The corruption scheme in Brazil's leading corporation Petrobras could exceed 28 billion dollars, making it the largest corruption scandal that the country has ever seen. The development was reported through an interview by Reuters of Brazilian police officer, Erika Marena, investigating the corruption probe.
California is overtaking Brazil as the world’s seventh-largest economy, bolstered by rising employment, home values and personal and corporate income, a year after the US most-populous state surpassed Russia and Italy.
Bilateral trade between Mercosur two main partners, Brazil and Argentina (first and third largest economies in Latin America) dropped 21.2% last year and with a 139 million dollars deficit for Argentina, according to the Argentine Commerce Chamber, CAC.
China has emerged as a possible supplier of jet fighters to help modernize the Argentine Air Force, depleted since the 1982 Falklands' war, according to reports from Defense News. In effect the FC-1/JF-17’s, 'Thunder' operational with the Pakistani air force and proven in combat could be a suitable, accessible option for the Argentines after the Spanish, French, Israeli offers seem to have fallen through.
Brazil's finance minister said on Tuesday a program of targeted tax increases was designed with the intention to not harm fragile growth in Latin America's largest economy. Joaquim Levy also pledged 'fare realism' for electricity bills and fuel prices based on 'business reasons'.
Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff has instructed a budget cut which affects 39 ministries, reducing their funds by a third, in order to save a figure estimated at 703 million dollars per month.
The sale of cars, commercial vehicles, trucks and buses in Brazil dropped 7.15% last year compared to 2013, and reached 3.498 million according to the Brazilian federation of car dealers, Fenabrave. It is the largest drop for the industry in twelve years and the second consecutive fall.
Land possession has caused the first clashes in the newly named cabinet of President Dilma Rousseff with Agriculture minister Katia Abreu arguing there are no large estates ('latifundium') left in Brazil, while her Agrarian Development peer and a stalwart from the ruling party said a social approach was needed to the land and peasants issue.
Brazil's new foreign minister Mauro Vieira has left for Beijing to attend the first ministerial meeting between China and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, CELAC, according to reports from Brasilia.
Aurelius Capital Management, one of the main plaintiffs against Argentina in New York District Judge Thomas Griesa’s courtroom, has denied being part in a lawsuit filed against Brazilian state-owned oil company Petrobras, in response to accusations by Argentina’s Economy Minister Axel Kicillof.