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MercoPress, en Español

Montevideo, July 14th 2025 - 21:29 UTC

Brazil

  • Friday, April 27th 2018 - 12:24 UTC

    Brazil's Supreme Tribunal begins to address Lula's case on May 4th

    Lula’s Workers’ Party (PT) has said he remains their candidate despite his legal troubles, which it claims have been politically motivated to keep him out of the race.

    Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court (STF) is to vote on a motion starting May 4 that could potentially release ex-president Lula da Silva from prison, the court said. Lula's defense team hopes to overturn a decision by Sergio Moro, a federal judge and head of a key corruption investigation that determined he had to begin serving a 12-year sentence for accepting bribes.

  • Friday, April 27th 2018 - 12:06 UTC

    Bad news for Lula: imprisoned ex close advisor strikes deal with investigators

    Palocci served as finance minister under former President Lula da Silva, and as chief of staff under Lula’s successor Dilma Rousseff.

    Former Brazilian Finance Minister Antonio Palocci has struck a plea deal with federal investigators, according to news advance from the Rio based O'Globo on Thursday, raising the stakes in a corruption scandal engulfing high-ranking politicians and prominent businessmen.

  • Thursday, April 26th 2018 - 08:31 UTC

    Brazil soybean planting forecast to break a record for the ninth year running

    The 2% increase in planted area in 2018-19 is due to expectations of higher process, greater demand from Chinese buyers, and an increase in domestic consumption

    Soybean planted area in Brazil is forecast to set a record for the ninth consecutive year at 35.8 million hectares, according to an April 24 Global Agricultural Information Network (GAIN) report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

  • Wednesday, April 25th 2018 - 08:59 UTC

    Brazilian company buys Shell downstream assets in Argentina

    Raízen besides 645 gas stations is also acquiring a refinery in Buenos Aires, LPG and aviation fuel terminals and a lubricant plant, among others

    Brazil’s Raizen Combustiveis SA agreed to buy downstream assets in Argentina from Royal Dutch Shell for US$ 950 million, according to a securities filing on Tuesday. Raízen Combustiveis, a joint venture between Brazil´s Cosan SA Indústria e Comércio and Shell, will have a 20% market share in fuel distribution in Argentina.

  • Wednesday, April 25th 2018 - 08:15 UTC

    Brazil's Lula gives his party the green light to find a new presidential candidate

    “I want you to feel totally free to take whatever decision you need because 2018 is an important year for the PT, for the left and for democracy,” wrote Lula da Silva

    Brazil's ex-president Lula, who is imprisoned for corruption, on Tuesday gave his Workers' Party (PT) the green light to find a new candidate for the October presidential election in which he remains the frontrunner. “I want you to feel totally free to take whatever decision you need because 2018 is an important year for the PT, for the left and for democracy,” wrote Lula da Silva in a letter to the party leadership.

  • Tuesday, April 24th 2018 - 08:50 UTC

    Some 15 Brazilian presidential hopefuls have 160 cases in court, according to Folha de Sao Paulo

    This group is led by Lula who was sentenced to 12 years in jail; president Temer is accused two cases and targeted by two ongoing investigations

    At least 15 of the 20 candidates who might run for president of Brazil in the October elections are targeted in more than 160 cases in courts throughout the country. Cases range from investigations in the Lava Jato operation to traffic offenses, and while in some cases would-be candidates are still only under investigation, in others they are either accused, or defendants, or have been sentenced – one of them was even arrested: former president Lula da Silva (PT), who is currently leading the poles.

  • Tuesday, April 24th 2018 - 08:42 UTC

    Brazil poised for historic oil boom

    A range of analyst and oil company estimates put the breakeven price for pre-salt fields at less than US$ 40 per barrel compared to US$ 45 seven years ago.

    By Mathew Smith<br />
    <br />
    After being caught up in major corruption scandals and suffering from what some have claimed was its worst economic downturn in 100-years, Brazil has pulled itself back from the brink. The economy commenced growing again in 2017 with gross domestic product (GDP) expanding by 1 percent and 2018 GDP growth forecast by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to be 2.3%.

  • Monday, April 23rd 2018 - 08:42 UTC

    Corruption a threat to democracy, remarks top Brazilian military on Army Day

    The general spoke alongside Temer, who himself has been charged twice with corruption but so far remains protected by Congress from having to face a trial.

    Brazil's top army commander made another foray into political commentary, warning that corruption poses a threat to democracy in Latin America's biggest country. The comment by General Eduardo Villas Boas was his second high-profile remark on the state of Brazil's democracy this month, going against an unwritten rule that high-ranking military officers keep out of politics.

  • Monday, April 23rd 2018 - 08:37 UTC

    Speed of recovery, the main debate on the Brazilian economy

    “I don’t know if you saw, but Brazil was one of the countries for which the IMF most intensely changed its growth forecast,” central bank chief Ilan Goldfajn said

    Brazil's policy makers welcomed an upward revision of the country's growth by the International Monetary Fund, while downplaying the fact its estimate remains lower than others.

  • Friday, April 20th 2018 - 09:19 UTC

    WTO backing for Brazil in the aircraft manufacturing subsidies dispute with Canada

    The case plays into a decades-long dispute between Bombardier and its main rival, Brazil’s Embraer SA

    Brazil has secured World Trade Organization backing to press its claims against Canada in a dispute over what it says are unfair subsidies for Bombardier Inc.’s CSeries jets, a preliminary WTO ruling published this week showed.