Brazil

• Wednesday, July 4th 2012 - 00:37 UTC

  Mujica confirms full support for Minister Almagro and Ambassador Pomi

  

  Even when Uruguayan president Jose Mujica assumed full responsibility for the controversial support suspending Paraguay and embracing Venezuela during the Mercosur summit, other details of events have emerged with Uruguayan ambassador Guillermo Pomi in Argentina, allegedly playing a crucial role.

• Tuesday, July 3rd 2012 - 22:57 UTC

  “A coup against Mercosur” claims leading Brazilian newspaper

  

  Brazil’s conservative but influential daily O Estado de Sao Paulo dedicated the main Tuesday editorial to the Mercosur suspension of Paraguay and the entrance of Venezuela arguing that what happened at the group’s summit in Mendoza was “a coup against” the block.

• Tuesday, July 3rd 2012 - 19:05 UTC

  China scraps plan to build 5 billion dollars steel plant in Brazil

  

  A major Chinese steelmaker has scrapped a plan to build a five-billion-dollar factory in Brazil due to high costs and a slump in global prices for the metal, state media said Tuesday.

• Tuesday, July 3rd 2012 - 18:46 UTC

  Bank of China expands in Brazil following 30bn dollars swap agreement

  

  Bank of China plans to cash in on the expanding bilateral trade between China and Brazil and the recent currency swap agreement between the two central banks.

• Tuesday, July 3rd 2012 - 18:32 UTC

  Astori describes Mercosur latest decisions as “aggression and major institutional blows”

  

  “It’s a major institutional blow, maybe the most serious in the 21 years of Mercosur” said Uruguayan Vice president Danilo Astori in direct reference to the group’s decision to incorporate Venezuela with the approval of Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay and the absence of Paraguay.

• Tuesday, July 3rd 2012 - 06:31 UTC

  Argentina and Brazil deny Uruguay and insist the decision on Venezuela was unanimous

  

  Argentina underlined late Monday that the decision on the incorporation of Venezuela as full member of Mercosur was “unanimously” supported by the presidents from Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay during the group’s summit last Friday hosted by President Cristina Fernandez.

• Tuesday, July 3rd 2012 - 06:24 UTC

  Uruguay says it accepted Venezuela in Mercosur as part of a major negotiation

  

  The Uruguayan government said that it accepted the incorporation of Venezuela as full member of Mercosur as part of a “negotiation” in which it demanded no economic sanctions on Paraguay and that is why “the last word has not been said” on the issue.

• Tuesday, July 3rd 2012 - 06:14 UTC

  Brazilian opposition blasts Rousseff for the management of Paraguayan situation

  

  The leading member from Brazil’s main opposition political party described Uruguay’s claim that consensus was absent in the Mercosur decision to suspend Paraguay and to incorporate Venezuela as “extremely serious” and complained Mercosur has become a merely “ideological” grouping.

• Tuesday, July 3rd 2012 - 06:04 UTC

  Casa Rosada turns into a “dolls’ house” with “Cristinita” the witch leading

  

  Argentine president Cristina Fernández presented on Monday evening a doll made to her image, “Cristinita” which is on sale at a museum next to Government House, Casa Rosada, in downtown Buenos Aires.

• Tuesday, July 3rd 2012 - 02:55 UTC

  Brazil considering more export-boost measures to counter declining trade surplus

  

  Brazil's government is studying measures to boost the country's exports in the face of a still-difficult global trade environment, Deputy Trade Minister Allessandro Teixeira said on Monday.