Tag: Brazil

• Wednesday, May 17th 2017 - 09:50 UTC

  Amnesty International blasts Brazilian police systematic killings and impunity

  

  Amnesty International lambasted “impunity” for Brazilian police who kill suspects during operations after a regional rights court ruled against Brazil in a spate of slayings in the 1990s. The Inter-American Court of Human Rights ruled last week that Brazil must reopen investigations into the killings of 26 people in a Rio de Janeiro favela two decades ago and should provide compensation.

• Tuesday, May 16th 2017 - 10:04 UTC

  Brazil states RAF Hercules flights from or to Falklands are “humanitarian motivated”

  

  The Brazilian government discards any “irregularities” in allowing British military aircraft, flying to or from the Falkland Islands, landing in its airports since the authorizations are humanitarian motivated, revealed a source from the Brazilian government to the Argentine news agency, Telam.

• Tuesday, May 16th 2017 - 08:13 UTC

  Temer admits not having the votes to pass the pension reform bill: investors edgy

  

  Brazilian President Michel Temer acknowledged on Monday that he may not have the votes at present to pass his pension reform bill in the lower house of Congress, and the key measure for fiscal savings might not face a floor vote until late May.

• Sunday, May 14th 2017 - 08:53 UTC

  Brazil retail sales plunge in March; government insists economy will be positive in first quarter

  

  Retail sales in Brazil unexpectedly fell in March at the steepest monthly rate in 14 years, strengthening bets on a bolder interest rate cut at the end of this month. Sales volumes excluding cars and building materials fell 1.9% in March from February, government statistics agency IBGE said. Sales fell 4.0% from the year-earlier period.

• Friday, May 12th 2017 - 09:15 UTC

  Brazilian public opinion remains deeply divided on Lula: strong support but also highest rejection rate

  

  Ex Brazilian President Lula da Silva's combative testimony before a federal judge this week did little to dismantle the graft case against him and improve his chances of securing a new term in office. Lula, a founder of the leftist Workers Party (PT) that controlled Brazil's presidency from 2003 until last year, can only run in next year's presidential election if he avoids a conviction that is upheld on appeal.

• Thursday, May 11th 2017 - 11:29 UTC

  Lula was questioned for five hours and later called the corruption case “a farce”

  

  Brazil's former president Lula da Silva called the corruption trial threatening to end his storied career a “farce” during almost five hours of testimony on Wednesday. Lula is accused of receiving a seaside apartment as a kickback from the OAS construction company, and if found guilty could be barred from running for office and even jailed, destroying his hopes of coming back to power in the 2018 presidential elections.

• Wednesday, May 10th 2017 - 06:12 UTC

  Pivotal moment for Brazil: Lula and Judge Moro meet for the first time in a courtroom

  

  When Brazil's former President Lula da Silva and Judge Sergio Moro meet for the first time in a courtroom on Wednesday, contrasts and stakes could hardly be greater. One is the country's most popular president ever and the front-runner in next year's election - a former union leader who still whips up crowds with his fiery and folksy oratory.

• Tuesday, May 9th 2017 - 07:17 UTC

  Lula's five hurdles before he can ensure a comeback in the 2018 election

  

  Lula da Silva, Brazil's hugely influential leftist president between 2003-2010, faces no fewer than five court cases, each of which could thwart his dream of a comeback in 2018. On Wednesday he is due to appear before Brazil's top anti-corruption judge, Sergio Moro, to face charges that he was given a luxury apartment as a bribe.

• Monday, May 8th 2017 - 21:57 UTC

  Brazilian economy expected to begin takeoff in the first quarter

  

  Brazil's economy will post growth of between 0.7% and 0.8% in the first quarter, turning the corner on a two-year recession, Finance Minister Henrique Meirelles said this week. In an interview with GloboNews cable channel, Meirelles said Brazilian companies will have to start to restock inventories and draw up investment plans.

• Saturday, May 6th 2017 - 11:36 UTC

  Brazil sacks head of indigenous affairs agency; the long arm of agri-business?

  

  Brazil's government on Friday sacked the head of its agency handling indigenous issues, a week after 13 members of one tribe were wounded in a bloody attack by ranchers in a land dispute.