Brazil

• Thursday, June 27th 2013 - 05:42 UTC

  Protests continue in Brazil while Congress is working overtime to legislate on grievances

  

  As protests again turned violent near the stadium where Brazil’s national team was playing arch-rival Uruguay, legislators kept up a lawmaking spurt aimed at quelling the biggest street demonstrations in two decades by increasing penalties for corruption.

• Thursday, June 27th 2013 - 05:07 UTC

  Iguazu Falls Park closed because of heavy rains and flooding

  

  Pouring rains and floods have forced the closure of the Iguazu Park, home of the world’s most famous waterfalls in the heartland of South America, shared by Argentina and Brazil, according to reports from the Argentine navy outpost in Puerto Iguazú.

• Wednesday, June 26th 2013 - 22:12 UTC

  Venezuela main purchaser of weapons in 2012, but Brazil has largest defence budget

  

  The defence industry is booming in Latin America amid economic growth and greater concerns regarding national security, said the renowned security and defence consultancy firm IHS Jane's. Imports of weapons soared 16% in the subcontinent in 2008-2012, climbing from 3.42 billion to 3.96 billion dollars annually, the firm said in a report called “The Balance of Trade.”

• Wednesday, June 26th 2013 - 22:07 UTC

  Brazilian congress rejects controversial amendment limiting prosecutors’ powers

  

  Brazil's congress late Tuesday evening rejected controversial amendment PEC 37, which would have limited the power of federal prosecutors to investigate crimes, and designated all royalties from newly discovered oil fields to education and healthcare.

• Wednesday, June 26th 2013 - 05:13 UTC

  Brazil’s top Justice suggests trimming the influence of political parties and an end to cupola deals

  

  The president of Brazil’s Supreme Federal Tribunal (Supreme Court) Joaquim Barbosa argued in favour of diminishing the influence of political parties in decisions referred to the Brazilian people’s interest and supports the introduction of what he called “puffs of popular expression” in the current political system.

• Wednesday, June 26th 2013 - 05:07 UTC

  Massive protest expected in Belo Horizonte before the Brazil/Uruguay match

  

  Demanding better public services and angered by World Cup costs, about 100.000 people are expected at a protest Wednesday before Brazil plays Uruguay in the Confederations Cup semi-finals.

• Wednesday, June 26th 2013 - 04:58 UTC

  Brazil: understanding with Congress to hold a reforms’ plebiscite on 7 September

  

  The Brazilian executive apparently has reached an understanding with the presidents of the Senate and the Lower House, Renan Calheiros and Henrique Eduardo Alves for a plebiscite with several questions referred to changes in electoral and party legislation, and eventually the Constitution relative to the political organization of South America’s largest country and powerhouse.

• Tuesday, June 25th 2013 - 06:05 UTC

  Brazilian protests delegates unsatisfied with President Rousseff’ proposals

  

  The leaders of the “Free Fares” movement that triggered the worst wave of street protests in two decades rocking the Brazilian government to its foundations said their meeting with President Dilma Rousseff was ‘unsatisfactory’ because there were “no concrete proposals”.

• Tuesday, June 25th 2013 - 06:01 UTC

  Rousseff proposes referendum on sweeping political reforms in response to protests

  

  Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff proposed on Monday a popular referendum to implement sweeping political reforms in response to the country's largest public protests in 20 years. Rousseff called for a public vote to eventually amend Brazil's constitution as she tries to seize the momentum in a national debate set off by two weeks of increasingly disruptive demonstrations.

• Monday, June 24th 2013 - 08:24 UTC

  Supreme Court Justice and anti-corruption champ has become symbol of Brazilian protests

  

  Joaquim Barbosa the black magistrate from Brazil’s Supreme Court and who won national acknowledgement as inflexible with corruption cases has become the preferred candidate for 2014 presidential elections by the thousands of protestors who took to the streets these last two weeks.