Brazil

• Monday, December 20th 2010 - 22:06 UTC

  Brazilian lawmakers among the best paid in the world

  

  With the recent 62% increase Brazilian lawmakers (Lower House and Senate) will be among the best paid in the world, ahead of European and US peers and from other emerging economies.

• Monday, December 20th 2010 - 16:39 UTC

  Lula da Silva calls for an enlarged Mercosur to better defend the region’s interests

  

  Brazilian president Lula de Silva strongly defended Mercosur calling for a quick approval of Venezuela’s incorporation as full member, and proposed other associate members such Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and Chile should follow the same path since ‘we share the same political, economic and cultural affinities’.

• Monday, December 20th 2010 - 05:32 UTC

  Brazil world fourth largest market for the auto industry: 3.45 m sales in 2010

  

  Brazil has become the world’s fourth largest market for the automobile industry with sales of 3.45 million in 2010, up 9.8% over 2009, and is also attracting massive overseas investments to the industry, reports Anfavea the Brazilian Association of automobile manufacturers.Brazil now stands behind China, United States, Japan and ahead of Germany.

• Saturday, December 18th 2010 - 19:04 UTC

  Fiat targeting a production of over a million cars in Brazil

  

  Fiat announced this week that it plans to invest 3 billion Real (approx. 1.7 billion USD) to build a second plant in Brazil, the carmaker’s No. 2 market after its native Italy.

• Saturday, December 18th 2010 - 09:08 UTC

  Fourteen presidents confirmed for Dilma Rousseff’s ceremony January first

  

  At least fourteen presidents, including Colombia’s Juan Manuel Santos and Venezuela’ Hugo Chavez, and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have confirmed they will be present next January first in Brasilia when Dilma Rousseff takes office as Brazil’s first woman president.

• Friday, December 17th 2010 - 06:42 UTC

  Paraguayan industry calls Lula da Silva an “arrogant hypocrite”

  

  The Paraguayan Industrial Union, UIP, called Brazilian president Lula da Silva an “arrogant hypocrite” for making promises he never honoured, and attacked President Fernando Lugo for generating ‘overblown fantasy expectations’.

• Friday, December 17th 2010 - 00:04 UTC

  Lula da Silva named “Gays’ Father Christmas” because “you’re a good guy”

  

  Brazilian president Lula da Silva was named “Gays’ Father Christmas” by the country’s Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals, Travesties and Transsexuals (ABGLT) organization during a meeting of social groupings at the Planalto Palace (Government House) in Brasilia

• Thursday, December 16th 2010 - 03:58 UTC

  Australia present at the Mercosur summit in Brazil

  

  Australian Foreign Secretary Kevin Rudd will be present at the two-day Mercosur summit which begins Thursday in Foz de Iguazu. Rudd met on Wednesday with his Brazilian peer Celso Amorim ahead of the summit and in the framework of the “Australia-Brazil Dialogue” created last September.

• Thursday, December 16th 2010 - 03:31 UTC

  Brazil expects to reach UN Millennium Development Goals by 2012

  

  The Brazilian government announced Tuesday that the country has seen a solid drop in childhood malnutrition which, together with the social progress achieved in other areas, meets the criteria under the U.N. Millennium Development Goals for the eradication of extreme poverty.

• Wednesday, December 15th 2010 - 23:25 UTC

  Brazil world’s fifth economy by 2016, anticipates Lula da Silva

  

  On presenting a review of his eight years in office, Brazilian president Lula da Silva forecasted that Brazil would become the world’s fifth economy by 2016. He also underlined that under his administration combating hunger had become a “national cause” and for him a personal pride.