Brazil

• Saturday, November 28th 2009 - 07:23 UTC

  Mujica supports Lula da Silva government style and his Iran policy

  

  Uruguay’s incumbent presidential candidate Jose “Pepe” Mujica again supported Brazilian president Lula da Silva’s administration and policies, describing as a “genius move” the decision to receive this week in Brasilia the controversial Iranian leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

• Saturday, November 28th 2009 - 06:02 UTC

  Brazilian banker says that Dubai effect is “alert signal” for market euphoria

  

  A possible debt default by a Dubai state-owned conglomerate is an “alert signal” to avoid market euphoria, Brazil central bank chief Henrique Meirelles said on Friday.

• Saturday, November 28th 2009 - 05:54 UTC

  Brazilian economy forecasted to grow 6.1% in 2010 says Bradesco

  

  Brazil’s economy is forecasted to grow 6.1% in 2010, bolstered by rising domestic demand, increasing exports and higher investment, according to Banco Bradesco, the country’s second-largest bank by market value.

• Saturday, November 28th 2009 - 05:19 UTC

  Coconut ban in Rio beaches, but what about cans and bottles?

  

  One of the enduring images of Rio's beaches -- coconuts opened to yield their milk -- is about to become a thing of the past. The environment secretariat of the host city of the 2014 soccer World Cup and the 2016 Olympic Games says the big green fruit is an unhygienic eyesore and is banning its sale from December first.

• Saturday, November 28th 2009 - 05:15 UTC

  Brazil still recovering from major outage, suffers blackout in Olympic city Rio

  

  Brazil has endured another major blackout and officials remain unclear what is causing the problem. Higher-scale Rio de Janeiro beach neighbourhood earlier in the week suffered an outage forcing employees to be sent home as restaurants and other businesses disposed of spoiled food.

• Friday, November 27th 2009 - 11:39 UTC

  Amazon region call on rich nations to fund preservation of forests

  

  Nine nations in the Amazon region have called on rich countries to provide poorer nations with the funds to preserve forests. The nations, meeting in Manaus, Brazil, also discussed supporting a 40% reduction in global emissions by 2020.

• Friday, November 27th 2009 - 11:36 UTC

  Brazil and the US confirm differences over Honduras Sunday elections

  

  Brazil’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Celso Amorim reaffirmed on Thursday divergences with the United States regarding the political crisis in Honduras before the opening of the Amazon basin countries and France Summit on climate change in Manaus, Brazil.

• Friday, November 27th 2009 - 08:47 UTC

  Full support for Brazilian incumbent presidential pre-candidate

  

  Brazilian cabinet chief Dilma Rousseff, and presidential hopeful for next year’s election, said that very soon she would no longer need to use a wig, forced on her since she had to undergo chemotherapy treatment.

• Friday, November 27th 2009 - 08:40 UTC

  Volkswagen plans to invest 3.5 billion USD in next five years

  

  Volkswagen do Brasil said Thursday it will invest the equivalent of 3.5 billion US dollars in Brazil between 2010 and 2014 in an attempt to overtake Fiat as the country's number one car and truck retailer.

• Friday, November 27th 2009 - 05:14 UTC

  Brazilian Senate further delays vote on Mercosur incorporation of Venezuela

  

  Former Brazilian president and head of the Senate Jose Sarney said that the upper house has no interest “for the moment” in casting a vote on the Protocol papers for the incorporation of Venezuela as the fifth full member of Mercosur.