Brazil's oil data mystery cracked

Police say case first believed to be espionage was just petty theft

When computers with information about newly discovered oil fields off Brazil's eastern coast vanished earlier this month, allegedly in transit from an offshore rig, it jolted the oil industry and alarmed even the nation's president.

On Thursday, however, police said it was petty theft, not corporate espionage, that led to the disappearance of information about the Tupi fields, an oil discovery so large that Brazilian officials have said the country may join OPEC.

"They didn't have the slightest idea of what they had," federal police inspector Valdinho Jacinto Caetano said.

Four security guards who worked at the port of Macae, a coastal city in Rio de Janeiro state, have been arrested, and police recovered laptops and hard drives taken from state oil company Petrobras.

Petrobras says the Tupi field in the Atlantic Ocean has as much as 8 billion barrels of light crude, and the Jupiter field off the coast of Rio could be just as big.

News of the theft prompted President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva to decry the loss of "state secrets."

Authorities said on Feb. 14 that the equipment was stolen from Houston-based oil services company Halliburton as it was being transported from an offshore rig to the city of Macae.

But on Thursday, police said the theft occurred at the port and made no mention of Halliburton.

The guards were employees of a security company hired by Petrobras to protect the port, Caetano said.

They had been carrying out small thefts since September that went unnoticed until the computers disappeared, Caetano said.

"This was a common crime," he said.

The guards, after realizing what had happened, panicked and destroyed some of the stolen loot, including a hard drive and monitor, Caetano said.

Some equipment was still missing Thursday, and Caetano said police were looking for it and other people who may have received the stolen property.

During a news conference, Caetano justified his earlier characterization of the theft as a case of industrial espionage.

"I said at the beginning, no hypothesis was being ruled out, and in cases like this you have to assume the worst," he said.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/business/5580547.html

Lula: More Investments in Favelas

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said Tuesday that he and governor Sergio Cabral will visit some Rio de Janeiro favelas (slums), to announce new social investments in poor Brazilian neighborhoods.

He said police operations are not enough to fight organized crime, because people are not educated with punches, but with opportunities and solidarity.

Lula claimed the human being lives by opportunities, and if the federal government, the business sector and the local government do not offer them opportunities, the organized crime will.

The President assured he wants to give people a chance to study, so before the year 2010, 214 technical schools will be opened in Brazil.

Lula made his statements during a visit to a iron and steel complex in the industrial district of Santa Cruz.

He also inaugurated a MICHELIN tire factory in the Campo Grande neighborhood which, with an investment of 200 million dollars, will manufacture 40,000 tons of tires a year.

Lula´s tour also included opening an emergency unit, whic is part of a program to open 132 new emergency units before 2011.

http://www.plenglish.com/article.asp?ID=%7B4441EDF5-36EE-42C0-959B-05FAF9ABDCE7%7D)&language=EN

Two Pride semis secure US$1.5 billion in extensions

BRAZIL: Pride International Inc. was awarded contract extensions from Petrobras for deepwater, dynamically positioned semisubmersibles Pride Rio de Janeiro and Pride Portland. The contract extensions, representing six years per rig, are expected to commence during late 2010 to early 2011, in direct continuation of each rig's current contract commitment and a scheduled shipyard program to complete a regulatory survey.

The estimated contract revenues that could be generated from each six-year contract extension are approximately US$768 million, inclusive of a performance bonus opportunity for each rig of up to 15 percent, for approximately US$1.5 billion in total revenues. The contract extensions also provide for a cost escalation provision from the signing date through the six-year term.

Consideration received under the contract extensions will be subject to an earn-out provision with the Pride's previous joint venture partner. The company expects payments, if any, under the earn-out provision to be less then US$10,000 per day, per rig over the term of the contract extensions, which would be capitalized as additional purchase price.

Pride Rio de Janeiro and Pride Portland have operated offshore Brazil for Petrobras since entering service in 2004. The rigs are expected to continue to operate offshore Brazil throughout the extension period. Both semis are capable of drilling to a total depth of 20,000 feet (6,096 m) while operating in up to 5,600 feet (1,707 m) of water.

http://www.energycurrent.com/index.php?id=2&storyid=9121

Global crunch 'will leave Brazil unaffected'

The effects of the global credit crunch will not impact on the economy in Brazil, according to one commentator.

Regis Abreu, an asset manager at Rio de Janeiro's Mercatto Gestao de Recursos, told Bloomberg that the country will continue to see "robust earnings growth" despite the slowdown that has been prompted by the implosion of the US's sub-prime mortgage market.

The credit crunch has also impacted on the UK's market, causing Northern Rock to run into financial difficulties and require an investment from the Bank of England to remain afloat. The bank has now been privatised by the government.

Mr Abreu's comments come as Brazil's stock market enjoyed its fourth consecutive day of growth. The share prices of a number of real estate developers - such as Gafisa SA - also rose, the news agency reports.

The news follows falling interest rates and low inflation in Brazil - two factors that could also benefit the Brazilian property market - have also been credited for the turnaround in the Brazil's furniture industry, reports the IHB website.

http://www.propertyshowrooms.com/brazil/property/news/global-crunch-will-leave-brazil-unaffected_1728.html

Brazil unveils $6.4 billion poverty plan

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva unveiled a multibillion-dollar anti-poverty initiative on Monday to provide much-needed infrastructure and jobs in Brazil's poorest regions.

Targeting some 24 million people, including about 1 million small farmers in nearly 1,000 towns across Latin America's largest nation, the government plans to spend some $6.4 billion under the program in 2008 alone.

The program, which must still be approved by Congress, seeks to benefit the 60 regions of Brazil with the lowest rankings on the U.N. Human Development Index.

Speaking in the capital of Brasilia, Silva called it "the second step to ending poverty," following his Family Allowance initiative that since 2003 has paid monthly stipends to more than 11 million poor families with young children.

That program has been credited with reducing poverty in Brazil and secured Silva the loyalty of the nation's poor, but also drew criticisms that he was buying votes.

Silva also vowed to continue the stipends until Brazil does a better job of easing one of the world's widest gaps between the rich and the poor.

University of Brasilia political scientist David Fleischer said the new initiative, dubbed Territories of Citizenship, shows the government recognizes the value of investments in things like schools, clinics and job training, instead of only handouts.

Silva's administration also has its eye on this year's municipal elections and the 2010 presidential vote, Fleischer said: "It's half and half. Half development, and half electoral."

The announcement came a week after Brazil announced that its foreign reserves had exceeded foreign debt.

At the time, Silva said the country could now incur fresh debt to improve crumbling infrastructure and boost employment.

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/02/25/news/Brazil-Poverty.php

Trophy Tour reaches Rio de Janeiro

The UEFA Champions League trophy visits the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro this weekend on the latest stop of a two-month tour of four Latin American countries to celebrate Europe's premier club competition. The Trophy Tour is presented by Heineken.

Latin America first

Last weekend, the most coveted trophy in European club football was on show in Sao Paolo, where 12,000 fans visited the exhibition to have their photo taken with the trophy, and to have autographs signed by former Brazil stars Bebeto, Mauro Silva and Paulo Sergio.

Bebeto and Elber

This time around, the stars on show at Rio's Jockey Club will be Bebeto – a FIFA World Cup hero for his country in 1994 – and Giovane Elber, who played in 69 UEFA Champions League games and scored 24 goals for FC Bayern München and Olympique Lyonnais. Elber experienced the joy of winning the trophy with FC Bayern in 2001. Fifteen goals in seven games for Brazil also represents an impressive national-team haul.

Maracana temple

Rio is the home of the impressive Estádio Maracana, one of the largest football stadiums in the world, and considered a temple by football enthusiasts. It was opened in 1950 to host the FIFA World Cup. Since then, the stadium has mainly been used for matches between the biggest football clubs in Rio de Janeiro, and has also hosted a number of concerts and other sporting events. Some 174,000 spectators watched the deciding game of the 1950 FIFA World Cup between Brazil and Uruguay, which Uruguay won 2-1.

Trophy on display in Rio

The UEFA Champions League trophy will be unveiled at Rio's Jockey Club by Bebeto, Elber and Paulo Sergio in the presence of local celebrities. The trophy will then be the centrepiece of a display, together with signed football memorabilia, a historical movie of the greatest moments in European Cup history and other football activities, including the exclusive chance for invitees to be photographed with the trophy.

Full schedule

Following the Rio de Janeiro leg, the UEFA Champions League Trophy Tour moves to Buenos Aires, Argentina (6 March); Santiago, Chile (15/16 March); Mexico City, Mexico (5/6 April) and Monterrey, Mexico (12/13 April).

http://www.uefa.com/competitions/ucl/news/kind=1/newsid=661978.html

Property Investment Brazil: Samba All the Way to the Bank

Currently several regions in the world have in common the fact that they contain multiple emerging markets.

One region though, has something that none of the others share. In Latin America, the emergence of Brazil, Panama, Costa Rica, and Argentina have an energy; like the Mardi Gras has spilled out of Rio de Janeiro and they are sambaing into some of the world’s most economically vibrant property markets.

Across those four countries the level of new development, rapidly rising land-prices and high rental yields lead me to start believing that Asia now has competition as the world’s main growth centre, and as the region most likely to see strong and continued growth over the next ten years.

Brazil especially is making the headlines, and again it is Brazil’s reputation for a carnival atmosphere that has turned it into one of the world’s most popular tourism destinations, and the world’s most popular destination for young male overseas property investors.

The Mardi Gras is probably the most popular and best known street carnival in the world, but Rio de Janeiro is world famous for its nightlife that retains the Mardi-Gras atmosphere all year round. Young male property investors are also flocking to Brazil for its tropical climate, world-class beaches, world-class football and world-class women.

Brazil is not a new emerging market, in fact the capital Rio de Janeiro is semi-mature having been popular with foreigners, both for property investment and tourism for a while now. But as is a trend with emerging markets, growth begins in the capital, but only in the strongest and most promising markets does it spread to other parts of the country, as is currently the case with Brazil.

So now, those who have a little bit more to spend for the security of buying in a semi-mature market that has proven itself capable of seeing continued and strong growth, will buy in Rio. But those looking for an entry level property will buy in one of Brazil’s emerging hot-spots.

http://www.prlog.org/10052504-property-investment-brazil-samba-all-the-way-to-the-bank.html

Brazil basks in violent film's triumph at Berlin fest

Brazil on Monday gave a warm welcome home to the director and crew of "The Elite Squad," a hyper-violent film that on the weekend picked up the top prize at the Berlin Film Festival.

The triumph on the movie's first foreign outing augured well for its worldwide release over the coming months, media said, with distributors now lining up to get it into cinemas.

Director Jose Padilha is reportedly also being courted by Hollywood.

One major daily, O Estado de S. Paulo, said the Golden Bear the movie picked up "was a beautiful victory for Brazil and for Latin America."

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva hailed its "extraordinary qualities" and told O Globo newspaper it would "show the world that Brazil is not only a country with a bad side -- Brazil has bad things, Brazil has good things, just like any other country in the world."

Titled "Tropa de Elite" in Portuguese, the film propels the very real war between police and criminal gangs in Rio de Janeiro's slums onto the big screen.

Action and pithy dialogue run through the kinetic expose of police corruption and the gory conflicts, which include cops torturing a gang member by asphyxiating him with a plastic bag, and one crime victim being torched to death in a cocoon of car tires.

Some critics lamented what they saw as a glorification of police brutality, with the trade mag Variety dismissing the movie as a "recruitment film for fascist thugs."

Padilha, looking happy but tired after his 20-hour return flight Sunday, rejected that view, saying his work was meant to show the nefarious influence dealing in violence had on Brazilian police and their ideals.

The movie, he said, "talks about the real things we see daily, the lack of security in our daily lives, as well as putting it in relation with our own police," the news site Globo reported.

http://showbizandstyle.inquirer.net/breakingnews/breakingnews/view/20080219-119789/Brazil-basks-in-violent-films-triumph-at-Berlin-fest

Brazil's president confirms Petrobras data theft related to big petroleum finds

Information stolen from Brazil's state-run oil company was related to two huge new offshore petroleum finds, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said.

In comments to reporters during a trip to Brazil's Antarctic research station, Silva characterized last month's theft of four laptops and two hard drives as «serious» because

it involved state secrets. He said that the Brazilian Intelligence Agency was assisting federal police in their investigation.

But Silva said it is too soon to determine whether the information was stolen by a group planning to pass information about the Tupi and Jupiter petroleum fields to foreign companies or governments.

«The software contained information that was a state secret,» he said in remarks released late Sunday by the presidential press office. «This is a serious thing that we are investigating.

Petroleo Brasileiro SA has refused to give details about the missing data except to say it was «confidential information» stolen from «equipment and materials that contain important information for the company.

But Petrobras told authorities the information affects Brazil's national interests, police said.

News of the theft was made public last week, but Silva's comments were the first official confirmation that the data stolen was related to the big petroleum finds.

Police say the four laptops and two hard drives were in the possession of Houston-based oil services company Halliburton Co. and were stolen last month while being transported from the coastal city of Santos to Macae in Rio de Janeiro state, where much of Petrobras' offshore exploration effort is centered.

Halliburton referred questions to Petrobras, which declined to comment.

Petrobras in November announced the discovery of an ultra-deep Atlantic Ocean field called Tupi with as much of 8 billion barrels of light crude. The chief executive of Britain's BG Group PLC, which also has a stake in the field, said this month that the field's production could reach 1 million barrels of oil equivalent a day when fully developed.

The Brazilian company last month said it had discovered a huge natural gas reserve dubbed Jupiter off the coast of Rio de Janeiro that could be as big as the recently discovered Tupi oil field, but it did not provide detailed potential production figures.

Silva said he is reassured somewhat because Petrobras has backup copies of the information, and warned against speculation that the case may be industrial espionage.

It's better, he said, to await the outcome of the investigation, «not making insinuations, accusing or clearing anyone.

http://www.pr-inside.com/brazil-s-president-confirms-petrobras-data-r443008.htm

Brazilian economy thriving under banking, credit boom

Financial tools have restored faith among consumers

For decades, Brazilians had so little faith in their banks that they kept most of their money at home and paid for appliances, cars and even houses in lump sums.

Financial tools that Americans take for granted, such as credit cards and affordable bank loans, seemed like science fiction in this country of 184 million, where annual interest rates regularly soar into the triple digits.

Yet as Brazil enjoys a rare spell of sustained economic growth, millions of people are fueling an explosion in consumer credit and banking services that's transforming the world's 10th biggest economy.

For the first time, Brazilians are scooping up consumer goods on credit and taking on mortgages to buy homes. Total bank loans have more than doubled over the past four years, passing $530 billion, and banks have raked in record revenue. The banking system's assets grew by 19 percent in 2006 alone to hit more than $1.1 trillion.

Credit taking off

The growth has allowed middle-class Brazilians such as government employee Maria do Carmo of Rio de Janeiro to buy more, and it's fueled an industrial boom that's lowered unemployment rates and raised incomes.

Even Brazil's legions of poor are getting more access to credit, often in the form of microloans. Nearly four-fifths of payroll loans, which Brazilians use regularly, go to people earning less than $650 a month.

"Before, the income limits for credit cards were so high that only a very few people had them," do Carmo said at a branch of the country's biggest bank, state-owned Banco do Brasil.

"Today, everyone has a credit card. We use it to buy everything, which isn't always a good thing. My bills every month pile up to my chin."

The Brazilian boom draws a sharp contrast to U.S. institutions, which are enduring a brutal downturn from the subprime-lending bust.

The United States buys more Brazilian exports than any other country, and a U.S. recession would hurt Brazil's economy. Nonetheless, most analysts expect Brazil's banking boom to continue at least through this year.

For one thing, the banking system still has a lot of room to grow. Bank loans equal only 35 percent of Brazil's gross domestic product, compared with 80 percent of the United States', and mortgage lending equals 2 percent of Brazil's GDP.

"This has opened up new frontiers for Brazil because, for years, no one had the confidence to loan to consumers," said Celina Vansetti-Hutchins, who heads the banking analysis team for Latin America at the ratings agency Moody's Investors Service.

"Banks are shifting away from their traditional role of financing the government to financing the private sector."

New confidence

Officials at Brazil's biggest banks said their industry has turned the corner for good as domestic consumption charges ahead. Auto financing, in particular, has come into its own, making up one-third of all consumer lending. Nearly 3 million cars were produced in Brazil last year, 14 percent more than the year before.

The banking industry also has been a global pioneer in tools such as electronic banking and payroll loans, which grew from $5.7 billion in 2003 to about $35 billion last year.

"We've learned how to work in moments of stress and in times of low volatility," said Marco Geovanne Tobias da Silva, Banco do Brasil's manager of investor relations. "The banks here are finally learning what it is to be a bank."

That new confidence is a product, many say, of economic stability that's allowed banks and customers to plan for the long term, a rarity in a country known for its bouts of hyperinflation and bank meltdowns.

'Key to growth'

The country's economy is estimated to have grown by as much as 5.3 percent last year, its highest rate in three years, as booming commodity exports and a stable currency helped Brazil record a $40 billion trade surplus. Inflation came in under 5 percent, and employment and foreign investment have reached record highs.

Brazil's central bank has responded by cutting its key lending rate to a historically low 11.25 percent, although banks still charge three times that to private lenders.

"We have a population that never accessed credit for cultural reasons," said Renato Martins Oliva, vice president of the Brazilian Banks Association, which represents small- and medium-sized banks.

"With our history, people had little trust in the system. But we have sustained growth now and a government that sees credit as key to growth."

That's drawn the attention of U.S. banks such as Charlotte, N.C.-based Bank of America, which in 2006 sold its BankBoston operations in Uruguay and Chile for a 7.4 percent equity stake in Banco Itau Holding Financeira, Brazil's third-biggest bank in total assets last year.

Itau announced Tuesday that it notched a record net profit last year of $4.8 billion — nearly double 2006's results — driven in large part by a spike in personal and car loans.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/world/5546795.html

Different Ties for Different Binds

Thoughtful and beautifully executed, Brazil's entry for the 2008 Academy Award for Best Foreign Film, "The Year My Parents Went on Vacation," tells the story of a young boy exiled from his own life.

The year is 1970, and 12-year-old Mauro (Michel Joelsas) spends most of his energy on tabletop soccer. But he gets a rude awakening when his parents go on "vacation" to avoid the secret police. Left at his grandfather's door, Mauro learns that, unlike his father, his grandfather Mótel (Paulo Autran) is always early — even in death.

When Mótel's neighbor, Shlomo (Germano Haiut), arrives and informs Mauro of his grandfather's demise, the solitary older man inherits responsibility for his friend's unclaimed grandson. The resultant fish-out-of-water story avoids buddy-film cliché through its proximity to catastrophe. Though focusing on Mauro's disjointed story, director Cao Hamburger consistently keeps the turmoil of 1970s Brazil in the picture. With an authoritarian government gaining power, the disappearance of Mauro's left-leaning parents is a harbinger of things to come. Their departure is due more to self-preservation than disinterest, and soon others in Mauro's life are affected by government intrusions.

Another element keeping the film refreshingly off-kilter is the issue of religious tolerance. Shocked and disturbed to learn that Mauro has not been circumcised, Shlomo is forced to the limits of his abilities in adjusting to this boy's presence, just as Mauro is confused by the Jewish community into which he has been submerged.

No matter their intentions, Mauro's parents have effectively abandoned their son. Forced to depend on the kindness of strangers, Mauro watches what little adolescent control he had over his life slip away, while Shlomo sees his altruism abused for naught. But before long, this divergent community envelops its stowaway, and everything begins to make sense.

Mr. Hamburger introduces his audience to a world at once alive and cut off. As Mauro's connection to his former life becomes increasingly fragile, he develops an unnatural attachment to the telephone, and when his parents' expected call fails to materialize, Mauro clings to his father's promise that they will return for the upcoming World Cup.

Mauro might not be comforted by his new surroundings, but luckily, everyone in Brazil knows Pelé and Alberto. While waiting for his parents to appear, Mauro finds solid ground through the nation's love of soccer and falls back into the rhythms of adolescence. He makes his first friend in Hanna (Daniela Piepszyk), a slightly awkward but spirited young girl who lives in Shlomo's apartment building, develops his first crush on Irene (an ethereal Liliana Castro), a waitress at the nearby diner, and focuses his soccer obsession into learning how to tend goal.

Weaving through moments of religious confusion, political awakening, and familial loyalty, "The Year My Parents Went on Vacation," which opens in the city today, offers myriad rewards. Through Mauro's eyes, the viewer gets a wonderful snapshot of Brazil at the dawn of the '70s. While never diverting from Mauro's life, Mr. Hamburger tells a tale of political upheaval, national pride, and budding sexuality. As foreign as many of the elements of the story remain to Mauro, the audience is blocked from learning all of the details. Many events take place outside the frame of the film, but the landscape of Brazil in 1970 informs the action.

Mauro's involuntary solitude becomes an impressively nuanced lesson for all those involved. Flush with beautifully captured shots, a jangling soundtrack, and precarious storytelling, "The Year My Parents Went on Vacation" shows both the fragility of youth and its resilience.

http://www.nysun.com/article/71376

INTERVIEW-Theft of Petrobras data in Brazil may be espionage

The recent theft of strategic data from Brazil's state-run energy giant Petrobras (PETR4.SA: Quote, Profile, Research)(PBR.N: Quote, Profile, Research) appears to be just one of a handful of potential corporate espionage incidents involving a huge new oil reserve off the country's southern coast.

Fernando Siqueira, the director of the Association of Petrobras Engineers, said the Brazilian company has been increasingly targeted by thieves since it discovered last year a giant reserve in the Santos basin that could make it one of the world's major oil producers.

"This was not the first time" that Petrobras has had data stolen, Siqueira told Reuters in an interview on Friday. "I have information that in the last year and a half, laptops have been stolen from several technicians involved in that area."

On Thursday, Petrobras confirmed that four laptops and two RAM memory chips were stolen in late January from a transport container owned by the U.S. oil-field service company Halliburton (HAL.N: Quote, Profile, Research), a longtime Petrobras business partner.

Halliburton declined to comment, referring inquiries to Petrobras. Petrobras has not specified the nature of the data that was stolen, other than to say that it was "important."

But Brazil's Federal Police, which is investigating the theft, said on Friday that the data came from a drilling ship in the Santos basin, where the recently discovered Tupi field is located.

Siqueira, a former exploration and production engineer at Petrobras, said that 30 years of company research worth up to $2 billion have ended up in unknown hands.

"This is data detailing the total composition of the field, which allows you to know exactly where to drill," he said. "Whoever obtains this data will get enough strategic information for future exploration and drilling in the area."

Siqueira added that the Association of Petrobras Engineers plans to send a letter to President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva requesting that future oil exploration bloc auctions be canceled until the incident is clarified.

The government already withdrew all blocs close to the Tupi field from the last round of bidding, arguing that more research on the reserve was needed before the blocs could be auctioned.

Siqueira also said the association would ask that the Brazilian Navy be deployed to the Santos basin to help protect Petrobras' platforms, which he said were now vulnerable.

That request dovetails with plans outlined by Brazilian Defense Minister Nelson Jobim, who is leading a campaign for Brazil to build a nuclear-propelled submarine to patrol its oil-rich waters. (Translated by Todd Benson, editing by Matthew Lewis)

http://uk.reuters.com/article/oilRpt/idUKN1559270320080215?sp=true

Buy in Brazil: Latin America Property Guide

Looking to buy property in the up and coming Latin American hotspot of Brazil? Read our handy overseas property guide. Plus, find property in the rest of Latin America.

Brazil is a country in South America. It is the fifth largest country by geographical area, the fifth most populous country, and the fourth most populous democracy in the world.

As a result of colonialism, the main language in the country is Portuguese and the dominant religion is Catholicism.

The country has a coastline of more than 7,367 kilometres along the Atlantic. It also borders every nation on the South American continent except Ecuador and Chile.

To find property in Brazil and more property in Latin America, visit: www.justoverseas.co.uk/propertyinbrazil

In general, the population centres in Brazil are located near the coast. As a result, despite having a very large population, the country has a low population density inland.

Due to its size, the country has a very diverse topography, ranging from hills, mountains, plains, highlands, scrublands, savannas, rainforests, and a long coastline. It is home to much of the Amazon rainforest.

Pros and Cons to Buying Property in Brazil

In recent years, the country has begun to emerge as a tourist hotspot. The Lonely Planet guide explained: "Brazil is South America's giant, a dazzling land of pristine beaches, steamy jungles and manic metropolises. Music and dancing are as integral here as eating and sleeping, and you'll find as many regional styles as there are shades of people.

"While it may not be the Eden of popular imagination, Brazil is still a country of staggering beauty. There are stretches of unexplored rainforest, islands with divine tropical beaches, and endless rivers."

Recently, Resort Group International reported that it was currently a good time to invest in the country.

Danielle Murphy, account manager for the company's Brazilian projects, explained that many people opted for homes in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. However, he said that northern areas such as Natal are becoming "more popular as time goes by".

She added that prices were extremely low in the north and north-east of the country, making now an "excellent time to invest".

Figures from the Global Property Guide showed that house prices in the whole of Brazil make the country attractive to people looking for second homes. According to its data, the average price of a home in the country is just $1,000 per square metre.

However, the company's figures show significant regional variations. Property in Sao Paolo is slightly cheaper than in Rio De Janeiro. For example a 50 square metre apartment in the former costs $50,000, compared to $75,000 in Rio.

Larger city-centre apartments in the two conurbations cost between $100,000 and $350,000.

People looking to purchase homes in the purpose-built capital of Brasilia will have to spend between $60,000 and $250,000 to obtain a property.

In recent years, Fortaleza in the north-east of the country has become a popular spot for people to purchase second homes. Tourists are attracted to the city's warm ocean waters and the sandy beaches. The conurbation also boasts fantastic nightlife, with a plethora of bars, clubs and festivals.

Here, according to the Global Property Guide, a 50 square metre apartment costs just $45,000. Something larger, like a 200 square metre home, would cost in the region of $200,000.

What you need to know when buying property in Brazil

Manoj Chawla, managing director of Alexander Richards, recently explained that Brazil has "very good property laws and individuals can own property". However, he added that people still "need to go about it the right way".

He added: "You need to make sure that is has the proper titling law because you have different classes of ownership.

"If you are buying an apartment, the developer will have sorted out the land rights and you are not going to get thrown out. But if you were buying farmland, or rural land, people might have had the right of ownership through occupation."

http://www.financedaily.co.uk/showArticle.aspx?loadid=00969

Brazil President Silva honours retiring tennis star Gustavo Kuerten

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil - Brazil President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva congratulated three-time French Open champion Gustavo Kuerten on his achievements on Wednesday and said it was a shame injuries were forcing his retirement.

Hobbled by a chronic hip injury, Kuerten has said he will quit after the French Open, which starts on May 25.

This week he lost his first-round singles and doubles at the Brazil Open, his last professional matches on home soil.

Kuerten is "the greatest idol (Brazilian) tennis has ever produced," on par with former Wimbledon champion Maria Ester Bueno, Silva said in a statement.

Kuerten "encouraged millions of Brazilian youngsters to practise sports," Silva said. "It's a shame to see him say goodbye to competition."

He's "an extraordinary Brazilian that brought many glories to the country and that we all learned to admire."

The 31-year-old from Florianopolis began his pro career in 1995, and earned his greatest success on the red clay at Roland Garros, where he was champion in 1997, 2000 and 2001.

He reached No. 1 in 2000 and became the first South American in ATP rankings history to finish the year on top. Kuerten won 20 singles titles, his last on home clay at Costa do Sauipe in 2004.

http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5iCBElqvlTL-xiBKBm4iM42w4px9w

Rambler line honours Buenos Aires-Rio de Janeiro

George David's 90 foot super-maxi yacht, Rambler (USA) is the line honours winner of the Offshore Race Rolex Buenos Aires - Rio de Janeiro. The American yacht crossed the line in Baía de Guanabara, off Rio de Janeiro at 12h55m45s am local time, establishing a new record for this offshore classic, in its' 22nd edition this year.

The Reichel Pugh design, skippered by American Ken Read, covered the 1123-nautical mile course in 4 days, 9 hrs, 55 minutes, 45 seconds, beating the record set by the Brazilian yacht Cisne Branco in 1987 - 4 days, 18 hours, 52 minutes, 57 seconds.

Rambler's crew is headed to the Iate Club Rio de Janeiro, to wait for the rest of the fleet and see if they can claim the corrected time win as well.

A more detailed statement will be issued later today.

To track the fleet, go to the Virtual Race Monitor at: www.hmh.com.ar/vrm/vrs/

For general information please visit: www.yca.org.ar

http://www.sail-world.com/usa/index.cfm?nid=41815&rid=4

Rio's statue of Christ survives lightning hit

Rio de Janeiro, Feb. 13, 2008 (CWNews.com) - Lightning struck the famous statue of Christ the Redeemer overlooking Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on February 12.

The giant statue, which was last year voted one of the Seven Wonders of the World, survived the lightning bolt, apparently unscathed.

The statue of Christ the Redeemer, which dominates the Rio skyline from a nearby mountain top, is made of reinforced concrete. At 130 feet, it is the world's tallest statue of Christ: a commanding figure accentuated by its location at the top of a 2,300-foot mountain.

http://www.cwnews.com/news/viewstory.cfm?recnum=56584

Rio carnival judges crown winner

Rio de Janeiro's carnival jury has named this year's winner while demoting another samba school after a dancer ended up naked.

Beija-Flor was crowned champion for the fifth time in six years with a parade dedicated to the Amazon state of Amapa, its legends and its native hummingbird.

Meanwhile, the Sao Clemente troupe was penalised for "exposed genitalia" after a dancer lost her G-string.

The carnival brought 700,000 visitors from around Brazil and further afield.

Beija-Flor and 12 other top samba clubs competed in the 70,000-seat Sambadrome during the carnival, which took place on Sunday and Monday.

A panel of 40 judges rate each group in 10 categories, ranging from costumes to overall enthusiasm.

Beija-Flor received a near-perfect score of 399.3 out of a possible 400.

Most of Rio watched the televised awards ceremony on Wednesday, a partial holiday in Brazil.

The carnival is usually accompanied by controversy and this year, a samba school was banned from parading with a float depicting victims of the Holocaust and a Hitler figure.

Unidos do Viradouro came seventh after changing the float into a free speech exhibit featuring gagged men and women in white robes.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7233503.stm

2008: And Brazil's carnival winner is...

A carnival procession that paid extravagant homage to the legends of northern Brazil was Wednesday named the winner of this year's spectacular carnival parades in Rio de Janeiro.

The samba school Beija Flor, which presented the glittering floats and armies of dancers right at the end of the parades early Tuesday, was given the victory for the second consecutive year.

Within Brazil, the honor is treated with all the pomp and respect of a football championship trophy.

It notably gives a surge of national pride to the usually poor neighborhood, or slum, in which many of the samba schools have their roots.

For Beija Flor, which comes from the Rio suburb of Nilopolis, it also confirmed a winning streak that was tarnished last year when suspicions surfaced that it manipulated its way to its 2007 win.

At the time, there were allegations that it intimidated jury members. Its honorary president, Aniz David, was detained during the investigation, along with several carnival directors.

"This proves that our 2007 title was not stolen," one of the members of the school's management declared after the jury's verdict on this year's parades was read out in public.

Beija Flor gave Brazilian mythology imaginative and grand treatment, sending out eight palatial floats depicting jungle giants, fictional animals and 4,200 costumed dancers, as well as the traditional "drum queens:" beautiful models wearing little more than sequins and feathers.

Its entire show was estimated to have cost more than four million dollars.

The money and effort paid off when the jury on Wednesday gave the school a score of 399.3 points out of a possible 400 -- handing Beija Flor its 10th title and making it the dominant group of the last two decades.

The celebration of Beija Flor's triumph by 20,000 people inside and outside the Samba school's headquarters in Nilopolis ended with a sour note at midnight when a group of drunk revelers got in a fistfight that injured six people. Organizers decided to call it a night, ending the party and the free beer.

Rio's fantastical parades are the climax of Brazil's carnival celebrations, which each year precede the traditional Christian fasting period of Lent.

Although tourists delight in the two nights of extravagant displays, the 12 schools unveiling their elaborate entries are in fact locked in a fierce competition to be named winner.

Judges evaluate each of the processions -- which take 80 minutes to pass stands thronged with 70,000 people -- on the musical and visual execution of the chosen themes, which are often political or social in nature.

Although some of the "drum queens" take raunchiness to extremes with their almost-not-there outfits, the rules state that none can appear completely naked.

http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5h5JOKkWPV0IQJl0V-_ntPF3hvHpg

Brazil Carnival Competition Names Winner

Samba group Beija Flor was declared champion of Brazil's carnival for the fifth time in six years Wednesday, wowing judges with extravagant floats featuring winged dancers and rich, green jungle displays.

Beija Flor's parade honored legends of the Amazon rain forest and received a near perfect score of 399.3 out of a possible 400. The Salgueiro group came in second with a score of 398 for their parade celebrating Rio de Janeiro.

``If God wills next year, we'll try to do even better,'' said Beija Flor's director, who uses the single name Laila.

The Viradouro group, prohibited by a judge from parading with a dancer dressed as Hitler and float covered in naked Holocaust victims, came in seventh place.

Viradouro, who said its float was aimed at reminding people of past horrors to prevent them from happening again - had quickly changed the display into a protest for free expression featuring dozens of gagged men and women in white robes.

A carnival queen who danced virtually nude apparently helped cause her Sao Clemente samba group to be relegated to a lower, second division of the city's highly competitive parading leagues.

Judges took away points from the group because it broke a rule against skimpy attire. Judges did not mention Sao Clemente carnival queen Viviane Castro by name, but she was widely believed to be the offender because she danced samba in her group's parade for 80 minutes wearing only a 1.6-inch ``sex cover,'' believed to be the smallest in Rio parading history.

Rio's samba parade, which took place on Sunday and Monday nights, looks like a party but it is actually a hotly fought competition.

A panel of 40 judges grade each of the groups in 10 categories ranging, from the floats and costumes to how well the thousands-strong groups move their dancers through the half-mile parade ground in the Sambadrome stadium.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-7288879,00.html

Brazil Samba Group Finale Frenzy in Rio

Dancers dressed as slaves pushed a parade float decked out as the ship that brought the Portuguese royal family to Brazil two centuries ago, marking the final night of Rio's annual carnival parade.

Donned in golden conquistador outfits, hundreds of drummers from the Mocidade de Independente samba group beat time Monday night to propel its 4,500 members down the Sambadrome stadium's half-mile long parade ground.

Fans cheered from packed stands, waving flags with the group's signature green and white colors as fireworks exploded overhead, and the parading continued into Tuesday's pre-dawn darkness.

``It's a pure thrill, there's nothing like it,'' drum queen Thatiana Patgung said before parading in a bikini made of gilded sequins.

Mocidade, which last won the carnival championship in 1996, was the first of six groups scheduled to parade late Monday and into Tuesday morning.

Intermittent rain did little to dampen festivities outside the Sambadrome stadium, or to keep locals and tourists from flocking to informal carnival ``blocos'' around the city.

``It's the most fun you can have without getting arrested,'' 17-year-old Paulo Sergio Viera said as he sprayed shaving cream over the heads of several friends dancing in the streets of the Ipanema beach neighborhood.

Dancing behind a slow-moving truck blasting samba music near Copacabana beach, American tourist Eduardo Nihill swilled beer but insisted that Brazil's carnival is more than alcohol, beautiful women and music.

``The Brazilians have a true love of life,'' said the 23-year-old college student from Dallas. ``I've been to 30 or 40 countries and I've never seen anything like it: It's pure happiness here.''

The Sambadrome parades that end Tuesday featured six other top-tier groups on Sunday and early Monday, including Viradouro, which generated a huge controversy and was barred from parading with a dancing Hitler and ``Holocaust victim'' mannequins - meant to conjure up its theme ``It Gives You Goosebumps.''

Instead, the group danced samba and featured a float with men and women standing still while wearing white gowns and gags in a demand for free expression in response to a judge's order banning the original display.

``You don't build the future by burying the past,'' read a banner on Viradouro's new float read. Hundreds of other Viradouro dancers represented execution victims by wearing electric chairs, were decked out as cockroaches and some even skied down a 130-foot ice-coated float.

Each samba group has 80 minutes to parade through Rio's ``Sambadrome,'' an 85,000-seat venue built for the annual samba ``school'' competition. The event is taken as seriously as soccer in Latin America's largest nation.

The competition winds down Tuesday morning with a parade by the current champion Beija Flor, or ``Hummingbird.'' A panel of judges ranks groups on their costumes, floats and featured dancers and on how well they move their thousands-strong groups through the stadium.

A new champion will be announced Wednesday on a program televised live throughout Brazil.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-7282618,00.html

Rio de Janeiro's world-famous carnival parades begin

The event is a competition between the city's top 12 samba schools, each of which are judged on things like the allegories represented by their floats

Gargantuan animal effigies and honed dancers wearing nothing but a bit of glitter between their legs turned Rio into a fantasy land overnight, as the city's world-famous carnival parades got underway.

The processions are the high point of Brazil's five-day pre-Lent celebrations, and the riot of color and music that began late on Sunday and continued nearly to dawn was to be repeated last night, with other extravagant displays of costumes and carnality.

A life-size elephant, and a jaguar, a parrot and butterflies all resized to giant proportions, as well as a King Kong gorilla, were among the fauna featured on the elaborate floats that filed through Sunday night, under intermittent rain.

The other wildlife to grab the attention of the 50,000-strong crowd were the many nearly-nude women dancers, all with supernaturally white smiles and bodies trained into sensual yet powerful curves, and all cellulite-free.

Modesty having no place in the parades, many of the women wore very little, mostly glittering g-strings and long feathers.

Others wore even less, including two in the opening entry by the Sao Clemente samba school. Its two carnival queens danced their way along the 700m parade runway in nothing more than a bottle-top-sized piece of shiny stick-on foil in a strategic spot.

Tourists in the audience were awestruck by the lavish floats and lascivious models.

Locals, though, gave their heartiest applause to a runway cleaner who briefly got distracted by the samba and put on his own impromptu show, using his broom as a prop.

"Each carnival, the parades just get better and better," enthused Glaucia Medici, a 37-year-old Brazilian bank manager in the stands.

"At this time of year, all everyone wants to do is samba and have fun," she said.

The parades are in fact a competition between Rio de Janeiro's top 12 samba schools.

Each was being judged on criteria including the lyrics of their songs, the allegories represented by their floats -- and their ability to get their 5,000 members over the finish line in less than 80 minutes.

One costumed participant, who gave her name as Edna, said after completing the parade that she felt "overjoyed" and "emotional" at the experience under the arc lights and cameras.

This year, one of the groups, Unidos do Viradouro, caused a storm of controversy for a planned float that would have depicted Hitler dancing alongside skeletal Holocaust victims, as a sort of warning against such atrocities being repeated.

A Jewish group successfully sued to have the display banned. But that triggered a debate in the media over censorship and bad taste in the parades, which have a social-political component.

The school changed the float to represent an ironic tribute to "freedom of expression." It was due to be unveiled for the first time early yesterday.

Rain came and went for much of the first night of parades, but crowds did not shrink, and dancers said the showers were merely "refreshing."

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2008/02/05/2003400369

Rich or poor, all flock to Rio Carnival parade

Rich and poor alike flocked to Rio de Janeiro's Sambadrome on Monday night to gape at the fantastic Carnival parades -- but they saw them from different points of view.

For some, the action took place in lavish hospitality suites overlooking the parade strip, with endless supplies of food and drink and massages and oxygen masks for the weary.

For others, a road alongside a reeking canal offered a vantage point to see the samba groups and their extravagant floats line up in the marshalling area on a closed-off avenue before they marched to the thunder of drums into the Sambadrome.

The action was equally intense either way, with vendors selling beer and fried snacks to the canal crowd and to others gathered on a dark flyover close to the brightly lit Sambadrome.

"It's free here. We waited two hours to get a seat but it's a clear view. Everything we need is here," said Luiz Ricardo, a 19-year-old student sitting on bleachers set up by the city authorities by the canal.

"The canal stinks though," added Jorge.

The Sao Sebastao Highway flyover, sealed off to traffic in one direction, was also a good spot.

"I come here every year," said a construction worker named Andre, pressed up against a chain-link fence with his wife, Suely, and 3-year-old daughter Maria. "I support Beija-Flor (samba school) so I'll be here till the sun comes up.

One bizarre sight the people overlooking the marshalling area get to see -- the cranes and forklifts hoisting the beplumed dancers on to their positions on the top of the huge floats before the parade moves out.

The Sambadrome was designed by Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer especially for the parades in which the city's 12 top samba groups, known as schools, each present an allegorical theme over two nights. It is open at each end to allow them in and out.

CELEBRITY WATCHING

The parades are the highlight of the world-renowned five-day bash, a blend of traditions from the Catholic Portuguese colonists and African slaves that is a chance to blow off steam before the 40-day Lent fasting period.

The schools, whose roots lie in Rio's tough slums, feature up to 6,000 dancers and drummers in a kaleidoscope of colors as well as several elaborately decorated floats. And, of course, there's the virtually naked dancing queens who gyrate down the track to appreciative whoops from the crowd.

Bleachers and private boxes called "camarotes" holding a total of some 85,000 spectators line the route. There is always fierce competition among beer companies to attract models, actresses and celebrities to their lavish camarotes.

The Brahma Beer camarote, packed with people in red and white corporate T-shirts, was heaving. "Charlie's Angels" star Lucy Liu, Italian actress Monica Bellucci, tennis player Anna Kournikova and samba singer Zeca Pagodinho were among the merry-makers there.

Across the way, the rival Nova Schim beer company played host to a bevy of stars from Brazil's beloved soap operas. In the rooms behind the balcony, there was a beauty parlor where they could get a make-up touch up, masseuses, and yet another samba band.

Jane Gottschalk from London and her friend Lisa from New York were in a group of "models, actresses, art dealers and socialites" who had flown in for the fun and were enjoying Nova Schim's generosity.

"It's amazing. We were expecting chaos but it so well organized. The food is wonderful," Jane said.

"And you feel completely safe," added Lisa.

They were staying at the superchic Hotel Fasano and paraded with the Malgueira school on Sunday night.

Six schools were to march on Monday night, kicking off with Mocidade Independente. It and Imperatriz Leopoldinesne both took as their themes the 200th anniversary of the flight of the Portuguese royal family from Napoleon's army and their arrival in Brazil. Grande Rio were to sing about the Amazon rainforest and preserving the environment.

The parades, each lasting about 75 minutes, will wrap up with Andre's favorite and reigning champion Beija-Flor round about daybreak.

http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSN0462011620080205

Kings, queens and geishas samba at Rio Carnival

Brazil's Carnival parades got off to a majestic start on Sunday night as dancers dressed as monarchs, courtiers and even roast pheasants at a royal feast shimmied their way through Rio de Janeiro's Sambadrome.

Honoring the 200th anniversary of the arrival of the Portuguese royal family in Brazil, which made Rio an imperial capital, the 4,200-strong Sao Clemente samba group's lavish floats represented the riches and cultural heritage brought to the former colony by the Portuguese.

Beauty queens wearing little more than plumed headdresses gyrated on top of giant floats as singers chanted "The kingdom has moved, my Rio has bloomed" to the beat of samba drums.

As Viviane Castro, a 25-year-old model and dancer, was preparing to step onto the parade strip, an assistant was gluing a tiny piece of glitter between her legs -- her only vestment for the night aside from high-heeled shoes.

"I feel super carefree about being nude. Carnival is a lot of joy, you just don't think about other stuff," the stunning brunette told Reuters.

One float represented an imperial dinner where meals and even cutlery danced.

"I flew all the way from Australia and it's fantastic, awesome. You have to know the song though. Next time I'll learn it by heart," said Grace Kelly, 34, from Sydney, still out of breath after over an hour of non-stop samba.

Although the street parties where revelers drink and dance day and night are the heart of Rio's Carnival, the extravaganza in the Sambadrome stadium on Sunday and Monday nights is the highlight of the celebrations.

Each of the 12 samba groups marches for about 75 minutes, marked by judges in a competition for the champions' crown.

Homage to foreign influence in the melting pot of races that is Brazil continued when the second samba school, Porto da Pedra, marched to commemorate 100 years since the first Japanese immigrants arrived.

Symbolizing their integration, dozens of dancing women dressed as Japanese geishas transformed, with a move of a folding fan, into the likeness of cult Brazilian actress and singer Carmen Miranda, who became a Hollywood star in the 1940s.

The school's beauty queen Angela Bismarchi -- known as the queen of plastic surgery because her many alterations -- had her eyes operated on before Carnival to make her look more Japanese. She wore an outsized geisha wig, a black plume and not much else.

Dancers with model trays of sushi on their shoulders or dressed as Japanese Maneki-Neko lucky cat charms followed.

"The heart starts beating much faster. I loved it, it's a shame it was over so fast," said Alessandra Couto, 36, an engineer from Rio who paraded for the first time.

City authorities expect more than 700,000 tourists in Rio for the five days of Carnival, which ends on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, revelers danced and sang at dozens of street parties across the city and even lashing rain failed to dampen their spirits.

Dressed as devils, brides, magicians or simply wearing silly hats, they drank beer and sang traditional Carnival tunes as romance hung in the air.

"This rain is nothing. Yesterday we were in a street party where they were spraying people from a water hose truck. Now that was fun!" said Claudia Nogueira, 25, who was dressed as a nurse with white lingerie showing from her robe.

The police presence was heavy in the city center, allaying concerns about a police strike after senior commanders had offered to quit or were dismissed over demands for higher pay and better working conditions.

Rio is one of Latin America's most violent cities. But Carnival -- a big source of tourism revenue - is always safeguarded by thousands of police and outbreaks of violent crime are rare during the festivities.

Much of the violence is related to drug trafficking in the slums, or favelas. Weeks before Carnival, police investigated one of the most popular samba schools, Mangueira, over allegations it was sponsored by a drug kingpin.

http://in.reuters.com/article/lifestyleMolt/idINN0248395620080204?sp=true

Street Dancers Open Rio's Crazy Carnival

To the sound of blasting samba, men dressed as nuns swilled beer and danced down the cobblestoned streets of a Rio hillside Friday night to kick off five days of uninhibited carnival madness.

Dutch tourist Drey Urhahn watched in awe from a sidewalk in the historic Santa Teresa neighborhood as hundreds of members of the Carmelitas street samba group danced by him in flip-flops and black-and-white habits to thundering rhythms from a drum corps backed by a booming brass band.

"It's like a well-oiled machine," said Urhahn, 34, as he downed an ice-cold beer on a balmy Rio night after days of pre-carnival partying. "The sun, the naked women, it's crazy. I was drinking for a few days, so when it started, I was already exhausted, but the Brazilians keep going."

Rio's big carnival action comes on Sunday and Monday nights, when the city's top 12 samba groups mount spectacles at the 88,500-capacity Sambadrome featuring hundreds of drummers, thousands of dancers and about a dozen over-the-top parade floats.

Until then, street carnival groups — called "blocos" — own Rio's neighborhoods. As 80 drummers decked out in pink and green marched their way through the bohemian neighborhood of Lapa late Friday, a nearly naked women danced the samba behind them. Bars emptied as men spilled into the street to shimmy behind her.

Unlike the formal and intense competition at the Sambadrome, anything goes at the blocos, and they are becoming more and more popular because fans can join the fun.

Some blocos complain they have become overwhelmed by the huge crowds, who drown out the music and slow down their parades. Some have started keeping the time and location of the parades a secret.

Cordao de Bola Preta, one of the city's most traditional bloco carnival groups, expects some 600,000 people to turn out for their parade Saturday morning after drawing some 400,000 revelers last year.

"In reality, what we do is more like standing than parading, but we are a very democratic band and we always do our best to please the crowd," said Pedro Ernesto Araujo Marinho, Bola Preta's vice president.

One of the most popular blocos is "Suvaco de Cristo," or "Christ's Armpit," so-called because it parades in the shadow of Rio's mountaintop Christ the Redeemer statue. The group has stopped announcing when it will parade, and expects only 10,000 to 15,000 people.

"It was a very serious problem the year before last when we had 50,000 people in the streets, it made for an interminable parade," said Joao Regazzi Avelleira, the group's president.

For some, the madness is too much, and many well-heeled Rio residents flee before it starts. Even Rio de Janeiro Mayor Cesar Maia officially opened the carnival on Tuesday, while hardly anyone was partying, so he could jet to France for vacation.

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5h_ibFw4OlAeRbowAvYv8nJWSoXMwD8UHTT881