If Dilma Rousseff is impeached, she will be the 18th elected Latin American president since 1985, excluding Haiti, forced to leave office by means other than the ballot box, says Gretchen Helmke.

Brazil’s impeachment of its president will serve little on its own, but must be the catalyst to drive changes in a country languishing, writes Luiz Felipe d’Avila

Brazil’s largest party has abandoned president Dilma Rousseff’s governing coalition, making it tougher for her to survive mounting pressure in congress for her impeachment.

Former Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was detained for questioning in a federal investigation of a bribery and money laundering scheme that police said had financed campaigns and expenses of the ruling Workers Party.

Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff has dug in for a long battle with a deeply fragmented Congress after impeachment proceedings were introduced against her in the lower house.

Close to 1m demonstrators marched in cities and towns across Brazil to protest a sluggish economy, rising prices, and corruption — and to call for the impeachment of left-wing president Dilma Rousseff.

President Dilma Rousseff was counting on Brazilians’ gratefulness for a decade of progress to overcome concerns about a sluggish economy as the leftist leader sought re-election after a bitter, unpredictable campaign.

President Barack Obama’s national security adviser has conceded there are legitimate questions about US spying on its allies, as America sought to soothe Brazil’s concerns about far-reaching surveillance by the National Security Agency.

Irish mineral exploration company, Ormonde Mining has raised £1.4m (€1.7m) in fresh funding via a new share placing.

Oil giant BP revealed a dip in profits yesterday as its commitment to sell off billions of pounds of assets in the wake of the Gulf of Mexico disaster hit production.

Rolls-Royce has been awarded contracts worth a potential US$650m (€759.7m) by oil and gas firm Petrobras to support its production activities offshore Brazil.

THE US Coast Guard said it was to start a “controlled burn” yesterday to battle a giant oil slick from last week’s deadly offshore drilling rig explosion, as the spill threatened wide-scale coastal damage to four US Gulf Coast states.

Workers for Brazil’s state-run oil company have voted for a five-day strike starting next week.

Shares in BG Group rose today after the oil and gas explorer announced another crude oil discovery off the coast of Brazil.

A huge offshore oil discovery in Brazil caused shares in UK oil and gas explorer BG to surge for the second successive session today.

A huge offshore oil discovery could raise Brazil’s petroleum reserves by 40% and boost the country into the ranks of the world’s major exporters, officials said.

South American leaders promised to respect Bolivia’s decision to nationalise its natural gas sector and agreed to negotiate future gas prices, hoping to defuse a crisis sparked by the Andean nation's petroleum industry takeover.

Soldiers guarded natural gas fields and refineries across Bolivia today after President Evo Morales ordered the sector nationalised, threatening to evict foreign companies unless they handed over production control within six months.

Williams have given a Formula One chance to Brazilian driver Joao Paulo de Oliveira, who will test for the team on Friday.

Brazil and Venezuela have agreed to build a $2.5bn (€2bn) oil refinery, the highlight of a South American summit to boost trade and co-operation.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and his Brazilian counterpart, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, signed bilateral trade agreements yesterday in their effort to establish a strategic and economic alliance between the two South American nations.

Antonio Pizzonia may turn his back on Formula One after being beaten by Nick Heidfeld in the race for the vacant Williams seat.

Williams will unveil their 2005 driver line-up tomorrow in Valencia, with Antonio Pizzonia and Nick Heidfeld waiting nervously on the outcome.

Bolivia’s history has been shaped in large part by its geography of jungles and high mountains, and in modern times by cocaine.

Oil giant Shell has started production from its oil fields located in the Campos Basin, off Brazil.

BRITAIN’S Ralph Firman will fill the last remaining slot on the Formula One grid with Jordan next season.

Williams-BMW have agreed a two-year extension to their sponsorship deal with Petrobras, the Brazilian state oil company, it was announced in Rio today.

Brazil’s state oil company Petrobras raced to prevent 400,000 gallons of crude oil and diesel fuel from spilling into the sea as the world’s largest oil rig sank of its Atlantic coast today.

The world's largest oil rig has sunk off the coast of Brazil.

Ten people are feared dead after three explosions rocked the world's biggest offshore oil rig.

At least one person has died and nine are missing after three powerful blasts rocked the world's biggest oil rig.