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MercoPress, en Español

Montevideo, December 5th 2025 - 06:38 UTC

Brazil

  • Tuesday, July 19th 2016 - 05:37 UTC

    Brazil tightens security at airports ahead of the Olympic Games in the aftermath of Nice

    Authorities insisted the new screenings were not related to attacks abroad, but were in line with international security standards.

    Stepped-up security screenings produced long lines for travelers at Brazil’s main airports on Monday in the aftermath of the truck attack in Nice, France and weeks ahead of the Olympic Games scheduled to open next 5 August in Rio do Janeiro.

  • Thursday, July 14th 2016 - 07:43 UTC

    Petrobras tenth FPSO vessel in the pre-salt Santos Basin begins production

    Petrobras is the operator of the Lula field with a 65% interest. Royal Dutch Shell has a 25% stake while the remaining 10% is in the possession of Petrogal Brasil SA.

    Petrobras declared the commencement of production from the Cidade de Saquarema floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel at the Lula oil field on Jul 8. The offshore oil field is situated in the pre-salt Santos Basin and most importantly, the Cidade de Saquarema unit is the tenth FPSO that is working in the pre-salt region of Brazil.

  • Thursday, July 14th 2016 - 07:38 UTC

    Temer wins strong ally with Lower House new speaker; crucial to approve unpopular economic reforms

    Maia, a trained economist who worked briefly in banking before turning to politics, signaled he would help Temer with reforms to pull the economy out of recession

    Brazil's lower house of Congress elected an ally of interim President Michel Temer as its new speaker late on Wednesday, marking a victory for a government racing to approve unpopular economic reforms. Rodrigo Maia of the right-leaning Democrats party, known as DEM, won the second round ballot by a wide margin in a hotly contested election.

  • Thursday, July 14th 2016 - 07:35 UTC

    Lula says a six-vote swing is needed to beat Rousseff's impeachment in August

    “Dilma depends on only six votes,” Lula told a radio station in Pernambuco state. The Senate must vote by 54 votes out of 81 for the impeachment to pass

    Brazil's suspended president Dilma Rousseff could still wriggle out of a looming impeachment vote, her ally and predecessor Lula da Silva said. Speaking with Radio Jornal, Brazil's most prominent leftist leader said Rousseff's case is not hopeless, despite months of mounting pressure on her to be removed from office.

  • Wednesday, July 13th 2016 - 05:11 UTC

    Mercosur asks Venezuela for 'democratic and human rights gestures' before transferring the group's chair

    “Let political prisoners free, show a commitment to democratic values and human rights, otherwise there will be no consensus”, Loizaga said in Asunción

    Mercosur members are requesting from Venezuela concrete gestures in favor of democracy and human rights if they are to consider the transfer of the group's pro tempore chair from Uruguay to Caracas, pointed out Paraguayan foreign minister Eladio Loizaga a day after the group was unable to reach a consensus on the issue that has become particularly controversial when not frustrating.

  • Tuesday, July 12th 2016 - 08:03 UTC

    Neighbors Stand Up to Venezuela

    “You can be elected democratically but lose legitimacy over time through your actions,” Eladio Loizaga Caballero, the foreign minister of Paraguay said

    By New York Times Editorial Board

    This summer, Venezuela was poised to assume the rotating presidency of Mercosur, a trade bloc that includes Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay. But at the urging of Paraguay, Mercosur heads of state are considering blocking Venezuela, at least temporarily, citing the erosion of democracy there.

  • Tuesday, July 12th 2016 - 06:36 UTC

    Mercosur ever so divided plans a new meeting to decide on Venezuela´s presidency of the group

    Host minister Nin Novoa said that the group would take a two-day recess and meet again next Thursday following consultations

    Mercosur four founding members meeting in Montevideo have been unable to reach a consensus on whether to transfer, for the next six months, the group's pro tempore presidency to Venezuela and decided on a new round of talks next Thursday. Uruguay insists in complying with the charter and calendar, but Paraguay and Brazil question the current government of Venezuela's credentials for the job, and Argentina has an ambiguous position.

  • Monday, July 11th 2016 - 06:07 UTC

    Brazilian army take to the streets in a display of force in anticipation of the Olympic Games

    Armored vehicles and trucks carrying troops were accompanied by soldiers decked out in camouflage gear and matching helmets, with rifles slung over their shoulders.

    Brazilian soldiers were on the streets last Saturday, checking out spots around the city that will get intense security when the Rio de Janeiro Olympics open in under four weeks. Armored vehicles and trucks carrying troops were accompanied by soldiers decked out in camouflage gear and matching helmets, with rifles slung over their shoulders. The soldiers covered the city, from Copacabana Beach to the central train station and the renovated port area.

  • Monday, July 11th 2016 - 05:12 UTC

    Raw sewage and super-bacteria off Rio beaches threaten Olympic water competitions

    City officials blame illegal dumping for the contamination, but a significant portion of Rio’s raw sewage goes untreated before it’s dumped into the ocean.

    A group of Brazilian scientists has just discovered a drug-resistant super-bacteria growing off some of Rio de Janeiro’s beaches, with less than a month to go until the 2016 Olympic Games officially commence, which will be hosted by the city from August 5.

  • Monday, July 11th 2016 - 05:08 UTC

    Meirelles budget lower deficit objective prevails in the Temer administration

    “It was not an easy process to come up with this target,” Meirelles told reporters. “It will require a tremendous effort from our end to achieve the goal.”

    Brazil set a smaller 2017 primary deficit target than initially envisioned, in an attempt to show greater austerity after an increase in spending raised doubts about the government's fiscal discipline. The central government primary deficit target was set at 139 billion Reais (US$41.32 billion) for 2017, a figure well below the 160 billion Reais it initially considered.