For The Rio Times
Federal Police said Friday they had arrested six people in Brasília and São Paulo for alleged involvement in a corruption ring, in yet another case to veer uncomfortably close to former President Lula. In total, eighteen people – including Lula’s former assistant – are under investigation for influence peddling, bribery, conspiracy and forgery in connection with the scheme, which allegedly saw government approvals given to businesses in return for bribes.
Read more here.
For The Independent
A Brazilian football star has gone on trial for orchestrating what prosecutors claim is the gruesome murder of the mother of his child.
It is alleged the former Flamengo goalkeeper Bruno Fernandes lured Eliza Samudio to a ranch where his accomplices beat and killed her, before feeding her remains to his dogs.
Read more here.
For The Rio Times
As the conflict between Israel and Palestine continued to escalate this weekend, Brazil condemned the bloodshed, expressing deep regret for both parties’ loss of life on behalf of Mercosur. A statement released by Brazil’s foreign ministry, Itamaraty, noted that the heads of Mercosur were concerned by a “disproportionate use of force,” likely in reference to the comparative destructive power of Israel’s airstrikes and its well-funded military, and Hamas rockets.
Read more here.
For The Rio Times
Scientists in Brasília have come up with a groundbreaking way to ensure the survival of endangered species: cloning them. Scientists working on the project, which is a partnership between government agricultural research agency EMBRAPA and Brasília Zoological Garden, have already successfully cloned cows and horses.
Read more here.
For The Rio Times
The Minister of Justice in Brazil, José Eduardo Cardozo, reportedly told businessmen in São Paulo that he would “rather die” than spend time in the Brazilian penitentiary system. “From the bottom of my heart, if I were given many years in some of our prisons, I would rather die,” said the minister, calling conditions in Brazilian prisons as “mediaeval.”
Read more here.
For The Rio Times
In the bloodiest weekend yet of the violent crime wave gripping São Paulo, 31 people lost their lives between Friday evening and Sunday afternoon. Experts are calling the surge of violence part of an escalating war between police and the First Capital Command (Primeiro Comando da Capital, PCC), a notorious gang involved in drug trafficking and organized crime.
Read more here.