British banks Barclays and HSBC have shrugged off the near-collapse of the financial system to report combined half-year profits of almost £6 billion. The duo - which both avoided taxpayer support at the height of last autumn's crisis - posted profits of nearly £3 billion each, mainly due to strong investment banking results.
The Brazilian army purchased 250 German leopard 1 A5 tanks which will be displayed mainly along the country’s 16.000 kilometres of land and fluvial borders thus reinforcing its dissuasive capacity in the event of foreign attacks. The program is also part of the National Defence Strategy, NDS, approved last December by President Lula da Silva.
The cost of protecting United Kingdom savers during the credit crisis has been revealed by the body set up to compensate victims of banking collapses.