Brazil

Brazil: Blackout Hits Rio, Again

Date: November 25th, 2009 |

Two weeks to the day after a massive blackout left 60 million people without power, a similar outage hit Rio de Janeiro’s main tourist areas of Copacabana, Ipanema and Lagoa Nov. 24, raising further concerns about the city’s ability to host the 2016 Olympics. The blackout two weeks earlier was caused by short circuits in [read more]

Brazil: Floodwaters in Northeast to Take Weeks to Recede

Date: May 20th, 2009 |

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Some of the worst flooding in decades has swamped the tropical northeast and driven a quarter of a million people from their homes, mostly in Piaui and Maranhao states. Authorities expect it will take a few more weeks for the floodwaters to recede because of continuing rains. Large areas of the states remain [read more]

Brazil: Armed Robbers Take Over Hostel, Rob Tourists

Date: March 18th, 2009 |

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A band of seven armed men took over a hostel on Ferradura Beach in Buzios March 16, holding 30 Argentine tourists hostage for three hours and relieving them of cash and valuables. The attack was similar to two incidents that took place in Rio de Janeiro just before Carnival. Police in Buzios believe the gang [read more]

Brazil and Bolivia: Carnival Celebrations Bring Out Fun, Potential Injury

Date: February 19th, 2009 |

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Carnival will bring congestion and the “best party on earth” to Rio de Janeiro Feb. 21-24, but officials expect far fewer foreigners to come this year because of the economic downturn. Those who come will be welcomed, but they also need to take precautions to avoid being pickpocketed. Petty crime increases significantly during carnival. In [read more]

Brazil: Government to Require Special Permits to Visit the Amazon

Date: May 1st, 2008 |

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The government intends to send Congress a bill within months that will require all foreign visitors to the Brazilian Amazon to obtain a permit to be there or face a whopping fine of 100,000 reals ($60,000). The bill will apply to all foreigners, whether tourists, businesspeople or employees of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). Conservative politicians are [read more]

Brazil: Italian Arrested for Kissing His Daughter

Date: September 9th, 2009 |

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An Italian tourist married to a Brazilian woman ran afoul of a new law to prevent child sex abuse when witnesses reported him to police for kissing his eight-year-old daughter on a public beach in Fortaleza. The family was vacationing in Brazil and due to return to Italy but the father was detained pending further [read more]

Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil: Dengue Fever Epidemic Plagues Three Countries

Date: April 15th, 2009 |

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Argentina’s health minister acknowledged that the country is in the middle of a dengue fever epidemic after denying that the outbreak was so severe. Nearly 8,000 people are officially infected, with the northern province of Chaco having almost half the reported cases. Officials said Argentina’s epidemic is linked to the epidemic in neighboring Bolivia, where [read more]

Brazil: Gangs Take over Two Rio Hotels, Rob Guests

Date: February 26th, 2009 |

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Preying on the flood of tourists in town for Carnival, criminal gangs in Rio de Janeiro took over two hotels in less than 24 hours and robbed all the guests at gunpoint. In the first incident, four armed men robbed 13 tourists in a budget hotel in the popular Copacabana neighborhood. In the second, robbers [read more]

Brazil: Airport Workers’ Strike Causes Delays across Country

Date: July 30th, 2008 |

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Thousands of members of the National Airport Workers Union launched an indefinite strike July 30 after talks with management over a wage increase failed. The strike involves thousands of workers and will create significant delays at airports in Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Fortaleza, Manaus and other cities. Should the strike continue for days or [read more]

Brazil: Dengue Fever Crisis in Rio de Janeiro

Date: March 26th, 2008 |

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Some 33,000 people have contracted dengue fever and 48 have died in Rio de Janeiro state this year in what appears to be an epidemic of the disease. Already more people have died this year than in all of 2002, the last year Rio had a dengue epidemic, and the vast majority have been in [read more]

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