
Economic growth in China could drop by half this year in the event of a sharp recession in Europe, the IMF predicted on Monday in a report that underscored the importance of global trade to the world's second largest economy.

The European Union and Mercosur are hopeful they can reach a trade agreement before the end of the year said the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Catherine Ashton during her visit to Brazil.

Brazil awarded on Monday contracts for private companies to expand and operate terminals at three of the country's busiest airports, hoping concessions worth 24.5 billion Reais (14.21bn dollars) will improve the cramped and delay-plagued facilities amid soaring demand for air travel and preparations for the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympics.

The new trade barriers enforced by the Argentine government are “insignificant, nothing to worry about,” Uruguayan president José Mujíca said to a Montevideo newspaper insisting that the best path is ‘dialogue’ dismounting each obstacle ‘step by step’.

Brazil’s aircraft manufacturer Embraer has delivered a Legacy 650 to celebrity Jackie Chan for the Chinese market. The aircraft is painted with a dragon logo.

The Argentine organized labour CGT umbrella union leader Hugo Moyano once again blasted the government insisting he doesn’t understand the “fine-tuning” metaphor that President Cristina Fernández used to refer to subsidy cuts.

Argentine auto sales rose 8.2% in January from a year earlier to 112,607 units, the car dealers’ association Acara said in an e-mailed report on Friday. January’s sales were 43.5% more than December’s, the report said.

Bank of America Corp., Wells Fargo & Co and JP Morgan Chase & Co were sued by New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman over the use of a mortgage database that the state said led to improper foreclosures.

Argentina has cut 461 million dollars in annual tax breaks granted as investment incentives to big oil companies operating in the country, the government said on Friday, as part of a wider austerity program.

International Monetary Fund should proceed with talks on increasing the size of its war-chest at the same time as Europe discusses how to build a firewall to contain its debt crisis, a senior official from the fund said on Friday.