RIO de Janeiro's iconic Copacabana beach and Christ the Redeemer statue are set to serve as the backdrop for next summer's Olympic Games, the first to be held in a South American city.

BRAZIL's National Bank for Economic and Social Development (BNDES) has approved Reais 587.8m ($US 151.3m) in financing for VLI Logistics for the railfreight operator to invest in new locomotives and wagons manufactured in Brazil.

BRAZIL's National Bank for Social and Economic Development (BNDES) has announced that it will provide loans totalling Reais 70.5m ($US 21.9m) to finance 19 diesel locomotives ordered by freight operators VLI and Rumo Logistics from GE Transportation.