Brazil

• Sunday, February 6th 2011 - 20:43 UTC

  Droughts could turn Amazon basin from greenhouse gas eater to source of gases

  

  A long-lasting drought that affected the Amazon Rain Forest last year was worse than the once-in-a-lifetime drought that the region suffered in 2005, and a team of British and Brazilian scientists say it may have a bigger impact on global warming than the US does in a year.

• Friday, February 4th 2011 - 23:29 UTC

  Armoured helicopter to combat organized crime in Rio do Janeiro

  

  The Brazilian city of Rio do Janeiro, host of the Olympic Games in 2016 presented on Friday its new weapon to combat organized crime and drug dealers that have control over urban shanty towns: an armoured US manufactured Bell Huey II helicopter which can transport 13 troops and two crew members.

• Friday, February 4th 2011 - 22:28 UTC

  Brazil preparing package to counter surging imports rapidly eroding trade surplus

  

  Brazil’s trade surplus fell more than economists expected in January from a month earlier as exports declined at a faster pace than imports. The surplus narrowed to 424 million USD last month from 5.37 billion in December, said the Trade Ministry.

• Friday, February 4th 2011 - 22:22 UTC

  Brazil’s industrial output fell in December for second month running

  

  Brazil’s industrial output unexpectedly fell for a second straight month in December. Output in December fell 0.7% from November after a 0.2% decline in the previous month, the national statistics agency IBGE said this week.

• Friday, February 4th 2011 - 21:21 UTC

  Rousseff and Obama to discuss ways to counteract China’s undervalued Yuan

  

  Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff will discuss with her U.S. counterpart Barack Obama ways to counteract the threat posed by an undervalued Yuan and cheap imports from China, a Brazilian official said.

• Friday, February 4th 2011 - 21:11 UTC

  Massive blackout in Brazil exposes vulnerability of energy infrastructure

  

  A widespread blackout hit at eight states in Brazil's northeast Friday exposing energy infrastructure vulnerabilities of the nation that will host an Olympics and a World Cup.

• Thursday, February 3rd 2011 - 22:17 UTC

  Brazil to provide free medicines for high blood pressure and diabetes

  

  Brazil is to provide free medicines for everyone suffering from high blood pressure or diabetes. The drugs will be distributed as of next month through a nationwide network of budget pharmacies, where many medicines are already heavily subsidised.

• Thursday, February 3rd 2011 - 21:54 UTC

  Brazilian industry loosing world market share to main trading partner, China

  

  Competition with top trading partner China is costing Brazilian industry valuable market share, the National Confederation of Industry (CNI) in South America's largest economy said on Thursday.

• Wednesday, February 2nd 2011 - 14:27 UTC

  Brazilian oil output reaches 2.18 million bpd in December; 9% above a year ago

  

  Brazil’s production of oil and natural gas in December 2010 surpassed the previous one-month record, according to a release from the ANP regulatory agency. December 2010 oil output of 2.18 million barrels per day represents a 4.4% increase over November and was 9.1% higher than in December 2009.

• Wednesday, February 2nd 2011 - 06:53 UTC

  Trade deficit main “concern” for Argentine/Brazilian relations

  

  Argentine Foreign Affairs minister Héctor Timerman revealed Tuesday that the trade deficit Argentina has with Brazil is “concerning”, and indicated that both nations are working “to reduce it.”