Economy

• Saturday, August 11th 2012 - 10:23 UTC

  Brazil signs contract for the purchase of wheeled armour personnel carriers

  

  The Brazilian Army and Iveco signed this week a contract for the purchase of 86 VBTP MR wheeled armoured personnel carriers known as Guarani. President of Iveco Latin America, Marco Mazzu, said that he was proud to participate in the “renaissance of the defence industry in Brazil”.

• Saturday, August 11th 2012 - 07:02 UTC

  New strain of swine flu advances in the US Midwest region; 200 cases reported

  

  United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is warning that a new strain of swine flu is raising concerns as it continues to infect people throughout the Midwest region.

• Friday, August 10th 2012 - 08:49 UTC

  Brazil bumper crop of corn estimated at 71.5 million tons

  

  Brazil will reap a record grain harvest of 163.3 million tons this year, a gain of two per cent over 2011, the IBGE statistics agency says. The IBGE's latest forecast, based on July data is 1.6% higher than the previous projection.

• Friday, August 10th 2012 - 08:41 UTC

  Short of soy Brazil meat producers want to import from Bolivia

  

  Meat producers in Brazil's Mato Grosso do Sul state are lobbying the government to approve soy imports from neighbouring Bolivia after drought shrank supplies in the world's second grower, a state official and analysts.

• Friday, August 10th 2012 - 08:35 UTC

  Booming agriculture sees crop land prices in Brazil soar 18% in the past year

  

  Prices of Brazilian crop land have soared 18% in the past year, to judge by data from one of the country's biggest agricultural groups, which revealed plans to take sowings nearly to 300,000 hectares, according to Agrimoney.com.

• Friday, August 10th 2012 - 08:27 UTC

  Toyota opens third plant in Brazil and announces engine plant

  

  Toyota from Japan has inaugurated its third plant in Brazil that aims to produce 70,000 cars a year. The facility, located 90 kilometres west of Sao Paulo in Sorocaba, will begin producing Etios compact cars next month, with engines imported from Japan.

• Friday, August 10th 2012 - 07:49 UTC

  Brazil reminds Paraguay that Itaipu power is jointly shared and managed

  

  Brazil reminded Paraguay it can use the power it needs from the giant Itaipu hydro but there is a contract which regulates how to manage the surplus. A day earlier president Federico Franco said that Paraguay would not “yield” any more electricity to Brazil.

• Friday, August 10th 2012 - 07:35 UTC

  FAO warns countries against a repeat of the 2007/08 food prices crisis

  

  The world could face a food crisis of the kind seen in 2007/08 if countries restrict exports on concerns about a drought-fuelled grain price rally, the UN food agency FAO warned, after reporting a surge in global food prices in July.

• Friday, August 10th 2012 - 07:21 UTC

  Argentine private agencies July inflation 1.76% and 24.13% in twelve months

  

  Argentine opposition lawmakers presented on Thursday July’s inflation index based in the analysis of nine private agencies, which showed a 1.76% increase against the previous month and doubles the official index from the government of President Cristina Fernandez.

• Friday, August 10th 2012 - 07:03 UTC

  Falklands, an “excellent investment destination” for the oil industry

  

  The Falkland Islands Government has welcomed the news of a farm-in agreement between Falkland Oil and Gas Ltd and US based Noble Energy which was announced on Monday and confirms the Falklands as an “excellent investment destination”.