
On June 7 the Argentine government presented a bill to require debt and new contracts are denominated in pesos, while the government is mulling the de-dollarisation of real estate contracts. This would make real estate purchases even more difficult than they currently are in a country with ever-tightening capital controls.

In an attempt to recover the political initiative and sliding opinion polls Argentine President Cristina Fernández announced the launching of an ambitious housing program aimed at building 400.000 homes in the next four years.

The amount of additional money Brazil plans to contribute to the IMF will depend on commitments to bolster the influence of emerging-market nations at the global lender, a senior Brazilian government official said on Tuesday.

Argentine President Cristina Fernandez pledged Tuesday to make an upcoming 2.2 billion dollars Boden 2012 bond payment in US dollars, rejecting recent speculation that the government would try to pay some or all of its foreign-currency-denominated debt in Argentine pesos.

Argentine ruling coalition lawmakers rejected point blank the referendum on the Falkland Islands’ political status announced for 2013 by the Falklands elected government, and claimed it was a media stunt to distract attention from Argentine president Cristina Fernandez presentation before the UN Decolonization committee.

The US has stated that it will remain neutral in the Falklands/Malvinas Islands sovereignty dispute between Argentina and the United Kingdom, said the spokesperson of the US State Department’s Victoria Nuland after the announcement that the Islanders will hold a referendum in 2013 to decided whether they want to remain British or not.

Stimulus measures enacted by policymakers in recent months should soon lead to a pickup in growth, breathing some life into Brazil after three straight quarters of stagnation, said central bank president Alexandre Tombini. However he warned about two years of slow global growth and markets volatility.

Venezuela has taken the Unasur secretary general post from Colombia during a ceremony last Monday held in Bogotá with the attendance of Colombian president Juan Manuel Santos and his Paraguayan counterpart Fernando Lugo.

As the years pass, Veterans and Islanders alike who were caught up in the Falklands War, are getting older; many, regrettably are no longer with us. Age takes its toll, and sadly a number of potential guests declined due to failing health, reads the message from Lewis Clifton OBE, Chairman of the 2012 Committee.

Foreign Office minister Jeremy Browne pledged UK respect for the results of the Falkland Islands referendum to be held next year, and called on all governments who prize democracy and human rights to do likewise.