Brazil

• Saturday, July 20th 2013 - 05:57 UTC

  Brazil the seventh most violent country; in 30 years homicides soared 132%, says Map of Violence

  

  More than one million people were murdered in Brazil between 1980 and 2011, making it the world’s seventh-most violent country, according to the Map of Violence survey. In that period the homicides soared 132% to claim 1,145,208 lives, from a rate of 11.5 murders for 100,000 inhabitants in 1980 to 27 per 100,000 in 2011.

• Saturday, July 20th 2013 - 05:46 UTC

  Money exchange controls limit Argentines from travelling to Brazil to greet Pope Francis

  

  Despite the pope is Argentine and on Monday he will be making his first pastoral trip overseas to Brazil, Argentine government strict currency controls are making it difficult for prospective pilgrims to travel. An estimated 60.000 Argentines are expected to travel to Rio do Janeiro for the grand event.

• Saturday, July 20th 2013 - 05:35 UTC

  Fitch maintains Brazil’s debt outlook ‘stable’ and minister says the report was ‘fair’

  

  Brazilian Finance Minister Guido Mantega said that Fitch's decision to maintain the country’s debt outlook at stable was “fair” given Brazil robust finances and lesser debt burden.

• Saturday, July 20th 2013 - 05:31 UTC

  Brazil Catholic church losing ground to Protestants and Pentecostals

  

  Brazil's Catholic population has declined since 2000 while its Protestant population has grown during the past two decades, a Pew survey fund.

• Friday, July 19th 2013 - 06:29 UTC

  Pope Francis wants direct contact with the crowds when he visits Brazil next week

  

  Pope Francis will not use bullet-proof ‘Pope-mobiles’ on his visit to Brazil next week to allow him more direct contact with crowds despite the security risks, according to a Vatican release.

• Friday, July 19th 2013 - 06:03 UTC

  Blatter joins Brazilian protestors, tells politicians “need to take responsibility”

  

  Sepp Blatter, president of FIFA, has placed heavy pressure on World Cup 2014 organisers Brazil, after witnessing the social unrest that accompanied the Confederations Cup during June.

• Thursday, July 18th 2013 - 09:08 UTC

  President-elect demands rule of the law before Paraguay returns as active Mercosur member

  

  Paraguayan president elect Horacio Cartes confirmed that his government will insist in its position regarding Mercosur, which expects Paraguay to return as full active member following the inauguration ceremony 15 August.

• Wednesday, July 17th 2013 - 07:50 UTC

  Brazil downplays the Pacific Alliance significance, as an “integration project”

  

  Brazilian Foreign minister Antonio Patriota downplayed the significance of the Alliance of the Pacific, the free trade agreement which includes Chile, Peru, Colombia and Mexico, arguing it is not a “real deep integration” as the one proposed by Mercosur.

• Wednesday, July 17th 2013 - 07:31 UTC

  Bolivia violated military aircraft immunity, claims Brazilian Ministry of Defence

  

  Bolivia violated the immunity of a Brazilian Air Force plane which in October 2011 was carrying Defence minister Celso Amorim and with no search warrant proceeded to inspect the aircraft suspecting opposition Senator Roger Pinto might be on board, claimed Brazilian authorities.

• Wednesday, July 17th 2013 - 07:16 UTC

  Brazilian lawmaker blasts ‘unnecessary hostility and arrogance’ towards Paraguay

  

  An influential member of Congress from south Brazil strongly criticized his country’s foreign policy towards Paraguay and Mercosur condemning the ‘unnecessary hostility’ and for abandoning legitimate interests and basic principles for an ‘ideological affinity solidarity’.