
While the United States still debates whether to implement a voter ID mechanism, Brazilian household pets will soon be eligible for the Animal ID card free of charge as the National Register of Domestic Animals is entering its final testing phase, Agencia Brasil reported this week. The Environment Ministry said the tool can be accessed through the Gov.br website.

Argentina's State-owned oil company YPF agreed this week to sell its stake in its Brazilian lubricants subsidiary to the local Usiquimica to achieve “greater focus and profitability” in its operations, it was reported in Buenos Aires. The buyer has been producing and trading chemical products for 80 years.

The City Council of Niteroi, in the Brazilian State of Rio de Janeiro, said Civil Defense agents and biologists were monitoring a fur seal spotted on Itaipuaçu beach, in Maricá, last Sunday, Agência Brasil reported. The area was cordoned off by local authorities, it was also explained.

Brazilian authorities reported this week that some 163 workers had been rescued from slave-like conditions at the BYD plant in Camaçari, a municipality in the metropolitan area of Salvador, in the state of Bahia.

Uruguay has received a small transport aircraft, Brasilia, from Embraer, the big neighbor’s aircraft manufacturer, and also has an order for six A29 Super Tucanos fighters. Brasilia is a small communal transport of up to thirty passengers, but that can also be used for ambulance and rescue operations.

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva issued a pardon favoring terminally ill prison inmates as well as at-risk pregnant women or those with HIV but fell short of benefitting those who committed crimes that were either heinous - such as torture, terrorism, racism, money laundering, concealment of assets - or against democracy, it was announced Monday in a special edition of the Diário Oficial da Uniao (Official Gazette).

Brazil's Health Ministry detected lingering symptoms among 20% of South America's largest country's population having had Covid-19, Agencia Brasil reported. Among the symptoms are fatigue, memory loss, anxiety, difficulty concentrating, joint pain, and hair loss, which have also been found to be more frequent among women and indigenous people.

Brazil's Congress enacted Constitutional Amendment 135/24 regarding the fiscal spending cut package, Agencia Brasil reported. The new legislation stemming from the Proposed Amendment to the Constitution (PEC) 45/24 made changes to mandatory revenues and extended the Untying of Union Revenues (DRU) in a move to improve the federal government's fiscal balance, it was explained.

Brazil's Central Bank (BCB) successfully maneuvered Thursday and got the US dollar to fall against the local real after volatility gripped financial markets amid President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's planned taxation reforms, Agencia Brasil reported. The US currency closed at R$ 6.12 following Congressional approval of the Government's legal package.

Brazil's tourism authorities expect a record-breaking summer season thanks to a recent boost in air connectivity, particularly with direct flights between Rio de Janeiro and Montevideo, Agencia Brasil reported.