Brazilian Defense minister, Nelson Jobim, told reporters this Friday, November 6, that the dispute between the US, France and Sweden to sell 36 fighter planes to the Brazilian Air Force is still going on and it's very strong.

Caetano Veloso, renowned Brazilian singer-composer, gave his full support to Brazil's Green party presidential hopeful Marina Silva who he expects will show more elegance and pragmatism than President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, whom he described as "illiterate" and a "coarse speaker".

Brazil access to the Internet is growing in a fast pace. New numbers from the comScore World Metrix service reveal that 31.9 million Brazilians age 15 and over accessed the Internet from a home or work location in September, up 22% when compared to the previous year.

Petrobras, the Brazilian state-controlled oil and gas multinational, informed that it has signed a contract with the Chinese permitting the first payment from a US$ 10 billion loan from China to help the company finance upcoming investments.

Foreign reserves for Brazil reached US$ 232.9 billion at the end of October, up from US$ 224.2 billion at the end of the previous month. In the first ten months of 2009, reserves were up 26.1 billion. Reserves ended last year at 206.8 billion.

In an interview in London with Bloomberg Television, Brazil's Central Bank president admitted that foreign investors might create an asset bubble in Brazil. "In terms of asset bubbles, stock market etcetera, I think that might happen, but evidently it's up to investors not to get too exuberant," Meirelles said.

Brazil has been charged by Argentina of not keeping to agreed "self regulated" bilateral trade understandings originally destined as an umbrella for Argentine industry, and instead has resorted to customs barriers which are delaying or impeding exports.

The Brazilian government is demanding that Manuel Zelaya, the deposed Honduran president be reinstated in his post before the scheduled presidential election of November 29. Brazil threatens to not recognize new administration if this doesn't happen.

The president of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, said this Thursday, November 5, in London that Brazil should grow 5% next year. He was talking at the opening of seminar "Investing in Brazil," promoted by newspapers Financial Times from the UK and Valor Econômico from Brazil.

The winners of the Jabuti, Brazil's most prestigious literary award had their party this Wednesday night when they received their prize for the best work in fiction, non fiction and several other categories. All eyes were turned to the two biggest prizes of the night, for best fiction book and best non-fiction work.

Brazil's Environment minister, Carlos Minc, is celebrating the pace of Brazilian deforestation. The last numbers released by the National Institute of Space Studies (Inpe) this Wednesday, November 4, shows that Brazil in September has downed 400 km² (154 square miles) of trees in the Amazon or the equivalent of a half New York City.

Venezuela will have to wait a little longer for Brazilian approval to get inside the Mercosur. Brazil's opposition announced it will attempt to delay as much as possible the Senate vote on the incorporation of Venezuela to Mercosur which is scheduled to take place this Wednesday following the approval by the Foreign Affairs committee last week.

"Next time I see Obama I'm going to say: "Make a SUS. It costs less, it has quality and it's universal."" This is the Brazilian president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva talking and he believes he can contribute to solve the decades-old health insurance problem that plagues the United States.

France's Defense minister Hervé Morin said that Argentina could increase its international influence following on the steps of Brazil, which is currently modernizing its military hardware and planning on the long term.

The United States is still very interested in selling 36 F-18 fighter planes to the Brazilian Air Force and the Obama administration seems to be increasing the pressure to get the deal and win the competition with France and Sweden.

The administration of Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has extended tax breaks on energy-efficient home appliances for three extra months in a bid to boost consumption and consolidate a rebound in Latin America's largest economy. The announcement was made by Brazil's Finance Minister Guido Mantega and becomes effective this month of November.

Just before leaving Venezuela to fly back to Brazil, Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva commented on the proposed agreement to put an end to the political crisis in Honduras. Lula pointed out that Brazil did the right thing when it decided to shelter ousted president Manuel Zelaya in its embassy, in Tegucigalpa.

There was a love fest this Friday between presidents Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil and Venezuelan Hugo Chavez during a visit the Brazilian leader paid to Venezuela. Lula stressed the leadership of Chavez and praised him for building a richer more independent country.

Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is back in Brazil after a trip to Venezuela where he met his counterpart Hugo Chavez to sign a series of agreements. On Friday,  Brazil and Venezuela ratified in El Tigre about 15 public and private cooperation accords. The areas involved: energy, oil, food, roads and urbanization of slums. 

In a note issued this Friday, October 30, by the Itamaraty, Brazil's Foreign Relations Ministry, the Brazilian government expressed its belief that the agreement worked out in Honduras by deposed president Manuel Zelaya and the man who took over in his place, Roberto Micheletti, will put an end to a crisis that's been dragging for four months.