Brazil

• Monday, May 30th 2016 - 06:49 UTC

  Petrobras faces “tens of billions of dollars” in claims in US court; trial opens in September

  

  Petrobras will finally get its day in a U.S. court on Sept. 19 in a trial that pits 18 former executives and 13 investment banks, including J.P. Morgan Securities, against U.S. and U.K. investors. Claimants are seeking “tens of billions of dollars” in losses from the Brazilian oil and gas giant.

• Sunday, May 29th 2016 - 14:28 UTC

  World health experts call for Rio Olympics to be postponed or moved given Zika spread fears

  

  More than 100 health experts have called for the Rio Olympic Games to be postponed or moved because of fears that the event could speed up the spread of the Zika virus around the world, according to a public letter published online.

• Saturday, May 28th 2016 - 08:04 UTC

  Operation Condor condemns Argentine ex dictator and 14 top military officers

  

  Former Argentine dictator Reynaldo Bignone and 14 other ex-military officials were found guilty by an Argentine court on Friday of conspiring to kidnap and assassinate leftist dissidents as part of the Operation Condor program. Bignone, 88, the highest ranking figure on trial, was sentenced to 20 years in jail. Fourteen of the remaining 16 defendants got eight to 25 years behind bars. Two were found not guilty.

• Saturday, May 28th 2016 - 07:27 UTC

  WHO public health advice regarding the Olympics and Zika virus

  

  Based on current assessment, cancelling or changing the location of the 2016 Olympics will not significantly alter the international spread of Zika virus. Brazil is one of almost 60 countries and territories which to-date report continuing transmission of Zika by mosquitoes. People continue to travel between these countries and territories for a variety of reasons. The best way to reduce risk of disease is to follow public health travel advice.

• Saturday, May 28th 2016 - 06:25 UTC

  Rousseff's final impeachment vote in the Senate scheduled for August

  

  “The impeachment effort against suspended President Dilma Rousseff may reach a final decision in August, according to a work schedule presented Wednesday by Senator Antonio Anastasia, rapporteur of the current Procedural Commission for the Impeachment,” the state news agency Agencia Brasil reported on Wednesday.

• Thursday, May 26th 2016 - 06:53 UTC

  Rousseff claims Temer intends to “privatize” Brazil's pre-salt oil reserves

  

  Brazil's suspended president, Dilma Rousseff, on Wednesday accused interim head of state Michel Temer of intending to “privatize” the oil discovered in recent years in deep waters of the Atlantic Ocean and thus deprive the nation's education sector of funding.

• Thursday, May 26th 2016 - 05:36 UTC

  Brazil's senate president caught on recording trying to stifle the Petrobras investigation

  

  The president of Brazil's Senate was put on the defensive with the release of a secretly recorded conversation that reveals him proposing to weaken one of the key tools prosecutors have used to catch politicians and businessmen in a sweeping corruption scandal.

• Wednesday, May 25th 2016 - 08:16 UTC

  Brazil with a current account surplus in April, first since 2009

  

  Brazil recorded a public current account surplus of US$412 million in April, the first positive result since 2009. Brazil's central bank's chief economist, Tulio Maciel, on Tuesday said the result was way better than anticipated.

• Wednesday, May 25th 2016 - 05:58 UTC

  Temer announces tough austerity measures but needs to show Congress supports him

  

  Brazil's interim president announced austerity measures on Tuesday aimed at pulling Latin America's largest economy from its worst crisis in decades, warning that a failure to act would sentence future generations to “extraordinary hardship.” Speaking with government leaders in a national televised meeting, interim president Michel Temer, 75, also banged his hand on the table while insisting he was up to the job.

• Tuesday, May 24th 2016 - 08:18 UTC

  Brazil and Argentina to work together to help find a solution to Venezuela

  

  Brazil and Argentina will work together to help find a solution to Venezuela's political crisis, Brazil's acting foreign minister said on Monday. Venezuela is facing a severe economic crisis, with the world's highest inflation and shortages. Polls indicate most Venezuelans want President Nicolas Maduro out of office.