-restructuring offers, if the US Supreme Court (on 12 June) declines the case.

IMF managing director Christine Lagarde touring east Africa, on Friday cautiously welcomed steps taken by Argentina to settle a decade-old falling out with creditors, following a 9.7bn dollars five year repayment deal reached this week.

Following Argentina's agreement to resolve its 9.7bn debt to Paris Club member nations within five years, American Task Force Argentina co-chairs Robert Shapiro and Ambassador Nancy Soderberg have declared their support for Argentina's pledge to act responsibly and encouraged the Argentine government to go further.

Foreign direct investment in Uruguay totaled 2.79bn dollars last year, which is slightly higher than the 2.68bn of 2012, equivalent to 5% of GDP, according to the latest report on FDI for the region from the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean.

The grand-daughter of former FIFA president Joao Havelange has stepped into the war of words over Brazil's World Cup preparations unabashedly telling protestors angry at the tournament's massive budget to get over it because some money had already been “spent” or “stolen” or “robbed.”

Argentine president Cristina Fernandez praised on Thursday the agreement reached with Paris Club creditors and said that the government will now turn to international credit markets to finance “infrastructure, development, and technology.”

Uruguay closed on Thursday the primaries election campaign ahead of Sunday's vote when the different parties will be choosing their candidates for the big presidential contest on the last Sunday of October. Whoever is elected in October or in the November run-off will succeed President Jose Mujica on March 2015.

French Finance Minister Michel Sapin praised Argentina’s agreement with Paris Club creditors, saying it highlights the country’s effort to “normalize its relations with creditors.”