Brazil

• Thursday, June 16th 2011 - 06:10 UTC

  Brazil’s default risk lower than the US, claims Minister Mantega

  

  Brazilian Finance Minister Guido Mantega said Wednesday that his country's default risk had become lower than that of the United States.

• Wednesday, June 15th 2011 - 20:22 UTC

  Dilma moving closer to the opposition and “taking distance from Lula da Silva”

  

  Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff has exchanged approximation signals with the opposition, beginning to “take distance” from her mentor Lula da Silva and seems closer to opposition Senator and former president Fernando Cardoso.

• Tuesday, June 14th 2011 - 15:23 UTC

  Religious leader attacks Brazilian ruling party for becoming consultants of big business

  

  Brazilian Dominican friar Frei Betto considered one of the promoters of the so called Liberation Theology attacked the ruling Brazilian Workers Party because instead of fostering links with social movements prefer to be cosy with big business and their leaders have become consultants of business people and bankers.

• Monday, June 13th 2011 - 13:54 UTC

  Brazilian president support up two points following cabinet reshuffle

  

  Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff public opinion support climbed two points following last week’s cabinet reshuffle and a majority of Brazilians also believes that former president Lula da Silva continues to intervene in government affairs and this participation is ‘correct’.

• Saturday, June 11th 2011 - 11:37 UTC

  Rousseff names new Congress liaison to improve ties with coalition partners

  

  Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff made the second key change of the week in her cabinet on Friday, a move aimed at improving strained ties with allies in Congress. Luiz Sergio, the minister responsible for liaising with Congress, resigned from his post,

• Saturday, June 11th 2011 - 11:00 UTC

  Palocci resigns to his post as member of Petrobras Administration Council

  

  Petrobras announced Friday in an official release that President Dilma Rousseff’s administration former chief of staff Antonio Palocci had resigned to his post in the Administration Council of the country’s oil and gas state-controlled corporation.

• Saturday, June 11th 2011 - 10:52 UTC

  Italy recalls ambassador on Brazil’s refusal to extradite four-murder terrorist

  

  Italy recalled its ambassador to Brazil on Friday after Brasilia refused to extradite a former left-wing guerrilla convicted of four murders. The decision by Brazil's Supreme Court earlier this week to uphold a government refusal to extradite Italian Cesare Battisti, allowing him to walk free, has brought relations between the two countries to a low point.

• Friday, June 10th 2011 - 15:32 UTC

  Petrobras double-strike: major discovery in US Gulf of Mexico and in Brazil

  

  Lucky week for Brazil’s Petrobras that announced major oil and gas discoveries in the US Gulf of Mexico and off the coast of Spirito Santo in Brazil.

• Friday, June 10th 2011 - 03:22 UTC

  Brazil promises full cooperation to Peruvian president-elect Humala

  

  Peruvian president-elect Ollanta Humala was received on Thursday with “a wide offer of cooperation in all fields” in Brazil, the first stop in his regional-visits round following his Sunday victory.

• Friday, June 10th 2011 - 01:42 UTC

  “Dilma has the authority to sack the chief of staff and acted at the right time”

  

  Commenting this week’s resignation of Brazilian chief of staff Antonio Palocci in the midst of a political crisis that has shaken Brazil in the past few days, former president Lula da Silva said that Dilma “had the authority to fire the chief of staff and acted at the right time.”