Brazil

• Friday, July 2nd 2010 - 03:47 UTC

  Consumer goods imports make Brazil’s trade surplus fall 44% in first half of 2010

  

  Brazil’s trade surplus fell 44% in the first half of 2010 from the same period a year ago as domestic growth boosted imports of consumer goods and exports missed estimates, the Trade Ministry said.

• Thursday, July 1st 2010 - 07:26 UTC

  Lula da Silva signs bill for the capitalization of Petrobras

  

  The bill governing the capitalization of Brazilian energy giant Petrobras was approved Wednesday by President Lula da Silva. It is the first step to establish the new regulatory framework for exploiting crude oil under the pre-salt layer of the continental seabed of Brazil.

• Thursday, July 1st 2010 - 07:03 UTC

  Japanese group secures iron-ore supply with stake in Brazilian steel foundry

  

  Usinas Siderurgicas de Minas Gerais SA, Brazil’s second-largest steelmaker, agreed to sell a stake in its mining and railroad businesses to Sumitomo Corp. for 1.93 billion US dollars before a possible share offering in the unit.

• Thursday, July 1st 2010 - 06:57 UTC

  Brazilian opposition picks young, fresh face as Vice-president candidate

  

  Congressman Indio da Costa of the opposition Democrats party was named Brazilian presidential candidate Jose Serra’a running mate. The move is geared to retake the initiative in the campaign to October 3 presidential polls which now have incumbent Dilma Rousseff ahead.

• Thursday, July 1st 2010 - 06:46 UTC

  Syria’s Assad in Brazil proposed close economic links with Mercosur

  

  Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on his first-ever tour of Latin America proposed a free trade agreement with Mercosur after meeting Wednesday in Brasilia with his Brazilian counterpart Lula da Silva and giving a conference at the Foreign Ministry seat in Itamaraty Palace.

• Wednesday, June 30th 2010 - 20:04 UTC

  Brazilian candidate Ms. Rousseff promises to have Lula da Silva as advisor

  

  Brazilian presidential candidate Dilma Rousseff promised, if elected, that President Lula da Silva (and mentor) will be her advisor to help with all the reforms the country still needs to address.

• Wednesday, June 30th 2010 - 06:32 UTC

  EU/Mercosur talks must go “beyond tariffs and subsidies”

  

  The association agreement between the European Union and Mercosur has to go “beyond tariffs and subsidies”, said Brazilian president addressing businessmen from Brazil and a visiting Italian delegation headed by Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.

• Wednesday, June 30th 2010 - 06:18 UTC

  Shell confirms oil discovery in pre-salt drilling at Campos Basin

  

  Royal Dutch Shell Brazil discovered oil in the Campos Basin's pre-salt region, the company said Tuesday. In a statement, Shell Brazil said it had discovered oil in the 3-SHEL-22-ESS well at the Nautilus field, part of the Parque das Conchas development that went on-stream in July 2009.

• Wednesday, June 30th 2010 - 06:03 UTC

  Berlusconi says Lula da Silva should run again for president in 2014

  

  Italian Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi, expressed his support for the idea that Brazilian President Lula da Silva should run for president once again in the Brazilian presidential elections of 2014.

• Wednesday, June 30th 2010 - 05:31 UTC

  Lula da Silva anticipates World Cup semi-finals with four Mercosur members

  

  Brazilian President Lula da Silva said on Tuesday he expects the four Mercosur countries Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay to meet in the semi-finals of the World Cup in South Africa.