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MercoPress, en Español

Montevideo, October 21st 2025 - 00:20 UTC

Brazil

  • Saturday, March 26th 2016 - 07:03 UTC

    Mercosur and Unasur can't agree on a statement of support for Dilma Rousseff

    “We do not interfere in the internal affairs of countries” stated the Paraguayan foreign minister Eladio Loizaga

    The attempt by Uruguay to draft a strong Mercosur and Unasur resolution in support of embattled Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff has foundered. Argentina is only prepared to express support for Brazil's institutions while Chile and Paraguay have balked at the idea of personalizing the issue in Rousseff and her Workers Party.

  • Friday, March 25th 2016 - 05:26 UTC

    Unemployment in Brazil reaches 9.5%, the highest level since 2012

    The number of people out of work by the end of January rose to 9.6 million — up 6% from the previous three-month period.

    Unemployment in Latin America's largest country is at its highest level since 2012, the Brazilian government said on Thursday. Brazil's IBGE statistics bureau said that the jobless rate in the three months through January was 9.5%, compared to the 6.8% in the same period one year ago.

  • Thursday, March 24th 2016 - 02:03 UTC

    Brazilian Supreme Court emerges with a decisive role in the institutional crisis

    “The goal of the falsity is clear: to prevent the carrying out of an arrest order,” against Lula that is under consideration by a lower court, wrote Gilmar Mendes

    The Brazilian government's efforts to have former president Lula da Silva into the cabinet of president Dilma Rousseff will have to wait until next 30 March when the Supreme Court is scheduled to hold its next full meeting. The political upheaval and simultaneous legal back-and forth has reached such a pitch that it inspired a bleakly funny website, lulaeministro.com, or “Is Lula a minister?” The site shows only the former president’s face and the words, “At this moment, No.” (Or yes, depending).

  • Thursday, March 24th 2016 - 01:16 UTC

    Time bomb in Brazil: list of 200 names of politicians from 18 parties who received illegal funds for elections

    Sao Paulo media published that the Federal Police since last 23 February have a list of 200 politicians, which apparently received funds from Odebrecht,

    Odebrecht, the engineering firm at the heart of Brazil's biggest ever graft probe, on Tuesday agreed to cooperate with prosecutors, in a move likely to send shockwaves across political parties that for years illegally siphoned money from state contracts. Federal police found an office to pay bribes and it surfaced that since February it has a list of 200 politicians who benefited from siphoned funds for election campaigns.

  • Thursday, March 24th 2016 - 01:10 UTC

    Brazil's chief of staff warns about the “dangerous precedent” of ousting an unpopular government

    “They are planting a dangerous seed in Brazil,” said Wagner “without the rule of law, the right of defense and presumption of innocence, there is no democracy”

    Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff's chief of staff on Wednesday said ousting her would set a “dangerous” precedent for unpopular governments to be toppled in the future. On Tuesday Rousseff said that ongoing impeachment proceedings against her in Congress constituted a “plot” against Brazil's institutions and the nation's stability.

  • Tuesday, March 22nd 2016 - 06:25 UTC

    Petrobras losses in 4Q climb to US$ 10bn; more staff cuts expected

    Once the crown jewel of Brazil's government, Petrobras' image quickly lost its luster amid mismanagement and corruption.

    Brazil's state-run oil company, Petrobras, reported a record quarterly loss of $10.2 billion on Monday due to a large reduction in the value of some assets amid lower oil prices. Petrobras has been at the center of a sprawling corruption scandal that has ensnared some of Brazil's most powerful lawmakers and business executives.

  • Saturday, March 19th 2016 - 09:13 UTC

    Brazilian situation shows division among Unasur members

    Uruguay is promoting a declaration demanding 'respect for the mandate and government of president Dilma Rousseff', said foreign minister Rodolfo Nin Novoa.

    Unasur, the Union of South American Nations is divided on how to address the Brazilian situation: while Uruguay, Venezuela, Ecuador and Bolivia have agreed on a strong statement in support of president Dilma Rousseff, Argentina expressed 'institutional support' and Chile abstained.

  • Saturday, March 19th 2016 - 08:58 UTC

    Brazilian lawmakers make an exception and begin impeachment procedure against Rousseff on Friday

    Rousseff has 10 sessions of the House to present her defense and - even though the special impeachment committee did not meet on Friday - the clock started ticking.

    The Brazilian opposition parties, meeting in the Lower House of Congress sped up the impeachment process against president Dilma Rousseff by holding a session on Friday, a day that lawmakers are normally away from Brasilia.

  • Saturday, March 19th 2016 - 06:54 UTC

    Lula calls for justice, claims he is a victim of “unjustified acts of violence”

    “Justice, it is only justice what I expect for me and everybody within the framework of in-force democratic rule of law,” Lula in the open letter published in the media

    Embattled former Brazilian president Lula da Silva on Friday released an open letter calling for “justice” as he affirmed he is the victim of “unjustified acts of violence.”“Justice, it is only justice what I expect for me and everybody within the framework of in-force democratic rule of law,” Lula said a day after he was sworn-in as the chief of staff of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff and a judge in that country issued an injunction blocking his appointment.

  • Saturday, March 19th 2016 - 06:40 UTC

    Lula takes to the streets claiming there's a coup, but he is no match to the over three million of Sunday

    Waving the red flags of the ruling PT thousands of demonstrators took to the streets in Sao Paulo, greeting Lula with thunderous cheers

    Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff's supporters took to the streets on Friday to fight back at attempts to oust her, as a flurry of court battles raged over her controversial cabinet appointment of predecessor Lula da Silva. Waving the red flags of the ruling Workers' Party, (PT) tens of thousands of demonstrators took to the streets in the country's largest city, Sao Paulo, greeting Lula with thunderous cheers when he was hoisted onto a parked truck to address the crowd.