Politics

• Friday, July 12th 2013 - 20:17 UTC

  Belonging to Mercosur and the Pacific Alliance is ‘not incompatible’ says Uruguay

  

  Uruguay Vice-president Danilo Astori said that belonging to Mercosur and the Alliance of the Pacific is ‘not incompatible’ and called on the ‘powerful members’ of Mercosur to support an agreement with the Pacific Alliance of which Uruguay and Paraguay are already observers.

• Friday, July 12th 2013 - 19:29 UTC

  Chilean national strike in demand for improved labor conditions and free education

  

  Protesters disrupted traffic in the Chilean capital and blocked access to mining operations Thursday as part of a national strike called by the country's main labor federation.

• Friday, July 12th 2013 - 19:22 UTC

  Rousseff bites back to protests: highway-blocking banned and organizers will be fined

  

  Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff reacted swiftly to the latest national stoppage saying that her government will not tolerate protests blocking highways or streets and with the Ministry of Justice will draft rules to fine those organizations responsible for such actions.

• Friday, July 12th 2013 - 08:33 UTC

  Mercosur social summit criticizes the Pacific Alliance and blasts free trade

  

  The Mercosur social summit questioned any possible approach to the Alliance of the Pacific since it is an organization entirely dedicated to trade which would distract the Southern Cone countries from their social objectives.

• Friday, July 12th 2013 - 08:28 UTC

  Despite US ‘spying’ Rousseff’s state visit to Washington is still on, says Brazilian congress

  

  Disclosures alleging that the United States has collected data on billions of telephone and email conversations in Brazil will not affect Brazil-U.S. relations, said the head of the country’s joint congressional committee on intelligence.

• Friday, July 12th 2013 - 08:16 UTC

  Mercosur will lift Paraguay’s suspension next August 15, announced Uruguay

  

  This coming August 15, Mercosur will lift the suspension on Paraguay's participations that has held since June 29 2012, Uruguay Minister Luis Almagro announced on Thursday during a meeting of the group’s foreign ministers in Montevideo.

• Friday, July 12th 2013 - 08:13 UTC

  Argentina: private estimates’ June inflation reached 1.93% and 23.78% in twelve months

  

  Argentina’s June inflation according to the ‘congressional index’ was 1.93%, and 23.78% in the last twelve months, it was announced on Thursday by the opposition members from the Lower House Freedom of Speech committee.

• Friday, July 12th 2013 - 08:08 UTC

  World banks lining up submissions for the nationalized 39% holding in Lloyds

  

  Top banks are putting their submissions to the UK Treasury to run a potential £20bn sale of the nationalised part of Lloyds Bank. Banks have until Monday to make their pitch to handle the sell-off of the government's 39% holding in Lloyds, with the sale of RBS, which is 81% owned by the taxpayer, to come later.

• Friday, July 12th 2013 - 08:00 UTC

  US posts unexpected budget surplus in June reflecting the improving economy

  

  US government posted an unexpectedly large budget surplus in June, a further sign of the rapid improvement in public finances that has taken the heat off Congress to find savings and raise the nation's borrowing limit.

• Friday, July 12th 2013 - 07:58 UTC

  World markets climb to new highs after US Fed confirms current stimulus policy

  

  US shares closed at record levels after the Federal Reserve indicated that its efforts to boost the economy would continue for now. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed 1.1% higher at 15,460.92 and the broader S&P 500 added 1.3% to end at a new peak of 1,675.02. Both measures surpassed previous record highs hit in late May. The Nasdaq ended at its highest close since October 2000.