
In a clear signal of the lack of qualified labour which is suffering the booming Brazilian economy, the powerful Marfrig meats’ processing group admitted it was having difficulties to fill 3.000 vacancies with competent personnel.

The Euro has fallen against the dollar and major European markets have dropped sharply, a day after ministers agreed a bail-out for the Irish Republic. On Sunday, European ministers reached agreement over a bail-out worth about 85bn Euros.

Belgium has joined Portugal, Spain and Italy on the hit list of countries that may be heading for financial crisis. Like Ireland, struggling to fend off criticism of its austerity package, there are signs that international bond investors are starting to view Belgium as living on borrowed money and borrowed time.

Amid expectations over President Barack Obama's comments on the Wikileaks scandal, he instead offered a speech to announce a two-year freeze on the pay of federal workers, as he seeks to show he is committed to reining in the ballooning US budget deficit.

“A HUGE negative impact on us,” is how one Falklands fishing company views the Union of South American Nations’ declared intention to close their ports to Falklands flagged vessels, or in their words, ‘the illegal flag of the Malvinas’.

European ministers reached Sunday an agreement over a bail-out for the Irish Republic worth about 85 billion Euros. The deal will see 35bn euros go towards propping up the Irish banking system with the remaining 50bn euros to help the government's day-to-day spending.

Japan's parliament has passed a stimulus package worth about 61billion US dollars, designed to kick-start the country's fragile economic recovery. The government had already introduced several stimulus packages.

Russia is interested in purchasing 3 million tons of Argentine animal feed corn to supply its domestic market following the catastrophic drought and fires suffered by the country during summer months in the northern hemisphere.

Brazil Finance minister Guido Mantega is proposing a “dehydrated” inflation index with the purpose of reducing interest rates faster under the incoming administration of president-elect Dilma Rousseff, reports the influential O Estado de Sao Paulo.

World corn production will be 0.5% lower than forecast last month as reduced U.S. and Brazilian crops result in smaller-than-estimated inventories, the International Grains Council reported on Thursday.