Brazil

• Monday, August 23rd 2010 - 04:02 UTC

  Brazilian comedians protest ban on ridiculing political candidates

  

  A group of Brazilian stand-up comedians and television comedy actors held a protest against the ruling that bars any ribbing of political candidates over the airwaves in the run-up to the October 3 elections.

• Saturday, August 21st 2010 - 13:45 UTC

  Austerity measures to balance the budget, if Dilma is Brazil’s next president

  

  Brazil's ruling coalition candidate could adopt austerity measures to balance public accounts if elected president in October and also favours a heavier state hand in the oil and mining industries, her party chief told reporters.

• Saturday, August 21st 2010 - 13:42 UTC

  Lula da Silva recommends Dilma to think and act as the “mother of the poor”

  

  President Lula da Silva compared candidate Dilma Rousseff to a mother and recommended, if elected, to always think about the poor. Lula da Silva and Ms Rousseff participated in a political rally Friday night in the metropolitan Sao Paulo.

• Friday, August 20th 2010 - 02:46 UTC

  Slower job creation and lower inflation indicate Brazilian economy cooling

  

  Brazil reported the third straight month of slower job creation in July, reflecting the slowdown of the economy in the second quarter after a massive 9% year-on-year growth in the first quarter of the year. Traders say this increases the likelihood central bank policy makers may leave interest rates unchanged in their next meeting.

• Friday, August 20th 2010 - 02:32 UTC

  Brazilian presidential candidate “completely cured” of the lymphoma

  

  The Brazilian presidential candidate for the Workers’ Party ruling coalition, Dilma Rousseff underwent this week a battery of exams and tests at Sao Paulo’s most advanced hospital confirming she has overcome the lymphoma detected last year.

• Friday, August 20th 2010 - 02:20 UTC

  Brazil overtakes Canada and Spain to become world’s eighth largest economy

  

  Brazil has overtaken Canada and Spain to become the world’s eighth largest economy, relegating Spain to ninth place, Spanish newspaper Expansión reported Wednesday.

• Thursday, August 19th 2010 - 06:11 UTC

  First on-line presidential hopefuls debate attracts 50 million Brazilians

  

  Three major candidates for the Brazilian presidency joined the first online debate Wednesday, which was followed by an estimated 50 million people and less than two months before ballot day, October 3.

• Thursday, August 19th 2010 - 03:09 UTC

  Brazil wealthiest man pays 285.000 USD for Lula da Silva’s inauguration suit

  

  Brazil’s wealthiest man, Eike Batista paid the equivalent of 285.000 US dollars for the inauguration suit of President Lula da Silva when he first took office in January 2002. The sale was part of a charity auction to collect funds for a famous Sao Paulo favela (shanty town) that goes by the name of Paraisopolis, (Paradise City).

• Wednesday, August 18th 2010 - 05:12 UTC

  Brazil’s Dilma Rousseff closer to winning in the first round

  

  Brazilian presidential candidate Dilma Rousseff widened her lead to 11 percentage points over opposition candidate Jose Serra, putting her in position to win in the first round of the October election, according to an Ibope poll published by the TV Globo network.

• Wednesday, August 18th 2010 - 05:02 UTC

  Brazilian journalists challenge law which forbids satirizing candidates

  

  An election law from the era of Brazil's dictatorship past which forbids making fun of candidates has caused concern ahead of the countries October 3 presidential election and a possible run-off at the end of October.