Brazil

• Friday, November 23rd 2012 - 20:15 UTC

  Brazil has its first ever black head of the Supreme Court

  

  Brazil judge Joaquim Barbosa took the oath of office as Brazil's first ever Afro descendant head of the Federal Supreme Tribunal (Supreme Court) on Thursday, in a historic ceremony attended by President Dilma Rousseff and other top leaders.

• Thursday, November 22nd 2012 - 21:09 UTC

  Brazilian labour market robust with unemployment 5.3% in October

  

  Brazil's unemployment rate fell in October, suggesting the country’s robust labour market will continue to support domestic demand through an incipient economic recovery.

• Thursday, November 22nd 2012 - 21:05 UTC

  Brazil government exposes alleged links of the opposition and media with the king of illegal gambling

  

  A Brazilian congressional committee has asked the Attorney General’s Office to prosecute on conspiracy charges two editors from the opposition magazine Veja because of their links with the chief of illegal gambling in the country, Carlinhos Cachoeira.

• Thursday, November 22nd 2012 - 18:56 UTC

  Street killings and violence in Sao Paulo knock out the state’s head of security

  

  The head of the Sao Paulo state police who held the post for seven years quit Wednesday amid a surge of deadly violence in Brazil’s largest city and the industrial and financial hub of the country.

• Wednesday, November 21st 2012 - 20:49 UTC

  Brazil’s development bank sees economy picking up as loan requests increase

  

  Company inquiries about tapping Brazil's BNDES state development bank for loans is up 30% the past two months, a strong sign of potential growth in the near future for a sluggish economy, the bank's president revealed in the US.

• Wednesday, November 21st 2012 - 20:07 UTC

  Brazil increases gold holdings to 52.5 tons, according to the IMF

  

  Brazil increased gold reserves for a second month in October to the highest level in more than 11 years as emerging nations from Kazakhstan to Russia boosted holdings by more than 40 metric tons.

• Thursday, November 15th 2012 - 07:18 UTC

  Brazilian economy picks up in third quarter, but doubts remain

  

  The Brazilian economy gained speed in the third quarter central bank data showed on Wednesday, but weaker activity in September suggests that there are still many question marks ahead.

• Wednesday, November 14th 2012 - 07:05 UTC

  Argentines can expect a ‘salt-less’ summer when they turn out to the Atlantic coast

  

  An estimated 20.000 restaurants, hotels and fast food places in the province of Buenos Aires Atlantic beaches have agreed to eliminate salt from tables as part of a campaign to help combat the excess consumption of sodium and related diseases such as high blood pressure and cerebrovascular accidents, CVA

• Wednesday, November 14th 2012 - 00:42 UTC

  Sao Paulo turned into a shoot out battle ground between drug lords and the police

  

  The wave of killings in South America’s largest city, Sao Paulo is attributed to a resurgence of attacks from the criminal gang PCC (First Command of the Capital) against the police, which is also involved in reprisals turning the Brazilian metropolis into one of the most violent in the country.

• Tuesday, November 13th 2012 - 23:04 UTC

  Brazil orange shipments to EU suspended after samples of black spot fungus found

  

  Orange shipments from Brazil to the European Union were suspended after EU officials found samples with black spot fungus, a Brazilian government official said.