BrazzilMag

Two years ago Brazil elected a left-wing president, Lula from the Workers Party (PT). He achieved his victory at the fourth attempt, losing in 1994 and 1998 to the Social Democrat (PSDB), Fernando Henrique Cardoso (more commonly known as FHC).

Bush declared in his acceptance speech at the Republican convention that he is fighting terrorism abroad “not for pride, not for power,” but to protect American lives. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Bush’s wars in Afghanistan and Iraq are wars of empire.

Between now and mid-2005, Brazil should begin exporting fresh beef to the United States and unlock new markets for this Brazilian product, especially among Asian countries.

Brazil has evolved when it comes to incorporating human rights norms into police training and practice. This affirmation was made by the Delegate of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) for Police and Security Forces in Latin America and the Caribbean, Erich Meier.

The Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Rodrigo Rato, met Setpember 3 with 14 representatives of Brazil's civil society. Members of the landless rural workers movement, NGO's, university professors, journalists, students and the Vice-President of the Brazilian Bar Association (OAB) attended the encounter.

Brazil's Community Pharmacy program has already distributed over 960 thousand remedies in 23 establishments located in the cities of Goiânia, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, and Salvador.

Brazil's cumulative trade surplus so far this year stands at US$ 22.501 billion. This result correponds to 72.58% of the US$ 31 billion trade surplus that financial markets are now forecasting for 2004 as a whole.

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva devoted today's edition of his biweekly radio program, "Breakfast with the President," to commemorating Brazilian Independence Day.

The Brazilian government once again placed the issue of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) in the forefront. Currently, leaders are frantically debating a proposal called the Law of Biosecurity.

The Brazilian consumer is a little more optimistic now than a month ago and believes that growth will continue. That was what a just-released survey by the Getúlio Vargas Foundation found out.

As President George W. Bush eloquently accepted in New York City the  nomination as Republican candidate for the presidency of the United  States last September 2nd, a devastating hurricane moved slowly across  the Caribbean on its way to Florida.

Brazil's Minister of Justice, Márcio Thomaz Bastos, said that the Brazilian government is willing to make it as easy as possible for people to disarm. "We shall start a snowball rolling that will never stop.

Female participation in the working world in Brazil is marked by far lower salaries than men who perform the same functions, as well as greater obstacles to pursuing a career. They are the first to be fired in times of crisis, and they face greater difficulties in finding new jobs.

The Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Rodrigo Rato, said today, in a note released by the institution, that increased Brazilian government investment is important to raise productivity and remove the bottlenecks that block economic development.

The National Economic and Social Development Bank (BNDES) informed in Rio de Janeiro that the institution's Program to Strengthen Employment and Income Generation Capacity, announced by the Minister of Development, Luiz Fernando Furlan, is already available to Brazilian companies of all sizes to finance working capital.

Brazil government's intention is to reach 6.5 million families with its Family Voucher (Bolsa Familia) program, which has a US$ 1.97 billion (5.8 billion reais) budget this year. In this programa, each family gets on average US$ 25 a month.

The new Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Rodrigo Rato, arrived today in Brazil to meet with the Minister of Finance, Antônio Palocci. However, the Fund's Latin American Affairs Secretary, Francisco Baker, disclosed that Rato's visit is not for the purpose of negotiations.

At the end of a seminar this week on Mercosur economic relations, the possibility of establishing a common parliament for the four member countries (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay) was discussed.