Economy

• Friday, October 21st 2011 - 01:45 UTC

  Beef per capita consumption in Argentina drops to half in 53 years

  

  Beef consumption in Argentina registered in 2011 its lowest per capita in 53 years, having dropped approximately 50% from 98.4 kilos in 1958 to 53.4 kilos last June according to the Institute for the Promotion of Beef.

• Thursday, October 20th 2011 - 21:41 UTC

  Argentina/Brazil clash over restrictions to footwear imports

  

  Argentine and Brazilian footwear manufacturers clashed this week over restrictions to trade, mainly through the delay in approving import licences but agreed to keep talking next month in Rio do Janeiro.

• Thursday, October 20th 2011 - 21:36 UTC

  Brazil lowers basic rate half a point for a second time running to 11.5%

  

  Brazil’s central bank cut borrowing costs by half a point for a second straight meeting. The bank’s board, led by President Alexandre Tombini, voted unanimously to reduce the benchmark Selic rate to 11.5% from 12% percent.

• Thursday, October 20th 2011 - 21:22 UTC

  European Union remains split on how to strengthen Euro zone bailout fund

  

  The European Union has agreed that around 100 billion Euros is needed to recapitalise the European banking system, but splits remain before a high-profile summit on Sunday over how to strengthen the Euro zone's bailout fund.

• Thursday, October 20th 2011 - 07:08 UTC

  “Few chances” of an EU/Mercosur trade agreement in a context of global crisis

  

  In the current global context “it’s hard to see an advance in the free trade negotiations with the European Union” said on Wednesday the block’s High representative Ambassador Samuel Pinheiro Guimaraes.

• Thursday, October 20th 2011 - 07:05 UTC

  IBSA group plans 25bn trade and FTA with Mercosur and Sacu

  

  In an attempt to accelerate talks on a trilateral free trade agreement (FTA) , the India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA) summit decided to hold an annual meeting of trade ministers from the three countries beginning from March next year.

• Thursday, October 20th 2011 - 07:00 UTC

  Lula da Silva: only way out for the crisis is growth and jobs, not balanced budgets

  

  Former Brazilian president Lula da Silva recommended European Union leaders to stop discussing balancing budgets and recapitalization of banks and find a solution to the current crisis through more economic growth, more trade and more jobs.

• Thursday, October 20th 2011 - 06:42 UTC

  Argentina poised to become a poultry power over the coming years

  

  The Dutch-based agro-investment bank Rabobank believes that Argentina is primed for significant and very competitive growth, where poultry production is concerned over the coming years.

• Thursday, October 20th 2011 - 04:21 UTC

  ‘The role of the State’ to be discusses in the Ibero-American summit

  

  “State reform and development” will be driving force of the coming Ibero-American summit to take place next week, October 28/29 in Paraguay and already has the attendance confirmation of eighteen presidents, according to the organizers.

• Thursday, October 20th 2011 - 04:07 UTC

  UK Parliament praises Brazil, but regrets its ‘hardening’ policy towards Falklands

  

  Britain’s House of Commons strongly supports a closer bilateral relationship with Brazil, which it describes as a democratic, well governed, responsible state but regrets the hardening position of Brazil towards the Falklands and the HMS Clyde incident.