Brazil

• Saturday, July 28th 2012 - 02:35 UTC

  Despite profits in Brazil, Santander bank profits halved following write-downs

  

  Profits at Spanish banking giant Santander have halved after it made more write-downs against unrecoverable loans secured against property. The bank, which is the Euro zone biggest, said first-half profits halved to 1.7bn Euros in the six months to the end of June.

• Saturday, July 28th 2012 - 02:12 UTC

  Mujica forecasts Venezuela will rapidly become Uruguay’s third trade partner

  

  Uruguayan president Jose Mujica strongly defended the incorporation of Venezuela to Mercosur and forecasted that in a short time the country will become Uruguay’s third trade associate, behind China and Brazil.

• Saturday, July 28th 2012 - 01:25 UTC

  Rousseff pledges to tackle the “Brazil cost” with new stimulus package

  

  Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff said on Friday her government will unveil more measures to stimulate the economy in the next few months, including investments in ports, airports, railroads and highways.

• Saturday, July 28th 2012 - 00:10 UTC

  Russia investing heavily in becoming self sufficient in beef production

  

  Russian President Vladimir Putin has an ambitious plan to cut his country's 3 billion dollars annual import bill for beef. He even aspires to return Russia's beef industry to its pre-revolutionary stature.

• Thursday, July 26th 2012 - 18:52 UTC

  Brazil discusses with Chavez arrangements for Venezuela’s Mercosur incorporation

  

  Venezuelan President met on Wednesday with a committee from the Brazilian government to discuss mechanisms to speed the full integration of the country to the regional block. Brazil currently holds the Mercosur rotating chair.

• Thursday, July 26th 2012 - 09:10 UTC

  Mercosur farmers support Paraguay and call for harmonic relations in the group

  

  The suspension of Paraguay and the intent to incorporate Venezuela to Mercosur represent a threat to the regional integration process, said the Mercosur Federation of Rural Associations, Farm, currently meeting in Santiago de Chile.

• Thursday, July 26th 2012 - 05:28 UTC

  PM Cameron receives Dilma to talk about Olympics, trade and global economy

  

  Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff held talks with British Prime Minister David Cameron on Wednesday to pick up some tips on staging the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

• Wednesday, July 25th 2012 - 20:45 UTC

  Brazil wants WTO to sanction countries that manipulate their currencies

  

  Brazil’s delegate before the World Trade Organization said he was contacting other members of the organization so that sanctions are imposed on those countries which alter artificial money exchange rates that harm emerging countries, according to reports in the financial newspaper Valor Economico.

• Wednesday, July 25th 2012 - 07:53 UTC

  Brazil tax revenue drops 6.55% in June, another symptom of slowing economy

  

  Brazil's federal tax revenues dropped more than expected in June from the same period a year before, as a stubborn economic slowdown hurts corporate profits and prompts the government to grant tax breaks to some industries.

• Wednesday, July 25th 2012 - 07:34 UTC

  GM Brazil shuts complex before tough negotiations with Metalworkers union

  

  General Motors said Tuesday it had suspended output at its complex in Brazil and sent workers home with paid leave ahead of tense talks with unions and government representatives.