Brazil

• Friday, August 13th 2010 - 06:33 UTC

  Brazil halts operations on Petrobras oil platform citing safety reasons

  

  Brazil's oil regulator said on Thursday it halted operations of state oil company Petrobras' (PETR4.SA: Quote) offshore P-33 platform, citing safety concerns. The announcement follows oil workers union claims that the rig was “dangerous”.

• Thursday, August 12th 2010 - 04:05 UTC

  China on course to become biggest foreign direct investor in Brazil

  

  China's direct investment in Brazil has surged, putting China on course to be the biggest foreign direct investor in Latin America's largest economy this year.

• Wednesday, August 11th 2010 - 06:07 UTC

  Two leading Brazilian banks join to expand operations in Africa

  

  Two leading Brazilian banks have agreed to acquire stakes in BES Africa, a holding company belonging to Portugal’s biggest publicly traded bank that makes investments in Africa.

• Tuesday, August 10th 2010 - 01:21 UTC

  Lula da Silva underlines as his main legacy relation with the Brazilian people

  

  With less than five months in office and a public opinion support of 80%, President Lula da Silva considers his most important legacy the relation established between the presidency and the Brazilian people.

• Saturday, August 7th 2010 - 05:56 UTC

  Dilma/Serra debate was “boring” and unable to distract Brazilians from soccer

  

  The first television debate between the Brazilian leading presidential candidates, Dilma Rousseff and Jose Serra had one of the lowest ratings Thursday night and analysts defined it as ‘boring’ and a at the most, ‘a test for future duels’.

• Friday, August 6th 2010 - 00:34 UTC

  IMF praises Brazil’s “carefully calibrated” policies and forecasts 7.1% growth

  

  The International Monetary Fund reiterated its forecast for Brazil’s economy to expand 7.1% this year, as result of capital inflows and the expansion of credit. However the IMF also cautioned about the official credit policy of the country’s development bank.

• Friday, August 6th 2010 - 00:28 UTC

  Chinese auto maker planning a plant with a production capacity of 170.000 units

  

  Chinese auto-maker Chery Automobile Co. will spend 700 million US dollars on a plant in Sao Paulo, Brazil's wealthiest state, the local newspaper o Estado de S. Paulo reported in its Thursday edition.

• Thursday, August 5th 2010 - 05:00 UTC

  Snow in Brazil, below zero Celsius in the River Plate and tropical fish frozen

  

  For a second day running it snowed Wednesday in Southern Brazil and in twelve of Argentina’s 24 provinces including parts of Buenos Aires as a consequence of the polar front covering most of the continent’s southern cone with zero and below zero temperatures.

• Wednesday, August 4th 2010 - 22:00 UTC

  Brazil ready for first television clash between Dilma Rousseff and Serra

  

  Brazil’s main presidential candidates will be holding their first televised debate Thursday evening less than two months to voting day October 3. The debate has been organized by Bandeirantes Television and will also include two other candidates with lesser chance, so all eyes will be set on incumbent Dilma Rousseff and opposition leader Jose Serra

• Wednesday, August 4th 2010 - 02:42 UTC

  Lula da Silva’s double challenge as Mercosur chair

  

  Consolidating Mercosur as an “undisputed irreversible” integrated block will be Brazilian president Lula da Silva challenge as the pro-tempore chair of the group in the last leg of his eight years in office.