Brazil

• Friday, March 20th 2015 - 07:19 UTC

  Brazil's Real drops to lowest since April 2003; loss of 17% against the dollar this year

  

  No end to Brazil's economic woes: the Brazilian currency depreciated 2.7% on Thursday, at 3.30 Reales to the US dollar, its worst performance since April 2003. With this loss of ground the Real cut short a three day recovery, because since last Monday it had been climbing against the greenback.

• Thursday, March 19th 2015 - 07:42 UTC

  Brazilian opposition insists Supreme Court must investigate Rousseff

  

  Brazil's opposition has announced that it will ask the Supreme Federal Court to investigate President Dilma Rousseff for the Petrobras corruption scandal in which her party's treasurer Joao Vacari is also implicated.

• Thursday, March 19th 2015 - 07:32 UTC

  Rousseff unveils anti corruption measures, but her approval has fallen to 13%

  

  Brazil's Dilma Rousseff tried to get ahead of the storm of scandal bearing down on her presidency on Wednesday, unveiling a raft of anti-corruption measures she hopes will appease her critics.

• Thursday, March 19th 2015 - 07:26 UTC

  Uruguay's Economy minister warns about Mercosur and Brazilian situation

  

  Uruguay's Economy minister Danilo Astori warned about the new regional and international context, not so favorable to his country's interests as in recent years, and underlined that Mercosur is going through one of its worst moments since foundation in 1991.

• Wednesday, March 18th 2015 - 08:37 UTC

  Brazil coordinates efforts to guarantee supply of basic products to Venezuela

  

  Following a request from Venezuela, the Brazilian government has acted alongside Brazilian companies to guarantee supply of basic products during Venezuela's economic crisis, according to diplomatic sources. The request was made by President Nicolas Maduro in at least two meetings with President Dilma Rousseff, in December 2014 and the day after Rousseff began her second term, on January 2.

• Wednesday, March 18th 2015 - 08:28 UTC

  Rousseff pledges talks with critics and admits government needs to show humility

  

  Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff pledged to hold talks with her growing number of critics and said her embattled government needed to show humility, after the Sunday massive protests erupted across the country.

• Tuesday, March 17th 2015 - 07:59 UTC

  Treasurer of Brazil’s ruling party formally charged in the Petrobras corruption scandal

  

  Brazilian prosecutors have formally charged the treasurer of the ruling Workers' Party and 26 others with corruption linked to state-run Petrobras, in the latest blow to President Dilma Rousseff from the widening scandal.

• Tuesday, March 17th 2015 - 07:18 UTC

  More former Petrobras top officials arrested on money laundering investigation

  

  Brazilian police arrested a former Petrobras executive on Monday, in a broad kickback and money laundering investigation that has rattled some of the nation's biggest companies and political parties.

• Monday, March 16th 2015 - 11:00 UTC

  Peaceful massive protests against Rousseff on Sunday throughout Brazil

  

  Over one million demonstrators marched in cities and towns across Brazil to protest a sluggish economy, rising prices and corruption, and some even calling for the impeachment of populist President Dilma Rousseff. The marches on Sunday come as Brazil struggles to overcome economic and political malaise and pick up the pieces of a boom that crumbled once Rousseff took office in 2011.

• Sunday, March 15th 2015 - 02:33 UTC

  Argentina will keep to its monetary policy despite a 20% devaluation of the Brazilian Real

  

  Argentina’s central bank governor Alejandro Vanoli said that despite the continued erosion of the Brazilian currency against the US dollar, which ended the week trading at 3.28 Real to the greenback, monetary policy will continue to manage the foreign exchange to avoid volatility and ensure economic growth.