Brazil chosen by Lonely Planet to be “the” country to visit in 2014

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Lonely 2014Lonely Planet’s list of the top ten countries to visit in 2014 has Brazil as the number one destination to consider.

According to the book: “As if endless strands of sun-toasted coast, mountains splashed with Crayola-green rainforest and some of the planet’s most beautiful colonial villages didn’t already add up to an unfair share of heaven, Brazil goes and snags two of the most coveted sporting events in the world, beginning with the 2014 FIFA World Cup and followed two years later by the 2016 Summer Olympics. Tack on a recession-dodging economy, and boom! Brazil is the belle of the ball. Be it trekking across towering windswept dunes peppered with cerulean lagoons in Lençóis Maranhenses, exploring gilded colonial churches in frozen-in-time cities such as Ouro Preto or swimming in aquarium-like rivers near Bonito, Brazil’s diversity will leave you slack-jawed.”

The full top ten is

  1. Brazil
  2. Antarctica
  3. Scotland
  4. Sweden
  5. Malawi
  6. Mexico
  7. Seychelles
  8. Belgium
  9. Macedonia
  10. Malaysia

For the full story visit Lonely Planet

Flavours of Brazil in London

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flavours1If you want to try some of the flavours of Brazil prior to visiting the country, or simply ‘matar saudades’ after visiting Brazil, then the Intercontinental London Park Lane with the support of Embratur, Apex-Brasil and the Embassy of Brazil in London, is organizing a gastronomic festival from 5 to 10 November 2013.

‘Flavours of Brazil’ celebrates an array of regional Brazilian cuisine and culture at the hotel’s award-winning Cookbook Cafe. Dishes include such favourites as Shrimp Bobo in pumpkin and coriander foam and grilled Brazilian Rump Steak with herb butter.

For more information and bookings call 0207 318 8563 or email hello@cookbookcafe.co.uk or CLICK HERE

The InterContinental London Park Lane is located at 1 Hamilton Place, Park Lane, London W1J 7QY, close to Hyde Park Corner.

Screen Shot 2013-10-28 at 14.13.12

Brazilian mobile phones are adding numbers

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g+ notificationAs of Sunday (27 October) if you call one of the 28.5 million mobile phones in Rio de Janeiro (DDD 21,22 and 24) or Espirito Santo, you need to add an extra ‘9’ to the start of the existing eight numbers.

Nine digit mobile numbers will be the norm in all of Brazil by the end of 2016. The new ‘9’ was already introduced within the city and state of Sao Paulo (DDD 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 and 19) in July and August 2013.

Summer Time starts in parts of Brazil

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Brazil MapMost of the states in the south, south east and central west of Brazil put their clocks forward one hour on 20 October 2013 to move on to Summer Time that will run through 14 February 2014.

The clocks went forward in Brasilia and the Federal District as well as Rio de Janeiro, Santa Catarina, Paraná, São Paulo, Rio Grande do Sul, Espírito Santo, Minas Gerais, Goiás, Mato Grosso e Mato Grosso do Sul. Bahia chose again not too put its clocks forward.

Five more countries qualify for 2014 FIFA World Cup

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Football BeachAfter their games on 10 September, the Netherlands and Italy became the first European teams to guarantee their places at the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The Netherlands beat Andorra two-nil away, while Italy came from behind to beat the Czech Republic two-one.

On the same day the USA and Costa Rica became the first two teams from CONCACAF to qualify for the 2014 World Cup after the USA beat Mexico two-nil, and Costa Rica won the point they needed in a one-one draw with Jamaica.

Argentina also stamped its passport to the finals by beating Paraguay away by five goals to two. Argentina is the first team to qualify from the South America group. Brazil had already qualified as the host country.

Teams to have qualified for the 2014 FIFA World Cup now include:

  • Brazil
  • Japan
  • South Korea
  • Australia
  • Iran
  • Netherlands
  • Italy
  • Argentina
  • USA
  • Costa Rica

Tokyo to follow Rio de Janeiro as Olympic and Paralympic host city

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Tokyo 2020On 7 September 2013, Independence Day in Brazil, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced in Buenos Aires that Tokyo had been chosen to follow Rio de Janeiro as the host city for the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic games. Tokyo was chosen over Istanbul and Madrid, winning by 60 votes to 36 over Istanbul in the final vote.

It is a choice that is popular in Brazil as there are many historical links between Brazil and Japan with São Paulo having the largest Japanese population of any city outside of Japan. The first Japanese immigrants arrived in Brazil in 1908 and today Brazil is home to around 1.5 million people of Japanese descent, compared with just over 100,000 in the UK.

On 9 September it was announced that wrestling had been reinstated as an Olympic sport for the 2020 and 2024 Games after being voted in ahead of baseball/softball and squash.

Tokyo’s new Olympic Stadium will be finished by 2019 in time to host the Rugby World Cup.

Liberdade - São Paulo

Liberdade – São Paulo

Brazil’s best restaurants

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Olympe

Olympe – Rio de Janeiro

The World’s 50 Best Restaurants programme announced its list of the 50 best restaurants in Latin America at a ceremony in Lima on 4 September 2013. D.O.M. was named as The S.Pellegrino Best Restaurant in Brazil as well as being ranked number 2 on the inaugural Latin America’s 50 Best Restaurants list.

São Paulo-based D.O.M. is headed up by chef Alex Atala, who is widely considered to be ‘the face of Brazilian cuisine’ and one of the world’s most influential chefs. At D.O.M. Atala has built a reputation for combining the most authentic Brazilian flavours with a contemporary approach.

At the awards event in Lima, Helena Rizzo, executive chef at fellow São Paulo restaurant Mani, which is ranked at number 5 on the list, received the Veuve Clicquot Latin America’s Best Female Chef Award. At Mani, Rizzo works with predominantly traditional Brazilian ingredients delicately treated with the latest techniques of international cuisine.

Brazilian restaurant Remanso do Bosque in Belém was given The Latin America’s One to Watch Award, sponsored by BBVA. Remanso do Bosque’s chefs Thiago and Felipe Castanho take inspiration from the proximity of the nearby forest, combining regional dishes with Amazonian flavours

In São Paulo the 50 best restaurants in Latin America included:

While in Rio de Janeiro the 50 best restaurants in Latin America included:

Festival do Rio unveils Première Brasil selection for 2013

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2013 banner

Festival do Rio, South America’s largest and most important film festival, has unveiled the line up for Première Brasil. Première Brasil is the only competitive section of Festival do Rio with jury prizes to be presented at the end of the festival. Three highly prized audience awards will also be bestowed on the best Brazilian feature film, best documentary and best short film.

Première Brasil, which has as its festival home the historic Odeon Petrobras (photo) in Cinelandia in downtown Rio de Janeiro, is the beating heart of Festival do Rio, and the best annual global showcase of contemporary Brazilian cinema.

This year’s Première Brasil includes eleven feature films, eight feature length documentaries and seventeen shorts in competition. A further three features and five documentary features will screen hors concours, while other Brazilian productions will screen in special Première Brasil sidebars such as Portraits and New Trends.

PREMIÈRE BRASIL | FICTION | COMPETITION

  • OS AMIGOS (Best Friends), by Lina Chamie (SP), 89’
  • DE MENOR (Underage), by Caru Alves de Souza (SP), 77’
  • ENTRE NÓS (Sheep’s Clothing), by Paulo Morelli (SP), 97’
  • ESTRADA 47 – A MONTANHA (Road 47 – The Mountain), by Vicente Ferraz (SP), 107’
  • O HOMEM DAS MULTIDÕES (The Man of the Crowd), by Marcelo Gomes e Cao Guimarães (MG), 93’
  • JOGO DAS DECAPITAÇÕES (Beheadings Game), by Sérgio Bianchi (SP), 96’
  • O LOBO ATRÁS DA PORTA (A Wolf at the Door), by Fernando Coimbra (SP), 100’
  • MINUTOS ATRÁS (Past Minut), by Caio Sóh (RJ), 106’
  • PERISCÓPIO (Periscope), by Kiko Goifman (SP), 80’
  • QUASE SAMBA (Lyrics), by Ricardo Targino (RJ), 90’
  • TATUAGEM (Tattoo), by Hilton Lacerda (PE), 110

 PREMIÈRE BRASIL | DOCUMENTARIES | COMPETITION

  • CATIVAS, PRESAS PELO CORAÇÃO (Captive Hearts), by Joana Nin (PR), 77’
  • CIDADE DE DEUS – 10 ANOS DEPOIS (City of God – 10 Years Later),by Cavi Borges & Luciano Vidigal (RJ), 75’
  • CONVERSA COM JH (Writers Block), by Ernesto Rodrigues (RJ), 93’ DAMAS DO SAMBA (Lady’s Samba), by Susanna Lira (RJ), 75’
  • A FARRA DO CIRCO (Ruckus in the Circus), by Roberto Berliner & Pedro Bronz (RJ), 94’
  • FLA x FLU (Fla x Flu), by Renato Terra (SP), 85’
  • A GENTE (Custodians), by Aly Muritiba (PR), 99’
  • HISTÓRIAS DE ARCANJO – UM DOCUMENTÁRIO SOBRE TIM LOPES (Stories of Arcanjo – a documentary about Tim Lopes), by Guilherme Azevedo (RJ), 84’.

 PREMIÈRE BRASIL | FICTION | HORS CONCOURS

  • EDUCAÇÃO SENTIMENTAL (Sentimental Education), by Julio Bressane (RJ), 84’
  • GATA VELHA AINDA MIA (Never too Old to Meow), by Rafael Primot (SP), 86’
  • MATO SEM CACHORRO (The Dognapper), by Pedro Amorim (RJ), 121’

 PREMIÈRE BRASIL | DOCUMENTARIES | HORS CONCOURS

  • CAUBY – COMEÇARIA TUDO OUTRA VEZ (Cauby – I Would Start All Over Again), by Nelson Hoineff (RJ), 80’
  • FEIO, EU? (Ugly, Me?), by Helena Ignez (SP), 70’
  • MATARAM MEU IRMÃO (They Killed My Brother), by Cristiano Burlan (SP), 77’;
  • SERRA PELADA: A LENDA DA MONTANHA DE OURO (The Legend Of the Golden Mountain), by Victor Lopes (RJ), 90’.
  • VINTE – RioFilme, 20 anos de cinema brasileiro (Twenty), by Carlos Diegues (RJ) 80

Reserve your tickets for the 2014 FIFA World Cup

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Maracana Night

Tickets, or rather reservations for tickets, for the 2014 FIFA World Cup have gone on sale. For international football fans, ticket prices start at US$ 90 for the group-stage matches in category 3 (apart from the opening match, which costs US$ 220). For Brazilian residents, the cheapest tickets priced R$ 30 (US$ 15) are available for students, over-60s and members of the Bolsa Família programme for 47 of the 48 group-stage matches (again apart from the opening match).

In total, about three million tickets will be available for fans to purchase during the three sales phases, but there were 2.3 million ticket request in the first 24 hours of tickets going on sale on 20 August.

During the first sales period from 20 August to 10 October 2013, ticket applications may be submitted at any time during the period and at the end all requests will be collected and processed together by FIFA. If the number of applications received per match and category exceeds the number of available tickets, a random selection draw will take place to determine the successful applicants for the respective matches or categories.

To ensure that as many fans as possible receive tickets, a maximum of four tickets per match for up to seven matches may be purchased per household.

For full ticketing information visit FIFA.com.

To book tickets for the 2014 FIFA World Cup CLICK HERE

To book official FIFA hotel accommodation CLICK HERE

‘Amazonia’ to open Rio’s International Film Festival

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Amazonia

The Brazilian-French co-production, Amazonia, filmed in 3D and directed by Thierry Ragobert, has been chosen as the opening film for Festival do Rio.

Rio’s international film festival opens on 26 September and runs through 10 October 2013.

The film tells the story of Kong, a young monkey raised in captivity that survives a plane crash and must adapt to life in the Amazon. With a R$26 million budget (US$10 million), the film is the biggest production ever shot in the Amazon.

Amazônia is scheduled to close the Venice Film Festival on 8 September and will also screen in Toronto.