On Sunday, May 17th, five people were arrested in what authorities described as an anti-Semitic demonstration that turned violent. The confrontation occurred outside the Israeli embassy of Argentina. The embassy was holding celebrations for the 61st anniversary of the state of Israel’s founding when some participants were confronted by a gang of youths holding clubs, […]
Floods in Brazil Leave 300k + Homeless
At least 40 people have died and the number of homeless is now above 308,000 in the worst flooding in northern Brazil in at least two decades, taking Rio Negro, one of the Amazon Forest’s rivers near to its highest level in more than 50 years. Government aid delivered mainly though the military is starting […]
Brazil’s GDP growth may be 0% in 2009
During an interview this May 14th, Brazilian Finance Minister Guido Matega admitted for the first time that the GDP growth may be 0%. According to him, due to the volatility faced by the Brazilian economy and abroad it is hard to predict this year gross domestic product (GDP) outcome, although he reminded that he’s projections […]
First Swine Flu Case in China Confirmed
The first case of A/H1N1 swine flu in China was confirmed on Monday. The person was identified as 30 years old Chinese national that attends to a university in the U.S. The student contracted the disease in U.S. and flew from St. Louis via St. Paul, Minnesota, to Tokyo before boarding Northwest Airlines flight NW029 […]
China’s New Stimulus Plan: Mandatory Smoking!
Afraid that the world economic crises would hit hard the local economy, the Hubei Province in Central China decided to do something about it: an economy stimulus plan based on cigarettes. That is right, cigarettes! Going against all the health care trends in the whole world, the local government issued a regulation determining quotas […]
Brazil’s Biggest Importer? China
Numbers from March and April exports shows a historic change in the Brazilian economy, pointing out China as the Brazilian top trading partner. The sum of Brazil’s exports and imports with China reached $3.2 billion in April, over the $2.8 billion in its trade with the U. S. April exports compared to the same […]