With a strong message against abortion Pope Benedict XVI arrived Wednesday in the Brazilian city of Sao Paulo for a five day visit to the world's most populous Roman Catholic nation. This is his first visit to Latin America since becoming Pope in April 2005.
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said Monday he would discuss social policies with Pope Benedict on his visit to Brazil this week and urge the Catholic Church to work more closely with the government to fight poverty.
Benedict XVI said Sunday his trip to Brazil will be an effort to promote the Church's evangelization so that Latin America will more and more be the continent of hope.
Brazil President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has authorised the country to break the patent on an AIDS drug made by Merck & Co - importing a generic version from India instead. It's the first time Brazil has bypassed a patent to acquire cheaper drugs for its AIDS prevention program.
Brazil will increase the use of nuclear energy if it cannot build enough hydroelectric plants, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on Thursday.
Brazilian stocks climbed Thursday to a new record pushing the benchmark Bovespa index above 50,000 for the first time. The index of most-traded shares on the Sao Paulo exchange rose 746.68 or 1.5% to 50,218.22.
Pope Benedict XVI urged on Wednesday prayers of support for his trip to Brazil next week, his first pilgrimage to Latin America and an effort to strengthen a church battling to retain its predominant role in the region.
Brazil expressed complacence on Monday at the resumption of dialogue between Argentina and Uruguay regarding the dispute over the construction of a pulp mill by the Finnish company Botnia along a shared river between the two neighboring countries.
Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva asked on Monday for opposition support to overhaul a political system which he described as vulnerable to corruption and also promised he would not seek a third term in 2010, a sensitive issue for the opposition.
Brazilian president Lula da Silva is scheduled to visit Argentina and Chile, next Thursday and Friday with energy integration and trade as the main formal issues; but a trip that can also be described as an incursion through Latinamerica's different Socialist populist blends.