By Ben Tavener, Senior Contributing Reporter SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL – The Brazilian government has announced that the application process for work visas to Brazil has been simplified significantly in response to demands from industry, calling for more qualified overseas workers to fill gaps in the Brazilian labor market. The government says it hopes that regular [...]
By Ben Tavener, Senior Contributing Reporter RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – With the FIFA Confederations Cup and World Youth Day (WYD 2013) set to arrive in Rio, the city has seen pacification operations in favelas at the base of Corcovado Mountain. Rio’s 33rd Police Pacification Unit (UPP) will establish a permanent presence in the area and [...]
By Ben Tavener, Senior Contributing Reporter RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Sales of Brazilian-made firearms to the U.S. increased 187.5 percent while former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was in office, compared to the same eight-year period of his predecessor. The U.S. purchased nearly 7.9 million, or eighty percent, of the 9.9 million exported [...]
By Ben Tavener, Senior Contributing Reporter RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Telecoms giant Oi launched its high-speed 4G mobile internet service in Rio on Thursday, becoming the city’s second operator to offer the service. Rival operator Claro launched its 4G services in cities hosting the FIFA Confederations Cup, including Rio, last week. TIM and Vivo [...]
By Ben Tavener, Senior Contributing Reporter RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The State of Rio High Court last week approved so-called “direct authorization” of same-sex civil marriages, making Rio one of eleven states which have approved gay marriage in Brazil, including São Paulo and the Federal District. However, there is uncertainty over whether judges in [...]
By Ben Tavener, Senior Contributing Reporter RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Brazil could overtake the U.S. in terms of soybean production this year to become to the world’s largest producer of grain, O Globo newspaper reports. Yet it has been a long uphill climb for Brazil to reach this level of production, and experts are [...]
By Ben Tavener, Senior Contributing Reporter RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The Ministry for Cities has announced it is launching an inquiry into accusations that former civil servants defrauded the government’s major public housing program, known as Minha Casa Minha Vida (My House My Life), by setting up a network of front companies. The R$72 billion [...]
By Ben Tavener, Senior Contributing Reporter RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The second largest airline in Brazil, Gol, will give bonuses if its teams manage to save the company fuel by reducing flight times and delays, it has been revealed. The bonus program has been running since earlier this year in an attempt to counter [...]
By Ben Tavener, Senior Contributing Reporter SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL – Over twenty years after the infamous massacre in São Paulo’s Carandiru prison, in which a police operation to quell a riot left over a hundred prisoners dead, the first of 79 officers are to be put on trial for their involvement. The trial of 26 officers [...]
By Ben Tavener, Senior Contributing Reporter SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL – Sales of cars, light vehicles and trucks grew 20.8 percent in March, compared to February, according to figures revealed by Anfavea, Brazil’s National Association of Vehicle Manufacturers. Although the total is down 5.5 percent on figures for last March, if the first quarter of 2013 [...]
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