Brazil

• Wednesday, May 27th 2009 - 11:53 UTC

  Brazil confident Venezuela joins Mercosur next September

  

  Brazil Lula da Silva said on Tuesday his peer Hugo Chavez is expecting the Brazilian Senate to approve Venezuela’s incorporation to Mercosur before next September.

• Wednesday, May 27th 2009 - 06:23 UTC

  Brazilian Central Bank not surprised by steady gain of the Real

  

  Brazilian Central Bank President Henrique Meirelles said Tuesday that there are signs that the economy is recovering although he offered no specifics. Brazil’s economy expanded 5.1% in 2008 but government forecasts have been downgraded to 1% for 2009, and private estimates are even more pessimistic

• Tuesday, May 26th 2009 - 12:18 UTC

  Third consecutive period for Lula da Silva reaches political arena

  

  A third presidential period for Lula da Silva is “a risk” which would distance the country “from the republic and would draw it nearer to a monarchy” said the president of the Brazilian Supreme Electoral Tribunal, TSE, Ayres Brito.

• Tuesday, May 26th 2009 - 11:40 UTC

  Brazilian industry to openly debate Itaipu power plant controversy

  

  The world’s largest operational hydroelectric dam and how the energy produced should be distributed and traded will be at the heart of a debate Wednesday between Brazil’s main industrial organization, FIESP, and Paraguayan authorities, the two countries who share the giant power station.

• Saturday, May 23rd 2009 - 15:32 UTC

  Brazil concerned with the appreciation of its currency against the US dollar

  

  The current appreciation of the Brazilian currency, Real, is a “cause for concern,” but also reflect international investors' growing interest in the nation's assets, Finance Minister Guido Mantega said on Friday.

• Saturday, May 23rd 2009 - 15:29 UTC

  Cash short Venezuela negotiating loans from Brazil

  

  Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, whose administration is facing cash shortages as oil revenues plunge, is negotiating loans from Brazil's development bank to fund infrastructure projects, revealed the Brazilian newspaper Folha de Sao Paulo.

• Friday, May 22nd 2009 - 12:14 UTC

  Brazilian government downgrades to 1% growth estimate for 2009

  

  The Brazilian government has again downgraded the economy’s growth forecast for this year which will now be 1%, according to the bi-monthly Budget reassessment from the Planning Ministry.

• Friday, May 22nd 2009 - 08:11 UTC

  China interest in extending more loans to Petrobras but in Renmimbi

  

  China Development Bank may offer more financing to Brazil’s government managed oil and gas corporation Petrobras adding to the 10 billion US dollars extended this week, said Petrobras CEO Jose Sergio Gabrielli on Thursday in New York.

• Thursday, May 21st 2009 - 10:31 UTC

  Lula da Silva rejects third term but hand-picked candidate is seriously ill

  

  Brazilian President Lula da Silva has ruled out the possibility of standing for a third term in office adding he was certain the likely candidate for the ruling Workers Party is chief of staff Dilma Rousseff.

• Wednesday, May 20th 2009 - 14:39 UTC

  Business climate in Latinamerica undergoes slight improvement

  

  The business climate in Latinamerica experienced a slight improvement in the last three months having jumped from 2.9 points in January to 3.6 in April, although it is still one of the worst levels in seven years, reported the Brazilian Foundation Getulio Vargas