Stories for April 2019

Thursday, April 4th 2019 - 09:41 UTC
Petrobras finally shows positive results and with strong growth prospects

Petrobras has finally announced a positive annual result, five years after the Lava Jato corruption probe left the Brazilian state-controlled company with spiraling debts. The firm closed the year with a US$ 25.8bn net profit, the highest figure in seven years, and a total of R$20.2bn (US$ 5.27bn) in asset sales.
Thursday, April 4th 2019 - 09:37 UTC
Outbreak of African swine fever in China, a great opportunity for pork producers

Brazil is in a position to step up pork exports to China where an African swine fever outbreak has become a “transformational event” for the global meat industry, Pedro Parente, chief executive of Brazilian food processor BRF SA, said on Wednesday.
Thursday, April 4th 2019 - 09:34 UTC
Combative exchanges as Brazilian congress debates the pensions' system reform

Brazilian Economy Minister Paulo Guedes on Wednesday put up a vigorous defense of the government’s proposed pension reform, insisting it is critical to fixing the country’s “doomed” social security system but opening the door to some concessions.
Thursday, April 4th 2019 - 09:30 UTC
Brazilian economy picking up but employment remains flat

Growth in Brazilian economic activity picked up to its strongest in over a year in March, driven by solid increases in domestic new orders across both the manufacturing and services sectors, IHS Markit Insight said on Wednesday.
Thursday, April 4th 2019 - 09:25 UTC
NATO does not discard Latin American countries joining as alliance partners

NATO can look at the possibility of other Latin American states joining Colombia in becoming alliance partners, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Wednesday, while appearing to rule out U.S. President Donald Trump’s suggestion that Brazil could one day become a full member of the North Atlantic security body.
Thursday, April 4th 2019 - 09:21 UTC
Weapons makers encouraged with the Brazilian market by pro-gun Bolsonaro

With its high murder rate and huge armed forces, Brazil has long been in the cross-hairs of foreign weapons makers. Now they have a powerful champion: pro-gun President Jair Bolsonaro. The right-wing former army captain, who relaxed gun ownership laws soon after taking power in January, has raised hopes among foreign firms that his next move will be easing investment restrictions on Brazil's 200 billion reais (US$55 billion) defense sector.
Thursday, April 4th 2019 - 09:18 UTC
Twin brothers in Brazil will have to pay paternity support for a girl

Twin brothers in Brazil are being forced to each pay child support after a paternity test was unable to confirm who the father of a newborn baby is. The identical twins refused to admit who the father of the baby girl was in an attempt to avoid making support payments.
Thursday, April 4th 2019 - 09:13 UTC
Two billion people “over-nourished”: too much sugar, sodium and short on fruit, nuts and whole grains

One in five deaths globally are linked to poor diet, experts said on Thursday, warning that overconsumption of sugar, salt and meat was killing millions of people every year. The United Nations estimates that nearly a billion people worldwide are malnourished, while nearly two billion are “over-nourished”.
Thursday, April 4th 2019 - 08:49 UTC
Commons with one vote difference passes a bill asking to delay Brexit

The lower house of the British parliament on Wednesday approved legislation which would force Prime Minister Theresa May to seek a Brexit delay to prevent a potentially disorderly departure on Apr 12 without a deal.
Thursday, April 4th 2019 - 08:48 UTC
Mrs. May and Corbyn further constructive talks scheduled for Thursday

The British government and the main opposition were to hold further crisis talks on Thursday after MPs voted in favour of a Brexit delay that would avoid Britain crashing out of the EU on Apr 12.