Brazil

• Thursday, April 16th 2009 - 09:53 UTC

  Lula da Silva has the highest approval rating; Cristina K the lowest

  

  Brazil’s President Lula da Silva and Colombia’s Alvaro Uribe with over 70% approval have the best leaders’ performances in Latinamerica while in the other extreme figure Argentina’s Cristina Kirchner and Honduras Manuel Zelaya, below 30%, according to the prestigious Mexican pollster Consulta Mitofsky.

• Wednesday, April 15th 2009 - 10:45 UTC

  Lower House approves Brazil’s Sovereign Wealth Fund

  

  Brazil’s Congress Lower House approved on Tuesday night approved legislation making an existing Sovereign Wealth Fund into a permanent fixture. The Chamber of Deputies voted 274-102 to approve a government bill making the fund permanent and approving an initial total for it of 14.2 billion Brazilian Reales, approximately 6.5 billion US dollars.

• Tuesday, April 14th 2009 - 14:02 UTC

  Lula da Silva says Obama must not be embarrassed on the Cuban issue

  

  Brazilian president Lula da Silva anticipated he will address the Cuban issue in the coming Americas Summit next Friday in Trinidad Tobago, but Brazilian diplomacy is also working to ensure it does not become an irritating discussion, according to Sao Paulo press.

• Tuesday, April 14th 2009 - 11:46 UTC

  Brazilian economists forecast worst recession since 1992

  

  Brazilian economists forecast that Latinamerica’s biggest economy will fall into the worst recession since 1992 as companies scale back output amid the first global recession since World War II.

• Monday, April 13th 2009 - 11:11 UTC

  The success of Brazilian farming and Argentina’s disarray

  

  If forecasts are confirmed the 70 million tons of the 2008/09 Argentine harvest would represent 2.9% of the world’s grain production when in previous crops it had reached 4.2%. Brazil in the meantime will have reached 5.5% of world production. Only a few years ago the difference was minimal with Brazil almost 4% and Argentina above 3%.

• Monday, April 13th 2009 - 07:35 UTC

  Dengue in northeast Brazil has epidemic proportions

  

  The mosquito transmitted dengue disease which has ravaged Bolivia, Paraguay, North Argentina (and now threatens Buenos Aires) has also severely punished the Brazilian north-eastern state of Bahía where in the first quarter of this year, 40.000 cases have been confirmed and 32 deaths.

• Monday, April 13th 2009 - 07:28 UTC

  Official report blasts security at Brazil’s nuclear installations

  

  A report by a Brazilian official organization published on Saturday in the daily O Globo criticized the lack of security at Brazil’s nuclear installations, which range from electricity-generating plants to hospital equipment.

• Saturday, April 11th 2009 - 13:47 UTC

  Lula da Silva “obsessed” with reducing bank rates

  

  Brazil named Aldemir Bendine as chief executive of federally owned Banco do Brasil Aldemir Bendine seeking to boost lending in the country's financial system and lower borrowing costs. Bendine, a Banco do Brasil veteran who was previously in charge of its credit card and new retail business, succeeds Antonio Francisco de Lima Neto as CEO.

• Saturday, April 11th 2009 - 08:15 UTC

  Brazilian meatpacker begins negotiations with creditors

  

  Brazilian meatpacker Arantes Alimentos Ltda has initiated a renegotiation of debts with its creditors, company controler Aderbal Arantes Junior said in an interview Thursday with local newspaper O Estado de S. Paulo.

• Friday, April 10th 2009 - 07:14 UTC

  World Economic Forum on Latin America to be held in Rio do Janeiro

  

  More than 500 political, social and economic leaders from 37 countries will meet next week in Rio for the World Economic Forum on Latin America, the organizers announced on Wednesday.