Politics

• Monday, December 28th 2015 - 08:50 UTC

  Uruguayan officials invited to London to learn about Public-Private-Partnership

  

  Uruguayan representatives of public entities who travelled to the United Kingdom and Brazil fed back on their experiences on Public-Private Partnership in an event held in the central office of the National Development Corporation (CND) in Montevideo.

• Monday, December 28th 2015 - 08:38 UTC

  Argentine central bank building reserves: much depends on farmers and bankers

  

  This short week and the month of January will test if the Argentine administration of president Mauricio Macri can continue to build up Central Bank reserves following on the decision to end the dollar clamp, let the foreign exchange float, together with the prospect of loans and hoarded grain sales.

• Monday, December 28th 2015 - 08:28 UTC

  Chile approves free university education for 200.000 students, one of Bachelet's campaign promise

  

  Chile’s Congress has approved a law granting free university education to many of the country’s students. The law was approved by both houses of the legislature last week before Christmas. The measure is a pillar of President Michelle Bachelet’s reform promises and is expected to aid about 200,000 students at state universities.

• Monday, December 28th 2015 - 07:46 UTC

  Tierra del Fuego applauds end of dollar clamp in Argentina but cautions about domestic and Mercosur tourists

  

  Tierra del Fuego tourism industry praised the Argentine government's decisions to end the dollar clamp and make more transparent the foreign money exchange because “this will make the country, and Tierra del Fuego, highly competitive internationally”. However they also cautioned that consideration must be given to domestic and regional tourists which make up almost 45% of the number of the people visiting the extreme south of Argentina.

• Monday, December 28th 2015 - 07:31 UTC

  Argentina issues US$ 5bn in bonds to pay importers; some restrictions persist

  

  The Argentine government will issue bonds worth US$5 billion to be auctioned this week to pay back debt from imports during the previous Cristina Fernandez administration, according to a resolution published by the current government.

• Monday, December 28th 2015 - 07:14 UTC

  Argentina's MOU with Iran sponsored by Cristina Fernandez, dropped by Macri

  

  Argentina's divisive 2013 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Iran was finally dropped became after Argentine Federal Judges Juan Carlos Gemignani and Angela Ledesma accepted a request filed by the president Mauricio Macri administration Justice Ministry to drop the Executive’s appeal to the Federal Cassation Court.

• Monday, December 28th 2015 - 07:00 UTC

  Malvinas 'a constitutional issue, not optional'; plans for a South Atlantic secretariat which includes Antarctica

  

  Argentina's foreign minister Susana Malcorra stated that the conflict with the United Kingdom over the Falklands/Malvinas Islands sovereignty is “a constitutional issue, not optional”, and described the position of the former Cristina Fernandez administration on the matter as “too tough”, while pledging that the “conflict must and will be integrated into a wider perspective”.

• Thursday, December 24th 2015 - 11:23 UTC

  Merry Christmas from MercoPress

  

  MercoPress wishes a Happy Holiday Season to all its readers and sponsors!

• Thursday, December 24th 2015 - 11:11 UTC

  Capital-strapped Petrobras wants to extend oil and gas fields contracts

  

  Brazil's state-run oil company Petrobras will have to agree to extract at least 900 million barrels more of oil and natural gas equivalent from its Marlim and Voador offshore oil fields to win early renewal of its concession rights, oil regulator ANP said.

• Thursday, December 24th 2015 - 10:34 UTC

  Argentina begins round of negotiations on prices; unions demanding bonus to counter inflation

  

  The Argentine government of president Mauricio Macri started a round of negotiations with big price setters as part of its bid to keep prices under control despite the recent devaluation of the peso. Domestic Trade Secretary Miguel Braun and Central Bank Governor Federico Sturzenegger met with the top representatives of the Argentine Chamber of Commerce (CAC) and representatives from medium-sized companies, who asked for cheap credit in exchange for the government’s goal of keeping prices in check.