Politics

• Wednesday, June 4th 2014 - 09:03 UTC

  Timid S&P ignores Moody's and leaves Uruguay' risk rating unchanged

  

  Standard & Poor's (S&P) decided on Tuesday to maintain Uruguay's sovereign debt risk rating unchanged at the lowest investment grade BBB-, because although it has solid growth prospects, predictable policies and a favorable debt profile, the country still has limited fiscal and monetary flexibility and lives in a neighborhood experimenting 'economic stress'.

• Wednesday, June 4th 2014 - 08:58 UTC

  Mexico's Pemex sells its majority stake in Repsol over management disputes

  

  Mexico's state-owned oil giant Pemex has sold the majority of its stake in Spanish energy firm Repsol for approximately 2.2bn Euros with the intervention of Citigroup and Deutsche Bank. Pemex has been a shareholder in Repsol for more than 25 years.

• Wednesday, June 4th 2014 - 08:51 UTC

  Euro zone entering 'deflation' zone; ECB expected to boost growth

  

  Euro-zone inflation fell to 0.5% in May, down from 0.7% in April and well below the European Central Bank's 2% target. The fall means the ECB will be expected to take steps to boost growth and counter the threat of deflation when it meets on Thursday.

• Wednesday, June 4th 2014 - 08:37 UTC

  Brazilians pessimistic about the economy and benefits from the World Cup

  

  Brazilians pessimism about the future of the economy has increased considerably with just a few days left for the opening of the World Cup, according to a public opinion poll released by Pew Research.

• Wednesday, June 4th 2014 - 08:19 UTC

  Spain's Felipe VI will be proclaimed on 18 June before the two houses of Parliament

  

  Spain's crown prince will be proclaimed King Felipe VI on June 18 before Parliament in Madrid, legislative officials said Tuesday. The 46-year-old Felipe de Borbon, who currently holds the title of Prince of Asturias, will succeed his father, King Juan Carlos, who announced on Monday that he was abdicating.

• Wednesday, June 4th 2014 - 07:43 UTC

  Over 100 British MPs come out in support of Argentina and condemn 'vulture funds'

  

  More than 100 British Members of Parliament have signed a resolution of support for Argentina in the fight against hedge fund holdout investors, and warned that if the United States Justice System ruled against the nation it could fall into default.

• Wednesday, June 4th 2014 - 00:47 UTC

  UK Minister Simmonds to visit Miami and Sao Paulo to support the English team

  

  UK Foreign Office Minister Mark Simmonds is scheduled to visit Sao Paulo and Miami to promote the travel safety 'Be On The Ball' campaign, preparing fans for the World Cup and to support the English team.

• Tuesday, June 3rd 2014 - 06:03 UTC

  With help from FIFA, the stadium opening the World Cup approved the test

  

  A less-than-capacity crowd at Sunday’s final World Cup test event at the Itaquerao venue in Sao Paulo means it will host a full crowd for the first time at the tournament opener.

• Tuesday, June 3rd 2014 - 05:51 UTC

  Uruguay's primaries give birth to a new young leader in the ruling coalition

  

  Yet more surprises from last Sunday's primaries in Uruguay to choose candidates for the October presidential election. Not only did the main opposition vote overwhelmingly for renewal, but now it has emerged that in the ruling coalition, which suffers from a generation of Jurassic leaders, a young challenger has emerged as the most voted and is now demanding a place in the presidential ticket.

• Tuesday, June 3rd 2014 - 05:44 UTC

  Good news from Brazil: trade surplus in May and primary surplus in April

  

  Some good news for the beleaguered Brazilian economy and President Dilma Rousseff's bid for re-election next October. According to the latest data supplies by the government, Brazil posted a trade surplus of 712 million dollars in May, recovering from a weak start to the year but still below historical levels.