Ever since President Lula won the first of his two Presidential elections in 2002, Brazil has grown from strength to strength, while his social policies targeted the poor, bringing millions out of poverty and from welfare to workfare, contributing towards the economy. Today Brazil has proudly announced that it has surpassed the average world GDP per capita. Do we pay attention to the sunshine today or the clouds on tomorrow's horizon?

Precisely ten years ago, for the first time in my life I felt first-hand the significance of buying power: with ten thousand dollars in cash in my pocket, I could have bought the entire contents of most small and medium-sized shops I entered in Brazil. Ten years ago, a Brazilian emigrant could come to Europe, earn the minimum salary, five years later return to Brazil and if not live like a king, had his life sorted out in terms of a house and a business.

Dilma Roussef, backed by Lula

Ever since President Lula won the first of his two Presidential elections in 2002, Brazil has grown from strength to strength, while his social policies targeted the poor, bringing millions out of poverty and from welfare to workfare, contributing towards the economy. Today Brazil has proudly announced that it has surpassed the average world GDP per capita. Do we pay attention to the sunshine today or the clouds on tomorrow's horizon?

Brazilian striker Robinho is rumoured to be set for a move. Where to? Turkey and Germany figure among the most favoured destinations according to the latest soccer gossip as the new season gets under way.

Absent from the 0-0 draw between his club Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur FC in the English premier League, Brazilian striker Robinho is said to be on the move, destined for Fenerbaçhe in Turkey or Schalke 04 in Germany. According to French soccer edition L'Equipe, Schalke 04 coack Felix Magath wants Robinho to team up with his former colleague from Real Madrid, Raul.

Robinho, 26, who played a master game for Brazil in last weeks' 2-0 win away to the United States of America, has had difficulty in finding form at City, the club he joined two seasons ago in a 42-million Euro deal from Real Madrid, where he teamed up with Raul and played together for three years.

The deal with Schalke, according to the French publication, would be worth 25 million Euro.

Meanwhile the championships are off. In England, Chelsea got off to a 6-0 start, a thrashing of West Bromwich Albion, one of those clubs too big for the second tier and often not quite good enough for the first. Drogba scored a hat-trick, Malouda 2 goals and Lampard one.

In France, while Toulouse and Caen have both scored maximum points from the first two games, Marseilles, Bordeaux and Arles-Avignon have yet to get a draw even.

In Russia, Zenit was held to a 1-1 draw at home by Dinamo Moskva but retains the leadership by a comfortable margin.

Russian Premier League

Tom 1 - Krylya Sovetov 1; Zenit 1 Dinamo Moskva 1; Saturn 0 Rostov 2; Spartak Nalchik 4 Sibir 2; Amkar Perm 1 Alania 0; CSKA Moskva 4 Anzhi 0; Terek Grozni 1 Rubin 1; Lokomotiv Moskva 2 - Spartak Moskva 3

Classification After 17 games unless stated 1 - FC Zenit St. Petersburg (16 games, 40 points); 2 - CSKA Moskva (16,33); 3 - FC Rubin Kazan (33); 4 - Spartak Nalchik (31); 5 - FC Rostov (28); 6 - Lokomotiv Moskva (23); 7 - Spartak Moskva (16, 23); 8 - FC Tom Tomsk (22); 9 - FC Terek Grozny (21); 10 - FC Saturn (20); 11 - FC Dinamo Moskva (16, 20); 12 - FC Anzhi Makhachkala (19); 13 - FC Alania Vladikavkaz (18); 14 - FC Amkar Perm (15); 15 - PFC Krylya Sovetov Samara (12); 16 - FC Sibir Novosibirsk (9).

Aleksei FEDEROV PRAVDA.Ru

We present the teams in the eight groups playing in the World Cup Finals FIFA 2010 in South Africa, together with their ranking calculated by FIFA (based upon their recent games). Let us analyse who, by the book, should go through to the second phase and who their opponents will be. Brazil sets off in first place and in our scientific analysis, will be champion!

It is official: FC Chelsea and Portugal midfield player Deco is going to play for Fluminese in Brazil, according to both clubs. Deco's name is no longer in the first team squad and Stamford Bridge has issued a statement confirming yesterday's claim by Fluminese that the player has returned to his country of origin.

Anderson Luis de Souza (Deco), 32, awarded with the Portuguese Ordem de Dom Henrique, Brazilian, naturalized Portuguese, has returned to Brazil after a 13-year career in Europe's top clubs which saw him also play 75 games for Portugal (5 goals).

Who would dream of an attacking lozenge composed by Ibrahimovic, Alexandre Pato, Ronaldinho Gaúcho and Robinho? AC Milan. And they have it. The departure of Robinho from Manchester City FC is yet another tale of Brazilian stars not fulfilling their potential in the English Premier League, specially at City...Elano was another.

Robinho's record-breaking transfer to Manchester City in 2008 brought high hopes, dashed by under-performance after an astonishing start. After his 32.5 million-pound move, he scored 12 goals in 19 games, went on to score 4 more in 29 games then lost form after injury and was sent back to Brazil on loan to Santos, where he won the Paulista Championship and the Brazilian Cup. His 4-year signing by AC Milan brings him a substantial reduction in salary, but hopes of a resurgent career in Europe.