Governor João Azevedo of the northeastern Brazilian state of Paraíba has given the order for the payment of a grant of 12 million reals (about US$2.1 million) for the installation of a radio telescope there, Paraíba Já reports.

The setting-up of the Baryon Acoustic Oscillations in Neutral Gas Observations telescope, or Bingo for short, is a project by universities and other research institutions in China and nine other countries, the newspaper quotes Mr Azevedo as saying when he signed the order on Tuesday.

A written statement by her consulate quotes Chinese Consul-General in Recife Yan Yuqing as voicing hope that the Bingo project will strengthen the Sino-Brazilian partnership and help mankind understand the universe better.

In July Lusa reported the start of the Bingo project which, the Portuguese news agency said, involved the National Natural Science Foundation of China, Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Yangzhou University.