Brazil

• Wednesday, February 15th 2012 - 00:33 UTC

  Brazil and Paraguay soybean harvest forecast downgraded because of lack of rain

  

  Oil World cut its forecast for Brazil and Paraguay soybean production, extending the run of downgrades amid ideas that rains in the last two weeks has been insufficient to put a hold on crop losses.

• Wednesday, February 15th 2012 - 00:27 UTC

  Brazil imposes extra levies on blanket imports from Uruguay and Paraguay

  

  Brazil imposed additional levies on the import of blankets from Mercosur associates Paraguay and Uruguay alleging triangulation of Chinese textiles, which are restricted because of dumping practices.

• Tuesday, February 14th 2012 - 20:43 UTC

  Brazil willing to wait to see how latest Argentine trade restrictions evolve

  

  Brazil’s private sector said it would grant Argentina a “confidence vote” and would wait until the end of February before assessing the consequence of the new import restrictions imposed by the government of President Cristina Fernandez.

• Monday, February 13th 2012 - 06:21 UTC

  Latest medical tests show Lula da Silva larynx cancerous tumour has disappeared

  

  The latest medical examination of former Brazilian president Lula da Silva has shown that a cancerous tumour in his larynx has disappeared, one of his doctors told a local newspaper Sunday.

• Saturday, February 11th 2012 - 08:00 UTC

  Brazil readies 14.000 troops in case Rio do Janeiro police strike extends

  

  Brazil prepared to deploy troops on the streets of Rio de Janeiro on Friday, as a strike by the state's police force threatened to disrupt upcoming carnival festivities and raised new questions about security before the 2014 World Cup.

• Saturday, February 11th 2012 - 07:42 UTC

  Brazilean consumer prices increase 0.56% in January, fastest in nine months

  

  Brazilian consumer prices rose at the fastest pace in nine months in January on higher transport, food and drink costs. Prices increased 0.56% from December, the national statistics agency said in a report distributed in Rio de Janeiro.

• Friday, February 10th 2012 - 04:15 UTC

  Brazil anticipates a 3% contraction in the 2011/12 crop because of severe drought

  

  The 2012 Brazilian grains and oilseed is expected to be below the 2011 record because of the intense drought in the months of December and January, particularly to the south of the country where soybeans and rice suffered most reported the Geography and Statistics Institute, IBGE.

• Friday, February 10th 2012 - 03:58 UTC

  Police strike shows security remains main challenge for Brazil’s world events

  

  Hundreds of striking police officers ended their 10-day occupation of a state assembly house in Brazil's third-biggest city, easing tensions in a walkout that unleashed a bloody crime wave and threatened upcoming carnival celebrations.

• Thursday, February 9th 2012 - 23:17 UTC

  Mujica says Mercosur is “a chewing gum”; promises trade deals with third countries

  

  Mercosur from a real point of view exits, but institutionally it’s a “chewing gum” claimed Uruguayan president Jose Mujica who anticipated he would demand from the block’s partners that Uruguay be allowed to sign bilateral trade agreements with third parties.

• Wednesday, February 8th 2012 - 22:08 UTC

  Brazil celebrating unconfirmed report that Lula da Silva is free of cancer

  

  A piece of news in a Brazilian website on Wednesday today caused a wave of reactions and expectations when it declared sources close to the medical team treating former Brazilian President Lula da Silva for a throat cancer said he is free of the disease.