Brazil

Saturday, January 17th 2009 - 20:00 UTC
Lula da Silva tells Obama: beware of the “government machine”

Brazil's president Lula da Silva said on Friday he would like to talk with US president elect Barack Obama before the “government machine” gets hold of him and expected the incoming leader “would change his vision on Latinamerica and acknowledge the advance of regional democracy”.
Wednesday, January 14th 2009 - 20:00 UTC
Brazilian 2008 farm exports up 23%, total 71.9 billion

Brazilian farm exports totalled a record 71.9 billion US dollars in 2008, up 23% over 2007, according to the latest reports from the Ministry of Agriculture. Farm exports also reported a surplus of 60 billion US dollars last year while agro-business represented 36.3% of all of the country's shipments.
Wednesday, January 14th 2009 - 20:00 UTC
Abundant rainfall “shrinks” Brazil's Bolivian gas demand

Brazil will temporarily shut down power plants fired by natural gas from Bolivia and will reduce imports of the Bolivian fuel through the end of April, announced Mines and Energy mister Edison Lobao.
Wednesday, January 14th 2009 - 20:00 UTC
Brazil exported 620.000 bpd of crude last December

Brazilian state oil company Petrobras exported in December an average of 620,000 barrels of crude per day, establishing a new record.
Tuesday, January 13th 2009 - 20:00 UTC
Lula da Silva warns Brazilians of “tough” first quarter

Brazilian president Lula da Silva warned of a “worrisome and tough” first quarter but promised the government is prepared to inject more resources to the economy to help combat the effects of the global crisis and stimulate activity.
Monday, January 12th 2009 - 20:00 UTC
Rio Tinto freezes Corumba iron ore development in Brazil

In response to the collapse of commodity prices and demand giant Australian-UK minerals corporation Rio Tinto announced the postponement of one of its key iron ore expansion projects, the 2.15 billion US dollars Corumba mine in the heartland of Brazil.
Sunday, January 11th 2009 - 20:00 UTC
Brazil's capital readies for the fiftieth anniversary in 2010

Brazil's greatest living architect Oscar Niemeyer has presented the blueprint for a new project, “The Sovereignty Plaza” to be built next to the Ministries esplanade in Brasilia. The official opening is scheduled for April 21st, 2010 when the capital city he designed will be celebrating half a century.
Friday, January 9th 2009 - 20:00 UTC
Brazil plans internet access for 26% of the population

Brazil has 43 million Internet users, according to Ibope/NetRatings statistics for the year 2008 published in the business daily Valor. The number of cybernauts could be even greater since the statistics included only people over 16 with Web access from home, workplaces, schools, libraries and Internet cafes, the newspaper said.
Friday, January 9th 2009 - 20:00 UTC
Plan to encircle Rio's favelas triggers controversy

Plans to surround a Rio de Janeiro favela (slum) with a 650-metre-long concrete barrier have come under fire from environmentalists, human rights activists and residents who describe it as “discriminatory” and in the best “Gaza wall” style.
Friday, January 9th 2009 - 20:00 UTC
Brazil in “technical recession”; industrial output down 6.2%

Yet another bank cut the 2009 economic growth forecast for Brazil: JPMorgan Chase & Co. downed Latinamerica's largest economy expansion estimate for this year from 2% to 1.5%, as global recession takes its toll on industrial production and business confidence.