Brazil

• Friday, September 14th 2012 - 00:51 UTC

  Brazilian extends tax breaks to two dozen industries to stimulate economy

  

  Brazil rolled out additional stimulus measures to bolster its sluggish economy on Thursday, extending tax breaks to more than two dozen industries and reducing the cost of acquiring capital goods in a bid to help struggling local businesses.

• Thursday, September 13th 2012 - 17:07 UTC

  Argentina’s official inflation for August, 0.9% and 6.8% in the eight months

  

  Argentina’s inflation advanced 0.9% in August and 6.8% in the first eight months of the year according to the controversial official stats office Indec. Whole sale prices were up 1% over July and the construction cost increased 1.3%.

• Thursday, September 13th 2012 - 17:03 UTC

  Argentina “suggests” banks should limit dollar extractions by credit card holders

  

  The Argentine central bank has informally “suggested” the banking system to limit the advances (in dollars) of credit card holders overseas, reports the Buenos Aires financial press. This is seen as another tightening of the dollar clamp imposed by the administration of President Cristina Fernandez to retain much needed foreign currency.

• Thursday, September 13th 2012 - 02:34 UTC

  South America cruise industry “must work together and rein in costs”

  

  South America's cruise industry has been growing fast and holds vast potential, but the region must work together to tackle issues, create demand and rein in costs, said speakers at the Seatrade South America Cruise Convention in Buenos Aires.

• Wednesday, September 12th 2012 - 04:47 UTC

  Brazil confident it can organize an Olympics as successful as London’s

  

  Hosting the Olympics two years after staging the World Cup was always going to be a big task but the success of London 2012 has raised the bar even further, according to Brazil's deputy sports minister Luis Fernandes. With the Olympic flame now out in London, all eyes turn to the Brazilian powerhouse and the clock is already ticking for the 2016 Games.

• Tuesday, September 11th 2012 - 04:49 UTC

  Brazil total harvest estimate, 164.5 million tons; corn up 29%; soy down 12%

  

  Brazil’s harvest of cereals, legumes and oilseeds reached an estimated 164.5 million metric tons in 2012, which is 2.8% above the figure of 2011 (160.1 million metric tons) and 0.7% above the July estimate (163.3 million metric tons).

• Tuesday, September 11th 2012 - 03:57 UTC

  Brazilian population increases “one Uruguay” in two years, and totals 194 million

  

  The Brazilian population amounts to 193,946,886 people, according to estimates from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), based on the 2010 Census, as released in Brasilia last week.

• Monday, September 10th 2012 - 01:39 UTC

  Rio police begins to use drones to control drugs and crime in the city’s shanty towns

  

  A battalion of Special Forces (BOPE) from the Brazilian city of Rio do Janeiro started using unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones to air monitor the drugs trade and gangs in shanty towns surrounding the “marvellous city”.

• Saturday, September 8th 2012 - 07:06 UTC

  Brazilians take to the streets on Independence Day to protest against corruption

  

  Thousands took to the streets of the Brazilian capital to march against corruption on the country’s Independence Day, along the same avenue where the main military parade took place on Friday.

• Friday, September 7th 2012 - 06:33 UTC

  Rousseff announces major shake-up of Brazilian costs beginning with lower power rates

  

  Brazil will cut energy costs for companies and consumers while pressuring banks to lower lending rates to accelerate growth, said President Dilma Rousseff in a speech on national television to commemorate the country’s independence.