Dozens of Companies Investigated in Brazil’s Latest Corruption Scandal
In an article published on Saturday, the Brazilian daily O Estado de S. Paulo released the names of 29 of the 70 companies under investigation for bribery in Brazil’s latest corruption scandal. The companies being investigated by Brazil’s Federal Public Ministry include large banks such as Santander, as well some of Brazil’s largest public and … Read more
Brazilian Economy Projected to Suffer Worst Contraction in 25 Years
Brazil’s economy is expected to contract by 0.83 percent this year and inflation to climb to 8.12 percent, according to the Brazilian Central Bank’s weekly survey of financial experts, which was released yesterday. The growth forecast for 2016 was also lowered from 1.3 percent last week to 1.2 percent this week. According to Bruno Rovai, … Read more
Brazil’s March Madness
March has been a tough month for the Brazilian government. In the past few weeks, millions of people have taken to the streets to protest against President Dilma Rousseff and demand her impeachment, the country’s local currency devalued to its lowest exchange rate in 12 years and state oil giant Petrobras continued to be engulfed … Read more
Brooklyn Brewery Taps Into Brazil’s Craft Beer Market
Brazil’s annual Carnaval had a new entrant this year: Brooklyn Brewery. Days before the February festivities, Brooklyn Lager was the best-selling beer amid a selection of Brazilian and international craft beers at B33R CLUB in the southern capital of Curitiba. In one day, the specialty shop sold three boxes (72 bottles) of Brooklyn Lager to … Read more
Monday Memo: Venezuela Enabling Law—U.S.-Cuba Talks—Mass Protests in Brazil—Hydroelectric Projects in Bolivia—Public Wi-Fi in Cuba
This week’s likely top stories: Opposition alarmed by President Maduro’s power of decree; U.S. and Cuba continue talks; Brazilian citizens protest corruption; Bolivia and Brazil to sign energy agreement; Cuba allows first public wi-fi center. President Maduro Given Power to Rule by Decree: Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was given the power to rule by decree … Read more
Femicide Law in Brazil Aims to Curb Gender-Based Violence
Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff signed a new law on Monday that sets harsher penalties for gender-based killings of women and girls. The new legislation gives a legal definition for femicide under Brazil’s criminal code as any murder that involves domestic violence, contempt or discrimination against women. Convicted offenders will now face jail sentences of 12 to 30 years, with even longer … Read more
Brazil, Ecuador, and the Inter-American Human Rights System
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), the independent human rights body of the Organization of American States (OAS), experienced a period of intense political turmoil from 2011 to 2013. Criticism of the Commission by members of the OAS—most notably Ecuador, Nicaragua and Venezuela—was echoed by Colombia, Peru and others in their vocal disapproval of … Read more
Monday Memo: U.S.-Cuba Talks — Colombia Peace Talks — Latin American Currencies — New Uruguayan President — Peruvian Ecotourism
This week’s likely top stories:U.S.-Cuba talks promising; New delegation for FARC peace talks; Dollar strengthens against Latin American currencies; Tabaré Vázquez takes office; Peruvian businesses to learn from Costa Rican ecotourism. U.S.-Cuba Normalization Talks Promising: After two rounds of talks—one in Havana last month and the second in Washington DC on Friday—the U.S. and Cuba … Read more
Dictator Gives Millions to Rio Carnival Winner
Thousands of performers and eight elaborate floats from the Beija-Flor samba school paraded through Rio de Janeiro’s Sambadrome arena last Monday. The 80-minute spectacle, meant to take spectators on a tour of the African country of Equatorial Guinea, was chosen as this year’s winner after receiving a nearly perfect score in every category from the … Read more
UNASUR and CAF Announce Plans for Latin American Fiber Optic Cable
The Unión de Naciones Suramericanas (The Union of South American Nations—UNASUR) and the Banco de Desarrollo de América Latina (Latin American Development Bank—CAF) announced plans on Tuesday to develop the first fiber optic cable exclusively financed by Latin American institutions. The creation of the proposed Red de Conectividad Suramericana para la Integración (South American Connectivity … Read more
Brazilian Authorities Question Workers’ Party Treasurer in Petrobras Scandal
On Thursday morning, Brazilian police questioned the treasurer of Brazil’s governing Partido dos Trabalhadores (Workers’ Party—PT), João Vaccari Neto, in connection with the deepening corruption scandal that has engulfed the state-run oil company Petroleos Brasileiros SA (Brazilian Petroleum SA—Petrobras). Vaccari’s questioning came just a day after the oil giant’s chief executive, Maria das Graças Foster, … Read more
Harsher Prison Sentences Don’t Curb Crime
By most statistical measures, Latin America’s mano dura (iron fist) approach to crime has failed. The tough sentencing policies and draconian prison regimes adopted by most countries in recent decades have had almost no evident impact on crime rates. Even as prison populations in the region have skyrocketed, soaring homicide rates have made Latin America … Read more
Brazil’s Global Ambitions
When President Dilma Rousseff first took office in 2010, Brazil’s future looked exceptionally bright. For nearly a decade, the country had benefited from Asia’s enormous appetite for its commodities. This allowed Brazil to reduce poverty and expand the middle class while at the same time sustaining a remarkable growth rate, becoming the seventh largest economy … Read more
Dispatches: Amazonas, Brazil
A lot of people would like to know how Ivan Tenharim died. On the afternoon of December 2, 2013, a relative found the chief of the Tenharim people in Brazil’s Amazonas state lying unconscious near his undamaged motorcycle on a long, uninhabited stretch of the Trans-Amazonian Highway. His neck was broken, and blood was trickling … Read more
Business Innovator: Amazon Beer Cervejaria
The high wall that separates Amazon Beer’s brewery and bottling plant from the teeming jungle hardly holds back the snakes, monkeys and giant hairy spiders. But invasive animals are only one of the challenges faced by Arlindo Guimarães and his son Caio in developing the only craft brewery in the Amazon. “A lot of people … Read more
