Following the 30% expansion in 2010, Brazilian exports are forecasted to grow 12%, in 2011 according to Foreign Trade Secretary Weber Barral. He added that in 2010 the recovery was quite strong compared to the downturn of 2009, but in 2011 global trade growth rate is expected to slow down.
Brazil's outgoing President Lula da Silva said he might run for president again some day, Folha de S. Paulo newspaper reported, a revelation that could weaken his chosen successor.
With the recent 62% increase Brazilian lawmakers (Lower House and Senate) will be among the best paid in the world, ahead of European and US peers and from other emerging economies.
Brazilian president Lula de Silva strongly defended Mercosur calling for a quick approval of Venezuela’s incorporation as full member, and proposed other associate members such Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and Chile should follow the same path since ‘we share the same political, economic and cultural affinities’.
Brazil has become the world’s fourth largest market for the automobile industry with sales of 3.45 million in 2010, up 9.8% over 2009, and is also attracting massive overseas investments to the industry, reports Anfavea the Brazilian Association of automobile manufacturers.Brazil now stands behind China, United States, Japan and ahead of Germany.
Fiat announced this week that it plans to invest 3 billion Real (approx. 1.7 billion USD) to build a second plant in Brazil, the carmaker’s No. 2 market after its native Italy.
At least fourteen presidents, including Colombia’s Juan Manuel Santos and Venezuela’ Hugo Chavez, and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have confirmed they will be present next January first in Brasilia when Dilma Rousseff takes office as Brazil’s first woman president.
The Paraguayan Industrial Union, UIP, called Brazilian president Lula da Silva an “arrogant hypocrite” for making promises he never honoured, and attacked President Fernando Lugo for generating ‘overblown fantasy expectations’.
Brazilian president Lula da Silva was named “Gays’ Father Christmas” by the country’s Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals, Travesties and Transsexuals (ABGLT) organization during a meeting of social groupings at the Planalto Palace (Government House) in Brasilia
Australian Foreign Secretary Kevin Rudd will be present at the two-day Mercosur summit which begins Thursday in Foz de Iguazu. Rudd met on Wednesday with his Brazilian peer Celso Amorim ahead of the summit and in the framework of the “Australia-Brazil Dialogue” created last September.