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Swine flu has hit an isolated tribe of Indians in the Amazon jungle, with seven dying in the last two weeks, Survival International said on Wednesday. A further 1,000 members of the Yanomami tribe in Venezuela are believed to have caught the flu, the indigenous peoples rights group said. It is feared the flu could sweep through the area and kill many more Yanomami as the Indians have little resistance to introduced diseases. About 32,000 Yanomami live in the Venezuela-Brazil border region and form the largest relatively isolated tribe in the Amazon. Survival director Stephen Corry said the situation was...

When Islamists made their roots south of the border... Venezuela's dictator: H. Chavez that "sees" only money, oil and Anti-Americanism-Power, does "serve" the Islamic Iranian Republic well, giving out passports to anyone. From that "port" it is quite easy for an Islamic Iranian AGENT to arrive into any other Latin American country as a... "Venezuelan". A "random" different case (of a Muslim trying to "blend" into Latin America), a year ago, a Jordanian Arab that "met" a Costa Rican (Tica) girl in Spain (she vouched for him in CR, asw this man came from the area in Jordan where a...

Educational slavery for four-year-old children Trojan horse in the Brazilian Congress alters Constitution to establish compulsory institutionalization of young children By Julio SeveroCongressional measure PEC 96A/03, which increases the education budget, was approved 28 October 2009 in the Brazilian Senate. The vote had the participation of 52 senators, who unanimously approved the budget increase — an increase that will cause more sacrifices from the pocket of the Brazilian taxpayer.Yet, it is not just in their pockets that Brazilians will be hit. PEC (which means Proposta de Emenda à Constituição [Constitutional Amendment Proposal]) makes, according to the liberal newspaper Folha de...

SNIPPET: "Lula and Chavez have established a "strategic relationship," and recently agreed upon a joint Brazilian-Venezuelan oil venture worth billions of dollars. Lula and Chavez have joined with Daniel Ortega, the returned Nicaraguan Marxist dictator, to form an anti-U.S. Latin American military alliance - all with Russian assistance - funded by the region's abundant oil reserves. Brazil is engaged in its own arms build-up and Lula is determined that Brazil will become at least a first-rate regional power. Unfortunately, Lula is establishing Brazil as an anti-American military power by aligning with nations hostile or potentially hostile to the U.S. Lula...

Curitiba, PR, Brazil - A man robbed a woman on the street and, after punched her, escaped on his motorcycle. The Mercedes' driver witnessed the crime and chased the biker for some kilometers. When had the chance, he slammed his car into the biker, crushing him against a wall. Video: http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=73d_1256171735 And not a scratch or dent on the Mercedes!

Super Hornet favourite in Indian and Brazilian tenders By Reuben F Johnson The Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet is well placed to fulfil both the Indian and Brazilian fighter requirements, the company and its industry partners said on 28 October. Boeing and its Team Super Hornet partners – Raytheon and General Electric (GE) – presented a broad-ranging review of the F/A-18E/F's position in both the Indian Air Force's (IAF's) Medium-Multirole Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) programme for 163 aircraft plus 63 options and the Brazilian Air Force's F-X2 tender for the first 36 of what is projected to be a total of 120...

A German man reportedly dumped by a Brazilian woman he met on the Internet camped out in an airport for 13 days before being taken Thursday to a hospital for a psychological evaluation. The man, identified by authorities as Heinz Muller, was out of money and wouldn't say when he planned to leave, according to airport workers, some of whom brought him meals from the food court. The 46-year-old former pilot spent his time wandering the airport in Campinas, an industrial city about an hour's drive from Sao Paulo, and using his laptop perched on a luggage cart. Occasionally he...

Recent events in Honduras demonstrate, clearer than any other problematic political situation in Latin America, the moral fickleness of the so called international community and the media. For that country’s independent and sovereign institutions, read the Supreme Court, the Attorney General’s Office and Congress, ruled, unanimously in the case of Congress, in favor of removing Manuel Zelaya from power, owing to his violations to Honduras constitution. This crucial fact notwithstanding, we have seen universal condemnation of the new administration of Honduras. It comes relentless from all quarters, from all locations, from across parties, it is an issue that has exemplified,...

SA could benefit if Brazil chooses Gripen over French fighter By: Keith Campbell 16th October 2009 Should Swedish aircraft manufacturer Saab win the current Brazilian FX-2 contest for a new fighter with its Gripen NG, a docu- ment leaked to media in Brazil indicates, part of the aircraft would be made in South Africa. The document, obtained by the defence news website, Defesa@Net, shows that Saab is propos- ing that part of the airframe for Brazilian Gripens be built in South Africa. The Swedish company is also proposing the use of some South African mission equipment and weapons systems. Saab...

Brazilian brigadier bashes US defense export policies on YouTube By Stephen Trimble on October 8, 2009 9:07 PM | A video has surfaced on YouTube showing a senior Brazilian officer expressing deep frustrations with the US government's technology transfer policies for military equipment. Complaints about the US government's technology transfer policies are widespread globally, but this video is remarkable for citing examples in such specific detail, including showing photocopies of US government denial letters. The two-day-old clip is attributed to a lecture presented last December by Brigadier Engineer Venancio Alvarenga Gomes, the director of projects for Brazil's command-general for aerospace...

Yesterday, Paul-Emic, a conservative French Blogger (Politique, émois et moi) alerted our readers on the below Journal du Dimanche (JDD) articles that were causing quite an stir from Paris to Rio. I have attempted to translate from French to English each of the articles. Please remember Pilots are called “Drivers” in the translation. I have also included a You Tube video for a F14 “Flat Spin” to illustrate a “Flat Spin”. I seriously doubt the FO as well as most pilots would have been able to pull out of a flat spin. The best way to get out of a...

Rio de Janeiro will host the 2016 Olympics after the Brazilian city won a landslide victory over Madrid in the final round of voting on Friday. -snip- Chicago went out after polling just 18 votes in the first round, despite the eloquent speeches on their behalf made by Obama, the first sitting U.S. president to address an IOC session, and first lady Michelle Obama.

While his trip is certainly within the province of presidential duty, it begs the question, why did he do it? As the Brazilians celebrate, he looks foolish, not to mention weak to the world. If the president had been able to peddle his influence and bring the games to Illinois, he would have looked effective now, and not coincidentally, effective at the end of his second term (provided he wins one) when the games would take place.-- Talk about historic grandeur and a sure way to memorialize one’s legacy!

Who holds the most votes, as a block, in the IOC and what is the politics of their current governments? Why Brazil and why at this time? Was it a vote to reward Brazil's leaders for their attempt to put a Marxist thug back in power in Honduras?

SAO PAULO (AP) -- Brazil says unemployment has decreased for the third month in a row, showing that Latin America's biggest economy is recovering from the global crisis. The government's statistics agency says the jobless rate decreased to 8.1 percent in June from 8.8 percent in the previous month, the third consecutive reduction since it reached 9 percent in March. There was no change compared to June last year. The economy has been rebounding in part because of tax breaks in the automobile, construction and home appliance sectors, increased government spending and easier access to credit for small businesses. snip...

FOR MY FREEPER FRIENDS - A LITTLE CHICAGO MUSIC & BLUES MRS. OBAMA: I was born and raised on Chicago’s South Side, not far from where the Games would open and close. Ours was a neighborhood of working families — families with modest homes and strong values. Sports were what brought our community together. They strengthen our ties to one another. Growing up, when I played games with the kids in my neighborhood, we picked sides based not on who you were, but what you could bring to the game. Sports taught me self-confidence, teamwork, and how to compete as...

As part of the city's bid to host the 2016 Olympics, a promotional video showcases what Rio has to offer. Olympic delegates are meeting in Denmark to decide between Chicago, Madrid, Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo as the 2016 host.

For the past three months most of the world has marched in lock-step behind Manuel Zelaya's demand to be reinstated as the president of Honduras. Last week Zelaya returned surreptitiously to Tegucigalpa, where he is now using the Brazilian embassy as a base for rallying his supporters at home and abroad. The Honduran government has ruled that this must stop, and now, for the first time, serious domestic unrest is a real possibility.

Something smells fishy. First the Obama administration announces $2 billion of financial support for Brazil’s offshore drilling efforts. And a month later Brazil spirits legally deposed Honduran President Manuel Zelaya back into the country, granting him sanctuary in its embassy. Are these two stories related? First from the Wall Street Journal, August 18, headlined Obama Underwrites Offshore Drilling: The U.S. is going to lend billions of dollars to Brazil's state-owned oil company, Petrobras, to finance exploration of the huge offshore discovery.... And from Reuters yesterday, headlined Lula faces criticism in Brazil over Honduras role: BRASILIA, Sept 29 (Reuters) - Brazil's...

BRASILIA - Brazil's government is facing growing criticism at home over its handling of the Honduran crisis as senior lawmakers accuse it of allowing the ousted president to use its embassy as a political platform...Government and opposition legislators in Brazil's Congress have urged President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva to stop Zelaya from using the embassy as a political theater. "Zelaya's political activities are unacceptable. They weaken Brazil's position and international image," Eduardo Azeredo, head of the Senate foreign relations committee, told Reuters.... Amorim said Brazil had not acted irresponsibly. The Lula government received Zelaya's request for refuge only 30...

The U.S. demand that Mr. Zelaya be returned to power before a vote is destructive. At a luncheon reception for Brazilian President Lula da Silva earlier this year, a Brazilian official explained to me that the reason Brazil does not raise its voice for human rights in the dictatorship of Cuba is that it does not wish to intervene in the island's domestic affairs. Apparently the policy of nonintervention does not apply to democratic Honduras. -- The Obama administration's position on the Honduran election is embarrassing. Can anyone imagine that if Fidel Castro declared tomorrow that he would hold free...

"Brazil will not comply with an ultimatum from a government of coup mongers," Lula told reporters at a summit in Venezuela, adding that international law ensures the sovereignty of its embassy in Tegucigalpa. ---- Brazil had said Zelaya can stay as long as necessary, but the ultimatum presses Brazil to decide whether to give the deposed leader political asylum or send him out of the embassy to be detained by Honduran authorities.

Honduras' de facto government gives Brazil 10 days to decide his status Honduras says embassy being used "to instigate violence and insurrection" President Jose Manuel Zelaya was ousted in military-backed coup in June TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras (CNN) -- Honduras is accusing Brazil's government of instigating an insurrection within its borders, and gave the Brazilian Embassy 10 days to decide the status of ousted Honduran President Jose Manuel Zelaya, who has taken refuge there. --- "No country is able to tolerate that a foreign embassy is used as a command base to generate violence and break tranquility like Mr. Zelaya has been...

It is fascinating how so many government cannot abide the idea of constitutional limits on the power of the state. Clearly the US and Brazilian governments are beside themselves that many in Honduras seem unwilling to allow their country to go the way of Venezuela. If I was the government of Honduras I would simply give the government of Brazil 48 hours to get their embassy the hell out of Honduras permanently, and when they do... solve the 'issue' of Hugo Chavez wannabe Jose Manuel Zelaya the way they should have initially... with a 9 mm wide object moving at...

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras – Honduras' interim government on Sunday expelled personnel from the Organization of American States looking to set up a mediation effort and gave Brazil a 10-day ultimatum to decide what to do with ousted President Manuel Zelaya, who is holed up in the Brazilian Embassy. OAS Special Adviser John Biehl told reporters in the capital, Tegucigalpa, that he and four other members of an advance team — including two Americans, a Canadian and a Colombian — were stopped by authorities after landing at Tegucigalpa's airport Sunday. Biehl, who is Chilean, said he was later told he could stay,...

The leaders of Libya and Venezuela have called on Africa and South America to create a new alliance to counter Western dominance. They were speaking at the second South America-Africa (ASA) summit held in the Venezuelan island of Margarita, attended by nearly 30 leaders. Venezuela's Hugo Chavez called on the two continents to unite to secure prosperity for future generations. Libya's Muammar Gaddafi said he was in favour of a military-style pact. The summit agenda covers hunger in Africa, the global economic crisis, energy, and the creation of a joint investment fund between Africa and South America. The leaders agreed...

Zelaya seeks to install parallel government in Honduras The deposed President Manuel Zelaya arrived Monday morning at the Embassy of Brazil, where he is a refugee with followers. 26.09.09 - Updated: 26.09.09 08:56 pm - Writing: redaccion@elheraldo.hn Tegucigalpa. , Honduras . The ousted president Manuel Zelaya Rosales proposes to install a parallel government in Honduras with the support of some countries, especially those serving the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas (ALBA). This version is known in different political and governmental sectors of the country, El Heraldo said political analyst Raul Pineda Alvarado, who also added that the parallel government will...

Ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya, who has taken refuge in Brazil's Embassy in Tegucigalpa, has accused the interim government of using toxic gas to poison those inside the embassy. A doctor was seen treating people at the embassy Friday. Mr. Zelaya charged that gas caused breathing difficulties and bleeding. The caretaker government of Roberto Micheletti denied sending toxic gas into the embassy.

"It was a deceit operation" H. Chavez: Former military coupist once again acknowledged his interference in matters of Honduras to ensure that he helped Zelaya to enter the country covertly. 24.09.09 - Updated: 24.09.09 11:40 pm - Writing: redaccion@elheraldo.hn Tegucigalpa, Honduras . Venezuela's President Hugo Chávez, "orchestrated" the return to Honduras of Manuel Zelaya Rosales clandestinely. He was who provided all the logistics that would enter the capital city and then take refuge in the Brazilian embassy. Brazilian government officials have accused Chavez of being the mastermind of the plan, according to public on the front page the newspaper O...

BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) - Brazil's vice president says his country should develop nuclear weapons. Jose Alencar says "a nuclear weapon has great importance" to prevent attacks on Brazil because of its extensive borders and maritime holdings. Alencar tells Brazilian newspapers that Brazil doesn't have a program to develop nuclear weapons, but should.

(English-language translation) Sao Paulo - High-level officials with the Brazilian government are accusing Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez of "orchestrating" the plan for the return of deposed Honduran leader Manuel Zelaya, who is sheltered at the Brazilian Embassy, the local press reports. Advisors to Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and the Foreign Ministry interviewed by Sao Paulo newspaper O Estado pointed out that the "infrastructure, the logistics, and the advice to specifically seek the Brazilian Embassy" for Zelaya's clandestine return were prepared by Chávez. Zelaya's unexpected bursting into Brazil's diplomatic legation has caused an unprecedented and hard-to-resolve conflict, since...

Brazil Demands Zelaya Be Restored, as the Ousted President, Holed Up in Embassy, Declines Direct Talks With GovernmentTEGUCIGALPA, Honduras -- Ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya hunkered down in the Brazilian Embassy here on Wednesday for what could be a long standoff with the interim government, while roving bands of his supporters set up roadblocks around the capital, smashed windows, and engaged in sporadic battles with police and army troops. The interim government, which forced Mr. Zelaya into exile on June 28, briefly lifted a curfew that had been in place since shortly after he resurfaced Monday, having sneaked into the...

(English-language translation) How future events develop in Honduras rests on Roberto Micheletti's and Manuel Zelaya's prudence and sense, and their first task is to ensure that the deposed President's surprise return does not become the reason for any type of violence, as several governments, the Organization of American States (OAS), and the European Union have unanimously requested. However, there is the possibility that things get out of control. Therefore, Brazilian President Lula asked Zelaya yesterday not to take actions that may provide a pretext for government forces to intervene, and not to put the Brazilian Embassy installations in harm's way....

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras — Although only a couple of miles from each other, the two men who claim to be the president of Honduras passed another day without meeting on Wednesday as residents of this capital city used a break in a curfew to store up supplies and hunker down for what could be an extended political standoff. “We need to sit down face to face,” Manuel Zelaya, the deposed leader, said in a telephone interview from the Brazilian Embassy, where he has been holed up since slipping back into the country from exile on Monday. He complained of harassment of...

BRASILIA - Brazil may not have invited ousted Honduran president Manuel Zelaya to take refuge in its embassy there, but opening its door to him is a high-risk bet that could harm its regional leadership ambitions. President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's decision to grant Zelaya refuge at short notice at its embassy in Tegucigalpa has thrust Brazil to the center of the crisis, giving it a chance to take a high-profile role in efforts to end the stand-off. The risk, though, is that Brazil gets drawn into a messy power dispute in the Central American nation that is far...

<p>TEGUCIGALPA (AP) — The de facto government of Honduras extended the curfew until Wednesday at 6:00 AM after dispersing with gas and nightsticks hundreds of supporters of deposed President Manuel Zelaya, who remains at the Brazilian Embassy.</p> <p>A defiant Zelaya stated from the diplomatic compound that, for him, the motto is "restitution or death, which is an allegorical phrase that has been used since the French Revolution....we are ready for anything: for risk, for sacrifice."</p>

In the local news program "Hoy Mismo" aired at channel 3, has been read a letter from the US embassy in Tegucigalpa asking the Brazilian embassy to hand Zelaya to them for "more protection".

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Brazil said on Tuesday it is requesting an urgent meeting of the United Nations Security Council to address the crisis in Honduras in the wake of ousted President Manuel Zelaya's return to the country. In a letter to the members of the council, Brazil said it is concerned "with the safety of President Zelaya and with the security and the physical integrity of the (Brazilian) embassy premises and personnel." The letter was signed by Brazil's U.N. ambassador, Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti. Zelaya, who was ousted in a coup in June, sought refuge at the Brazilian embassy...

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras (CNN) -- Honduran authorities maintained a security cordon around the Brazilian Embassy in the Honduran capital Tuesday after forcefully dispersing supporters of ousted President Jose Manuel Zelaya, who remained holed up inside the embassy. Police and soldiers blocked off streets throughout the capital to enforce a nationwide curfew in effect until Tuesday evening, CNN en Español reported. All flights in and out of the country were canceled Tuesday, after all four of Honduras's international airports were also closed. The measures were the de facto Honduran government's reaction to Zelaya's surprise return Monday. The government of interim President Roberto...

(English-language translation) TEGUCIGALPA - The de facto government decreed a 15-hour curfew in Honduras beginning Monday at 4:00 PM. "Due to events occurring during the last hours, it has been resolved to establish a curfew throughout the entire national territory beginning at 4:00 PM on Monday until 7:00 PM on Tuesday (2200-1300 GMT)", the government said in a statement released on radio and television. "We ask citizens for their understanding, their patience, and collaboration with this measure which is being taken with the sole purpose of protecting tranquility, life, and people's goods," it added. Deposed President Manuel Zelaya arrived unexpectedly...

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, it is always an honor to meet with President Arias and exchange views on a lot of the issues that not only affect our hemisphere but, indeed, the entire world, because he is a global leader (inaudible) respected across the planet. Today, of course, we talked about Honduras and the return of President Zelaya. Certainly, the United States supports the San Jose Accords that President Arias negotiated, but it’s imperative that dialogue begin, that there be a channel of communication between President Zelaya and the de facto regime in Honduras. And it’s also imperative that the return...

The Brazilian delegation in Honduras confirmed to AFP that Zelaya is on the premises of its embassy in this country. Followers. "I make an appeal to the crowd to join you at the Embassy of Brazil and President Zelaya found there," said Enrique Flores Lanza, an official of the ousted president. buscar

The holiday review website Zoover has released a list of the world's most dangerous destinations with the harbor city of Durban at the top. The South African city of Durban is first on the list for being notorious for lack of personal safety. Durban is followed by Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, which is known for its criminal activity and corruption. "At first glance it appears to be a beautiful city but in reality it's polluted and we were robbed at gunpoint of our money, sunglasses and sports shoes in the Ipanema suburb," said traveler Jeroen van den Bos. The...

Castel Gandolfo, Italy, Sep 17, 2009 / 10:27 am (CNA).- In an audience this morning with bishops visiting from Brazil, Pope Benedict XVI advised them on how to respond to the lack of priests, emphasizing that the shortage cannot be solved by having lay people substitute for the clergy.The Holy Father began his address to the Brazilian prelates by pointing out the difference between the identity of priests and the laity. While the lay faithful share in the "common priesthood," they are not ordained ministers of Christ and His Church. "Hence," the Pope cautioned, "it is important to avoid...

Just days after posting this item about Brazil's most popular priest, I found this little nugget, which shows just what the Church is up against down there. Want to know what's luring a new generation of Brazilians away from the Church? Evangelical churches offering, among other things, fight nights and tattoo parlors. From the New York Times: The atmosphere was electric at Reborn in Christ Church on “Extreme Fight� night. Churchgoers dressed in jeans and sneakers, many with ball caps turned backward, lined a makeshift boxing ring to cheer on bare-chested jujitsu fighters. They screamed when a fan favorite, Fábio...

Closer political ties raise prospects for renewed alliance between Dassault and Embraer By Stephen Trimble Growing political ties between Brazil and France may possibly lead to the rebirth of an even more powerful Dassault/Embraer alliance stretching beyond even their common interests in business jets and combat aircraft. A joint communiqué issued by presidents Nicolas Sarkozy of France and Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of Brazil commit their governments to pursing closer links in the aerospace industry. Brazil initially appeared to agree to buy 36 Dassault Rafale F3s for the FX-2 contract, but the country's defence minister later clarified that negotiations...

U.S. to transfer fighter jet technology to Brazil for purchase deal www.chinaview.cn 2009-09-10 10:51:56 P RIO DE JANEIRO, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. administration has agreed to transfer the F-18 Super Hornet fighter jets' technology to Brazil if the Brazilian government chooses to purchase U.S. jets. The U.S. embassy in Brazil made the announcement on Wednesday, two days after the Brazilian government said it is in negotiations with France for the purchase of 36 fighter jets to renovate the Brazilian fleet. The main argument for choosing the French planes was the French government agrees to transfer the jet's technology....

Brazil's president likes French fighter aircraft BRASILIA (AFP) - France's offer to transfer technology to Brazil gives its Rafale fighter an "exceptional comparative advantage" over Swedish-made Gripen, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said. "A country of Brazil's importance cannot buy a product from another country without technology transfer," Lula said in an exclusive interview with AFP. "France has shown itself to be the most flexible country in terms of transferring technology, and evidently, this is an exceptional comparative advantage," the Brazilian president said. The Rafale, made by France's Dassault, is in fierce competition with Saab's Swedish-made Gripen and Boeing's...

Energy Policy: Ignoring peak-oil Cassandras, BP has made another giant oil find in the Gulf of Mexico. We're not running out of oil. Our government just doesn't want us to look for it.The world is running out of oil and good riddance. That's the environmentalists' mantra. But since the first well was drilled near Titusville, Pa., 150 years ago, the prophecy has gone unfulfilled. Trouble is, those darn greedy oil companies keep finding the stuff. Oil has been produced in the Gulf of Mexico since the first well was drilled by Kerr-McGee Corp. in 1947. Some of the wells are...