Speaking at the World Social Forum in Porto Alegre this week, President Dilma Rousseff expressed sympathy with the 'indignation' behind the recent international protests against social and economic inequality. The 'dissonance between the voice of the markets and the voice of the streets' is increasing, she said.
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Brazilian foreign minister Antonio Patriota had talks with UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon this week while attending the World Economic Forum in Switzerland. He also participated in a lively debate entitled 'Is democracy up to the challenge of the 21st century?' Read more

Race in Brazil: Affirming a divide – The Economist – 27/1
High-rise buildings collapse in Rio de Janeiro – BBC News – 26/1
Brazil police storm landless settlement near Sao Paulo – BBC News – 23/1
Bolivia signs anti-drug deal with US and Brazil – BBC News – 23/1
Opening a business in Brazil: Why make it simple? – The Economist – 21/1

William Hague made a two-day visit to Brazil (18-19 Jan) during which he met with foreign minister Antonio Patriota and defence minister Celso Amorim. A joint communiqué spoke of a 'new momentum' in the Brazil-UK relationship – recently reflected by the significant increase in bilateral trade. It also covered the UK's support for Brazil as a permanent member of a reformed UN Security Council, continued cooperation on hosting the Olympics, and the growing partnership between the two countries' academic institutions. Hague said during the visit that the UK welcomes Brazil's 'growing impact on the economic and political landscape of the world'. Read more

Finance minister Guido Mantega predicts that Brazil's economy will grow by between 4% and 5% during 2012. In an overview of Brazil's economic performance during 2011 he expressed particular satisfaction with the rate of job creation, which has seen unemployment fall to a historic low of 5.2%.
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A BBC team including journalist Justin Rowlatt recently travelled to Brazil's Amazon region to report on the successful efforts to reduce deforestation. Average annual deforestation since 2005 has been 70% lower than it was over the previous ten years, and total deforestation between August 2010 and July 2011 was the lowest in any twelve-month period since records began in the 1980s. Rowlatt's reports were broadcast this week by BBC2's Newsnight (4 January, last 15 minutes of programme) and Radio 4's Crossing Continents (30 minutes). There is also an article, Saving Amazonia: Winning the war on deforestation, on the BBC News website.

In an article for Diplomat magazine, Ambassador Jaguaribe looks at the major economic impact the 2016 Olympic Games will have on his home city of Rio de Janeiro, and their likely legacy in terms of infrastructure. The article mentions the huge potential for foreign investment surrounding the Games and notes that British companies have been quick to respond to these opportunities. Read more

A new translation of The English in Brazil by the great Brazilian sociologist and historian Gilberto Freyre (1900-87) will be available from 26 June. With Britain the chief beneficiary of the opening of Brazilian ports to 'friendly nations' from 1807, British influences on Brazil during the nineteenth century were many and diverse, combining to produce what Freyre calls a 'gentle, velvet revolution'.
The English in Brazil
More books on Brazil

Brazil's National Library Foundation has announced a long-term project aimed at translating a significantly greater amount of Brazilian literature into foreign languages. Over the next nine years, foreign publishers eligible to translate the work of Brazilian authors will be invited to apply for grants from a fund totalling more than US$7m. Read more