The Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry has finalised preparations for its trade mission to Latin America, which will take place April 15-22 and cover Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina. The Chamber will lead a high-level delegation of UAE businessmen, investors, and officials, who will represent a wide range of sectors, including trade, retail, free zones, food processing and logistics. 

This stand is the fourth commercial venture that Zwawe has opened in São Paulo in as many years, but the first, he says, that will show “what authentic Syrian cuisine really is.” He’d opened his previous stand inside a bakery in the industrial district of Brás, just east of downtown. “I used to do the recipes that people here are more familiar with, like falafel, kebab, sfihas, and kibbehs,” he says.

Harnessing young people's enthusiasm for football and sports in general is a useful and interesting way to offer opportunities for personal and professional growth, said Rubem Cesar Fernandes, executive director of Viva Rio, a Brazilian NGO focusing on development through innovative projects. [...] Viva Rio has established the Black Pearls Academy, a high-performance football training centre for young athletes from refugee and underprivileged communities in Brazil and Haiti.

The Photo BRICS contest aims to facilitate international cultural dialogue between BRICS countries through photography and other visual aids. This year’s contest witnessed submission of more than 1,000 photos by youths from Brazil, India, Russia, China and South Africa. The 10 best photos (48 works in total), capturing nature and architecture of the BRICS countries and symbolizing the countries’ values won awards.
 

The news cycle about Brazil’s abundant economic and political problems – combined with issues during the Olympics – have damaged Brazil’s national brand. Latin America’s largest country dropped to 23rd place in the Anholt-GfK Nation Brands Index. It is Brazil’s worst ranking to date. NBI rates the image of 50 countries based on interviews and panels held in several parts of the world. It evaluates nations in six different criteria: politics, culture, population, tourism, the potential for immigration, and business friendliness.

Nations can and should nurture their brands much as consumer products and other companies do, a bevy of speakers said Friday at the Wharton Nation Brand 2016 conference. [...] Countries have branding as part of their DNA, panelists said, pointing to Germany's reputation as a powerhouse of skilled engineering, France's reputation as a haven of culture and Brazil's fame as a place of soccer, beaches and fun.

Corruption, disorganisation, empty, expensive, violence and fear are just some of the words used to describe the Rio Olympics held this summer in Brazil’s cultural capital. The sporting competition itself came off without a hitch, but the impact the negative perception that this Games will have on Brazil’s nation brand is yet to be seen.