Brazil

• Wednesday, March 4th 2009 - 16:47 UTC

  Brazil’s trade in February leaner but returns to surplus

  

  Brazil's trade surplus hit 1.7 billion US dollars in February, up from a 518 million dollar deficit in January and an 882 million dollars surplus in February 2008, the Ministry of Development, Industry and Trade reported this week.

• Tuesday, March 3rd 2009 - 23:00 UTC

  Lula da Silva calls for quick completion of Doha round

  

  Brazil's President Lula da Silva urged leading economies to complete stalled global trade talks warning that protectionism could tip the economic crisis into chaos.

• Tuesday, March 3rd 2009 - 23:00 UTC

  Brazilean tourism industry boosted by domestic travellers

  

  Revenues from Brazil's tourism sector grew 20% in the first two months of the year boosted by domestic travellers announced the Tourism Ministry. However the estimate includes a number of sectors like hotels, air flights, car rentals and travel agencies, which makes it difficult to give an exact sum of money spent by tourists.

• Monday, March 2nd 2009 - 23:00 UTC

  Brazil: dispute over federal funds for landless peasants

  

  Brazil's cabinet Chief Dilma Rousseff said the government will continue to support financially the Landless Peasants Movement, MST, until it has been proven that the organization is using the funds for illegal actions, reported the official news agency Agencia Estado.

• Monday, March 2nd 2009 - 23:00 UTC

  Central banker upbeat on Brazil's capacity to cope slowdown

  

  Brazil's economy is in a strong position to weather the financial crisis and will grow above the global average this year, Brazil's Central Bank President Henrique Meirelles said on Sunday in Portugal.

• Sunday, March 1st 2009 - 23:00 UTC

  Plant closures cause turmoil in Brazilian cattle industry

  Brazil's fourth largest Brazilian exporter of beef has halted slaughtering operations at all 11 of its plants and sent workers home, local Brazilian media reports. In addition, Independencia has not paid cattle suppliers for several days and has returned most cattle to suppliers.

• Thursday, February 26th 2009 - 23:00 UTC

  Samba school Salgueiro crowned Rio Carnival champs

  

  Samba school Salgueiro was crowned champion of Rio's fiercely competitive Carnival parades on Wednesday, knocking off a powerhouse rival and overcoming a shooting that left three dead outside its headquarters just months ago.

• Tuesday, February 24th 2009 - 20:00 UTC

  Rio' Carnival parade with a prophylactic presidential touch

  

  Spectacular bodies, minimum clothing plus bubbles, feathers and glitter blended the first night of parades in Rio do Janeiro's Carnival, as the city's samba schools battled for top honours in what Brazilians proudly consider the world's largest party.

• Sunday, February 22nd 2009 - 20:00 UTC

  World's main iron ore producer optimistic about China demand

  

  Brazilian mining giant Vale do Rio Doce, the world's biggest iron ore producer, expects to ship a record-high 30 million tonnes of iron ore to China in the first quarter of 2009, it said on Friday.

• Sunday, February 22nd 2009 - 20:00 UTC

  Brazil carnival kicks off; Pte Lula to attend Parades in Rio

  

  Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will become on Sunday the country's first president in the last 15 years to attend one of the samba-school parades at the Carnival of Rio de Janeiro, the main event of the festival, his office confirmed.