Multi-billion-dollar deals by Spain’s Telefonica and Portugal Telecom in Brazil’s booming cellphone market this week underline the growth potential of Latin America’s biggest economy, analysts say.
They also point the way to perhaps further consolidation in a country where 185 million people out of a population of 193 million have mobile telephones.
Wednesday’s announcement that Telefonica was taking control of Brazil’s biggest cell network operator Vivo by buying out Portugal Telecom’s stake in the investment vehicle they shared for 9.7 billion dollars started the ball rolling.
PT immediately announced it was using around half that bonanza to buy a 22 percent stake in Oi, the fourth-rated operator and the only one controlled by Brazilian interests. (more…)
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Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on Wednesday he will promote negotiations on a free trade agreement between the Central American Integration System (SICA) and Mercosur, where he will take the interim presidency.
“A comprehensive trading agreement between Mercosur and the SICA would be essential as Nicaraguan exports to Brazil need to be boosted in order to balance the exchange,” said Lula.
Mercosur, or the Common Market of the South, is a bloc composed of Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay.
In a speech delivered during the luncheon meeting with Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, Lula stressed that the agreement would facilitate the trade balance between two countries.
Brazil exported 33.3 million dollars worth of goods to the Central American countries in 2009 while Nicaragua’s exports to South America totaled only 354,000 dollars.
At the end of his speech, Lula welcomed Nicaragua’s early participation in the Latin American Integration Association.
Source: Xinhua
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Manuel Zelaya
The presidents of Brazil and Nicaragua, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Daniel Ortega, had a series of meetings to discuss the question of Honduras and that country’s reintegration into the Organization of American States.
In June 2009, a coup in Honduras supported by local military authorities, the Congress and the Supreme Court, removed the democratically elected president Manuel Zelaya from office.
A de-facto regime was installed headed by the president of the Congress Roberto Micheletti. Then, in November 2009, regularly scheduled elections took place and a new president Porfirio Lobo was elected.
However, a number of Latin American nations never recognized the de facto regime or the election – among them Brazil and Nicaragua. (more…)
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Brazil's Sports Minister Orlando Silva
Brazil’s sports minister defended the preparations for the 2014 World Cup on Wednesday, saying those criticizing them are underestimating their current state and that some of the delays were due to FIFA being slow in approving plans.
Orlando Silva conceded during a conference call that there are no plans yet to build the Sao Paulo stadium scheduled to stage the opening ceremony, but said he has been reassured by local officials that a proposal is due within days.
FIFA has previously criticized Brazil’s readiness, saying the country is behind schedule in several areas, including stadium renovation and infrastructure.
“These are the opinions of those who ignore the reality of the country,” Silva said, adding that FIFA will soon “see the reality close up. They will be surprised with the preparations for the World Cup. (more…)
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Wallace Souza had said the accusations were an attempt to smear him
A Brazilian TV host accused of ordering killings to boost his crime show’s ratings has died, leaving his alleged involvement in the murders unexplained.
Wallace Souza died in a Sao Paulo hospital, where he had been treated for chronic liver disease since March.
Mr Souza, an ex-policeman and state deputy in Amazonas, turned himself in to the authorities last year.
Police said he ordered the killings and then alerted his own TV crews who would get to the scene first. (more…)
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