Brazil

• Tuesday, January 8th 2013 - 00:18 UTC

  “Delivery” cat caught red-handed with saws and drills entering Brazilian jail

  

  A cat, which was busted in a Brazilian prison with saws and drills strapped to its body, has remained silent on the details of an apparent jailbreak plot. ¬The feline was caught in a Brazilian prison while trying to deliver tools that could help inmates escape incarceration.

• Saturday, January 5th 2013 - 05:41 UTC

  Blackouts and agriculture collapse forecasted in drought stricken north-east Brazil

  

  North-east Brazil is suffering its worst drought in decades, threatening hydro-power supplies in an area prone to blackouts and potentially slowing economic growth in one of the country's emerging agricultural frontiers.

• Friday, January 4th 2013 - 23:40 UTC

  Brazil appeals to sovereign fund and state companies’ profits to meet 2012 fiscal target

  

  Brazil tapped into its sovereign wealth fund and state companies’ profits in an effort to meet its 2012 fiscal target.

• Thursday, January 3rd 2013 - 15:41 UTC

  Brazil posts smallest annual trade surplus since 2002; sales to Argentina drop 20.7%

  

  Brazil posted its smallest annual trade surplus in a decade last year as a sluggish global economy curbed demand for its products despite government efforts to boost exports. Brazil's trade surplus fell 35% to 19.44 billion dollars from the prior year, the weakest performance since 2002, Trade Ministry data showed on Wednesday.

• Thursday, January 3rd 2013 - 00:20 UTC

  Poor performance of Brazilian economy last year: estimates average 0.98% growth

  

  Economists cut their estimates for economic growth in Brazil to 0.98% this year, a central bank survey showed, highlighting the sharp slowdown of an economy that just a couple of years ago was an emerging market star.

• Saturday, December 29th 2012 - 06:19 UTC

  Brazil central bank injects more liquidity by lowering reserve requirements

  

  Brazil's central bank announced it would cut reserve requirements on demand deposits under specific conditions to free up around 15 billion Reais (7.3 billion dollars) for lending in a move aimed at boosting investment in the stagnating economy.

• Saturday, December 29th 2012 - 04:12 UTC

  Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff health ‘within normal levels’

  

  Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, who survived lymphoma cancer in 2009, was pronounced healthy by doctors after a routine exam. Rousseff's health was “within normal levels,” according to a statement released by her office following the check-up at the Sirio-Libanes Hospital in Sao Paulo, one of South America's leading cancer treatment centers.

• Thursday, December 27th 2012 - 05:49 UTC

  China’s Industrial and Commercial bank, authorized to open a branch in Brazil

  

  The Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Ltd, the world's largest lender by market value, got the green light from Brazilian regulators to operate a subsidiary in the Latin America's largest economy, the lender said on Wednesday. Brazil's central bank approved the license on Dec 19.

• Thursday, December 27th 2012 - 02:52 UTC

  Brazil raises minimum wage and lowers taxes on share earnings

  

  Brazil's government announced on Monday it would raise the statutory monthly minimum wage by an above-inflation 9% to 678 Reais (330 US dollars) a month, a rise that comes at the end of a year of tepid economic growth.

• Wednesday, December 26th 2012 - 07:30 UTC

  Good year ahead for Mexico while investors feel frustrated with ‘Brazil cost’

  

  Brazil and Mexico, Latin America’s two largest economies could be facing a 2013 of contrasting performance and prospects. Brazil has been hit by weakening Chinese demand for commodities, while rival Mexico, the new darling of foreign investors, is posting increasingly strong growth. The figures speak for themselves.