Brazil

• Tuesday, February 27th 2007 - 21:00 UTC

  U.S., Brazil should lead bio-fuel plan

  

  Our hemisphere has major oil exporters, such as Canada, Mexico and Venezuela; and oil importers, such as the United States, Chile, Uruguay and nearly all the smaller countries in Central America and the Caribbean.

• Tuesday, February 27th 2007 - 21:00 UTC

  Repsol looking for another shareholder for the YPF branch

  

  Repsol YPF chairman Antoni Brufau on announcing Tuesday the discovery in Libya of its largest ever oil field and lower profits in 2006, admitted that the company was looking for another shareholder for its Argentine branch YPF.

• Monday, February 26th 2007 - 21:00 UTC

  Russia's gas giant and Petrobras sign cooperation accord

  

  Gazprom and Brazilian oil company Petrobras have signed last week an agreement on hydrocarbon cooperation, the Russian energy giant revealed in a news release Monday.

• Saturday, February 24th 2007 - 20:00 UTC

  Guess who's coming to Uruguay? And a week later?

  Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will be arriving Monday for a one day fence mending visit to Uruguay where together with President Tabare Vazquez they will be addressing an agenda with several controversial issues

• Friday, February 23rd 2007 - 20:00 UTC

  Brazil could begin to relax its strict monetary policy

  

  Brazil has named a strong critic of the country's Central Bank strict (and controversial) monetary policy as representative before the International Monetary Fund, IMF, according to a release from the Finance Ministry.

• Thursday, February 22nd 2007 - 20:00 UTC

  Brazil admits possible “causalities” in Mercosur membership

  

  “Differences within Mercosur are an inevitable result of deepening relations among its five members”, said Brazil's Foreign Affairs minister Celso Amorim interviewed by the Financial Times but admits there might be “casualties” among junior members dissatisfied with the functioning of the trade block launched in 1991.

• Saturday, February 17th 2007 - 20:00 UTC

  Carnival: Rio De Janeiro Expects 700,000 Tourists

  

  Despite ongoing violence that has shaken Rio de Janeiro for months, the Brazilian city on Wednesday said it expects 700,000 tourists for its world-famous Carnival celebrations this year.

• Thursday, February 15th 2007 - 20:00 UTC

  Brazil's primary surplus planned to drop to 3.75% of GDP

  

  Brazil posted a 4.32% of GDP primary surplus in 2006 compared to 4.83% in 2005 revealed the country's Central Bank. The savings are equivalent to 41 billion US dollars.

• Thursday, February 15th 2007 - 20:00 UTC

  Brazil-Bolivia agree higher gas price for supply security

  Brazil will pay about 11% more for natural gas from Bolivia under a deal presidents Lula da Silva and Evo Morales signed Thursday in Brazil and that could resolve a year of tense relations between the South American nations.

• Wednesday, February 14th 2007 - 20:00 UTC

  Petrobras profits slump 36% in 4Q

  

  Brazilian state oil company Petrobras said yesterday fourth-quarter profit fell 36 percent, hit by higher production costs that its chief executive said were worrisome.