Brazil

• Saturday, August 11th 2012 - 10:28 UTC

  “Amazonas”, first of three ocean patrol vessels built for Brazil leaves UK

  

  Amazonas, the first of three BAE Systems built Ocean Patrol Vessels being delivered the Brazilian Navy, departed the UK for Rio de Janeiro this week after her crew completed a rigorous program of Flag Officer Sea Training with the Royal Navy off the South coast of England

• Saturday, August 11th 2012 - 10:23 UTC

  Brazil signs contract for the purchase of wheeled armour personnel carriers

  

  The Brazilian Army and Iveco signed this week a contract for the purchase of 86 VBTP MR wheeled armoured personnel carriers known as Guarani. President of Iveco Latin America, Marco Mazzu, said that he was proud to participate in the “renaissance of the defence industry in Brazil”.

• Saturday, August 11th 2012 - 10:13 UTC

  Attractiveness Survey shows foreign investors remain with great interest in Brazil

  

  A stable economy, a burgeoning domestic market and huge untapped reserves of natural resources have led foreign investors to become increasingly interested in Brazil as an investment destination although there are challenges to sustaining this attractiveness according to Ernst & Young's first annual Brazilian Attractiveness Survey.

• Friday, August 10th 2012 - 08:49 UTC

  Brazil bumper crop of corn estimated at 71.5 million tons

  

  Brazil will reap a record grain harvest of 163.3 million tons this year, a gain of two per cent over 2011, the IBGE statistics agency says. The IBGE's latest forecast, based on July data is 1.6% higher than the previous projection.

• Friday, August 10th 2012 - 08:41 UTC

  Short of soy Brazil meat producers want to import from Bolivia

  

  Meat producers in Brazil's Mato Grosso do Sul state are lobbying the government to approve soy imports from neighbouring Bolivia after drought shrank supplies in the world's second grower, a state official and analysts.

• Friday, August 10th 2012 - 08:35 UTC

  Booming agriculture sees crop land prices in Brazil soar 18% in the past year

  

  Prices of Brazilian crop land have soared 18% in the past year, to judge by data from one of the country's biggest agricultural groups, which revealed plans to take sowings nearly to 300,000 hectares, according to Agrimoney.com.

• Friday, August 10th 2012 - 08:27 UTC

  Toyota opens third plant in Brazil and announces engine plant

  

  Toyota from Japan has inaugurated its third plant in Brazil that aims to produce 70,000 cars a year. The facility, located 90 kilometres west of Sao Paulo in Sorocaba, will begin producing Etios compact cars next month, with engines imported from Japan.

• Friday, August 10th 2012 - 07:57 UTC

  Brazil votes affirmative action for blacks and minorities in federal universities

  

  The Brazilian Senate has approved an affirmative action bill that reserves half the spots in federal universities for high school graduates of public schools, and distributes them according to the racial makeup of each state.

• Friday, August 10th 2012 - 07:49 UTC

  Brazil reminds Paraguay that Itaipu power is jointly shared and managed

  

  Brazil reminded Paraguay it can use the power it needs from the giant Itaipu hydro but there is a contract which regulates how to manage the surplus. A day earlier president Federico Franco said that Paraguay would not “yield” any more electricity to Brazil.

• Wednesday, August 8th 2012 - 18:36 UTC

  Brazilian Federal Police on strike; delays at airports and border crossings

  

  The strike declared by the Brazilian Federal Police on Tuesday is beginning to cause difficulties at international airports, delaying the crossing of visitors to neighbouring countries and some organized pickets have been marching in front of federal government offices.