The Paraguayan Senate finally passed on Tuesday afternoon, with a large majority a protocol for including Venezuela as full member of Mercosur. The protocol, which was submitted to Congress by President Horacio Cartes, was supported 29-10.
Shocking violence at a Brazilian championship match is not an indication of what can be expected when the South American country hosts next year's World Cup, FIFA and Brazilian government officials have declared.
Brazil's most southern state, Rio Grande do Sul is consolidating as the country's main producer of wheat with a record crop from the current harvest of 2.91 million tons, breaking the 2011 record of 2,74 million tons, according to the latest report from Emater, the country's rural extension department.
The Paraguayan Senate is expected to vote this Tuesday the incorporation of Venezuela to Mercosur as full member in an extraordinary meeting, according to Senator Julio César Velázquez from the ruling party. To have the Venezuelan protocol approved 23 out of 45 Senators have to lift their hands, but according to previous surveys only 15 are expected to dissent.
Argentina will from next week open the doors for Brazilian imports held up on the border between the two nations, including footwear and motor vehicles, according to Brazilian Minister of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade Fernando Pimentel.
Brazil's annual inflation cooled in November falling to 5.77%, reported the Institute of Geography and Statistics, IBGE, on Friday. The November reading was the lowest since registering 5.84% in December 2012.
Brazil's central bank said its current pace of interest rate increases remains appropriate to rein in consumer prices, repeating language it used to justify previous half-percentage-point increases, according to the November 26/27 minutes released on Thursday.
The 32 teams at next year's World Cup finals will share a total fund of 576 million dollars, including a prize-money pot of 358m with the winners taking home 35m, FIFA said on Thursday. The amount of money made available to the countries taking part has increased 37% from the 420m on offer at the 2010 finals in South Africa.
Brazilian authorities say they've learned from demonstrations during the Confederations Cup not to let protesters get too close to stadiums at the upcoming World Cup. Andrei Augusto Rodrigues, security head for major events at Brazil's justice ministry, acknowledged that police misjudged the threat to public safety at Rio de Janeiro in June at the final of the Confederations Cup, a World Cup warm-up.
Pele, the only person to win three World Cups as a player, said Brazil will enter next year’s tournament with more humility than when the country last hosted soccer’s greatest event in 1950. On 16 July that year Brazil was shocked 2-1 by Uruguay in the final game at Rio de Janeiro’s Maracana stadium in what is considered as a national tragedy by some Brazilians.