Brazil

• Friday, April 25th 2014 - 05:45 UTC

  Lay-offs hit Brazilian auto industry following advancing drop in sales

  

  Volkswagen said on Thursday it will lay off 900 autoworkers at two Brazilian plants, one of the biggest recent efforts to cut output in the face of sluggish demand for cars in Latin America's largest economy. Brazil is the No. 4 market for Volkswagen after China, Germany and the United States.

• Friday, April 25th 2014 - 05:41 UTC

  Mantega confident that this year the 'the villain factor' in inflation is contained

  

  Ever-optimistic Brazilian Finance Minister Guido Mantega said a recent rise in consumer prices was expected, ('there's always a villain factor pushing inflation')' anticipating that in May/June the index will be lower. Mantega also denied local news reports that the government was seeking a change in the index methodology as a way to eliminate the impact of volatile food prices.

• Thursday, April 24th 2014 - 07:59 UTC

  China making inroads into Brazilian trade with Argentina, says CNI

  

  Argentina's economic situation has hit Brazil harder than its other commercial partners, as China has been making inroads into Brazilian trade with Argentina. Chinese exports to Argentina have more than tripled in the last ten years, according to a study carried out by Brazil's National Confederation of Industry, (CNI).

• Thursday, April 24th 2014 - 02:25 UTC

  Brazil sets the path for the future of a free, open and transparent internet

  

  Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff said at the Wednesday opening of a gathering in Sao Paulo that no country can have “more weight than another” in governing cyberspace. Delegations from more than 85 countries are attending the NETMundial international conference which during two days will debate Internet issues and try to reach an agreement on a new oversight model.

• Wednesday, April 23rd 2014 - 08:11 UTC

  Brazilian ex president Kubitschek was not murdered by the military regime

  

  Brazil's ex-President Juscelino Kubitschek was not murdered by the country's 1970s military regime despite previous claims, according to a national investigation. The National Truth Commission said the car crash in which Mr Kubitschek died in 1976 was a genuine accident.

• Wednesday, April 23rd 2014 - 08:05 UTC

  Riots in Rio following death of a dancer allegedly by police; in Sao Paulo 34 buses set on fire

  

  Violent protests broke out in Rio do Janeiro's tourist heart of Copacabana on Tuesday following the death of a professional dancer less than two months before the World Cup.

• Wednesday, April 23rd 2014 - 05:37 UTC

  Brazil anticipates lower soy exports because of a weaker Chinese demand

  

  Brazilian soy crushing association Abiove said on Tuesday the nation would export 43 million tons of soybeans from this season's nearly harvested crop, down from its forecast of 44 million tons a month earlier due to weaker Chinese demand.

• Wednesday, April 23rd 2014 - 05:23 UTC

  Internet governance to be debated at the Net Mundial conference in Brazil

  

  US Commerce Department's decision to ease its governance over the Internet and open it up to other countries will be the subject of much debate in Brazil starting Wednesday. Government representatives from around the world are heading to Sao Paulo for Net Mundial, a two-day meeting to discuss how the future of Internet governance will be handled.

• Tuesday, April 22nd 2014 - 06:40 UTC

  World Cup host city police back to work but number of slain people climbs to 39

  

  Three more people were killed in the capital of the Brazilian state of Bahia and local media reported that police officers were unavailable at most stations, although a two-day strike that affected Salvador-Bahía has been officially lifted.

• Tuesday, April 22nd 2014 - 06:26 UTC

  Brazil and Argentina clash over auto-export restrictions; top level mission heads for Buenos Aires

  

  A high level Brazilian government delegation is scheduled to arrive in Buenos Aires on Tuesday to discuss the 'urgent' re-opening of the Argentine market for Brazilian auto exports that have dropped 32% since the beginning of the year because of unilateral decisions from the administration of president Cristina Fernandez.