Brazil

• Wednesday, December 14th 2011 - 18:05 UTC

  China questions safety of Brazil’s dry bulk carriers, the world’s largest

  

  China should be in no rush to allow Brazil’s new Valemax ships, the world's largest dry bulk carriers, into its ports, as they have not been thoroughly tested and any oil leak from one could be catastrophic, an influential Chinese industry group warned on Tuesday.

• Wednesday, December 14th 2011 - 05:02 UTC

  Brazilian bus manufacturer expands into the Australian market

  

  Brazil’s Marco Polo one of the world’s largest manufacturers announced on Tuesday it had purchased a 75% stake in the Volgren Australia bus building industry an operation involving 53 million dollars.

• Wednesday, December 14th 2011 - 03:50 UTC

  Brazil sending overseas 100.000 graduates on scholarships to the best universities

  

  Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff announced the country would invest 2 billion dollars in a scholarship program to send overseas to the best world universities, 100.000 graduates.

• Wednesday, December 14th 2011 - 03:45 UTC

  Brazil’s development bank helping finance wind energy farms

  

  Brazil’s development bank, Banco Nacional de Desenvolvimento Economico e Social, BNDES, will provide 1.8 billion Reais (966 million dollars) to finance wind farms as the renewable energy source dominates government auctions for new power capacity.

• Tuesday, December 13th 2011 - 06:47 UTC

  Doctors impressed with Lula da Silva’s response to chemotherapy

  

  Doctors in charge of throat cancer treatment for former Brazilian President Lula da Silva called his response to chemotherapy “impressive” and said the tumour in his larynx had shrunk by 75% in size.

• Monday, December 12th 2011 - 21:39 UTC

  Monument to Brazilian general triggers controversy with human rights groups

  

  The Order of Brazilian Lawyers, OAB, considers the building of a monument to the memory of General Golbery do Couto e Silva, considered the most important mind behind the military dictatorship (1964/1985) as an “unnecessary provocation” which involves “some military officers” in disagreement with the Truth Commission.

• Monday, December 12th 2011 - 19:26 UTC

  Economists downgrade Brazil’s growth estimates for this year and 2012

  

  Brazilian bank economists cut the country’s growth estimate for this year to below 3%, (2.97%) according to a last week survey by the Central bank of over one hundred institutions and which was released Monday.

• Saturday, December 10th 2011 - 05:55 UTC

  Argentina and Brazil agree to jointly promote trade and manufacturing

  

  Argentina and Brazil agreed on Friday to “increase” in the “short term” regional trade in a shared strategy to address the consequences of the global crisis. The commitment was endorsed by Argentina’ Industry minister Debora Giorgi and her Brazilian counterpart Fernando Pimentel.

• Friday, December 9th 2011 - 07:16 UTC

  November inflation in Brazil up 0.52% and 6.64% in last twelve months

  

  Brazilian consumer prices rose faster than expected in November. Inflation as measured by the benchmark IPCA index, quickened to 0.52% last month from 0.43% in October.

• Friday, December 9th 2011 - 06:56 UTC

  Two major Brazilian corporations exchange assets in Argentina and Uruguay

  

  Brasil Foods SA, the world’s largest poultry exporter, said it signed an asset-swap accord with Marfrig Alimentos SA after being ordered to shed some units as part of a regulatory approval for a 3.8 billion dollars takeover.