Brazil

• Monday, July 2nd 2012 - 05:28 UTC

  Brazil’s Vale gets green light for largest ever iron ore mining project

  

  The world's number two mining company, Brazil’s Vale Doce said it received an environmental license to build its biggest-ever iron ore mine, an Amazon region project that holds about one trillion dollars of reserves at current prices.

• Monday, July 2nd 2012 - 01:00 UTC

  “Argentina will be responsible for the end of Mercosur” claims top Brazilian businessman

  

  Brazilian businessman Rubens Barbosa, head of the foreign trade council of the Sao Paolo Federation of businessmen said on Sunday that in the last six months, the Argentine presidency of the bloc implemented measures that practically killed the Mercosur.
  “Argentina will be responsible for the end of Mercosur,” he predicted.

• Monday, July 2nd 2012 - 00:23 UTC

  Former Mercosur top official blasts lack of political support and coordination

  

  Mercosur high representative Samuel Pinheiro Guimaraes resigned because of “political reasons”, following the presentation of a report warning on the future of the regional block in the framework of the international crisis.

• Saturday, June 30th 2012 - 05:39 UTC

  Mercosur doubles list of goods that can have tariffs raised unilaterally 35% by each member

  

  Mercosur rejected an Argentine proposal to raise imports tariffs on all goods from outer zone to protect local industries, but accepted Brazil’s initiative to raise tariffs unilaterally on 200 goods, up from 100 agreed last December.

• Saturday, June 30th 2012 - 05:19 UTC

  Brazil farmers rush to cash soy exports on high prices and favourable exchange rate

  

  Brazil could soon run out of soybeans to export this year after farmers’ frontloaded their shipments more than normal to cash in on high international prices and a favourable exchange rate.

• Saturday, June 30th 2012 - 04:45 UTC

  Unasur suspends Paraguay; names Peru at the group’s pro-tempore presidency

  

  Unasur, Union of South American nations on Friday suspended Paraguay from the group following the ouster of the country's former president, Fernando Lugo. The decision was adopted at an extraordinary meeting in Mendoza, Argentina where earlier in the day Mercosur members adopted a similar measure.

• Saturday, June 30th 2012 - 03:52 UTC

  Mercosur ‘suspended’ Paraguay feels free to establish trade links with other countries

  

  President Federico Franco announced in a press conference that if Paraguay is suspended from Mercosur the country will feel free to look for other trade agreements and international relations.

• Saturday, June 30th 2012 - 03:43 UTC

  Mercosur Secretary General resigns and walks out from the Mendoza summit

  

  Mercosur Secretary General Samuel Pinheiro Guimaraes resigned to his post in the midst of the Mendoza summit following a strong exchange with the group of Foreign Ministers, indicated reports from Buenos Aires.

• Friday, June 29th 2012 - 06:19 UTC

  Former impeached Brazilian president argues the “process in Paraguay was legal”

  

  The removal of Fernando Lugo from the Paraguayan Executive office was legal, said Brazilian former president and Senator Fernando Collor, quoted by O’Globo. He insisted there was “no coup”.

• Friday, June 29th 2012 - 05:16 UTC

  Rousseff unveils 55bn dollars in loans at lower rates for the 2012/13 farm season

  

  Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff has unveiled a 115-billion-Reais (55 billion dollars) loan program aimed at reinforcing agriculture's role as a lever of Brazilian economic growth.