“Unthinkable, unacceptable and unsupportable” was how Joanisval Brito Goncalves, Senior Legilslative Counselor for International Affairs and Defence Issues at the Brazilian Senate, described the Argentine government’s attitude to the Falkland/ Malvinas Islands in a press conference held in Stanley on Wednesday afternoon.
Brazil trusts Mercosur and the European Union can exchange the proposed tariff lists for a free trade agreement keeping to the original schedule, before the end of the year, according to the country's foreign ministry.
The adidas brazuca, the Official Match Ball for the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil was given a fittingly spectacular launch on Tuesday 3 December. The iconic Parque Lage in Rio de Janeiro provided a picturesque venue, while a breathtaking 3D light projection show wowed attendees including former Netherlands international Clarence Seedorf and Brazil Cafu.
The Brazilian economy slipped into contraction in the third quarter after recording strong growth in the June quarter. Data released by statistical office IBGE on Tuesday revealed that GDP decreased a seasonally adjusted 0.5% sequentially in the September quarter, more than offsetting the upwardly revised 1.8% growth recorded in the second quarter.
Fifa has admitted that not all of the stadiums for the Brazil World Cup will be ready in time for its original deadline of January. But Fifa president, Sepp Blatter, said he was confident all 12 stadiums would be ready when the tournament kicks off in June following a meeting with the local organizing committee.
A delegation of political advisors from the Brazilian Congress is currently in the Falkland Islands. The group is accompanied by Andrew Ford First Secretary FCO Brasilia.
The troubled state of Brazil’s 2014 World Cup preparations and Qatar 2022 concerns are expected to be the main talking points at next week’s FIFA Executive Committee meeting in Salvador de Bahia.
Argentina, Chile and Brazil have been elected to be members of the International Maritime Organization Council for the 2014/15 biennium by the IMO assembly, which is meeting in London.
A safety engineer at the World Cup stadium where a giant crane collapse killed two workers allegedly warned his supervisor of possible problems with the operation, only to have his concerns brushed aside, a labor union leader charged on Thursday, as sniping over the accident heated up.
Corruption is not new in Brazil nor does it surprise public opinion but the magnitude of such extended practice is only coming to light with a recent study from the powerful manufacturing lobby, FIESP (Federation of Industries of Sao Paulo State) which states that the average annual cost of corruption in the country is between 1.38% and 2.3% of GDP, which the World Bank in 2012 estimated at 2.3 trillion dollars.