21.12.09 Brazil Focus December issue: Table of contents

SPOTLIGHT
> Lula's Middle Eastern diplomacy lacks credibility: Mediating the Palestinian question?

POLITICS AND SOCIETY
> New electoral poll
> New candidates?
> The Battisti case
> Foreign acquisitions
> Politics and society in brief: Indigenous votes; Stymied cabinet; Provoking Serra; Calling in the army? Déjà vu all over again; Blocking bank accounts; Powerful Lula; Unrestricted largesse; Keeping the judiciary impartial; Controlling the media; Dirceu bounces back.

ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT
> A surfeit of natural gas
> IOCs losing interest
> Technical challenges for pre-salt
> Petroleum news: Encouraging the 'Dutch disease'; Pre-salt proposals; OGX discoveries; Sonagol ventures; ONGC investment; Anadarko find
> Black-out sparks a crisis
> Electric power in brief: Rebalancing supply and demand; Belo Monte tender postponed;
> Environmental news: Deforestation slows
> Bio-fuels in brief: Ethanol distilleries; BP and bio-fuel
> Petrobras news: Floating LNG terminal; Gabrielli speaks; Marimbá deposit; New pre-salt find; Domestic oil production up; Pernambuco refinery; Gas find in northern Peru; Two oil discoveries offshore Angola.

ECONOMY AND BUSINESS
> Leading Latin American recovery
> Taxation of foreign capital
> Economy in brief: Job creation; Broadband services; Industry rebounds; Ford Brazil expands; Volkswagen makes largest investment to date; Mexican polyethylene plant; Vale in Indonesia; China gets share of MMX
> Finance in brief: IDB loan; BRICs get IMF veto; Capital markets.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
> Agricultural development aid
> Bilateral relations
> Summiteering all over: Failure in Manaus; The Quito conclave; Estoril summit
> Diplomatic briefs: Lula in London; Good intentions on climate change; UN office on drugs and crime
> International trade: Tariff reductions and exemptions; Doha Round, again
> Trade briefs: Imports growing; Exporters look inward; By-passing the dollar; Retaliating on cotton subsidies.