Brazil

Brazil dam collapse toll rises to 84, mining firm's output to be hit

30 Jan 2019; AFP: The death toll from the collapse of a Brazilian dam rose to 84 on Tuesday as mining giant Vale announced that moves to dismantle similar structures would hit production.

Brazilian authorities are stepping up their probe of Vale, with five engineers involved in the operating licenses and the last inspection of the dam arrested on prosecutors' orders in the state of Minas Gerais, where the disaster occurred Friday at one of the firm's mines.

Death toll in Brazil's mining dam collapse rises to 50

MOSCOW, January 26. /TASS/ At least 50 people died after a mining dam burst in the south-east of Brazil, Brazilian media reported on Saturday.

Earlier reports said seven people died in the disaster, and around 200 remain missing.

A dam collapsed at an iron-ore mine in Brumandinho in the Minas Gerais state.

At least 7 dead, 150 missing in Brazil dam collapse disaster

Brumadinho (Brazil), Jan 26 (AFP) A collapse of a disused dam at an iron-ore mine complex in southeast Brazil killed at least seven people and left 150 missing, officials said, as they sought to evaluate the full scope of the disaster.

The tailings dam, owned by Brazilian mining giant Vale, broke apart "very violently, very suddenly", sending a massive torrent of mud over the complex where 300 mine employees were working, Vale CEO Fabio Schvartsman told a news conference in Rio de Janeiro.

Brazil to send trade missions to Asia, Europe

RIO DE JANEIRO, Jan. 22 (Xinhua) -- Brazil will send trade missions to Asia and Europe in a bid to expand its agricultural exports, Agriculture Minister Tereza Cristina said on Tuesday.

Speaking to Brazil's G1 news website, Cristina said she would personally lead the delegations to open new markets and negotiate with Asian and European countries.

Brazil's president signs decree to relax gun control

BRASILIA, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) -- Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro signed a decree on Tuesday that makes it easier for people to own, register and sell guns in the South American country.

The major move since Bolsonaro took office on Jan. 1 honored one of his main campaign promises.

"As the people sovereignly decided, to safeguard the right of self-defense, today I am going to use this weapon," Bolsonaro said, holding up his pen before signing the document.

Bolsonaro sworn in as Brazil's president, calls for rebuilding Brazil

BRASILIA, Jan. 1 (Xinhua) -- Army captain-turned-politician Jair Bolsonaro was sworn in as Brazil's president on Tuesday amid heightened security.

Bolsonaro, 63, took the oath of office at 3:10 p.m. local time at a ceremony held at the National Congress building in the capital Brasilia.

Brazil's incoming president to ease gun laws after taking office

RIO DE JANEIRO, Dec. 29 (Xinhua) -- Brazil's President-elect Jair Bolsonaro on Saturday said he will issue a decree to loosen gun laws to enable Brazilians to protect themselves from violence.

Making it easier for Brazilians to arm themselves against crime was one of his main campaign promises.

"By decree, we aim to guarantee the possession of firearms for citizens without criminal record," Bolsonaro, who takes office on Jan.1, tweeted on Saturday.

Brazil's Bolsonaro hesitates over proposed Jerusalem embassy move

7 Nov 2018; AFP: Brazil's president-elect Jair Bolsonaro suggested Tuesday he was prepared to make a swift U-turn over controversial plans to move the country's Israel embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

Last week, Bolsonaro reiterated a campaign pledge to follow the lead of US President Donald Trump by switching the embassy from Israel's economic and technological hub to its capital.

But on Tuesday, he reeled in his plans claiming "it hasn't yet been decided."

Far-right candidate Wins Brazil's Presidential Elections

Brasilia : Far-right politician Jair Bolsonaro has won the Brazilian presidential elections with over 55 percent of the vote beating leftist Fernando Haddad who scored 44.3 percent in the country's most polarized elections in decades.

According to the latest polls, support for Bolsonaro grew by six million votes, however, his opponent won an additional 13 million since the first-round elections earlier this month.

Some 21.17 percent of Brazilian abstained from the elections while another 7.43 percent of the ballots were marked null.

Subscribe to Brazil