Brazil

• Friday, June 24th 2016 - 08:58 UTC

  Two presidents at opening of Rio Olympics in August

  

  Dilma Rousseff, Brazil's suspended president, will be invited to the opening ceremony of the Rio Olympics on August 5, the organizing committee said Thursday. Rousseff has been replaced by vice-president Michel Temer pending her impeachment trial over allegations of fiddling government accounts.

• Friday, June 24th 2016 - 08:38 UTC

  Brazilian leading contractor, in plea bargain, expected to involve Rousseff directly in campaign illegal funding

  

  Marcelo Odebrecht, the former chief executive of Latin America’s largest construction company, will admit in a plea bargain testimony that he personally oversaw illegal campaign donations for suspended Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff in the 2010 and 2014 elections, Folha de São Paulo reported.

• Wednesday, June 22nd 2016 - 05:53 UTC

  Speaker of Brazil's Lower House will feel “proud” if Rousseff is impeached

  

  The speaker of Brazil's lower house of Congress, currently sidelined pending trial on corruption charges, said Tuesday that he will feel “proud” if the case against suspended President Dilma Rousseff ends with her impeachment.

• Tuesday, June 21st 2016 - 07:55 UTC

  Interim president Temer announces grace period for Brazilian states debts

  

  Brazilian states will get a six-month grace period on debts with the federal government, followed by a year and a half of reduced payments, interim President Michel Temer announced.

• Tuesday, June 21st 2016 - 07:29 UTC

  Brazil slams Mercosur policies of 'populist governments”; proposes a more flexible working accord

  

  Brazil wants a more flexible dynamic Mercosur which allows member countries to reach autonomous agreements with third parties, that can help overcome the de-industrialization process suffered by recent “populist governments”, said Brazilian foreign minister in a speech to the Sao Paulo State Federation of Industries, FIESP.

• Saturday, June 18th 2016 - 07:13 UTC

  Rio under “state of public calamity” with seven weeks before the Olympics

  

  Brazil's Rio state authorities have declared a “state of public calamity” over a major budget crisis, in order to release emergency funds to finance the Olympic Games. The decree authorizes the state to “adopt all necessary emergency measures to ration essential public services in order for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games to take place”.

• Friday, June 17th 2016 - 07:04 UTC

  A furious Temer describes corruption implications as “irresponsible, lying and criminal”

  

  Brazilian interim president Michel Temer, described as “irresponsible, lying and criminal” a statement implicating him in the corruption at state oil company Petrobras.

• Friday, June 17th 2016 - 06:52 UTC

  Petrobras “ministerial bowling” in Brazil: head of Tourism knocked out

  

  Brazil's tourism minister resigned on Thursday, less than two months before the country hosts the Olympics, as the government of interim President Michel Temer lost its third minister in a month to a sweeping graft probe of state oil company Petrobras.

• Friday, June 17th 2016 - 00:13 UTC

  Meirelles sponsors constitutional amendment to cap public spending increases

  

  The government of Brazil’s interim president Michel Temer said on Wednesday it would propose to lawmakers a constitutional amendment to cap public spending increases for at least 10 years.

• Thursday, June 16th 2016 - 11:54 UTC

  Brazilian suspended lawmaker warns that if arrested he will take other politicians down with him

  

  Brazil's congressional ethics committee voted to strip suspended Speaker Eduardo Cunha of his seat for allegedly lying about undeclared Swiss bank accounts, the latest in a series of political earthquakes to rock Latin America's largest country.