Home Tags Posts tagged with "Brazil"
Brazil
Jennifer Lopez has decided to pull out of performing the official World Cup song at this year’s tournament’s opening ceremony in Brazil, FIFA has announced.
Officials said Jennifer Lopez could not attend Thursday’s show because of unspecified “production issues”.
Jennifer Lopez was due to perform alongside rapper Pitbull and Brazilian singer Claudia Leitte, with whom she has recorded the song We Are One (Ole Ola).
Pitbull and Claudia Leitte will go ahead and perform accompanied by drummers Olodum.
Jennifer Lopez was due to perform at the World Cup 2014 opening ceremony alongside Pitbull and Claudia Leitte
“For production issues, Jennifer Lopez, one of the artists of the official song We Are One, will not be able to perform at the FIFA World Cup opening ceremony,” said a statement.
The 25-minute ceremony in Sao Paulo will feature 600 artists, including acrobatic gymnasts, trampolinists, martial arts-style performers and stilt walkers.
Last week, Jennifer Lopez said she was “thrilled” to be given the chance to perform at the opening ceremony.
“This is an amazing celebration of global unity, competition and sport,” she said.
Pitbull appeared not to be downhearted at Jennifer Lopez’s withdrawal from the show.
“To be performing We Are One to the world, especially in such a beautiful country like Brazil, is going to be a lot of fun,” Pitbull said in a statement released by FIFA.
“But more than this, it is going to show the world that music is the universal language.”
Jennifer Lopez also missed the January event where Pitbull and Claudia Leitte unveiled plans for the song alongside FIFA officials in Rio de Janeiro.
More than 60,000 people are expected to be in Sao Paulo’s Corinthians Arena to watch the ceremony and kick-off match between Brazil and Croatia.
Up to a billion people are expected to tune in on TV worldwide
Jennifer Lopez’s cancellation comes amid protests and strikes in Brazil, where some are unhappy about the amount of money being spent on the tournament.
[youtube CwuThloBuO4 650]
[youtube TGtWWb9emYI 650]
Brazilian riot police fired tear gas at anti-World Cup and indigenous demonstrators in the capital, Brasilia.
Stones were hurled at security forces as hundreds of protesters tried to reach the National Stadium – where the golden tournament cup is on display.
A group of indigenous people who were demanding land rights at Congress eventually joined the protest.
Riot police fired tear gas at anti-World Cup and indigenous demonstrators in Brasilia
This is the latest in a series of demonstrations in Brazil against the cost of staging the tournament.
Authorities say around 1,500 people were taking part in Tuesday’s demonstration, which blocked one of the main roads of the city.
As the crowd tried to walk towards the National Stadium, host to several tournament matches, mounted police blocked their way.
With tensions running high, police fired tear gas several times to break up the demonstration.
The crowd was joined by a group of indigenous people who had climbed onto the roof of the Brazilian Congress building to demand changes in how their land is demarcated.
A policeman was reportedly injured in the leg by an arrow shot during the scuffles.
The demonstrations gridlocked the traffic in Brasilia for hours.
Last year, up to a million people joined demonstrations across the country to demand better public services and highlight corruption and the high cost of staging the World Cup.
Since then several other anti-World Cup protests have been staged in Brazil, with many descending into violence.
[youtube FDw50VYna2w 650]
Thousands of protesters in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro who marched against the cost of hosting the football World Cup in Brazil have been dispersed by riot police firing tear gas.
Some demonstrators hurled stones while other burned tyres and blocked roads.
They say they are angry that billions of dollars are being spent on next month’s football tournament, rather than social projects and housing.
Protests also took place in many other cities, including the capital Brasilia.
Teachers and civil servants, among others, were also on strike across Brazil.
Thousands of protesters in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro marched against the cost of hosting the football World Cup in Brazil (photo Reuters)
In Rio, aerial images showed hundreds of people marching in rush-hour traffic on a main thoroughfare. The city will host the final match of the World Cup on July 13.
Protesters there and in Sao Paulo, Brazil’s biggest city, clashed with police before beginning to disperse.
The number of people on the streets was much lower than during similar protests last year.
Some of those taking part, however, promised the demonstrations would get bigger and more frequent as the World Cup gets closer.
Last June, more than a million people took to the street over poor public services, corruption and the high cost of hosting the World Cup.
The tournament is due to kick off on June 12.
The demonstrations began earlier in the day in Sao Paulo, with one of the biggest protests in the city’s Itaquera district near the Arena Corinthians stadium, which will host the tournament’s opening match.
Protesters there demanded housing, and not stadiums, be built in accordance with FIFA standards, in reference to world football’s governing body.
“Our goal is symbolic,” said Guilherme Boulos, the head of Homeless Workers Movement.
“We don’t want to destroy or damage the stadium. What we want is more rights for workers to have access to housing and to show the effects the Cup has brought to the poor.”
The government has tried to downplay the scale of Thursday’s unrest, arguing it was not related to the World Cup.
“From what I’ve seen, these are specific claims by workers. I’ve seen nothing that is related to the [World] Cup,” Brazilian Sports Minister Aldo Rebelo said.
“There’s no reason to panic ahead of receiving three million Brazilian tourists and 600,000 foreign tourists [for the tournament].”
The planned protests coincide with a range of strikes, including one by the police force in the north-eastern state of Pernambuco.
The army was deployed there to provide additional support after some robberies and looting, before the strike ended on its third day.
Local media reported that, in the last 24 hours alone, 234 people were arrested. Recife, the state capital, is due to host five matches during the World Cup.
[youtube 1TBcdUKKhoU 650]
Brazilian former army colonel Paulo Malhaes, who admitted torturing and killing political prisoners under military rule up to the 1980s, has been found dead.
Paulo Malhaes, 76, was killed by three men who entered his home outside Rio de Janeiro on Thursday, police say.
Last month, Paulo Malhaes said he never regretted killing “as many people as necessary” and tortured “many” prisoners.
Almost 500 people disappeared or were killed in Brazil when it was ruled by the army between 1964 and 1985.
Thousands more were detained and tortured, including current President Dilma Rousseff.
Last month Col. Paulo Malhaes appeared before Brazil’s National Truth Commission, which is investigating past abuses
According to his wife, Col. Paulo Malhaes was suffocated by three men who broke into their home. Police say the assailants stole computers and some guns.
Prominent Brazilian lawyer Wadih Damous said the intruders may have been after secret files he held.
Last month Col. Paulo Malhaes appeared before Brazil’s National Truth Commission, which is investigating past abuses.
He gave testimony on how he had tortured many political prisoners.
“I did my duty. I have no regrets,” he told the commission.
He defended his actions saying that the people he killed and tortured were “guerrillas who fought an armed struggle”.
Brazilian police say they are looking for CCTV images which might help identify Col. Paulo Malhaes’ killers.
[youtube e2SnsSYG7O0 650]
Edward Snowden offered to collaborate with Brazil’s investigation into the mass surveillance programs Tuesday, writing an open letter that hinted at his asylum request to the country.
In a letter published in the Folha De S. Paulo newspaper, Edward Snowden praised the “inspiring” reaction around the world – and in Brazil – after he unveiled the NSA’s far-reaching spying program, which included the monitoring of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff’s personal cellphone.
“I have expressed my willingness to assist wherever appropriate and lawful, but unfortunately the United States government has worked very hard to limit my ability to do so,” Edward Snowden wrote in An Open Letter to the Brazilian People.
“Until a country grants permanent political asylum, the U.S. government will continue to interfere with my ability to speak,” he added.
Edward Snowden offered to collaborate with Brazil’s investigation into the mass surveillance programs
Brazilian lawmakers have been trying to interview Snowden as part of their investigation but he seemed to suggest in his letter that he would only do so if he were welcomed into the country.
Edward Snowden previously requested asylum in Brazil but he has not received any response. He is currently living under temporary asylum in Russia, after spending weeks in limbo at Moscow’s international airport.
Documents Edward Snowden leaked exposed Brazil as the top NSA target in Latin America, with surveillance that included hacking into the network of state-run oil company Petrobras and monitoring Dilma Rousseff’s and ordinary Brazilians’ phones.
The revelations soured relations between Brazil and the US with President Dilma Rousseff canceling a state visit to Washington.
“Only three weeks ago, Brazil led the United Nations Human Rights Committee to recognize for the first time in history that privacy does not stop where the digital network starts, and that the mass surveillance of innocents is a violation of human rights,” Edward Snowden wrote, adding that “American officials should never decide the freedoms of Brazilian citizens.”
Edward Snowden’s open letter was also published on the Facebook page of David Miranda, partner of journalist Glenn Greenwald, who first published Snowden’s leaks in June. David Miranda has started a petition calling for Brazil to offer Edward Snowden asylum.
[youtube 3h-e7q4OXZI 650]
A violent brawl that seriously injured three people broke out at the Brazilian football league season end on Sunday.
A match in southern Brazil was stopped by fan violence in the stands, police fired rubber bullets to contain the crowd and an injured man was airlifted by helicopter to a hospital.
A doctor said two other fans were hospitalized in serious condition and one was treated for a minor injury at the stadium in the southern city of Joinville.
TV images showed seemingly unconscious men being kicked in the head despite appeals from football players.
Brazil league soccer match in Joinville was stopped by fans violence
A helicopter landed on the pitch to transport an injured man to hospital.
The shockingly violent scenes, broadcast live to millions of homes on Sunday afternoon, are bound to raise questions about Brazil’s ability to keep fans safe during next year’s World Cup, correspondents say.
The brawl in the Arena Joinville, in the southern state of Santa Catarina, started during the first half of the match.
One of Atletico Paranaense’s players was filmed crying after witnessing fans being viciously beaten.
“I’ve been playing for 20 years and I’ve never seen anything like this in person. We will have a World Cup in our country and we know these images will be shown everywhere,” defender Luiz Alberto told reporters.
[youtube PL6Vuxz1Oew 650]
Brazil will face Croatia in the opening game of the 2014 World Cup tournament in Sao Paulo on June 12.
In a replay of the 2010 final, Spain face the Netherlands in a Group B clash in Salvador the next day.
Group draw for the 2014 World Cup:
Group A: Brazil, Croatia, Mexico, Cameroon.
Group B: Spain, Netherlands, Chile, Australia.
Group C: Colombia, Greece, Ivory Coast, Japan.
2014 FIFA World Cup final draw
Group D: Uruguay, Costa Rica, England, Italy.
Group E: Switzerland, Ecuador, France, Honduras.
Group F: Argentina, Bosnia-Hercegovina, Iran, Nigeria.
Group G: Germany, Portugal, Ghana, USA.
Group H: Belgium, Algeria, Russia, South Korea.
FIFA has unveiled “Brazuca” – its official match ball for the 2014 World Cup in Rio de Janeiro.
The official match ball made by Adidas was named “Brazuca” in 2012 following a public vote in Brazil which involved more than one million fans.
Brazuca’s design is said to be “inspired by vibrant colors, passion and heritage of Brazil”. Its name is a term used by natives of the country, meaning “Brazilian” or to describe the Brazilian way of life.
Brazuca’s design is said to be inspired by vibrant colors, passion and heritage of Brazil
The ball was unveiled during a spectacular 3D event held at the iconic Parque Lage in Rio de Janeiro, but went through a rigorous two-and-a-half-year testing process which involved more than 600 of the world’s top players.
Players such as Lionel Messi, Iker Casillas, Bastian Schweinsteiger and former France international Zinedine Zidane were all involved in the process and have since signed off on its use for next year’s World Cup.
Adidas say the technology used will “meet and exceed all FIFA metrics” and will “ensure top performance for every condition”.
“A new structural innovation with a unique symmetry of six identical panels alongside a different surface structure will provide improved grip, touch, stability and aerodynamics on the pitch. Brazuca has been thoroughly tested to meet and exceed all FIFA metrics for an official match ball, ensuring top performance for every condition,” an Adidas statement read.
[youtube 7mhiKfuKfSo 650]
Brazilian firefighters have fought a major blaze at Sao Paulo’s landmark building designed by architect Oscar Niemeyer.
A large plume of smoke billowed from the Latin America Memorial, a cultural centre which hosts an art gallery, an auditorium and other facilities.
At least 15 firefighters were injured as dozens of crews went to the scene.
Oscar Niemeyer, who was behind some of the 20th Century’s best known modernist buildings, died a year ago aged 104.
He designed the main government buildings in the futuristic capital, Brasilia, developing a style defined by sweeping curves and stark concrete.
A large plume of smoke billowed from the Latin America Memorial, a cultural centre which hosts an art gallery, an auditorium and other facilities
The Latin America Memorial, built in the west of Sao Paulo in 1989, was empty at the time of the fire and authorities say no members of the public were hurt. The cause of the fire is unclear.
Fire first swept through the 1,600-seat Simon Bolivar auditorium at the complex at around 15:00 local.
While the extent of the damage was unclear, there were fears for some of the art works at the complex.
A spokesperson told reporters that a giant tapestry by Brazilian artist Tomie Ohtake may have been partially destroyed.
Another building in the complex hosted the Latin American Parliament from 1992 to 2007. The parliament is now based in Panama.
The Latin America Memorial comprises several buildings in an area of more than 84,480 sq m (101,376 sq yards) and was designed by Oscar Niemeyer and conceived by the anthropologist Darcy Ribeiro.
[youtube Jrb_ec9HkNY 650]
Three people have died in an accident at Sao Paolo’s Itaquerao stadium that is due to host the opening ceremony of the 2014 World Cup football.
A senior local fire official said crews were called to the Arena Corinthians after reports of a collapsed crane.
It fell on top of a metal structure, destroying parts of a stand.
The arena was due to be completed at the end of December to meet a FIFA deadline. Brazil has admitted it is struggling to have all 12 venues ready.
TV footage showed the huge metal structure buckled on top of the stadium, which is also known as Itaquerao.
Three people have died in an accident at Sao Paolo’s Itaquerao stadium that is due to host the opening ceremony of the 2014 World Cup football
Part of the stand – believed to be in the southern sector – was damaged. A LED panel outside the venue was also hit.
Rescue teams are checking the site to see if there are more victims.
Corinthians, the club that will move into the new stadium, said in a short statement that it “deeply regrets the accident”.
FIFA President Sepp Blatter said he was “deeply saddened by the tragic deaths”.
Secretary General Jerome Valcke said: “Extremely shocked by the news from Sao Paulo. Our thoughts are with the families of the victims of this accident.”
The venue is being built by Brazil’s Odebrecht company, who recently said the arena was about 94% ready.
Six of Brazil’s stadiums – including Itaquerao – are not yet ready for the World Cup next summer.
[youtube VGF3PBEDjUM 650]
Brazil has started to jail senior figures convicted in the “Mensalao” (big monthly allowance), the country’s biggest corruption trial.
The Supreme Court issued arrest orders for 12 of the 25 politicians, bankers and businessmen convicted last year.
Ex-President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s former chief of staff was among the first to surrender to the police.
The “Mensalao” was a scheme that used public funds to pay coalition parties for political support.
Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was not implicated in the case.
The trial is seen as a test of Brazil’s attempts to crack down on corruption.
On Thursday, Brazil’s Supreme Court ruled that most of the politicians, businessmen and bankers convicted in the country’s biggest corruption trial had to start their jail terms immediately.
The arrest warrants were issued on Friday.
The “Mensalao” was a scheme that used public funds to pay coalition parties for political support
Jose Genoino, a former president of the governing Workers’ Party (PT) was the first to give himself up to the police.
Jose Genoino – who was sentenced to six years and 11 months in jail – was driven to the Federal Police headquarters in Sao Paulo to hand himself over.
He shouted “Long live the PT!” to a group of supporters before entering the building.
The PT ex-president, who was jailed and tortured by the military dictatorship in the 1970s, also released an open letter protesting his innocence and saying he considers himself a “political prisoner”.
“With indignation, I abide by the decisions of the Supreme Court. What do the accuse me of? There is no evidence,” he wrote.
Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s former chief of staff, Jose Dirceu, who was sentenced to 10 years and 10 months, also surrendered in Sao Paulo.
Jose Dirceu released an open letter protesting against the Supreme Court decision that ruled over the immediate start of his and other jail sentences.
“As always, I will abide by the Constitution and the law, but not without protesting and denouncing the unfair nature of the conviction against me. The worst injustice is that committed by Justice itself,” it reads.
The Brazilian Federal Police says all the arrested will be transported to Brasilia in the next few days.
The central allegation of the case was that illegal payments and benefits were paid to members of Congress in return for supporting the government in crucial votes.
The “Mensalao” scandal came to light in 2005 but the sentences were handed down at the end of 2012.
The trial was seen as a key test of Brazil’s ability to hold its politicians to account for corruption.
Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva left office at the end of 2010 with huge approval ratings and remains a popular figure in Brazilian political life.
[youtube z37mJaji-us 650]
Riot police and protesters have clashed in Brazil’s largest cities – Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo – after marches in support of striking teachers.
Soon after a peaceful march by more than 5,000 people ended in Rio, a much smaller masked group attacked shops, set fire to a police car and threw petrol bombs.
There were also clashes in Sao Paulo, where shops were ransacked.
Police responded with tear and pepper gas and detained dozens of people.
Four officers were injured and seven banks were vandalized during the unrest in Sao Paulo, according to Reuters news agency.
Extra police had been deployed in Rio de Janeiro for the huge protest coinciding with Teacher’s Day, on which the country recognizes the profession.
Many shops and banks had boarded up their windows after last week’s larger protests, which had gathered more than 10,000 supporters.
Police also cordoned off the Rio house of representatives, which was targeted last week.
Teachers in Rio are demanding better working conditions and salaries and have the support of colleagues in other cities
After the end of Tuesday’s march, masked protesters from the so-called Black Bloc anarchist group set fire to the boards, as well as public telephones, rubbish bags and other street furniture.
Metal boards were also taken by some groups and used as shields to confront the police.
A police car was set alight and protest slogans written on walls.
Teachers in Rio are demanding better working conditions and salaries and have the support of colleagues in other cities.
They have been on strike for two months and many complained that Rio’s state government had started procedures to sanction the striking teachers.
On Tuesday night, a Supreme Court judge said it considered the government’s actions illegal.
Judge Luiz Fux told Brazil’s state news agency, Agencia Brasil, that the sanctions infringed, “even if in a roundabout way, the civil servants’ right to freedom of expressions through strike”.
Luiz Fux also summoned union leaders and government officials for talks on October 22.
In an earlier demonstration on Tuesday, a group of homeless people tried to break into the house of representatives of Sao Paulo.
Police held off the crowd, and a small group later met with government officials.
In the south-eastern city of Belo Horizonte, a peaceful protest was held a central square.
Smaller groups also gathered on Tuesday in Brasilia, the north-eastern city of Salvador and other cities.
Brazil’s security situation is a challenge to cities that will play host to the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympic Games.
[youtube eElNY6ByjJ8 650]
Crowds of people supporting teachers’ demand for a better pay have clashed with riot police in the Brazilian cities of Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo .
The centre of Rio was packed with more than 10,000 people marching peacefully.
But as it got dark, some protesters threw firebombs at public buildings and riot police responded with tear gas.
A similar protest in Sao Paulo also ended in violent confrontation with police after many banks were ransacked by hooded protesters.
Brazil’s security situation is a challenge to cities that will play host to the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympic Games.
Protesters demonstrating in support of teachers receiving better pay in the Brazilian cities of Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo have clashed with police
The latest demonstration took place over several hours and was peaceful at first.
But once night fell, violent incidents broke out as at least 20 “black bloc” anarchists smashed a City Hall gate while others broke into banks and tried to break into ATMs. Some banks were set alight.
Demonstrators also torched a bus on busy Rio Branco Avenue, and took furniture out of banks to use in barricades as the stand-off off with police continued.
Authorities used tear gas to restore order.
“Without the police, there is no violence. When they are there, there always is,” said anarchist Hugo Cryois, 23, who had a gas mask dangling from his neck.
“I came prepared,” he said.
“You can’t trust them.”
Teachers have been demanding a pay increase for two months. About 50,000 people were estimated to have marched to support them before the violence broke out, but police would only confirm the 10,000 estimate.
[youtube ojJUq5vXZk4]
Brazil’s Foreign Minister Antonio Patriota has quit in the wake of a diplomatic scandal with Bolivia.
Antonio Patriota resigned after a Bolivian opposition politician holed up in the Brazilian embassy in La Paz for more than a year fled the country in a diplomatic car.
A Brazilian official has admitted using his diplomatic immunity to drive the senator across the border without permission from either country.
Senator Roger Pinto was given asylum at the Brazilian embassy last year.
Antonio Patriota resigned after a Bolivian opposition politician holed up in the Brazilian embassy in La Paz for more than a year fled the country in a diplomatic car
He had been accused of at least 14 crimes in Bolivia, including corruption. He denied the charges and asked for asylum saying he was being persecuted.
Antonio Patriota’s resignation was announced in a brief statement from the office of President Dilma Rousseff on Monday.
The same statement named Luiz Alberto Figueiredo, Brazil’s head of mission at the UN, as the new foreign minister. Anonio Patriota is to become Brazil’s new UN ambassador, officials said.
Brazilian diplomat Eduardo Saboia said he used his diplomatic immunity to get Roger Pinto out of Bolivia, leaving with him in an official vehicle on Friday, she says.
Eduardo Saboia said Roger Pinto had been suffering from depression and he had taken a personal decision to help him.
The senator had been living in a small room in the Brazilian embassy for the past 450 days.
After the escape was revealed, Bolivia accused Brazil of violating international agreements and demanded an explanation.
According to Brazilian media, President Dilma Rousseff’s government did not know of the operation and considered it a “disaster”.
Roger Pinto, who arrived in Brasilia on Sunday, says the charges against him are politically motivated and have been fabricated by the Bolivian government.
Tickets for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil went on sale today, with fans able to apply on FIFA’s website.
FIFA is expecting a similar demand to Germany 2006, when there were about seven applicants for every ticket of the 64-match tournament.
Around 3.3 million tickets will be available for the tournament.
Tickets will range in price from $90)for first-round matches to $990 for the final at Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro.
Brazilian citizens over 60, local students and members of some social programs can purchase tickets for $23.
Tickets for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil went on sale with fans able to apply on FIFA’s website
“It’s always difficult to predict,” said FIFA marketing director Thierry Weil.
“But I truly believe that it will be more toward to what happened in Germany than in South Africa in 2010.”
According to FIFA, the 2006 World Cup was attended by more than 3.3 million fans. Almost two million tickets were sold to the general public in South Africa, although the number of applications during the first ticketing phase was significantly lower.
All applications made before 10 October 2013 will enter a random selection draw if there are not enough tickets available to fulfill all requests.
The sales of the leftover tickets will begin on November 5 on a first-come, first-served basis. Another phase will begin on December 8 after the draw is made.
The tournament begins on June 12, with Brazil playing the opener in Sao Paulo.
[youtube rCaeIwFBgOc]
Public prosecutors in Brazil have begun legal action against Samsung, alleging that it has been violating labor laws at its factory in the Amazon region.
Prosecutors accuse Samsung of making its employees work long, tiring shifts without sufficient breaks.
Brazilian prosecutors accuse Samsung of making its employees work long, tiring shifts without sufficient breaks
The prosecutors’ office in the city of Manaus said one worker reported packing nearly 3,000 phones a day.
Samsung plant, located at the Manaus Free Trade zone, employs some 6,000 people.
A worker at the Amazonas state factory has only 32 seconds to fully assemble a mobile phone and 65 seconds to put together a television set, prosecutors allege.
In evidence given to prosecutors, employees say shifts can last 15 hours and some say they suffer from back ache and cramps as they are forced to stand for up to 10 hours a day.
The prosecutors’ office is claiming more than 250 million reais ($108 million) in damages from Samsung for serious violations of labor legislation.
The legal suit was filed on Friday, but has only now been made public.
Lindsay Lohan showed off a number of large angry bruises on her legs as she sunbathed on a Brazilian beach on Tuesday.
Lindsay Lohan, 26, who has been joined in Brazil by a large entourage and boyfriend Avi Snow, spent her day off by herself, soaking up the rays and paddling in the sea.
Last week Lindsay Lohan was spotted hiding under a table on the dirty floor of a Sao Paolo nightclub with her head in her hands
The painful-looking bruises could well have occurred during one of Lindsay Lohan’s nights out in Rio, where she’s spent the last week partying and working.
Last week Lindsay Lohan was spotted hiding under a table on the dirty floor of a Sao Paolo nightclub with her head in her hands, after another raucous night.
After soaking up the last few rays on the beach Lindsay Lohan returned to her hotel to get ready for her flight home.
The Brazilian body that regulates medical practice has for the first time backed the legalization of abortion on request as the Senate debates reform of abortion laws.
The Federal Council of Medicine called for the legalization of terminations during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.
Currently, it is allowed only in cases of rape, abnormal brain development or when the mother’s life is at risk.
But wider availability of abortion is opposed by the Roman Catholic Church.
Nearly 250,000 women a year seek treatment in hospitals after undergoing unsafe procedures, the doctors’ council said.
“It’s important to highlight that it’s not been decided that the (27 regional) Councils of Medicine are favorable to abortion, instead it’s the autonomy of women and doctors,” the president of the FCM, Roberto Luiz D’Avila, wrote on the statement.
Brazilian senators are currently looking into a proposal put together by lawyers and specialists to change the existing criminal code.
The amendment would add other cases in which terminations would not be considered a crime:
- On request up to 12 weeks into the pregnancy
- In cases of foetal anomalies that would make life impossible after birth
- When the pregnancy is the result of insemination or in-vitro fertilization without consent.
Brazilian Federal Council of Medicine has for the first time backed the legalization of abortion on request as the Senate debates reform of abortion laws
The reforms, however, are meeting strong opposition in the country, especially from the Roman Catholic Church.
“What we consider serious in this context is the <<educational>>, or rather, the <<diseducational>> power that an important body such as the Federal Council of Medicine has – the power to create mentalities,” Bishop Joao Carlos Petrini, from the powerful National Conference of Bishops, told newspaper Folha de Sao Paulo.
The doctors’ council endorsement only strengthens a “mentality that favors violence and death”, he added.
The Brazilian senators recently postponed a deadline to present their findings on the controversial reform.
Abortions are illegal in most cases in the majority of Latin American countries, with the exception of Uruguay, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Guyana and French Guyana.
Brazil has declared three days of national mourning for 231 people killed in Kiss nightclub fire in the southern city of Santa Maria.
The fire reportedly started after a member of a band playing at the Kiss nightclub lit a flare on stage.
Authorities say most of the victims were students who died of smoke inhalation. The first funerals are expected on Monday morning.
It is the deadliest fire in Brazil in five decades.
Brazil postponed a ceremony due on Monday in the capital, Brasilia, to mark 500 days to the 2014 football World Cup. In Santa Maria, 30 days of mourning were declared.
President Dilma Rousseff, who cut short a visit to Chile, has been visiting survivors at the city’s Caridade hospital along with government ministers.
“It is a tragedy for all of us,” she said.
Authorities have released the names of the victims, after revising down the death toll from 245.
More than 100 people were being treated in hospital, mostly for smoke inhalation.
Officials will now investigate reports that a flare was lit on stage, igniting foam insulation material on the ceiling and releasing toxic smoke.
They will also look at claims that many of those who died were unable to escape as only one emergency exit was available.
Brazil has declared three days of national mourning for 231 people killed in Kiss nightclub fire in the southern city of Santa Maria
The fire broke out as students from the city’s federal university (UFSM) were holding a freshers’ ball, the Diario de Santa Maria, a local newspaper, reported.
A local journalist, Marcelo Gonzatto, said the flare had “started a huge and fast fire that grew quickly and made a very dark and heavy smoke.”
“Lots of people couldn’t get out and died mainly because of the smoke not the fire,” he said.
Witnesses spoke of scenes of panic after the fire started, and a stampede as people tried to escape.
One, Mattheus Bortolotto, told local television: “It was sheer horror. The emergency exits did not work, and then I lost my friend in the confusion. Then a girl died in my arms. I felt her heart stop beating.”
A large number of victims were trapped in the club’s toilets, they said, possibly after mistaking them for an exit.
Survivors and police inspector Marcelo Arigony said security guards briefly tried to block people from leaving the club, the Associated Press news agency reported. Bars in Brazil commonly make customers pay their whole tab at the end of an evening before they are allowed to leave.
One of the owners of the club is reported to have confirmed that they were in the process of renewing its license to operate, and that its fire safety certificate had expired last year.
He is said to have received threats on the internet – in addition to surviving members of the band that was performing on stage when the blaze started.
Its guitarist, Rodrigo Martins, told local radio: “It might have happened because of the Sputnik, the machine we use to create a luminous effect with sparks.
“It’s harmless; we never had any trouble with it. When the fire started, a guard passed us a fire extinguisher. The singer tried to use it but it wasn’t working.”
He said the band’s accordion player had died in the fire.
Brazilian broadcaster Globo said most of the victims were aged between 16 and 20.
A temporary morgue was set up in a local gym as the city’s main morgue was unable to cope.
Family members came to identify the dead, led in one by one to see the bodies, Diario de Santa Maria reported.
[youtube tNbPnrpWri8]
At least 232 people have died in a fire that swept through Kiss nightclub in university city Santa Maria in southern Brazil, police and officials say.
Local media say the fire began when a band let off fireworks at the Kiss club in Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul.
Many victims reportedly inhaled toxic fumes or were crushed as panicking clubbers tried to escape.
Bereaved families have gathered at the scene where the fire is out and bodies are being removed.
President Dilma Rousseff, who cut short a visit to Chile, has been visiting survivors at the city’s Caridade hospital along with government ministers.
She said earlier that everything possible would be done to help the injured and the families of the victims.
“I would also like to say to the Brazilian people and to the people of Santa Maria that we stand together at this time, and that even though there’s a lot of sadness, we will pull through,” she said, speaking from Chile.
In a tweet, the governor of Rio Grande do Sul, Tarso Genro, said it was a “sad Sunday” and that all possible action was being taken in response to the fire. He would be in the city later on Sunday, he added.
The priority for the authorities is now to identify the dead with many distressed relatives arriving at the scene, but in the hours ahead the focus will turn to the cause of this accident and safety procedures at the club.
The death toll, which had earlier been put at 245, was revised down by fire officials. Emergency services said a further 117 people were being treated in hospital.
At least 232 people have died in a fire that swept through Kiss nightclub in university city Santa Maria in southern Brazil
The fire broke out some time after 02:00 when between 300 and 500 people are believed to have been in the club, where a band was playing.
According to local newspaper Diario de Santa Maria, students from the city’s federal university (UFSM) were holding a freshers’ ball.
Thick smoke engulfed the venue after acoustic insulation caught fire, officials say.
“We looked up at the ceiling in front of the stage and it was catching fire,” eyewitness Luana Santos Silva, 23, told Brazil’s Globo TV.
“My sister grabbed me and dragged me out on the ground.”
The exit, she said, was a “small door for lots of people to come out by”.
The young woman’s sister, Aline Santos Silva, 29, added: “We managed to see it in time and to get out quickly, before the smoke began to spread.
“The smoke spread really quickly, it didn’t give enough time for people to get out. I think people started to feel unwell, and then they began to come out covered in black smoke stains.”
The witness commended the emergency services: “Help arrived really quickly, ambulances, police.”
Fire crews tried knocking through an exterior wall to help those trapped inside to escape.
Fifty bodies were found in the club’s toilets, a doctor told AP news agency.
“The toxic smoke made people lose their sense of direction so they were unable to find their way to the exit,” said Dr. Paulo Afonso Beltrame, speaking by phone from Caridade hospital.
“Apparently they confused the bathroom door with the exit door.”
Fire chief Guido de Melo told local media: “People started panicking and ended up treading on each other.”
A temporary morgue has been set up in a local gym as the city’s main morgue is unable to cope.
Family members have begun identifying the dead at the gym, Diario de Santa Maria reports.
They were led in one by one to see the bodies, according to the paper.
President Dilma Rousseff said the air force had made “resources” available at an air base near Santa Maria to help.
Santa Maria has a population of about 250,000 people, while UFSM has some 27,000 students.
[youtube s3Q1MVzF3ys]
[youtube p0dUALhoLxc]
A giant anaconda regurgitating an entire animal in the Brazilian jungle has become a surprise online hit – despite its gruesome content.
Almost 66,000 people have watched the video on YouTube in just two days.
The footage shows the anaconda vomiting an animal that is completely undigested.
The animal can be seen slowly emerging as the anaconda writhes in the water.
A giant anaconda regurgitating an entire animal in the Brazilian jungle has become a surprise online hit
Although when the video was posted online, it suggested the hapless creature was a cow, commenters have debated whether the it is in fact a capybara.
The giant rodent, which is related to a guinea pig and weighs up to 66 kg (145 lbs), is native to South America and the preferred prey of the anaconda.
[youtube wPTe0nfuL7E]
A lorry driver in southern Brazil had a miraculous escape when his vehicle skidded over the guard rail as he crossed Chavantes bridge linking the states of Sao Paulo and Parana.
The driver, Aguinaldo da Silva, said he lost control of his unloaded truck after a car stopped abruptly on the bridge.
It took nearly half an hour for passers-by to rescue him, using a rope to pull him up from his cabin.
A lorry driver in southern Brazil had a miraculous escape when his vehicle skidded over the guard rail as he crossed Chavantes bridge
Aguinaldo da Silva survived uninjured.
Efforts to rescue the lorry on Sunday had to be halted.
“The bridge began to shake and there were fears that it would collapse,” said Valcir Machado, from local website npdiario.com, which broke the news.
Traffic at the 1,500 m-long (0.9 mile) Chavantes bridge – which goes over a big dam on the border between the two states – has been suspended since the accident on Saturday afternoon.
[youtube HYyO9EfWv54]
Mexico has beaten Brazil with 2-1 at Wembley and has won the men’s Olympic football gold medal for the first time.
Oribe Peralta struck from the 18-yard box after 32 seconds following some poor Brazilian defending.
Fabian Marco hit the Brazil crossbar before a completely unmarked Oribe Peralta headed his team’s second goal.
Brazil, also hoping to win gold for the first time, pulled a goal back through Hulk in injury-time, before Oscar headed wide when well positioned.
But the South American side scarcely deserved to take the game into extra-time after a very patchy performance, particularly in defence.
Mano Menezes’s team had scored three in each of their previous five games and were treating the tournament as an important staging post ahead of hosting the World Cup in 2014.
But if they are to succeed on home soil they will have to show a significant improvement from what they produced at Wembley, with star forward Neymar a largely peripheral figure.
Mexico has beaten Brazil with 2-1 at Wembley and has won the men's Olympic football gold medal for the first time
Mano Menezes went into Saturday’s match under huge pressure to deliver gold and fill the one significant missing blank for the Brazilian team, but if the game was to be Brazil’s coronation as Olympic champions then Mexico clearly had not read the script.
They defeated Brazil 2-0 in a friendly earlier in the summer and stunned Wembley when Peralta’s low strike nestled in the bottom corner while many inside the stadium were still taking their seats.
Manchester United defender Rafael was partly at fault for the goal, his sloppy pass allowing Javier Aquino to nip in and dispossess Sandro, with the ball running invitingly into the path of Oribe Peralta.
Brazil could not find their stride – a situation not helped by a series of niggly fouls that broke up play and angered coach Mano Menezes, who could be seen waving an imaginary card on the touchline.
And their disappointing start was put into stark perspective when Mano Menezes made a change just after the half-hour mark, bringing on Hulk for Alex Sandro.
The substitution made a difference and Jose Corona managed to palm clear a swerving strike from Hulk while Marcelo shot wastefully wide after he had linked with Oscar and Leandro Damiao to carve open the left side of the Mexican defence.
By the early stages of the second half it was obvious that Mexico had opted to try to defend their lead.
This seemed to play into the hands of their opponents, particularly Neymar, who had disappointed in the opening half but briefly relished the chance to repeatedly run at the Mexico defence.
He twice shot wide and saw another effort blocked, but his influence soon faded and Mexico almost struck with a swift break.
There was more shoddy Brazilian defending involved too, as Fabian dispossessed an opponent far too easily and eventually saw his overhead effort rebound off the crossbar.
An unmarked Oribe Peralta later slotted home from six yards but Brazil were saved by the offside flag. There was to be no reprieve with 15 minutes remaining.
A free-kick was delivered from the right and the Mexico striker was left completely alone to head home from eight yards.
Brazil’s frustrating afternoon saw team-mates Juan Jesus and Rafael square up to each other in the final minutes.
Hulk’s injury-time strike into the bottom corner briefly ignited hope of a spectacular comeback and Oscar then headed wastefully wide at the near post as Mexico held on.
[youtube OYq3jth71vw]
Beer will be allowed to be sold in stadiums at the 2014 World Cup after Brazilian Senate has passed a controversial and much-delayed bill.
When Brazil was chosen to host the event it promised to sell alcohol at matches despite a 2003 drinks ban introduced to stop violence.
Football’s world governing body, FIFA, demanded the change because brewer Budweiser is a World Cup sponsor.
President Dilma Rousseff is now expected to sign the bill into law.
Beer will be allowed to be sold in stadiums at the 2014 World Cup after Brazilian Senate has passed a controversial and much-delayed bill
Although the legislation does not specifically authorize the sale of alcohol inside stadiums, the government says it does allow Brazil to fulfill FIFA’s requirements.
“Violence in stadiums has decreased a lot because of the ban against alcoholic beverages,” said Senator Lindbergh Farias, who voted in favor.
“They will only be able to sell them during the World Cup; we’re not going to allow it in general.”
But some senators still voiced concern.
“FIFA’s demand doesn’t make sense because the most important thing is that alcoholic advertisement is freely available,” said Senator Humberto Costa.
“To liberalize the use of alcohol, imagining that 10,000 or 20,000 beers sold in a match would change a company’s economic situation is absurd,” he said.
Another sticking point in the passage of the World Cup bill has been over cut-price tickets.
In Brazil students and pensioners are entitled to half-price entry to sports matches, but FIFA did not want this extended to the World Cup because of the potential impact on revenues.
It has pledged to set aside 300,000 tickets for students, pensioners and minority groups instead.
Amid the disagreements, the law’s approval was delayed, leading FIFA’s secretary-general Jerome Valcke to say that Brazil needed a “kick up the backside”.
Brazil’s lower house passed the bill in March and at a meeting in Zurich this week Brazil and FIFA appeared to smooth over their differences.
Maria de Nazare from Brazil has given birth to a baby with two heads, as she had initially expected twins.
Maria de Nazare, 25, gave birth by caesarean at a hospital in Anajas, in Brazil’s northern Para state, with her newborn weighing 9.9 lbs.
In a tribute to the religious celebrations at Christmas, Maria de Nazare has decided to call the pair Emanoel and Jesus.
Following the birth of her baby, Maria de Nazare admitted that she had been told she was set to welcome twins.
In a tribute to the religious celebrations at Christmas, Maria de Nazare has decided to call her two-heads baby Emanoel and Jesus
But following a number of tests, doctors have revealed that the baby has two brains and two spines but shares one heart, lungs, liver and pelvis.
The hospital’s director, Claudionor Assis de Vasconcelos, told Brazil’s O Povo newspaper that the woman decided to travel to the hospital because she was feeling strong abdominal pains.
The mother, who lives in a rural area of the state, had no ultra-sound scans during her pregnancy and only found out about the abnormality minutes before the baby was born at 1:00 a.m. on Monday morning.
Claudionor Assis de Vasconcelos said: “When doctors scanned her they realized that the baby had two heads and that a normal birth would be a great risk both for mother and baby. The caesarean took an hour because the baby was sitting down.
“Despite all the problems we have as a small interior hospital we managed to save both mother and baby, which was our aim. And for us it was a great surprise to find out that the child was in really good health.”
Neila Dahas, director of the Santa Casa hospital said: “If both their brains are functioning, how are we going to choose which head to remove?
“We are not considering the possibility of surgery. What we’ve got to think about at this moment is to maintain the children in good condition and see how they will develop.”
Claudionor Assis de Vasconcelos added that at no point did the mother, who has three other children, appear distraught that her son has two heads.
He said: “On the contrary, the baby was received with much happiness by the family.
“The mother fed both mouths and the baby stayed with her in her room the whole time. Her desire was to take her baby straight home.”
The mother and baby were taken by air ambulance yesterday afternoon to a specialist hospital in the state capital, Belem, to carry out further tests. They are expected to be allowed home later this week.
Remarkably, this is the second time a two-headed baby has been born in Brazil this year. Sueli Ferreira, 27, gave birth to a two-headed baby in Paraiba State, but it died a few hours later because of lack of oxygen to one of the child’s heads.
Prev12Page 2 of 2
