MercoPress, en Español

Montevideo, April 7th 2025 - 18:15 UTC

Brazil

  • Saturday, October 19th 2024 - 10:35 UTC

    Porto Alegre's Airport to resume handling commercial flights next week

    It has been over six months since the Salgado Filho Airport's runway was under water

    Brazilian authorities announced Friday that Porto Alegre's Salgado Filho International Airport (POA/SBPA) in the State of Rio Grande do Sul will be reopening Monday after months of being inoperational given the unprecedented floods. The measure will be carried out as scheduled: airlines have been selling tickets for these flights since August.

  • Friday, October 18th 2024 - 18:34 UTC

    University of Brasilia agrees to quotas for trans undergrad students

    The UnB had introduced quotas for black people back in 2003

    The University of Brasilia (UnB) announced Thursday that starting next year, quotas for transgender people would be implemented in undergraduate courses, Agencia Brasil reported.

  • Thursday, October 17th 2024 - 12:27 UTC

    Brazil expects a new record crop 2024/25, with rice experiencing the largest area growth

    Rice sowing boom in several Brazilian states

    The first estimate for the coming 2024/25 grains crop in Brazil indicates a total production of some 322,47 million tons, according to Conab, the country's national supply corporation. If finally confirmed this would represent another record production, with a 8,3% increase over the previous 2023/24 harvest, equivalent to 24,6 million tons.

  • Thursday, October 17th 2024 - 10:04 UTC

    Federal Police in Rio launches probe into HIV-infected organ transplants

    Minister Trindade ruled that HIV-infected patients and their contacts should receive full support and specialized care

    Brazilian Federal Police in Rio de Janeiro launched an inquiry into the case of six patients receiving HIV-infected organs for transplants, Agência Brasil reported Wednesday. Other institutions already investigating the matter include Rio's Civil Police, the Health Ministry, and the Health Department.

  • Wednesday, October 16th 2024 - 21:49 UTC

    Oropouche virus detected in Brazil could belong to new variant

    Italian researchers do not rule out Oropouche transmission during sexual intercourse

    Brazilian scientists said this week that the samples of the Oropouche virus recently detected in South America's largest country could belong to a new variant. According to the latest study on the subject published in The Lancet, the recent increase in cases “could be linked to a new recombinant Oropouche virus, with an increased capacity to replicate.” These findings would be in line with a similar work published last month in Nature.

  • Tuesday, October 15th 2024 - 20:37 UTC

    New coronavirus strain detected in southern Brazil

    Scientists believe that XEC might have emerged through genetic recombination between previously circulating strains

    The Rio de Janeiro-based Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz) confirmed the presence in the southern part of the continent's largest country of a sublineage of the Sars-CoV-2 Omicron strain known as XEC, which is rapidly spreading worldwide, Agencia Brasil reported. The variant has been found in the States of Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, and Santa Catarina after Fiocruz made the first discovery in samples from two patients in Rio last month.

  • Tuesday, October 15th 2024 - 09:00 UTC

    Some 400,000 households still powerless in São Paulo after three days

    “More than 50% of the events were due to trees falling on the medium and low voltage system in São Paulo,” Silveira also explained

    Given that some 400,000 households in São Paulo were without electricity on Monday after problems caused by a storm last Friday, federal Energy Minister Alexandre Silveira gave suppliers Enel 3 days to fully restore supply, Agencia Brasil reported.

  • Monday, October 14th 2024 - 09:45 UTC

    Paraguay River hits all-time lows in Brazil

    Every river in the Paraguay Basin stood below average levels for this time of year, except the Cuiabá River thanks to flows being regulated by the Manso Hydroelectric Plant

    The Brazilian Geological Survey (SGB) found that the Paraguay River was 62 centimeters below its reference level, the lowest level ever measured at the Ladario post, near the city of Corumbá (MS), on the border with Porto Quijarro (Bolivia), thus surpassing the 61 cms recorded in 1964, Agencia Brasil reported.

  • Friday, October 11th 2024 - 09:51 UTC

    Brazil ups penalties for femicide

    Our government is committed to the National Mobilization for Zero Feminicide,” Lula explained

    Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva Thursday signed into law a new bill raising prison terms for femicide to up to 40 years, Agencia Brasil reported, which makes it the highest penalty provided for in the Penal Code, Agencia Brasil reported.

  • Friday, October 11th 2024 - 09:05 UTC

    Brazilian Air Force completes third Operation Cedar Roots flight

    The FAB's KC-30 stops over to refuel at Lisbon on her way to and from Beirut

    Brazil's Air Force (FAB) Thursday completed its third airlift mission bringing back nationals of the South American country out of war-torn Lebanon. The third flight landed at the Guarulhos Air Base in Sao Paulo carrying 217 passengers for a total of 672 evacuees, Agencia Brasil reported. The FAB expects to bring back around 3,000 of the 21,000 Brazilians living in Lebanon at a pace of approximately 500 passengers each week.