Brazil

Monday, June 24th 2013 - 08:22 UTC
Three out of four Brazilians fed up with poor public services support street protests

An overwhelming majority of Brazilians, 75% supports the two weeks street demonstrations demanding improved public services and complaining about the huge sums invested in stadiums for football world cups, according to a public opinion poll from Ibope and which was released in the latest edition of the weekly magazine Epoca.
Saturday, June 22nd 2013 - 06:03 UTC
Rousseff pledges to meet protestors and their demands, but will also maintain order

Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff promised on Friday to hold a dialogue with members of a protest movement sweeping the country, but also said she would do whatever is necessary to maintain order.
Saturday, June 22nd 2013 - 05:58 UTC
Brazil bishops support massive demonstrations, “as long as they are peaceful”

Leaders of the Brazilian bishops' conference announced their support for the massive demonstrations sweeping across the country but declined to say how they might affect World Youth Day activities and the visit of Pope Francis in July.
Saturday, June 22nd 2013 - 05:51 UTC
Pacific Alliance in a “marketing success” and no concern for Mercosur, says Brazil

The Pacific Alliance is a ‘marketing success’ and does not represent a concern for Mercosur since it does not have the potential for physical integration as other blocks from the region, said Brazilian Foreign minister Antonio Patriota during a congressional hearing this week in Brasilia.
Friday, June 21st 2013 - 17:02 UTC
FIFA and the Confederation Cup in Brazil: “the show must go on”

FIFA at no stage has discussed the possibility of canceling the Confederations Cup, which has been overshadowed by protests sweeping Brazil, according to a brief statement on Friday from soccer’s main organization following on reports from the Brazilian media.
Friday, June 21st 2013 - 06:37 UTC
Mercosur summit in Montevideo will consider lifting Paraguay’s suspension

Brazilian Foreign minister Antonio Patriota confirmed on Thursday that Paraguay’s suspension from Mercosur will be in the agenda of the coming presidential summit, next 12 July in Montevideo.
Friday, June 21st 2013 - 06:19 UTC
Rousseff calls emergency cabinet meeting; a million people took to the streets in capital cites

Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff has called for an urgent meeting of her main ministers Friday morning to address the effects of the current demonstrations through out Brazil which on Thursday evening convened over a million people in eighty cities.
Friday, June 21st 2013 - 06:16 UTC
Brazilian political system from surprise to shock as there seems no end to protests

Brazil's biggest protests in two decades intensified on Thursday despite government concessions meant to quell the demonstrations, as over 300,000 people took to the streets of Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Brasilia and tens of thousands more flooded an estimated one hundred cities.
Friday, June 21st 2013 - 06:10 UTC
Rousseff envoy to Argentina to try and mend trade and investment difficulties

Brazilian Industry and Foreign Trade minister Fernando Pimentel met this week in Buenos Aires with President Cristina Fernandez and members of her cabinet to address several bilateral trade issues that growingly concern President Dilma Rousseff because of Argentina’s increasingly market protection policies.
Friday, June 21st 2013 - 06:03 UTC
Main Mercosur obstacle is Argentina, say Brazilian farmers promoting an EU/Brazil trade accord

One of Mercosur ‘main obstacles’ is political and has its origin in Argentina, a country that is ‘extremely protectionist’, said the president of Brazil’s National Agriculture Confederation, CAN, Senator Katia Abreu currently in Brussels promoting the idea of a bilateral Brazil/EU free trade agreement.