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Thursday, September 3, 2026
News and Views from the Global South
TRANSPORT-BRAZIL: Recharge Your Batteries Here
Brazil has long been committed to developing alternatives to fossil fuels to power its vehicle fleet, to the extent that 90 percent of new cars sold in the country are flex-fuel, running on ethanol or gasoline in any proportion. Now the government is embarking on another technological field: electric vehicles.
BRAZIL: Women ‘Peace Workers’ in the Favelas
It’s another day marked by gunfire in the Morro da Providencia "favela", one of the most dangerous slums in this Brazilian city, and the only area where people can move around in relative safety is in the lower part of the neighbourhood, towards the foot of the hill.RELIGION-BRAZIL: Intolerance Denounced at UN
"Ialorixá" Gilda died of a massive heart attack in 1999 after members of a pentecostal church swarmed into her temple and hit her over the head with a Bible. Her death drew attention to the growing religious intolerance in Brazil, which was denounced this week at the United Nations.HEALTH-BRAZIL: Birth Centres vs. Hospitals
The recent closure of a birth centre, which offered a more "human" touch with its focus on natural childbirth, in this Brazilian city revived the controversy over such practices, which have the backing of the Health Ministry but are opposed by the medical associations.BRAZIL: ‘Historic’ National Commitment to Wind Energy
A commitment signed by federal and state authorities in Brazil Thursday was described by the energy minister as a "historic step" towards promoting wind power.
BRAZIL: Nature Paths Instead of Wall for Rio Slum
Representatives of the Rocinha slum and the Rio de Janeiro government have agreed to replace a high wall, intended to prevent this densely populated hillside neighbourhood from spilling into the forest, with ecological paths, parks and low walls.BRAZIL: Environment Minister Under Fire from All Sides
The approval of draft laws and infrastructure projects that pose a threat to the environment in Brazil, promoted by large landowners and even sanctioned by some sectors in the government, has tied the hands of Environment Minister Carlos Minc and brought a replay of the tense climate that cost his predecessor her job.
Nature Paths Instead of Wall for Rio Slum
Rio de Janeiro's largest slum has halted construction of a much-criticized wall in exchange for ecological and recreational corridors between the impoverished neighborhood and a city forest.BRAZIL: Public Health Embraces Herbal Medicines
Handed down from generation to generation, traditional knowledge about medicinal plants has reached state laboratories in Brazil through a programme that has already identified 71 native and exotic species for producing herbal medicines.BRAZIL: 100,000 Hectares of Atlantic Forest Lost in Three Years
Stretched out along the coastal zones of 17 of Brazil’s 26 states, an area marked by a high level of agricultural and industrial development, the Mata Atlântica or Atlantic Forest lost more than 100,000 hectares in the last three years, mainly due to urban expansion and economic growth.BRAZIL: Murder, Death Threats Amid Environmental Protests
Environmentalists and human rights activists in Brazil are demanding clarification of the murder of Paulo Santos Souza, a fisherman and trade unionist who was fighting irregularities in the construction of a gas pipeline for Petrobras.BRAZIL: Mixed Reviews for ‘Community Policing’ in Slums
The police, who used to shoot first and ask questions later in Santa Marta, a Rio de Janeiro shantytown, are now getting on well with the local community – the result of a state government plan that nevertheless has drawn criticism.LATIN AMERICA: H1N1 Flu Spreading, but Mild
The H1N1 flu virus has begun its southward march in Latin America, carried by passengers travelling from areas hit by the outbreak. But the mortality rate is much lower than in Mexico, and there are no signs of "sustained domestic transmission" in the rest of the region.BRAZIL: Vigil Against Farming Offensive in Amazon
Celebrities and environmental organisations held a vigil at the Brazilian Congress in an effort to block passage of a bill that they say could cause an even greater "environmental disaster" in the Amazon jungle.BRAZIL: Flooding Highlights Lack of Disaster Prevention
Several weeks of unusually heavy rainfall and flooding that has affected nearly one million people in 10 of Brazil’s 26 states have revealed a problem that only becomes news when tragedies occur: the lack of public investment in disaster prevention, experts warn.BRAZIL: Guarani Suffering Breakdown of Culture, Suicides
One young indigenous person commits suicide every 10 days on average in the centre-west Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul. Blamed on the lack of land and opportunities, the proportions of this tragedy have drawn the attention of local and foreign experts.BRAZIL: Eco-Friendly (and Bullet-Proof) Homes
Plans to build low-cost housing in shantytowns in this Brazilian city using thermally and acoustically-insulating material, as part of a national plan to bridge the housing deficit, raised unexpected controversy when it came out that the houses would also be bullet-proof.ENERGY-BRAZIL: Two-Pronged Policy
The Brazilian government announced it is overhauling the country's energy basket with more emphasis on renewable resources, while continuing to plan for future expansion of local production of traditional fossil fuels, like oil and gas.BRAZIL: University Racial Quotas Bogged Down in Congress
Claudio Fernández is able to study law thanks to affirmative action quotas at the Rio de Janeiro State University (UERJ). But a draft law to expand race quotas to all public institutions of higher education is stalled in the Senate.RIGHTS-BRAZIL: Gay-Bashing Murders Up 55 Percent
In 2008, 190 homosexuals were killed in Brazil, one every two days, representing a 55 percent increase on the previous year – a veritable "homocaust" according to gay rights activists.
BRAZIL: Pilot Project Helps Men Abandon Violence
Some men interpret an overly long glance from another man as "a gay thing," others as "a provocation" to fight - ideas that are part of the "machista" mindset that a government initiative in Brazil is trying to break down.« Previous Page — Next Page »
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