Brazil

• Tuesday, May 15th 2012 - 02:30 UTC

  Brazil’s Real falls to 2 per dollar, lowest since 2009; government overwhelmed

  

  Brazil’s Real tumbled to 2 per dollar for the first time in almost three years as Finance Minister Guido Mantega said the exchange rate doesn’t worry the government, opening expectations the currency may fall further.

• Tuesday, May 15th 2012 - 02:28 UTC

  Brazilian president announces new social support programs for children

  

  Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff launched on Sunday, (Mother’s Day in South America) a raft of new social programs for low-income families with young children.

• Monday, May 14th 2012 - 19:22 UTC

  Brazil military police occupies favelas in Rio to prevent full fledged drugs war

  

  Brazilian police was out in full force to occupy for an indefinite period a group of favelas (shanty towns) surrounding the ‘marvellous’ city of Rio do Janeiro following the killing of the state’s most wanted drug lord.

• Monday, May 14th 2012 - 05:38 UTC

  “Interest rate has been falling not to please Dilma”, says Brazil Central bank chief

  

  The central bank remains independent and the current interest-rate cutting cycle is driven by specific economic factors, not pressure from President Dilma Rousseff, Brazil’s central bank President Alexandre Tombini said in an interview in the Sunday edition of O Estado de S. Paulo.

• Monday, May 14th 2012 - 05:15 UTC

  Former Brazilian president wins Human Sciences Prize for lifetime achievement

  

  Fernando Henrique Cardoso, a Brazilian scholar turned president, has won the $1 million John W. Kluge Prize for Lifetime Achievement in the Human Sciences, the United States Library of Congress plans to announce Monday.

• Saturday, May 12th 2012 - 09:17 UTC

  Top trade officials invite Brazilian companies to invest in East Germany

  

  A top visiting German trade official appealed to Brazilian companies Thursday to invest in Europe's largest economy, particularly in the former East Germany taking advantage of the country’s know-how.

• Friday, May 11th 2012 - 13:06 UTC

  BRIC members, Indonesia, Philippines and Chile lead in air travel growth

  

  Asia leads the world’s growth in air travel and holds seven out of the ten busiest inter-city routes. In addition to the BRIC markets, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Chile showed an impressive growth, according to analysis by the market intelligence solution Amadeus Total Demand.

• Friday, May 11th 2012 - 13:05 UTC

  Brazilian meatpacker moving out of Argentina sells plant to local government

  

  Brazilian meatpacker JBS SA has sold one of its two units based in San Jose, Argentina, the company said in statement Wednesday. The unit was sold for 16.5 million dollars to a group of local cooperatives and the provincial government, which will run the operation.

• Friday, May 11th 2012 - 01:24 UTC

  Brazil underlines the “great political convergence” with Argentina in spite of trade differences

  

  Foreign Minister Antonio Patriota praised the “great political convergence” between Argentina and Brazil and assured that any existing problems related to the bilateral trade “do not tarnish this very strong reality.”

• Friday, May 11th 2012 - 00:16 UTC

  Brazilian navy successfully tests Exocet missile with engine manufactured in the country

  

  The Brazilian navy successfully tested an Exocet MM40 missile totally designed, developed and manufactured in the country by Avibras and with the support from the European group MBDA, partly owned by BAE Systems.