Champions’ Parade at Sambódromo
By Mira Olson, Contributing Reporter RIO DE JANEIRO – The Parade of Champions on Saturday evening marked the official end of Rio Carnival 2010. The energy in and around the Sambódromo on Saturday night during the final parade of the winning samba schools was no different from that during the Sunday and Monday shows: Fireworks [...]
Big Gains For Brazilian Brands
By Jaylan Boyle, Senior Contributing Reporter RIO DE JANEIRO – Further evidence that the Brazilian economy is continuing on an upward trajectory was provided recently with the release by independent consultants Brand Finance of its list of “The 500 Most Valuable Brand Names in the World.” In 2009 there were only six Brazilian brands appearing [...]
Mercosur and EU Near Agreement
By Jaylan Boyle, Senior Contributing Reporter RIO DE JANEIRO – Mercosur, South America’s co-operative trade organization, and the European Union (EU) could forge an historic trade alliance as early as May of this year according to some sources. However there remains a key issue confronting the two parties: agricultural subsidies that the developed world pays [...]
Guns N’ Roses Rock Brazil in March
By Felicity Clarke, Contributing Senior Reporter RIO DE JANEIRO – The legendary U.S. rock band Guns N’ Roses will play five shows in Brazil next month as part of the current leg of their Chinese Democracy world tour. Starting in Brasilia on March 7th, the band will go on to play in Belo Horizonte on March 10th, [...]
Biofuel Merger Forms Industry Giant
By Christine Wipfli, Contributing Reporter RIO DE JANEIRO – After five months of negotiations, the deal has finally been made to create one of Brazil’s largest Biofuel companies after Brazilian ethanol firm ETH Bioenergy announced at a teleconference that it will acquire its debt-burdened rival Brenco. The two companies have been looking to consolidate in [...]
Botafogo Wins Taça Guanabara
By Jayme Monsanto, Senior Contributing Reporter RIO DE JANEIRO – Botafogo beat Vasco da Gama 2-0 to win the Taça Guanabara on Sunday evening, the first leg of the Campeonato Carioca, Rio de Janeiro State’s hotly contested annual soccer championship. The match took place in front of a packed Maracanã Stadium, with an attendance of [...]
Students’ Ship Sinks Off Rio Coast
By Marcela Canavarro, Contributing Reporter RIO DE JANEIRO – The ordeal of the Canadian ‘Class Afloat’ on board the SV Concordia has ended well with all 64 passengers safe and on land. The tall ship from Nova Scotia sank off the coast of the state of Rio de Janeiro, near Cabo Frio, on the night of [...]
Leblon’s Beachfront Development
By Martin Kocandrle, Contributing Reporter RIO DE JANEIRO – Brazil may be on the cusp of a much-discussed real estate boom, but in one corner of Zona Sul where the price per square meter is higher than anywhere in the country, there are relatively few new developments underway. Leblon may be lacking the tidal wave [...]
180 Days After Amnesty
By Lenora Deslandes, Contributing Reporter RIO DE JANEIRO – The Presidential decree signed by President Lula in June of 2009 marked the third time that the Brazilian government has offered amnesty to illegal immigrants (the other two were in 1988 and 1998). In the six month period granted by the Brazilian government for foreigners to [...]
Brazil in the Vancouver Winter Olympics
By Jayme Monsanto, Senior Contributing Reporter RIO DE JANEIRO – From February 12th to February 28th Vancouver, Canada is hosting the XXI Winter Olympics. It is the third time Canada is the site of the Olympic Games: in 1976 Montreal hosted the Summer Olympics and in 1988 Calgary received the Winter Olympics. Fifteen different disciplines [...]