A Brazilian judge has sentenced a former international director at the country's largest corporation and government managed Petrobras to five years in prison for money laundering, the second company executive convicted in an ongoing corruption probe.
Brazil and Uruguay's plan for a more 'flexible' Mercosur to speed negotiations for an encompassing long delayed trade agreement with the European Union have stumbled with the first official reaction from Argentina, which does not agree with the tariffs' proposals policy or individual trade initiatives from member countries.
Uruguay will be hosting Paraguayan president Horacio Cartes in early June when he is expected to confirm' his country's support to Uruguay and Brazil in their renewed approach to accelerate negotiations for the signing of a full cooperation and free trade agreement with the European Union, which were started fifteen years ago.
The most iconic symbol of the Olympic Games is decorating the city for the Rio 2016 Games. City Hall has installed giant Olympic Rings in Madureira Park, ahead of the largest sporting event in the world.
Brazil´s main opposition party plans to pursue a criminal complaint against President Dilma Rousseff for 'inventive' accounting that helped shore up the country´s fiscal results in recent years.
Brazil finally announced its much expected budget resources reshuffle that will freeze 69.9 billion Reais (22.58 billion dollars) worth of spending on investment, education and health programs this year, limiting outlays in a bid to convince investors that President Dilma Rousseff is committed to saving the country's investment-grade rating.
Economic activity in Brazil tumbled in the first quarter and unemployment climbed to a near four-year high, adding to signals that a looming recession could worsen as President Dilma Rousseff reins in public spending.
Uruguayan president Tabare Vazquez said it was “urgent and necessary” to redesign Mercosur so as to give its members greater 'trade flexibility'. Vazquez made the statements following Thursday meeting with his peer Dilma Rousseff in Brasilia and underlined “it would be naive to admit that Mercosur as it stands currently, is satisfactory”.
The head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) encouraged Brazil on Thursday to pursue fiscal discipline, saying it was needed to protect social programs benefitting the poorest members of society. IMF chief Christine Lagarde made the link during a visit to Complexo do Alemao, one of Rio's largest and most dangerous slums and an example of the challenges the country faces as it struggles with low growth and high inflation
Uruguayan president Tabare Vazquez will be meeting his peer, Dilma Rousseff in Brasilia this Thursday to address a dense bilateral agenda, and more specifically the workings and future of Mercosur, in search for a more flexible group, open to agreements with third parties.