Brazil

• Friday, December 18th 2015 - 08:40 UTC

  Relief for Rousseff: Justices' ruling delays impeachment procedures

  

  Brazil's Supreme Court gave a relief to embattled President Dilma Rousseff two victories on Thursday in rulings that improve her chances of blocking an impeachment bid by opponents seeking to oust the unpopular leader.

• Friday, December 18th 2015 - 08:31 UTC

  Judge lifts suspension of Whatsapp and makes 100 million Brazilians happy

  

  The day after a Brazilian judge ordered the suspension of the Whatsapp cell-phone chat and voice service for 48 hours, cutting off millions of users from one of the country’s most popular communication services, another judge overturned the ban.

• Friday, December 18th 2015 - 08:01 UTC

  Brazil's budget targets ignored by Congress; Finance minister could resign

  

  Brazil’s Congress on Thursday approved a 2016 budget with surplus targets lower than what Finance Minister Joaquim Levy wanted, a day after the country lost an investment-grade credit rating on concerns about fiscal restraint.

• Friday, December 18th 2015 - 07:44 UTC

  A good one for Brazil: trade surplus has reached US$15.8bn

  

  Brazil accumulated a trade surplus of US$15.8 billion between January and the second week of December, its biggest for that period since posting a US$17.15 billion trade surplus for the first 11 months of 2012, according to Development, Industry and Foreign Trade Ministry figures.

• Thursday, December 17th 2015 - 08:02 UTC

  Brazil's prosecutor asks Justices to strip Lower House speaker of his seat

  

  Brazil's attorney general went to the Supreme Court on Wednesday seeking to strip the leader of the House of Deputies of his seat. House Speaker Eduardo Cunha is the nemesis of embattled and unpopular President Dilma Rousseff — and earlier this month opened the door to begin impeachment proceedings against her.

• Thursday, December 17th 2015 - 07:56 UTC

  Fitch downgrades Brazilian bonds to junk; investors could dispose of 20bn in debt

  

  Fitch Ratings downgraded Brazil government bonds to junk on Wednesday, citing rising concerns about an economic and political crisis that threatens to push President Dilma Rousseff from office and scuttle efforts to close a gaping fiscal deficit.

• Thursday, December 17th 2015 - 03:53 UTC

  Brazil Justices delay until Thursday decision on impeachment procedure against president Rousseff

  

  Brazil's Supreme Court delayed until Thursday a crucial decision related to a procedural question in a case that could lead to President Dilma Rousseff's impeachment. The decision, originally scheduled for Wednesday, was postponed after the court ran out of time. “Tomorrow we'll stay as long as necessary,” said Chief Justice Ricardo Lewandowski.

• Wednesday, December 16th 2015 - 07:32 UTC

  Brazil's strongest business lobby supports President Rousseff's impeachment

  

  The all powerful Sao Paulo Federation of Industries, FIESP, formalized on Tuesday its support to the impeachment process against Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff, thus becoming the first business corporation to publicly express such stance that could end with the removal of the head of state of Latin America's largest economy.

• Wednesday, December 16th 2015 - 07:26 UTC

  Expect a much smaller and more profitable Petrobras, in four years, says CEO Bendini

  

  Petrobras, Brazil's largest corporation, carried out asset sales and underwent a restructuring this year in response to a severe financial crisis, emerging smaller but with a more profitable and productive future ahead, CEO Aldemir Bendini said Tuesday.

• Wednesday, December 16th 2015 - 07:11 UTC

  Brazilian Lower house speaker closer to losing his job than embattled Rousseff

  

  Brazilian federal police searched the home of lower house speaker Eduardo Cunha on Tuesday as part of a series of anti-graft raids against senior political figures, dealing a blow to the man who opened President Dilma Rousseff's impeachment proceedings.