Reporters Without Borders releasing a report entitled “Brazil, the country of 30 Berlusconis” that examines all of the shortcomings of this South American giant’s media landscape.

It is based on fact-finding visits to Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Brasilia in November 2012

The media topography of the country that is hosting the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympics has barely changed in the three decades since the end of the 1964-85 military dictatorship.

As well as the ten or so major companies that dominate the national media and are mainly based in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, Brazil has many regional media that are weakened by their subordination to the centres of power in the country’s individual states.

The editorial independence of both print and broadcast media is above all undermined by their heavy financial reliance on advertising by state governments and agencies.

To the Report - Brazil, the country of 30 Berlusconis

The Second Invitation for the submission of proposals on technological cooperation between Brazil and Israel was released on Monday (November 5), in a meeting at the Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade (MDIC).

The initiative is part of the activities envisaged in the 2007 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Bilateral Cooperation in Industrial Research and Development in the Private Sector.

The new phase of the project is aimed at three sectors considered to have the greatest potential for industrial cooperation between the two countries: Defense, Health and Information and Communication Technology (ICT). The initiatives will be linked to the sector policies of the "Greater Brazil Plan" and will receive support from partners in each segment to identify companies interested in participating and opportunities for research.

"The cooperation between Brazil and Israel will be beneficial for both countries," said Michel Hivert, MATIMOP Managing Director. "Bringing together characteristics from each country, such as Israel's experience in R&D, with the robustness of Brazilian industry, is something that will bring enormous advances," added Hivert. The Department of Innovation emphasized this assessment in its presentation, stating that bilateral partnerships focusing on research are an international trend that is coming to Brazil.

In order to participate, companies need to follow three steps. Details regarding registration and the process involved and can be found at www.brasilisrael.mdic.gov.br

Afterwards, the company must find a partner in Israel and prepare a proposal. A database of organizations in the two countries is available on the site to facilitate searching. The deadline for submission of proposals using the Cooperation Form is April 22, 2013. The evaluation and selection of proposals will be completed on May 23. Thereafter, those approved will receive guidance on the best credit lines suited to their projects and will have until July 1 to complete the funding application. All details regarding the process can be found on the Portal.

A Visiongain Defence Analyst stated that: ‘Brazil is set to use its emerging economic growth to build up a strong domestic defence industry in parallel with the modernization of its armed forces over the next decade.

In order to counter threats across its borders and to its natural resources, alongside the security preparations required as the host of major international events, Brazil is undertaking large scale defence projects for fighter aircraft, transport aircraft, submarines, naval vessels and extensive border monitoring systems, demonstrating the country’s ambitious long term defence spending plans.’

The report has 259 pages and contains 280 tables, charts and graphs that utilise visual representation in order to clarify trends and market projections within the Brazilian Defence Market.

Visiongain provides forecasts for the overall Brazilian Defence Market as well as the Operational and Acquisitions and Investments budget for the period 2012-2022. In addition, the report assess 3 subcategories within the Acquisitions and Investments budget – Air Systems, Ground Systems and Naval Systems – and 17 submarkets across all 3 subcategories for the period 2012-2022. The report provides profiles of 25 leading companies operating within the market, and includes an interview with ECA Group American Latina Ltd, providing expert insight alongside Visiongain’s analyses.

The Brazilian Defence Market 2012-2022 report will be of impressive value to current and future investors into future Brazilian defence contracts and the overall Brazilian defence industry, as well as to companies and research centres who wish to broaden their knowledge of the Brazilian defence market.

For further information - The Brazilian Defence Market 2012-2022 report

Minister Marco Antonio Raupp from the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MCTI), and the Russian ambassador in Brazil, Sergey Akopov, discussed new possibilities for cooperation in science and technology on Thursday (October 25) in Brasilia.

The meeting precedes a visit by President Dilma Rousseff to Russia which is scheduled for December.

Participants in the meeting included MCTI Secretary of Technological Development and Innovation, Alvaro Prata, the President of the National Council of Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq/MCTI), Glaucius Oliva, MCTI Head of the Office of International Affairs, Ambassador Carmen Ribeiro Moura, and the Director of the Department of Scientific and Technological Issues of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Benedicto Fonseca Filho.

Akopov gave an account of the events scheduled for the coming months, with the participation of Brazilian and Russian representatives, serving as an environment for future negotiations. The International Forum on Development and Innovation, which takes place from October 31 to November 2 in Moscow and will be attended by Secretary Prata, and the Meeting of the Brazil-Russia High-Level Commission, to be held in February in Brasilia, were both highlighted.

"Science and technology is a priority for our bilateral relationship. We have many projects and I hope that, together, we can put them into practice," said the ambassador, who presented proposals for cooperation in biotechnology and solar energy to the Brazilian minister. Minister Raupp has already expressed Brazil's interest in developing new cooperation activities, particularly with regard to the Science Without Borders program and in the areas of satellite technology and radiopharmaceuticals.

Announcements regarding the segments mentioned by the Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation will be made on his visit to Russia, on November 26 and 27, accompanied by representatives from the Brazilian Space Agency (AEB/MCTI) and the National Commission of Nuclear Energy (CNEN/MCTI). "It is our responsibility to strive to build something concrete in these events," said the minister.

The president of the CNPq, Glaucius Oliva, spoke of the importance of deepening dialogue on cooperation within the Science without Borders program. "We have not entered into agreements with Russia yet and one of the obstacles is the language. Russia has excellent institutions in many areas," he said. "It is time we made the most of this mobilization and closer relations between the two countries to consolidate this."

History of cooperation

The starting point for Brazilian-Russian relations in the field of science and technology was the Agreement Establishing the Brazilian-Soviet Intergovernmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific and Technological Cooperation signed on April 16, 1981. In 2010, representatives from the two countries signed the Strategic Partnership Action Plan, whose aim was to prioritize areas of cooperation among those selected in the 2010-2012 Cooperation Program. The plan establishes the intensification of scientific and technological cooperation.

In addition, the program aims to promote cooperation between research and scientific institutes of the two countries in the areas of scientific and technological information, metrology and the technological cooperation network in HIV/AIDS, as well as in condensed matter physics, nanotechnology, new materials, biotechnology, medicine, information and communications technology, the effect of the environment on human health, physics and mathematics.

Source – Invest in Brazil

Wind power is now enjoying a new phase of competitiveness in Brazil, with an additional R$ 40 billion in investments expected by 2020.

This new phase, which began in 2009, has resulted in the procurement of 6.7 gigawatts (GW) of power, at a price of R$ 100 per megawatt/hour (MWh).

The first investments in wind power in the country were made in 2004, with grants from the Alternative Electrical Energy Sources Incentive Program (Proinfa). The goal was to introduce new technologies and renewable forms of energy production, including small hydro power (SHP), biomass and wind power.

Wind power is the second most competitive form of such energy production in the country. “Today, wind power alone is not cheaper than large hydroelectric plants,” said Elbia Melo, President of the Brazilian Association of Wind Power (Abeeólica). Investment made by the wind power industry in all procurement auctions held in Brazil between 2004 and 2011 reached R$ 25 billion.

The potential for wind power in the country amounts to 300 GW and is concentrated primarily in the Northeast and the South, and particularly in the states of Bahia, Rio Grande do Norte, Ceará and Rio Grande do Sul. This figure was revised this year, based on the new technology that has been put in place. The first analysis, conducted in 2001, identified potential wind power generation in the order of 143 GW.

In June of this year, the wind power industry accounted for 2 GW of installed capacity of power generation, spread over 71 farms. By the end of 2016, the goal is to insert 8.4 GW of wind power on the national electric system, which would represent a 5.4% share in the Brazilian power grid, compared to the 1.5% share it currently represents. “It will continue to grow over time and by 2020, wind power should attain a 15% share, provided that we maintain this pace of procurement.” Around 2 GW per year is expected to be contracted at procurement auctions.

The number of equipment manufacturers in the country has increased from only two in 2008 to 11 last year.

Tokyo is the most expensive city in the world to live in, Karachi is the cheapest, reports the private institute Mercer.

Most European cities drop in the ranking; Australian and New Zealand cities surge

London drops 7 places to rank 25

Read the full Global Overview

Worldwide top 50 cities: Cost of Living rankings here

The presence of computers in Brazilian households has tripled in the last decade.

However, the equipment is still not present in over half of households - the penetration rate is 38.3% on average, of which 30.7% of which are connected to the internet..

According to 2010 Census data, the penetration of computers in households is higher in the Southeast region, where they are installed in 48% of households, of which 39.6% have access to the internet. In the North and Northeast regions, 22.7% and 21.2% of households have a computer, of which 15.4% and 16.8% have internet access, respectively. This was the first time that the IBGE Census researched internet access across the country, there is no therefore no earlier comparative data.

Between 2000 and 2010 the number of households with a telephone line remained relatively stable. During the period, the figure increased from 39.7% to 40.8%. However, the proportion of households with only a mobile phone reached 47.1%.

Source – Invest in Brazil

In search of expansion for economic and trade relations, the Governments of Brazil and India have adopted a strategic partnership encompassing health, education, science and technology, defense, agriculture, social and environmental programs.

The President Dilma Rousseff said on Friday, March 30, during a visit to New Delhi, India, that the goal is to increase the negotiated amount of US$ 9.12 billion in 2011, to US$ 15 billion by 2015.

The President said that Brazil and India are going through a new phase of development. "[We must strive to] create a hallway [of development] in such a way that we can be proud of having started a new era”, said Dilma, after meeting with the Prime Minister of India, Manmohan Singh.

In addition, she stated that Brazil considers India a key and essential partner for the future. "The emerging countries are the great responsible for the growth of the global economy”, she said. "We have a lot to talk in the areas of scientific and social policies."

The President praised the research in the areas of chemistry and medicines in India. She recalled that, in Brazil, the effort is to improve the quality of public health care, which also depends on the distribution of medicines. According to Dilma, the partnership goes further, even to the sale of aircrafts equipped with radars, from Brazil to India.

The Central Bank (BC) maintained the estimative of economic growth – Gross National Product (GNP) – this year in 3.5%. The information is part of the Inflation Report released this week by the Central Bank of Brazil.

According to the institution, the Brazilian economic activity has showed a moderate decrease in 2012, due to the effects of the economic policy and some deterioration of the international environment, but the perspectives point out to acceleration this year. In 2011, the economy grew 2.7%.

According to the report, "the maintenance of favorable conditions in the labor market and consumer confidence at high level, as well as the improvement in business confidence indicators, suggests consistency in the process of regaining economic growth."

On the external scenario, the Central Bank highlights the “recovery of the U.S. economy,” beyond the “perspectives of financial conditions stabilization in the Euro Zone” and the accommodation of the economy in Asian countries, still at high level. According to the Central Bank, this scenario could favor Brazil’s economic activity in the coming months.

The Brazilian Institute of Tourism (Embratur) and Google chose the United States, the second largest emitter of tourists to Brazil, to launch the new Brazilian channel on YouTube, now available at the address www.youtube.com/visitbrasil

The new channel, developed in partnership with Google, will help foreign tourists in planning their trips to Brazil, interactively, with images, videos and detailed information about what to do in the country. By accessing the page, the tourist will respond only four questions: when the tourist will come to Brazil, how many days will stay, with whom and what is the main interest (shopping, entertainment, sports, beach, nature and culture). From there, the tool will provide a list of destinations and attractions to the visitor.

For the International Markets Director of Embratur, Marcelo Pedroso, the Brand Channel is marked by the convergence of various technologies on a single channel. "Tourists can watch videos posted by other visitors, showing the location of destinations in Google Maps, receive tips available on TripAdvisor and, ultimately, share their selection with friends on Facebook," said Pedroso.

The Internet economy is growing more than 10 percent per year in the G-20 nations.

No one—no individual, business, or government—can afford to ignore its ability to deliver more wealth to more people more broadly than any economic development since the Industrial Revolution.

This report quantifies the Internet’s economic impact. Read more at Boston Consulting Group – The Connected World

The proportion of women holding senior management roles in Europe is steadily increasing according to the latest research from Grant Thornton. However, the reverse is true in emerging markets, where businesses have historically employed more females in senior roles.

This leaves the global average at 21%, barely higher than the 2004 level.

The figures from Grant Thornton’s International Business Report (IBR) reveal that just over one in five (22%) senior management positions in businesses surveyed in Latin America are held by women, down from 28% in 2009. Similar falls have been recorded in the Asia Pacific economies (25% in 2009 down to 19% in 2012), South East Asia (36% in 2009 down to 32% in 2012) and the BRIC economies (30% in 2009 down to 26% in 2012).

Despite rising unemployment, the proportion of women in senior management in Europe has continued to rise steadily from 17% in 2004 to 20% in 2009 to 24% in 2012, catching up with peers in emerging markets.

April Mackenzie, global head - governance and public policy at Grant Thornton International, said:

“Across Europe, getting more women into senior management positions has been high on the political agenda for quite some time. Governments have been vocal about addressing the imbalance and as a result businesses have been under real scrutiny. This encouraging rise in senior women shows the effect this attention is starting to have.

“The steady drop-off we are seeing in the emerging markets is a real concern though. The worry is that we may be reaching the point where women are underrepresented in senior management the world over.”

There are a myriad of cultural, economic and social barriers which prevent women from reaching the top jobs, but rapid urbanisation, which has accompanied rapid economic growth in emerging markets, could help explain why the proportion of women in senior management is falling away. 

Since 1978, China has experienced the largest internal migration in human history, with nearly 160m people moving from the countryside into cities.  The proportion of people living in urban areas passed 50% in 2011, and is projected to hit 55% by 2020. Similarly in Mexico, the proportion of the population living in urban areas is projected to rise from 74% in 2000 to 80% by 2020.  This is putting a huge strain on traditional family models.

April Mackenzie explained: “The movement into cities has begun to break down traditional models of extended families. The in-built childcare infrastructure which allowed children to be raised by grandparents, enabled women to work full-time. This is being replaced by ‘Western-style’ nuclear families which rely on one parent looking after the children or the prospect of expensive childcare.

“Urbanisation presents more opportunities for more people, including women, in many different ways. But the challenges it places on the family model appear to be having a disproportionately large effect on the ability of women to break the glass ceiling and occupy senior management roles.

“Governments and business leaders in emerging markets need to start working now to address this decline. The last thing we want to see is a race to mediocrity where the proportion of women in senior roles in these countries bottoms out and stagnates for a number of years. Or indeed that these high growth economies lose talent because women in the burgeoning rising middle classes opt out of the workforce altogether.

“There needs to be a public discussion now about the policies and practices that will enable and encourage women to continue to progress in the workplace.”

The IBR suggests that offering flexible working could help reverse this trend in emerging markets. Nearly two thirds of businesses in the EU (65%), where the proportion of women in senior management roles is increasing, currently offer flexible working. This is well ahead of Latin America (49%), the BRIC economies (36%) and Asia Pacific (32%).

April Mackenzie said: “Businesses in the emerging economies are lagging behind on the flexible working front. Greater adoption of this might allow a greater proportion of women to make senior positions in the future, reversing the current decline.”

Biggest winners and losers

Of the 40 economies surveyed, businesses in Russia employ the most women in senior management (46%), ahead of Botswana, Thailand and the Philippines (all 39%), whilst Italy ranks highest in Europe (36%).

Bottom of the table is Japan, where only 5% of senior management positions are filled by women, below Germany (13%), India (14%) and Denmark (15%).

The biggest risers over the past 12 months include Turkey (25% to 31%), and the United Arab Emirates (8% to 15%), results that suggest that the wave of economic liberalisation in the Middle East as a result of the Arab Spring could have boosted the chances of women in the region reaching the top.

Sao Paulo is the 7^th largest metropolitan region in the country. The city is named in the honor of Saint Paul.   Apart from being the largest city, it is one of the most populated cities in Brazil.

In addition to this, it is also the richest city in the country.  The city is a great commercial, financial, arts and entertainment influence in the country.  Sao Paulo is known for being an Alpha World City.

The city of Sao Paulo houses about 20 million residents.  The city accounts for about 22% of the population of Brazil. The city consists of some of the largest industrial complexes in the country, and it also accounts for the highest economic product in all of Brazil. The city is also among the cities that attract the largest number of immigrants. Sao Paulo, being a cosmopolitan city, attracts many foreign investors and thus plays a significant role in contributing towards the overall growth of the country.

Sao Paulo is one of the best cities in Brazil to invest in mainly because of easy availability of some of the best infrastructure, and the city also has an easy supply of laborers that are highly educated and possess great technological skills. Owing to these factors, Sao Paulo is known as the growth locomotive of Brazil.

Great investment opportunity for foreign investors lies in the manufacturing sector of Sao Paulo, especially in the manufacturing of high-tech items. Apart from the manufacturing sector, great investment opportunity lies in agricultural and livestock farming, Information Technology, aerospace and the automotive industry of Sao Paulo.  Agro-based business is pretty huge in the city and promises high productivity, and in turn leads to greater returns on investment.

The city of Sao Paulo is known for its significant contribution to the national economy. The city accounts for about 30% of the Brazilian GDP (Gross Domestic Product). The state is the home of the largest industrial park in the country, and the city has a diverse and robust economy.

The industries in Sao Paulo contribute heavily towards the exports of Brazil; it constitutes about $46 billion with the export of agro-based products like sugarcane, sugar beet and sucrose, boneless beef, and airplanes and automobiles being the largest contributors. These factors indicate that there is great investment opportunity for investing in agriculture and agro-based industries.

Foreign investors may also consider investing in the real estate sector of Sao Paulo.  Being a commercial hub, the city attracts not only migrants from different cities of Brazil but it also attracts immigrants from different countries as well. Also, due to the government initiatives to promote tourism and attract new people to the county, there is a tremendous need for construction of residential buildings, apartments and villas. Thus, a great investment opportunity exists to invest in the real estate sector of Sao Paulo.

In the near future, the city is well poised to become one of the leading commercial cities of the world. It is all set to become a hub for doing business, and business investors investing the city are sure to gain tremendously.

Source – Invest in Brazil

There are basically two kinds of companies that one can invest in: the Soceidade Limitada (LTDA) and Sociedade Anonima (SA).

The LTDA is a very flexible model to initiate a business. These businesses are governed by the Articles of Association (Contrato Social). In this model, the entire capital of the company is split into shares. Resident Brazilians manage the company as appointed by the shareholders.

The SA model is more expensive and transparent but not as flexible as LTDA. This model is regulated by Estatutos. In this model, the capital is split into classes of shares. The fiscal council and management board manage this company. Each of these committees needs to have resident Brazilians.  

Whatever the model one chooses for the company, to set up a company in Brazil and get it registered the following steps need to be executed:

1)   The first step is to check the name of the company in the Sao Paulo state and pay the registration fees.

2)   Next, one needs to register and obtain an identification number (NIRE) from the commercial board pertaining to the state. Based on the nature of the industry, the company has to register with either the Board of Trade or the Registry of Civil companies.

3)   One needs to get the CNPJ number, which will register the employees with INSS (the National Institute of Social Security). In addition, registration for state tax and federal has to be done.  

4)   The taxpayer enrollment needs to be confirmed. Information regarding the company needs to be entered for this, and the legal representative has to confirm the same through the Office of Federal Revenue. If the company deals with sales or purchases, registration with state authority is also required.

5)   Printing invoices and receipts needs authorization from Secretaria da Fazenda Estadual. Get the same by filling the AIDF form.

6)   Registration with the Registry of Municipal Taxpayers needs to be done. For this, the CCM enrollment form needs to be submitted.

7)   The TFE tax also needs to be paid to the Municipal Taxpayers Registry. This tax pertains to the operation permit and is dependant on the corporate purpose of the company.

8)   After all this, one needs to apply for an operations permit from the municipality. A 30-day gap is provided to fill out these forms after registration with the Secretaria de Finanças e Desenvolvimento Econômico. This license is essential for any operations to initiate. But since this is a long process, municipalities allow initiation if the TFE is paid.

9)   Employees need to be registered in the social integration program by setting up a fund for unemployment (FGTS) in any bank. Next step is to register with the employees union and notify the labor ministry.

This is the basic procedure for setting up your business in Brazil. Once set up, you can reap the multiple benefits of investing in Brazil.

Source – Invest in Brazil

The Science Corner project was launched in Brasilia, a cooperation between the National Council for Science and Technology (CNPq) and the Embassy of the United States.

The space, installed at the headquarters of CNPq, is open to the public and offers access to scientific books, magazines, DVDs, online databases and software.

In addition, dedicated workstations will be available to support research in the areas of environment, sustainable energy, health, women, science and agro science. Other activities such as lectures, videoconferences and exhibitions are also scheduled.

The goal, according to CNPq, is to strengthen cooperation between the two countries in the area of science and technology, in addition to offering information support for students, scientists and researchers.

The Director of institutional cooperation of CNPq, Manoel Barral, the Ambassador of United States in Brazil, Thomas Shannon, and the Undersecretary for Political Affairs of the U.S Government, Wendy Sherman participated in the event

The Science Corner space already exists in seven countries of Latin America: Bolivia, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Trinidad and Tobago and Uruguay and should be expanded to other Brazilian cities.

The Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) 2011 Global Report finds an upsurge in entrepreneurship around the world.

Entrepreneurs are now numbering near 400 million in 54 countries -- with millions of new hires and job creation expectations in the coming years.

Visit Global Entrepreneurship Monitor