Economy

• Wednesday, July 20th 2011 - 07:10 UTC

  EU/Mercosur trade talks ‘only after the October election’, requests Argentina

  

  On request from Argentina advance on EU/Mercosur trade talks will be delayed until after next October’s presidential election, revealed the EU Trade Commissar Karel de Gucht.

• Wednesday, July 20th 2011 - 06:54 UTC

  Zoellick calls for strong US leadership to revive moribund world trade talks

  

  US leadership could be the vital spark needed to revive moribund world trade talks, said World Bank President Robert Zoellick and criticized those who support a mini-trade deal or putting the Doha effort to sleep.

• Wednesday, July 20th 2011 - 01:47 UTC

  Beef scare in Japan: caesium contaminated meats reached consumers

  

  Japan has imposed a ban on all beef coming from the prefecture of Fukushima, where three nuclear reactors melted down following the March 11 magnitude 9.0 earthquake and tsunami. The Japanese government is also apologizing for its delayed response to radioactive meat reaching the market.

• Tuesday, July 19th 2011 - 06:05 UTC

  Brazil to cut ethanol content in gasoline to ease pressure on sugar market

  

  Brazil will reduce the ethanol content in gasoline in another effort to contain inflation since sugar (and ethanol) prices because of a poor crop have been soaring, according to the Sao Paulo press.

• Tuesday, July 19th 2011 - 05:59 UTC

  Argentine economic activity expands 8.1% in May; 8.9% in five months

  

  Economic activity in Argentina expanded 8.1% in May over a year ago and 8.9% in the first five months of the year according to the country’s Statistics and Census Office, Indec.

• Tuesday, July 19th 2011 - 05:12 UTC

  Paraguay wants Argentina to pay better prices for power from shared dam

  

  The presidency of the Paraguayan delegation at the Mercosur Parliament, Parlasur called on Argentina to improve the ‘reduced’ price it currently pays for surplus power from the shared hydroelectric dam of Yacyretá.

• Tuesday, July 19th 2011 - 04:49 UTC

  First aircraft lands in Bariloche over a month after the Puyehue volcano eruption

  

  Over a month after the eruption of the Caulle-Puyehue volcano in Chile, a first flight landed in the airport of Argentina’s ski resort Bariloche. The chartered flight arrived from Sao Paulo with 120 Brazilian tourists.

• Tuesday, July 19th 2011 - 01:15 UTC

  Brazil tightens consumer credit backed by wages and pensions

  

  Brazil's central bank on Monday tightened rules on credit card loans backed by wages and pensions which households are increasingly using as a source of long-term borrowing.

• Monday, July 18th 2011 - 10:22 UTC

  US congress closer to deal on debt-ceiling but with Obama paying the political cost

  

  United States government and opposition senators are crafting a plan that could avert an unprecedented US government default if by next 2 August the national debt limit is not raised.

• Saturday, July 16th 2011 - 07:08 UTC

  Chilean central bank leaves benchmark rate unchanged at 5.25%

  

  The Chilean central bank kept its benchmark interest rate unchanged this week for the first time since January as signs of slower growth abroad and a moderation in domestic output and demand provided space to delay additional increases.