Brazil

• Tuesday, June 28th 2011 - 06:12 UTC

  Mercosur summit begins Tuesday among controversy over its effectiveness

  

  The Mercosur summit will be an opportunity to solve asymmetry problems and social inequalities in the region, said Paraguay’ Foreign Affairs minister Jorge Lara Castro. The South American customs union is meeting this week in Asuncion for the first of two annual summits when the rotating chair will be passed on to Uruguay.

• Tuesday, June 28th 2011 - 04:28 UTC

  Almost 40 million Brazilians climbed to middle class in the last eight years

  

  An estimated 39.5 million Brazilians climbed to the middle class between 2003 and May 2011 according to a report from the Getulio Vargas Foundation, FGV, released Monday and which underlined inclusion and inequality reduction as the main forces.

• Monday, June 27th 2011 - 06:48 UTC

  Brazil’s former Food Security minister voted next FAO Director General

  

  The United Nations’ food agency, FAO, elected Brazil’s Jose Graziano da Silva as its Director General, the first new leader in almost two decades as the world faces near-record food prices that are driving millions into poverty.

• Monday, June 27th 2011 - 06:24 UTC

  Parlasur member claims Mercosur summits have become ‘display of empty rhetoric’

  

  Mercosur summits have become a display of empty rhetoric, full of protocol and ‘family photos’ but with no full hearted willingness to achieve a solid, fair integration, claimed the head of the Paraguayan delegation before Parlasur, the Mercosur Parliament.

• Monday, June 27th 2011 - 05:33 UTC

  Sao Paulo celebrates Gay Pride Day with the largest world turnout

  

  Hundreds of thousands of people dancing and wearing costumes packed on Sunday the streets of Sao Paulo, South America's biggest city to celebrate June 26 gay pride day and call for an end to homophobia.

• Saturday, June 25th 2011 - 07:49 UTC

  Brazil preparing to licence 45 ports to operators; the first Amazon city of Manaus

  

  Brazil's government, which has already begun the process of handing over airports to private investment, is now preparing 45 ports to be licensed to operators, Estado de S Paulo newspaper reported Friday.

• Friday, June 24th 2011 - 22:23 UTC

  FIFA slams Brazil’s slow pace of preparation for the 2014 World Cup

  

  Brazil's slow pace of preparation for the 2014 World Cup has come under attack from FIFA general secretary Jerome Valcke. Stadium development plus work on airports and the transport system are lagging well behind schedule.

• Friday, June 24th 2011 - 21:50 UTC

  Mercosur summit in Paraguay; Uruguay takes the chair for the next 6 months

  

  Presidents from Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Ecuador have confirmed they will be attending the Mercosur summit in Paraguay next June 28/29, when the rotating chair of the group for the next six months will pass on to Uruguay.

• Friday, June 24th 2011 - 11:07 UTC

  Britain says Brazil has the best science base outside the G8

  

  The UK said that Brazil has the best science base outside the G8, and Brazil’s state-controlled oil and gas giant Petrobras CEO Jose Sergio Gabrielli predicted that his country will shortly become the world's largest market for deep offshore oceanic hydrocarbon exploration equipment.

• Friday, June 24th 2011 - 00:02 UTC

  Russian meats market paralyzed; Uruguay and Brazil exports affected

  

  The Russian market which has been the main buyer of Uruguayan beef helping to boost cattle prices has virtually ceased operations according to Uruguayan exporters who claim deals are limited to small shipments of livers and tongues.