Brazil

• Monday, December 20th 2010 - 05:32 UTC

  Brazil world fourth largest market for the auto industry: 3.45 m sales in 2010

  

  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.

• Saturday, December 18th 2010 - 19:04 UTC

  Fiat targeting a production of over a million cars in Brazil

  

  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.

• Saturday, December 18th 2010 - 09:08 UTC

  Fourteen presidents confirmed for Dilma Rousseff’s ceremony January first

  

  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.

• Friday, December 17th 2010 - 06:42 UTC

  Paraguayan industry calls Lula da Silva an “arrogant hypocrite”

  

  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’.

• Friday, December 17th 2010 - 00:04 UTC

  Lula da Silva named “Gays’ Father Christmas” because “you’re a good guy”

  

  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

• Thursday, December 16th 2010 - 03:58 UTC

  Australia present at the Mercosur summit in Brazil

  

  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.

• Thursday, December 16th 2010 - 03:31 UTC

  Brazil expects to reach UN Millennium Development Goals by 2012

  

  The Brazilian government announced Tuesday that the country has seen a solid drop in childhood malnutrition which, together with the social progress achieved in other areas, meets the criteria under the U.N. Millennium Development Goals for the eradication of extreme poverty.

• Wednesday, December 15th 2010 - 23:25 UTC

  Brazil world’s fifth economy by 2016, anticipates Lula da Silva

  

  On presenting a review of his eight years in office, Brazilian president Lula da Silva forecasted that Brazil would become the world’s fifth economy by 2016. He also underlined that under his administration combating hunger had become a “national cause” and for him a personal pride.

• Wednesday, December 15th 2010 - 23:00 UTC

  Inter American Court ruling serious human rights set back for Brazil

  

  In what is considered a historic ruling the Inter-American Court of Human Rights from the Organization of American States held the Brazilian state responsible for the forced disappearance of 62 alleged members of the Araguaia guerrilla movement- a small armed band of communists and Trotskyites crushed by military operations between 1972 and 1974.

• Tuesday, December 14th 2010 - 17:46 UTC

  Brazil has become “unavoidable partner” in the global decision-making process

  

  Brazil has the necessary conditions, and authority, to actively participate in the current international transformations as the world moves away from the “traditional governance mechanisms”, and for which Brazil, India and South Africa have become “unavoidable partners” in the decision making process.