Milagros Diaz has been rolling cigars for 48 years, so long she cannot even smell tobacco anymore, and she is thrilled that the U.S. market is finally opening up for her handmade Cuban "habanos".
South/Central America
Brazil to rework mining code stalled in Congress, minister says
Brazil's government plans to rework parts of the country's new mining code currently stalled in Congress, the new Mines and Energy Minister Eduardo Braga said on Thursday.
Recession-hit Venezuela vows New Year reforms, foes scoff
President Nicolas Maduro vowed on Tuesday to reform Venezuela's Byzantine currency controls in early 2015 as part of a six-month plan to shake Venezuela out of recession, but foes accused him of incompetence and inaction.
Argentina's debt crisis seen rumbling on until 2015 election
Crunch time for Argentina fixing its debt default will almost certainly not be January, as many investors had hoped, but a year later once the country's next president takes office and tries to get the ailing economy moving again.
Petrobras deadline prompts some bondholders to push for default
Petrobras, Brazil's state-run oil company, could be declared in technical default on some of its foreign debt as early as Tuesday if bondholders pursue efforts to force it to speed up its assessment of losses in a giant corruption scandal.
Latest News
The allure of investing in Mexico's historic oil sector opening has been dimmed by the plummeting price of crude, putting pressure on the government to offer bigger incentives to private investors in the first major round of contracts up for grabs.
Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, dogged by a multibillion-dollar corruption scandal at state-run oil company Petrobras, vowed on Thursday to stamp out graft at the flagship firm and place it under strict corporate governance.
Nissan Motor Co Ltd (7201.T) said on Wednesday it has ordered the recall of more than 80,000 vehicles sold in Mexico to check for potential defects stemming from air bags made by Japanese company Takata Corp (7312.T).
Brazilian tycoon Abilio Diniz is in talks with Carrefour SA about buying a stake in the French retailer's Brazilian unit, a source with direct knowledge of the situation said on Wednesday.
Citgo Petroleum Corp, Venezuela's U.S. oil refining unit, has received revised bids from at least four bidders, some which have valued the company at more than $10 billion, according to three people familiar with the matter.
Argentina has taken all the required steps so far to revamp its economic data but must still meet one more deadline as it seeks to bring the quality of its statistics in line with global standards, the International Monetary Fund's board said on Monday.
Cia Siderurgica Nacional SA, Brazil's largest diversified steelmaker, and a group of Asian partners agreed on Friday to move forward with a merger of their mining and logistics assets that would be completed next year.
Mexico's finance minister bought a home from a government contractor who is at the center of a conflict-of-interest scandal embroiling President Enrique Pena Nieto and his administration, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday.
Brazilian retailers are expecting their worst Christmas season in a decade and signs are pointing to an unhappy New Year ahead.
