Rich countries doing little to help poor – Brazil’s Lula

Stuart Grudgings-Reuters, 07/06/2009

Rich countries are not living up to their pledges to help developing countries weather the effects of the global economic crisis, Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on Monday.

“I am seeing little being done by the rich countries in the help they are supposed to give,” Lula said on his weekly radio broadcast ahead of this week’s meeting in Italy of G8 industrial nations and the main developing economies.

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G8 climate goals not credible: Brazil official

Phil Stewart-Reuters, 07/09/2009

Brazil’s chief climate negotiator criticized the Group of Eight rich nations on Thursday for not taking more forceful steps to curb global warming, saying proposed long-term targets were meaningless.

The G8 agreed on Wednesday at its annual summit to support a goal of cutting global emissions by 50 percent by 2050 and of reducing emissions in wealthy countries by 80 percent.

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History: Stability and democracy are catalysts of success

Paulo Sotero-Financial Times, 07/06/2009

Presidente Prudente, a bustling community of 206,000 in the south-western corner of São Paulo state, offers a good view into Brazil’s rise.

From its unremarkable beginning as a stop on the Sorocabana railway when coffee was king, it is now one of two dozen prosperous municipalities at the centre of one of Brazil’s success stories – agro-industry.

Less than one hour to the west, a high-tech ethanol plant is nearing completion. Conquista do Pontal, is one of three plants being built by ETH, a subsidiary of Grupo Odebrech, with Sojitz, the Japanese trading company.

Agriculture has historically been associated with slavery and, in recent decades, with the abuse of workers rights. But, thanks to the rapid expansion of the sugar ethanol industry alongside flex-fuel cars that were introduced in 2003, it is now being transformed into an industry that is emblematic of the South American country’s emergence as a social innovator on the world stage.

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Brazil to cut back high cost of labour

Jonathan Wheatley-Financial Times, 07/06/2009

Brazil’s government is preparing sharp cuts to the country’s very high labour costs as a way of boosting productivity and growth, Guido Mantega, finance minister, has told the Financial Times.

“We have the chance to turn the global economic crisis into an opportunity,” Mr Mantega said. “We want to make a qualitative leap in productivity and put Brazil at the forefront of global growth. These measures will make it possible for a range of industries to compete on world markets.”

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Helping hand makes homeowners of poor

Jonathan Wheatley-Financial Times, 07/02/2009

Alberto Silva da Cruz, a 28-year-old security guard, and his wife Genilsa, a 32-year-old cleaner, have just joined a queue about 200 metres long outside an annual housing fair held by Caixa Econômica Federal, Brazil’s government-owned savings and mortgage bank.

It is not yet 9am, more than an hour before opening time, by which point the queue will double in size as more couples and young families line up for the chance to buy their first homes under a new government incentive scheme called Minha Casa, Minha Vida (My Home, My Life) that will pour R$60bn ($31bn, €22bn, £19bn) into Brazil’s housing market

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Lula promises to help African countries with “green revolution”

France Presse-Folha de São Paulo, 07/01/2009

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva spoke as an official guest at the opening ceremony of the 13th Summit of the African Union (AU), a gathering of all the African heads of state in Sirte, Libya, this Wednesday.

In keeping with an official theme of the summit, agricultural development, Lula pledged to help the African countries carry out their “green revolution.”

“I reiterate the promise that my government made to help Africa promote its own ‘green revolution.’ This revolution will take place only with support from subsistence farmers and the creation of jobs and higher salaries in the countryside,” said Lula.

“The Brazilian experience shows that productivity in small agriculture and the sustainable production of foodstuffs are fundamental steps in eradicating hunger.”

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[Translated by Carey Carpenter]

China Development Bank Plans to Open Branch in Brazil

Jeb Blount and Veronica Espinosa-Bloomberg, 06/30/2009

China Development Bank Corp., the government-run bank for public works projects, plans to open an office in Brazil next year to invest in ports, steel mills and energy, Rio de Janeiro state Governor Sergio Cabral said.

The bank expects to locate the branch in the city of Rio, home to the nation’s state-controlled oil company Petroleo Brasileiro SA, and Vale SA, the world’s largest iron-ore producer, by the middle of 2010, Cabral said in a statement. The Beijing-based bank agreed in May to lend $10 billion to Petrobras, as the oil company is known, and extended loans in June to Russia’s development bank.

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Brazil Senators Call For Senate President Sarney To Step Down

Gerald Jeffris-The Wall Street Journal, 06/25/2009

High-profile Brazilian senators from both government-allied and opposition parties Thursday called on former Brazilian President and current Senate President Jose Sarney to step down from the Senate presidency, at least temporarily, in the wake of a series of recent scandals involving mismanagement and appointments of relatives to key Senate administrative positions.

Sarney has faced growing criticism in recent weeks following the revelation that senate administrators linked to the senator over a period of several years ordered a series of “secret acts” that were not officially approved by votes in the body.

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Amazon bill controversy in Brazil

Gary Duffy-BBC News, 06/23/2009

The president has to decide by 25 June whether to veto parts of a bill that is due to transfer an area of public land – estimated to be around 670,000 square kilometres (259,000 square miles) – into private hands.

The government originally introduced what is called “Provisional Measure 458″ as a way of bringing security to small farm owners in the Amazon region.

But critics say the proposal amounts to an amnesty for land-grabbers, and that the original measure has been altered by Congress in a way that will only serve to encourage deforestation.

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Lula to Send Brazil Oil Bill to Congress in July, Bernardo Says

Jeb Blount-Bloomberg, 06/22/2009

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will present a bill aimed at increasing government control of offshore oil reserves to Congress in July before an annual legislative holiday.

Under the proposed new law, Brazil will divide oil output with companies that agree to develop blocks and give Brazil’s government a share of production, Development Minister Paulo Bernardo said in an interview in Londrina, Brazil. The company that offers the biggest share of output at auction will win the right to develop the area.

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