Stories for August 18th 2012
Protesting Chilean students occupy main Santiago university despite arrests
Following over a hundred arrests made on Thursday and clashes with police, students in Santiago occupied on Friday the central building of the University of Chile, the country’s most important higher education facility, as the demands to the government over education reform ensue.
Argentina manages a 7.3bn dollars surplus in first half of the year
Argentina trade surplus in the first half of the year reached 7.336 billion dollars, up 26.8% over the same period a year ago, with exports reaching 39.647bn dollars and imports 32.311bn, according to the official stats office Indec.
First shipment from Mercosur latest member to the south: 14.000 tons of urea
Venezuela dispatched on Friday a shipment of 14.000 tons of urea for Brazil and Uruguay, the first since becoming a full member of Mercosur, reported the official Venezuelan news agency.
Conflicting reports on Argentine performance, but economy rapidly slowing
Argentina's economic activity remained flat in June compared to a year ago, according to the latest release from the country’s questioned stats office, Indec. The EMAE economic activity index, a close proxy for GDP published on Friday showed a 1.1% expansion in June versus May and 2.5% in the first half of the year.
Central bank announces first signs of Brazilian economy recovery
Brazil's economy enjoys sound fundamentals for sustainable growth, with an economic expansion likely to pick up speed in the next few quarters, Central Bank President Alexandre Tombini said at a business conference Friday.
China’s (and the world) leading bank authorized to operate in Brazil
One of the world’s leading banks, the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) has been authorised to operate in Brazil, indicates a Brazilian government decision published on Thursday in the official gazette.
Euro zone June trade surplus was the highest since 1999
The Euro zone trade surplus hit 14.9bn Euros in June up from 200m Euros a year ago. The surplus was the highest since the European Union's statistics agency began collecting data in 1999.
First shipment of New Zealand lamb to Brazil, a market of “great potential”
New Zealand's first branded lamb shipment to Brazil is scheduled to arrive at the port of Santos in the middle of next month and be available at 120 stores in Sao Paulo and to diners in restaurants and hotels throughout the country.
Tropical fish moving south because of climate change says Australian report
Australia’s Marine Climate Change 2012, released on Friday, provides evidence of a large-scale redistribution of marine species in ecosystems around Australia. Dr Elvira Poloczanska, who led the study, says there's a lot of uncertainty about the long-term impacts.
US scientists develop a translucent polymer robot inspired in the squid
Scientists in the United States said they had devised a rubbery robot, inspired by the squid and octopus, which can crawl, camouflage itself and hide from infrared cameras. The Pentagon-backed gadget is the latest type of a so-called soft machine, meaning silicone-based robots that are made from squidgy, translucent polymers.
