Brazil

• Tuesday, November 24th 2009 - 02:43 UTC

  Brazilian opposition questions Iranian president’s visit

  

  The main leader of the Brazilian opposition Jose Serra criticized the government of President Lula da Silva for receiving Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and recalled that the Iranian Defence minister has been accused of the attack against the Argentine Jewish Mutual, AMIA, in 1994, in Buenos Aires.

• Monday, November 23rd 2009 - 11:22 UTC

  Iranain President begins controversial visit to Brazil, Bolivia and Venezuela

  

  Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is expected Monday in Brasilia as part of a five nation tour to Africa and South America to boost ties with Latinamerica's biggest economy and a rare backer of Tehran's right to develop a nuclear programme.

• Friday, November 20th 2009 - 08:45 UTC

  Brazilian Senate calls on a “medium” to explain major blackout causes

  

  Last week’s huge blackout in Brazil which left 18 of the country’s 26 states in the dark is becoming a major embarrassment for the government with opposition Senators summoning a medium to help explain the causes of the outage.

• Thursday, November 19th 2009 - 13:23 UTC

  Brazil/Argentina agree trade differences should not influence political relation

  

  Brazil and Argentina ended Wednesday in Brasilia a full day of talks at presidential level without reaching a clear agreement on trade disputes that have caused disruptions to the bilateral relation.

• Thursday, November 19th 2009 - 13:20 UTC

  Brazil unveils tax on ADR to help contain appreciation of the Real

  

  Brazil took another step on Wednesday aimed at containing the appreciation of its currency, unveiling a 1.5% tax on certain trades involving American Depository Receipts, ADR, issued by Brazilian companies. Finance minister Guido Mantega said the tax will be charged when foreign investors convert ADRs for Brazilian companies into receipts for shares issued locally.

• Thursday, November 19th 2009 - 13:08 UTC

  BG Group plans to invest 20 billion USD to develop oil and gas in Brazil

  

  The president of British Gas Group in Brazil, Nelson Silva said this week that the company plans to invest 20 billion US dollars in the country until 2020.

• Thursday, November 19th 2009 - 06:38 UTC

  Brazilian economy overcomes recession and expands at “Chinese rates”

  

  Brazilian president Lula da Silva stated that Latinamerica’s largest economy not only has left the global crisis behind, but also in the third quarter has expanded at a “Chinese rate”, close to 9%.

• Wednesday, November 18th 2009 - 04:10 UTC

  Argentine fruit exports to Brazil loosing 300.000 USD per day

  

  Argentine exporters claim they are loosing huge sums of money because of Brazilian delays at Customs posts and in extending import licences. This is particularly sensitive for fruit and other perishable exporters.

• Wednesday, November 18th 2009 - 03:44 UTC

  Cristina and Lula da Silva meet to address bilateral trade conflict

  

  Argentina and Brazil presidents are scheduled to address trade disputes, Mercosur and other coming foreign policy issues when they meet Wednesday in Brasilia for their agreed regular contacts.

• Tuesday, November 17th 2009 - 12:42 UTC

  Brazil begins “spy” aircraft surveillance against organized crime in favelas

  

  The Brazilian Federal Police announced that beginning December an unmanned “spy” aircraft will over-fly the shanty towns of Rio do Janeiro at a height of 7.000 metres, well out of range from the drug gangs and trades that last week shot down a police helicopter killing three men on board.