Brazil's attorney general argued on Sunday for the removal of a judge overseeing an investigation of embattled President Dilma Rousseff's accounts, a last-minute attempt to avoid a ruling that could lead to her impeachment.
The organisers of the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games are making cutbacks of up to 30% to avoid going over the $3.6bn dollars budget. Rio 2016 communications director Mario Andrada said the Brazilian public would not tolerate an overspend.
Economists again cut their outlook for Brazil's economic performance for this year, as consumer and business confidence continue at historic low levels. Brazil's GDP is expected to contract 2.85% this year, according to a weekly central-bank survey of 100 economists, compared with expectations last week for a contraction of 2.80%.
Agricultural expansion is the chief contributing factor to the deforestation of Brazilian ecosystems and has accelerated in recent years, according to an official study released last week.
A group of lawmakers called for the resignation of the speaker of Brazil's lower house of Congress, Eduardo Cunha, after Switzerland provided Brazilian prosecutors with details of Swiss bank accounts in his name.
Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff on Friday announced a Cabinet reshuffle that reduces the number of posts from 39 to 31 and gives a more significant role to the Brazilian Democratic Movement Party, or PMDB, the country's biggest and a key ally of her Workers' Party.
Brazil largest party, main ally and pillar of President Dilma Rousseff's fragile coalition said it was “110% satisfied” with the changes announced on Friday: reducing cabinet posts from 39 to 31, slashing thousands of coveted jobs for political appointees and cutting her salary and that of the vice president by 10%.
Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff's approval ratings languished in September, held down by the country’s economic and political crises, as her opposition in Congress considers opening impeachment proceedings.
Brazil's state-controlled Petrobras unexpectedly increased wholesale gasoline and diesel prices in the domestic market, potentially widening a controversial premium to international prices. The heavily indebted company said that the gasoline price would increase by 6%, and diesel by 4%, as of this Wednesday.
The World Trade Organization shaved half a percentage point off its global trade projections for 2015, after a disappointing first half of the year left export growth weakened across the developing world. World merchandise trade volume is expected to rise 2.8% for the year, down from April projections of 3.3%. The WTO also revised its 2016 projections to 3.9%, from 4.0%.