BrazzilMag

The Second Conference "Shaman Dialogue on the Protection of Traditional Knowledge - A Sacred Right" has started in Brasília, capital of Brazil, yesterday. The event seeks to protect native Indian culture and traditions. Marcos Terena, who is coordinating the event, and is an Indian himself, says that one of the major problems facing Indian groups is protection of their intellectual property.

Brazil's Ministry of Justice ordered the impounding of genetically modified products that don't carry this information on the label. Since April, 2003, all food products or ingredients intended for human or animal consumption in Brazil that contain more than 1 percent of transgenic components are required to convey this information to consumers on the label.

The index of new hires by firms in the São Paulo metropolitan area continued to grow in July, even though the pace was slower than during the three previous months. The employment level rose 0.4 percent, which represents an addition of 32 thousand people to the contingent of employed workers, who now total 8.127 million.

With expectations that world demand for fish will rise by 60 million tons in the future, Brazil's Special Secretariat for Fishing and Aquaculture has a budget of US$7.45 million (22 million reais) for the construction of five fishing terminals in strategic locations this year.

The World Bank will lend Brazil US$ 1.2 billion over the course of four years to execute sustainable development projects. This is the largest sum ever allocated by the Bank anywhere in the world to projects with an environmental focus.

Brazilian bureaucracy and legislative complexities make the country one of the worst places in the world to open and run a business. But the country is also one of the most transparent of the emerging nations, at least with regard to corporate financial data, which is regularly made public.