Brazil

• Saturday, May 5th 2012 - 06:01 UTC

  Brazil received 5.4 million tourists in 2011 with Argentina providing 1.6 million

  

  Brazil received more than 5.4 million international visitors in 2011, up 5.35 from 2010, the Tourism Ministry announced Friday. The number of visitors from other South American nations rose from 2.384 million in 2010 to 2.628 million in 2011.

• Saturday, May 5th 2012 - 05:58 UTC

  FIFA concerned with the pace of preparations for the 2014 Brazil World Cup

  

  FIFA president Sepp Blatter has expressed concern about the slow pace of preparations for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil and said he wanted the delays to be made up as soon as possible.

• Friday, May 4th 2012 - 17:26 UTC

  Brazil applies radical changes to deposits policy to further cut basic interest rates

  

  Brazil will cut returns on new deposits to savings accounts, thereby paving the way for the central bank to further cut its benchmark lending rate, Finance Minister Guido Mantega announced.

• Friday, May 4th 2012 - 17:16 UTC

  Brazil committed to compete with China in Africa for resources and growing market

  

  Brazil pledged major investment and technology transfer to Africa to repay a “solidarity debt” from a country with a huge black population to the poorest but resource-rich continent.

• Friday, May 4th 2012 - 00:26 UTC

  BG selling lucrative asset in Brazil to focus on oil and gas fields

  

  UK gas producer BG Group has announced a deal to sell its stake in Brazil's Comgas to Sao Paulo-based Cosan for 1.8bn dollars. BG said it expected to deal to be completed by the end of the year.

• Thursday, May 3rd 2012 - 07:19 UTC

  Brazil working on package to further lower interest rates without scaring savers

  

  Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff plans to unveil changes to rules related to savings accounts on Thursday, government sources said, a key move to pave the way for lower interest rates in Latin America's largest economy.

• Thursday, May 3rd 2012 - 07:04 UTC

  French poultry processor in Brazil in talks to sell local subsidiary

  

  Brazil’s meat giant JBS is the most likely buyer of a local subsidiary owned by a French poultry processor, according to news reports.

• Thursday, May 3rd 2012 - 03:00 UTC

  Brazil’s April trade surplus at its lowest in a decade, as imports soar to new record

  

  Brazil’s trade surplus narrowed to its smallest in a decade for the month of April as imports jumped to their highest level on record for that period. In April the trade surplus fell to 881 million dollars from a surplus of 2 billion in March and 1.86 billion a year earlier.

• Wednesday, May 2nd 2012 - 05:30 UTC

  World Bank support for Rio Grande do Sul Brazil’s fourth largest economy

  

  The World Bank approved a 480 million dollars loan to strengthen public investment in the Brazilian State of Rio Grande do Sul which will benefit around ten million people.

• Monday, April 30th 2012 - 04:08 UTC

  “Brazil ready to live a natural gas golden era” with self sufficiency in five years

  

  Brazil which currently imports 35% of the natural gas it consumes from Bolivia has found sufficient reserves to ensure self-sufficiency in the coming five years announced Mines and Energy minister Edison Lobao.