On Monday, the centre-right government of Argentine President Mauricio Macri will put a new cap on increases natural gas prices. Argentina’s Supreme Court demanded the government justify within 10 days the “social and economic aspects” of the 400 percent increase in gas bills. The federal court in La Plata solicited the country’s highest court which, on Tuesday, decided to suspend all bill increases. The court in La Plata said that the government failed to implement the mandatory public audits before imposing the price hike in April.

On Tuesday, the budget bill for 2017 financial services and general government spending has been approved in the House of Representatives with several clauses that seek to toughen sanctions on Cuba. The clauses limit "people to people" exchange trips, forbid the granting of trademark rights and intellectual property with businesses or properties confiscated by the Cuban government, restrict financial transactions with entities tied to the Cuban military and prohibit the use of funds for trafficking in confiscated property.

On Sunday, interim President Michel Temer told the Folha de S.Paulo newspaper that to help reduce the fiscal deficit for 2017 he will consider the privatization of the Congonhas (SP) and Santos Dumont (RJ) airports. There are two models under discussion one would keep the government airport authority Infraero as a minority partner while giving most control to private companies, the other would keep Infraero as the biggest stockholder (with 51 percent of shares) while private companies would manage the airports.

Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro called for the opening of the border with Colombia for 12 hours. The governor of the Venezuelan border state of Tachira said that both countries plan to hold a summit on the issue of reopening borders in the coming days. It was opened to allow thousands of countrymen to buy food and medicines. According to officials, around 35,000 people entered Colombia and returned home with ample of food supplies.

An announcement published on Wednesday states that the U.S. Navy will spend $240 million to construct new buildings and repair existing ones at its base at Guantanamo Bay. The work will be done over the next five years and up to five companies will be selected to carry it out. The work does not include any improvements to the detention centre, which is located on the Navy base but is provided for in a separate budget. One of the five companies, Munilla Construction Management LLC of Miami, will be paid $63 million to build a school for the children of military and civilians working on the island.

Eduardo Cunha stepped down on Thursday as speaker of the lower house of Congress, after spearheading the ongoing impeachment of President Dilma Rousseff. He denies obstructing justice and did so again on Thursday. Cunha is still being investigated for corruption and perjury allegations and had been facing suspension from the lower housing. Since his suspension in May, Waldir Maranhao was named interim lower house. Eduardo Cunha will remain on as speaker until February 1st 2017, meanwhile, the house will hold five sessions to elect his replacement.