The Organization of American States (OAS) voted on Thursday to support Argentina’s position against holdout investors, as well as expressing concern over what the entity called “the behavior of speculative agents that affect global financial stability.”
France's largest bank, BNP Paribas, has agreed to a record 9bn dollars settlement with US prosecutors over allegations of sanctions violations. As part of the deal, the bank will plead guilty to two criminal charges of breaking US sanctions against trade with Sudan, Iran and Cuba.
President Barack Obama and Chilean President Michelle Bachelet pledged to work together to strengthen the ties between both nations, including projects on energy, education and free trade. Obama met in the Oval Office on Monday with Bachelet, whom he called his second favorite Michelle.
The US Supreme Court ruled that police officers usually need a warrant before they can search the cell-phone of an arrested suspect, a major decision in favor of privacy rights at a time of increasing concern over government encroachment in digital communications.
Uruguay's president Jose Mujica delivered a message from Barak Obama to Cuba's Raul Castro proposing the opening of dialogue to discuss the blockade, reported the Montevideo media on Thursday. The occasion was the recent G77 summit held in Bolivia.
The US Federal Reserve has cut its growth forecast for 2014 because of the harsh winter weather. The central bank is now predicting growth of between 2.1% and 2.3% for this year, down from its March forecast of 2.8% to 3%.
The Obama administration announced on Tuesday an initiative to track every fish sold in the United States, a move designed to crack down on illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, mislabeling of seafood and related problems.
The International Monetary Fund cut its growth forecast for the United States and said the economy would not reach full employment until the end of 2017, allowing the Federal Reserve to take its time before raising interest rates.
The US Senate confirmed on Thursday Stanley Fischer to be vice chairman of the Federal Reserve and approved Jerome Powell and Lael Brainard as members of the central bank's board, bolstering the Fed as it prepares to wind down its extraordinary stimulus.
World Bank lowered its 2014 growth forecasts for the global economy but said advanced economies' rebound from a rough start would help offset stagnation in developing countries. Most of the pick-up in growth this year will come from high-income countries, particularly the United States and the 18-nation Euro zone, the World Bank said in its twice-yearly Global Economic Prospects report.