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MercoPress, en Español

Montevideo, January 17th 2026 - 09:01 UTC

Brazil

  • Friday, December 23rd 2016 - 01:46 UTC

    Brazil's Odebrecht breaks another penalty record, this time in US court: US$ 3.5bn

    Former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who Brazilian prosecutors say oversaw a scheme in which Odebrecht paid 75 million reais (US$22.18 million) in bribes to win eight Petrobras contra

    Brazil's construction colossus Odebrecht and affiliated petrochemical company Braskem SA agreed on Wednesday in New York to pay at least US$3.5 billion, the largest penalty ever in a foreign bribery case, to resolve international charges involving payoffs to Brazil's state oil company and others.

  • Thursday, December 22nd 2016 - 23:22 UTC

    A good one for Brazil: excellent prospects for agribusiness in 2017

    Brazilian soybean production in 2016/17 could increase by 9.2% to 106.085 million tons, according to news reports.

    Brazil’s farm economy will rebound in 2017 with a record harvest pushing up grain exports and expanding the country’s livestock industry, according to analysts’ forecasts. An estimated record grain harvest of 213.1 million tons would be 14% larger than last year, when crops were devastated by drought, according to Brazil government estimates. The harvest will start in January.

  • Tuesday, December 20th 2016 - 08:57 UTC

    Brazil's Vale sells its fertilizer business to cut debt

    The transaction, part of Vale’s strategy to cut debt and focus on its core businesses, excludes the nitrogen and phosphate assets in Cubatão, Brazil

    Brazil's Vale, the world’s largest iron ore and nickel miner said on Monday it will sell most of its fertilizer business to US-based Mosaic Co., the No.1 producer of phosphate fertilizer, in a deal worth about US$2.5 billion.

  • Monday, December 19th 2016 - 08:04 UTC

    Another major clash between Brazil's Supreme Court and Congress in the making

    Justice Luiz Fux ruled the Lower House must reassess the entire bill and treat the proposal as originally presented, fundamentally “a popular initiative”.

    Another major clash between Brazil's Supreme Court and Congress in the making. Justice Luiz Fux ruled to return the anti-corruption bill back to its initial stages in the Lower House, despite the fact the fill had already reached Senate and was preparing to put the bill to a vote.

  • Saturday, December 17th 2016 - 00:24 UTC

    Petrobras sells ethanol assets as it moves out of the biofuels industry

    The Nova Fronteira transaction marks another step in Petrobras' efforts to get out of the biofuels industry, which has soaked up enormous amounts of capital

    Brazil's oil company Petrobras has agreed to sell its 49% stake in the sugar and ethanol joint venture Nova Fronteira Bioenergia SA to partner São Martinho SA, both companies said in securities filings on Thursday. Petrobras will receive 24 million new São Martinho shares as payment for the stake. Petrobras said in the filing that it will attribute a US$133 million value to the deal.

  • Friday, December 16th 2016 - 09:02 UTC

    Lula faces new corruption charges, but he leads polls for 2018 presidential election

    Federal prosecutors accused Lula of taking bribes from Odebrecht in the forms of an apartment and land on which to build his Lula Institute think tank in Sao Paulo.

    New corruption charges linked to Brazil's massive embezzlement scheme at Petrobras oil company were filed on Thursday against former president Lula da Silva, prosecutors said. A judge will now have to decide whether Lula, whose spokesman called the charges “invented,” should face trial.

  • Friday, December 16th 2016 - 08:50 UTC

    Simulus measures in Brazil to appease recession and Temer's tumbling credibility

    “We are taking measures to pull the economy out of the recession,” Temer said in a briefing flanked by the head of the Senate and the Lower House.

    Brazilian President Michel Temer on Thursday unveiled a raft of stimulus measures to reduce the debt burden of businesses and consumers struggling with the country's worst recession on record amid growing popular discontent. Although limited in scope, the measures aim to appease Brazilians angry at the deepening recession in Latin America's biggest economy and allegations of corruption against Temer and his closest allies.

  • Thursday, December 15th 2016 - 13:03 UTC

    Temer talks to Trump and they agree to promote trade and investments

    “Temer and Trump agreed to launch, immediately after the swearing in of the new American president, an agenda for Brazil-U.S. growth,” the statement said.

    Brazil's President Michel Temer called U.S. President-elect Donald Trump agreeing to work together to improve business relations between the two largest economies in the Americas, a statement from Temer's office said. Brazil is keen to explore business opportunities that could open up if Trump follows through on campaign promises to rewrite a trade deal with Mexico.

  • Thursday, December 15th 2016 - 10:41 UTC

    No end to ministerial pin bowling in Temer's cabinet

    Lawyer José Yunes, a friend of Temer for 50 years denied bribe allegations in a letter to Temer but said he could not stay on as his special advisor

    One of Brazilian President Michel Temer's closest aides resigned on Wednesday following allegations he had received graft money from engineering conglomerate Odebrecht in a widening corruption scandal that is besieging the government.

  • Wednesday, December 14th 2016 - 09:21 UTC

    Yesterday Colombia, now Venezuela closes border with Brazil

    Venezuela first closed its border with Colombia and now with Brazil to avoid money trafficking

    The government of President Nicolas Maduro government closed the border with Brazil for 72 hours for the same reason it had taken the same measure with Colombia: money smuggling, Brazilian local authorities and residents of southern Venezuela who routinely cross to Brazil where they can make transactions in bolivars confirmed.