Brazil

• Wednesday, July 13th 2011 - 18:55 UTC

  One bite too much for Brazil’s biggest TV dinner and frozen meat maker

  

  Brasil Foods, Brazil’s biggest maker of TV dinners and frozen meat products, won conditional approval of its 3.8 billion US dollars takeover of rival Sadia SA as Brazilian regulators ordered it to stop using a top brand and sell some assets to ensure domestic competition.

• Wednesday, July 13th 2011 - 16:16 UTC

  Battle for majority control of Brazil’s retail industry falls through

  

  Brazilian retail tycoon Abilio Diniz has suspended plans to merge his supermarket chain Grupo Pao de Acucar with the local arm of France's Carrefour. The move comes after the Brazilian state development bank BNDES and a private fund backed out of supporting the deal.

• Wednesday, July 13th 2011 - 10:24 UTC

  Brazil confident it can control inflation in second half and moderate capital inflow

  

  The Brazilian central bank is comfortable with its inflation forecast for 2011 despite a stronger-than-expected June reading, which spurred speculation that even higher interest rates will be necessary to keep prices in check.

• Tuesday, July 12th 2011 - 21:01 UTC

  Brazil’s 2016 Olympics deadline running faster that the high-speed train project

  

  Brazil's ambitious high-speed train project was postponed once again due to a lack of bidders but Brazilian officials anticipated they would hold two separate bids for the project to link Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo on time for the 2016 Olympic Games.

• Monday, July 11th 2011 - 18:17 UTC

  “Sweet” sugar futures until the northern hemisphere crop is harvested

  

  Sugar supplies will remain limited until the 2012-13 harvest begins in top producer Brazil, broker FCStone do Brasil said citing futures traded in New York. The rise in sugar price helped push the FAO Food Price Index to 234 points in June, which is 39% higher than a year ago.

• Sunday, July 10th 2011 - 05:50 UTC

  Brazil confirms the multibillion fighter jet deal postponed until early 2012

  

  The Brazilian government will not review multibillion-dollar bids for a fighter jet deal until the start of 2012, Defence Minister Nelson Jobim told reporters in France.

• Saturday, July 9th 2011 - 07:29 UTC

  Brazil offers Venezuelan leader Chavez specialists to help him overcome cancer

  

  Brazilian President Dilma Roussef offered Venezuela leader Hugo Chávez her support over the mandate’s battle against cancer. According to the Presidential House press Secretary, Rousseff expressed her sentiments during a phone call conversation held this morning.

• Saturday, July 9th 2011 - 07:21 UTC

  Brazil introduces rules on short-dollar positions to curb speculation with the Real

  

  Brazil’s central bank changed currency market rules to curb bets that the Real will appreciate against the dollar, according to an e-mailed statement. Brazil will require that banks make non-interest bearing deposits with the central bank equivalent to 60% of their short dollar positions exceeding 1 billion US dollars, the bank said.

• Saturday, July 9th 2011 - 07:13 UTC

  Brazil banned from selling Israeli-technology UAV to Venezuela

  

  Israel Aerospace Industries signed a joint venture with Brazil's Synergy Group to manufacture Unmanned Air Vehicles (UAV) (drones) to fight drug trafficking in Brazilian borders under the condition that the aircrafts are not sold to Venezuela.

• Saturday, July 9th 2011 - 07:10 UTC

  Brazil drop in production has sugar prices soaring: 73% in last twelve months

  

  Sugar jumped the most since October after an industry group said output would decline in Brazil, the world’s biggest grower. Production in the Centre South, Brazil’s largest growing area, may drop by as much as 1 million metrics in the current season compared with a year earlier, Unica said on Friday.