EU, Mercosur see little trade deal progress at inter-region summit

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Next week’s summit of leaders from the European Union, Latin America and the Caribbean is unlikely to unlock a proposed EU-Mercosur free trade agreement, officials from both sides said on Friday. More than 50 leaders are expected to attend the EU-CELAC (Community of Latin American and Caribbean States) summit in Brussels on…

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Santander expanding investment bank in US and UK, sources

By Jesús Aguado, Andres Gonzalez and Iain Withers MADRID/LONDON (Reuters) – Santander is accelerating growth of its investment bank by hiring at least 50 bankers primarily in the United States, two people with knowledge of the matter told Reuters. Spain’s biggest bank is best-known as a retail lender in Europe and Latin America, but wants…

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Brazil to renegotiate low-income debt using state guarantees from September

BRASILIA (Reuters) -Brazil is to launch a debt renegotiation program for millions of lower-income individuals using state guarantees in September, fulfilling a campaign promise of leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. About 71.9 million people in Latin America’s largest economy have been blacklisted, according to credit bureau Serasa, after families’ budgets were strained by…

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Cuba vows to take part ‘very constructively’ in EU summit with Latin America, Caribbean

By Catarina Demony and Miguel Pereira LISBON (Reuters) – Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel promised on Friday his country would take part “very constructively” in a European Union summit next week with Latin America and the Caribbean, just days after the EU’s parliament called for sanctions against him. Diaz-Canel met his Portuguese counterpart Marcelo Rebelo de…

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