The European Union has formally requested that the exchange of tariff proposals with Mercosur for the creation of a cooperation and free trade zone, originally scheduled for next week, be delayed until 2014. The message was received by the Brazilian delegation at the recent WTO Bali discussions.
Brazil's government food supply agency Conab forecast record soybean output of 90.03 million tons, near the top of its previous forecast of 87.9 million to 90.2 million tons, as farmers finish planting new fields.
Argentina will from next week open the doors for Brazilian imports held up on the border between the two nations, including footwear and motor vehicles, according to Brazilian Minister of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade Fernando Pimentel.
Brazil's annual inflation cooled in November falling to 5.77%, reported the Institute of Geography and Statistics, IBGE, on Friday. The November reading was the lowest since registering 5.84% in December 2012.
The European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso called on Mercosur to decide whether it wishes to advance in trade talks with the European Union jointly, as a block, and suggested the idea of a 'two-speed negotiation', since it is clear that Brazil is interested in advancing and wants to reach an agreement.
Brazil's central bank said its current pace of interest rate increases remains appropriate to rein in consumer prices, repeating language it used to justify previous half-percentage-point increases, according to the November 26/27 minutes released on Thursday.
The 32 teams at next year's World Cup finals will share a total fund of 576 million dollars, including a prize-money pot of 358m with the winners taking home 35m, FIFA said on Thursday. The amount of money made available to the countries taking part has increased 37% from the 420m on offer at the 2010 finals in South Africa.
Brazilian authorities say they've learned from demonstrations during the Confederations Cup not to let protesters get too close to stadiums at the upcoming World Cup. Andrei Augusto Rodrigues, security head for major events at Brazil's justice ministry, acknowledged that police misjudged the threat to public safety at Rio de Janeiro in June at the final of the Confederations Cup, a World Cup warm-up.
Pele, the only person to win three World Cups as a player, said Brazil will enter next year’s tournament with more humility than when the country last hosted soccer’s greatest event in 1950. On 16 July that year Brazil was shocked 2-1 by Uruguay in the final game at Rio de Janeiro’s Maracana stadium in what is considered as a national tragedy by some Brazilians.
Brazilian government has brushed aside the importance of more delays in completing 2014 World Cup stadiums, saying that missing FIFA's deadline will not affect the country's ability to successfully host next year's tournament.