Politics

• Wednesday, August 28th 2019 - 10:04 UTC

  Chile announces US$ 600 million stimulus package to counter mining downturn

  

  Chile's finance minister announced on Monday US$ 600 million in additional stimulus to kick-start the top copper producer's sputtering economy, which has suffered from a downturn in mining and global trade tensions.

• Wednesday, August 28th 2019 - 09:59 UTC

  Macri anticipates that Argentina's inflation will accelerate to 3% in August; country risk reaches 1.990 points

  

  Argentine President Mauricio Macri said that monthly inflation would accelerate to 3% in August following a slump in the peso, as the central bank intervened heavily in the market on Tuesday to prop up the local currency.

• Wednesday, August 28th 2019 - 09:58 UTC

  Canada will continue trade negotiations with Mercosur, despite the current Amazon policy of Brazil

  

  Canada will continue its trade negotiations with Mercosur, the South American trading bloc that includes Brazil, despite demands to call a halt to the talks until more action is taken to protect the Amazon rainforest.

• Wednesday, August 28th 2019 - 09:50 UTC

  Peru and Colombia propose an emergency Amazon basin summit

  

  Peru and Colombia proposed on Tuesday an emergency Amazon summit for countries in the region in order to coordinate a strategy to protect the vast rainforest currently blighted by numerous fires. The Amazon is known as the “planet's lungs” but is suffering from its worst outbreak of fires in years, which has sparked a global outcry.

• Wednesday, August 28th 2019 - 09:34 UTC

  Bolivian president Morales welcomes the G7 tiny contribution to preserve the Amazon rainforest

  

  Bolivia's president Evo Morales gave a half-hearted welcome on Tuesday to a G7 pledge of US$20 million to fight the Amazon wildfires, describing it as “tiny.” An underwhelmed Morales said the aid from the most industrialized countries was part of the world's “obligation” to preserve the Amazon rainforest.

• Wednesday, August 28th 2019 - 09:08 UTC

  First ordained bishop in China following on Beijing and Vatican deal

  

  China has ordained its first bishop since reaching an agreement with the Catholic Church intended to encourage a rapprochement between Beijing and the Holy See. China's roughly 12 million Catholics have for decades been split between a government-run association, whose clergy were chosen by the atheist Communist Party, and an unofficial underground church loyal to the Vatican.

• Wednesday, August 28th 2019 - 08:09 UTC

  Bolsonaro will consider G7 aid for the Amazon if Macron retracts from “insults”

  

  Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro said on Tuesday he wants French President Emmanuel Macron to retract “insults” against him before he considers accepting aid from the Group of Seven nations who offered US$20 million to help fight forest fires in the Amazon.

• Tuesday, August 27th 2019 - 20:55 UTC

  Fernandez tells the mining industry that exports are “the only solution” for Argentina

  

  Argentina's opposition candidate Alberto Fernandez told mining companies and governors from key mining provinces on Monday that exports were “the only solution” for Argentina, his coalition said.

• Tuesday, August 27th 2019 - 20:52 UTC

  IMF meets Argentine opposition leader: “constructive talks”, but the Fund is blamed for the current situation

  

  A team from the International Monetary Fund met on Monday with opposition candidate Alberto Fernandez, the front-runner for October's presidential election, according to a spokesman for Fernandez.

• Tuesday, August 27th 2019 - 11:47 UTC

  Argentina and Brazil replacing US as main soybean suppliers of China

  

  Amid trade tensions with the US, China's July soybean imports from Argentina increased 328% month on month and 269% year on year to 1.07 million metric tons, according to customs data.