Brazil

• Friday, June 22nd 2018 - 09:10 UTC

  Petrobras loses massive wage dispute, which could cost US$ 4.5 billion

  

  Brazil’s top labor court on Thursday ruled in favor of workers at Petrobras in a wage dispute that could cost the world’s most indebted oil company up to 17 billion Reais (US$ 4.5 billion). Petrobras may still appeal the Superior Labor Court’s ruling in the case, brought by oil workers seeking more pay.

• Thursday, June 21st 2018 - 12:02 UTC

  Ex president Lula faces new charges and must declare next 11 September

  

  Brazilian federal judge Sergio Moro has summoned ex president Lula da Silva for questioning next 11 September in a case related to reforms made in a camp house, Sitio Santa Barbara, in Atibaia, Sao Paulo state and which was frequently used by the Lula da Silva family.

• Thursday, June 21st 2018 - 08:57 UTC

  Brazil eases rules in oil industry to boost production

  

  Brazil’s move to ease rules forcing oil producers to buy from domestic suppliers means Latin America’s top producer will be able to sustain output of 5 million barrels per day (pbd) by the mid-2020s, compared to just 3.7 million bpd under prior rules, consultancy Wood Mackenzie said in a report on Wednesday.

• Thursday, June 21st 2018 - 08:23 UTC

  Brazil central bank unveils block-chain platform to facilitate info exchange between financial regulators

  

  Brazil’s central bank has unveiled details of a newly-developed block-chain platform that will be used to facilitate information exchange between the country’s financial regulators. Dubbed ‘Pier’, the block-chain was developed by the Banco Central do Brasil (BCB)’s own IT department and will be used to share data securely between the central bank and other domestic regulators, BSB, said in an announcement.

• Thursday, June 21st 2018 - 08:12 UTC

  Brazil leaves Selic benchmark rate unchanged at 6.5%; central bank assessing impact of truckers strike

  

  Brazil’s central bank kept interest rates unchanged on Wednesday, as expected, refraining from hiking even after a sharp currency slide as policymakers highlighted the unclear impact of a nationwide protest by truckers in late May.

• Wednesday, June 20th 2018 - 08:16 UTC

  “Beware of little David”, Lula da Silva tells Brazil' team ahead of the match with Costa Rica

  

  Ex president Lula da Silva is serving a 12-year sentence for corruption in Curitiba, but as all Brazilians loves football, the national sport, and has been contracted as a commentator for the World's Cup in Russia.

• Monday, June 18th 2018 - 11:14 UTC

  Uruguay chair of Mercosur, targets accord with China, exhausted of negotiations with the EU

  

  Uruguay will be handed the rotating chair of Mercosur this Monday in a brief summit ceremony to take place in Paraguay. Attending will be Brazil's Michel Temer, Uruguay's Tabare Vázquez, the host Paraguay Horacio Cartes and in representation of Argentina, vice president Gabriela Michetti. President Mauricio Macri is in the midst of a cabinet reshuffle and waiting for market reaction this Monday following the naming of a new Central Bank chairman.

• Monday, June 18th 2018 - 08:17 UTC

  Several serious charges await for Temer when he steps down from office

  

  Brazilian President Michel Temer has denied charges that he instigated the payment of hush money to former Chamber of Deputies Speaker Eduardo Cunha, a Planalto statement said. The statement was made after the Federal Police delivered the final report of the investigations into a fraud scheme in credit released by state-owned bank Caixa from 2011 to 2013.

• Monday, June 18th 2018 - 07:38 UTC

  Lula football commentator: “Messi must settle its debt with the Argentine people”

  

  Ex Brazilian president Lula da Silva might be in prison, but that has not stopped a Brazilian TV station from hiring him as a World Cup commentator. “This is not a joke,” said Jose Trajano, who hosts the daily program at the Sao Paulo-based VTV network on which Lula, who was in office from 2003 to 2010, is talking about the competition.

• Monday, June 18th 2018 - 07:21 UTC

  Temer's record unpopularity linked directly to the performance of the economy

  

  A Datafolha survey shows that the all-time high unpopularity of Brazilian President Michel Temer (MDB) is due essentially to dissatisfaction with the overall performance of his administration, particularly regarding the economy. It also shows that the president's personal image and the loss of status caused by corruption scandals that involve him are secondary issues.