
The Brazilian government’s commitment to getting public finances in order and maintaining strict fiscal discipline will lead to the country’s sovereign credit rating being upgraded, Treasury Secretary Mansueto Almeida said on Thursday.

The South American four-nation trade bloc Mercosur began a tense meeting on Wednesday reeling from US steel and aluminium tariffs and a spat between its two biggest members. Foreign ministers of Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay opened the two-day meeting in the southern Brazilian town of Bento Goncalves, paving the way for a head of state summit on Thursday.

Brazil's health watchdog on Tuesday approved the sale of cannabis-based products for medical use in pharmacies to people with a prescription. The regulation, which takes effect in the coming months, also allows for the manufacture of such products in a laboratory, the Brazilian Health Regulatory Agency (Anvisa) said in a statement.

Brazil's economy expanded in the third quarter at its fastest pace since early last year, official data showed on Tuesday, with 0.6% growth over the previous quarter driven by a strong performance in agriculture and a sharp rebound in the industry.

Mercosur faces a tense future, the president-elect of Uruguay said on Monday, referring to a diplomatic spat between regional heavyweight economies Brazil and Argentina. Brazil’s right-wing leader Jair Bolsonaro and Argentina’s incoming leader, left-leaning Peronist Alberto Fernandez, have sparred openly.

Brazil's unemployment rate fell to 11.6% in the quarter ending in October, from 11.8% in the quarter ending in July, the country's Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) announced. The rate also fell slightly, compared with the same period of 2018 when it was at 11.7%.

United States President Donald Trump Monday announced he would be reimposing tariffs on imports of metals from Argentina and Brazil as a result of those two countries' devaluing their respective currencies which is not good for our farmers. Trump made the statement through his Twitter account.
American actor Leonardo DiCaprio denied a claim by Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro that he had helped fund groups allegedly linked to fires in the Amazon rain forest.

At least nine people were trampled to death and two others were injured early on Sunday in the chaotic aftermath of a police raid in a poor Sao Paulo neighbourhood, authorities said. Residents blamed the police for causing the panicky stampede, local media reported.

Argentina and Brazil have been elected as members States of the International Maritime Organization Council for the 2020/21 biennium. IMO is holding its 31st Assembly meeting in London at IMO Headquarters until December 4.