Urban trains in Porto Alegre resumed operations this week, albeit on shortened routes, as the capital city of the Brazilian State of Rio Grande do Sul slowly recovers from the unprecedented floods caused by rains way above average, Agencia Brasil reported. Convoy capacity was also cut down to 30,000 passengers from the usual 110,000 passengers on working days.
The Shanghai-based New Development Bank (NDB) will grant funding worth R$ 5.7 billion (US$ 1.1 billion) to rebuild the Brazilian State of Rio Grande do Sul still grappling to recover from the unprecedented storms since April 29, Agencia Brasil reported Tuesday. The NDB, also known as the BRICS Bank, will release the money through a partnership with the Banco do Brasil (BB), the National Bank for Economic and Social Development (Banco Nacional de Desenvolvimento Econômico e Social - BNDES), and the Regional Development Bank of the Far South (Banco Regional de Desenvolvimento do Extremo Sul - BRDE).