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Monday, September 14, 2026
News and Views from the Global South
BRAZIL: New Health Scare from Decades-Old Disease
Brazil, the world's largest exporter of chicken, has been making efforts to ease fears that bird flu could spread to Latin America. But closer to home than the H5N1 virus that has decimated flocks and killed dozens of people in Asia is the scare caused by the reemergence of spotted fever, a rare tick-borne disease with a high mortality rate.BRAZIL: Lula’s Popularity Down, Finance Minister on the Ropes
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's popularity has dropped to its lowest level ever, according to an opinion poll released Tuesday.LATIN AMERICA: Market for Organic Products Growing Fast
Health is a universal concern, which is why the market for organic products should enjoy steady growth, even if it faces limitations like unfamiliarity with organic goods or the low incomes of most of the population in the region, said Marli Rezende after visiting the third annual edition of the BioFach Latin America fair.BRAZIL: The Emptying of the Mega-Cities
It is difficult to believe that Brazilian mega-cities like Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, with millions of inhabitants and traffic-clogged streets, are seeing their population densities decrease, which experts say aggravates the cities' problems and makes solutions even more difficult to find.RIGHTS-BRAZIL: Blacks Demand Adoption of Promised Measures
The Brazilian state has failed to make good on promises to adopt a series of measures aimed at promoting racial equality, the country’s black movement complained Wednesday in a march in the capital dubbed Zumbi + 10.BRAZIL: Changing a City Name to Facilitate Web Searches
"It's like advertising one product and selling another," Brazilian city councillor Djalma Pastorello summed up in favour of his proposal to change the name of his city, Foz do Iguaçu, so as not to confuse people searching for it on the Internet.ENVIRONMENT-BRAZIL: Sacrificing His Life to Defend the Life of the Wetlands
The environmental struggle in Brazil has reached the point of human sacrifice with the death of veteran activist Francisco Anselmo de Barros, who set himself on fire to save the Pantanal wetlands in west-central Brazil that stretch into Bolivia and Paraguay.
The Emptying of Brazil’s Mega-Cities
Brazilian metropolises like Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo are seeing their population density -- and their quality of life -- decline.BRAZIL: Saving the Amazon Depends on Consumers
Tree species such as the andiroba (Brazilian or Royal mahogany), the cupuacu, and the acai and murmuru palm trees produce fruit, seeds and oils which may help save the Amazon rainforests, if they capture a wider market and are produced in a sustainable way./ARTS WEEKLY/ FILM-BRAZIL: Laughter in the House of Pain
The Brazilian documentary "Doutores da alegría" (Doctors of Happiness) won prizes at two international festivals this year, as a tribute to its special mission - to share the experience of a group of Brazilian actors who decided to dress up as clowns and bring joy to children in hospitals rather than at the circus.BRAZIL-US: Analysts Do Not Expect Much from Bush’s Visit
Analysts do not expect anything significant to come of U.S. President George W. Bush's visit to Brazil this weekend, which they say will merely confirm the smooth relations between the two countries' leaders and their willingness to cooperate, despite the fact that they are at different ends of the ideological spectrum and have widely divergent political interests.BRAZIL: Anti-Tobacco Measures Put Small Farmers at Risk
Replacing tobacco with alternative crops capable of ensuring an adequate income for more than 200,000 family farms is a new challenge faced by Brazil, since it ratified the World Health Organisation Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.BRAZIL: People’s Assembly Builds Participatory Democracy
People's assemblies should be held all around Brazil, in every social context, in order to strengthen democracy and organise coordinated action, the 8,000 participants representing a broad diversity of social movements concluded in a meeting in the Brazilian capital.AGRICULTURE-BRAZIL: Giving Cassava Its Due
Cassava is the main source of calories for 500 million people around the world, but it has never been accorded the technological or culinary attention merited by its nutritional importance, likely because it is a crop grown and eaten by the poor.ENVIRONMENT-BRAZIL: Thirst in the World’s Freshwater Paradise
A shortage of water in the heart of the Brazilian Amazon, one of the world's largest sources of freshwater, might seem unconceivable, but it is real and should serve as a red alert to the irreversible tragedy that will unfold if deforestation is not curbed, warn experts consulted by Tierramérica.BRAZIL: Voters Not Yet Ready to Bid Farewell to Arms
The resounding defeat of a proposed ban on the sale of guns and ammunition in a referendum Sunday reflected one of the most sudden shifts in public opinion ever recorded in Brazil, and some fear that it could usher in more conservative, authoritarian security policies that trample human and social rights.ENVIRONMENT-BRAZIL: Historic Drought in Amazon Jungle
"I am 53 years old and I have never seen anything like this," said environmentalist Leoncio Menezes, describing the drought that has plagued the Jurúa River valley, in the extreme western part of Brazil near the Peruvian border, for several months.
Thirst in the World's Freshwater Paradise
The worst drought in the Amazon in 50 years has isolated entire villages, killed tons of fish and fuelled uncontrollable forest fires. The tragedy will be irreversible if deforestation continues, warn experts.BRAZIL: Sudden Shift in Public Opinion Could Torpedo Gun Ban
It seemed inevitable that the legal sale of firearms and ammunition was soon to become a thing of the past in Brazil, but a sudden shift in public opinion indicates that Brazilians could very well end up voting against a proposed gun ban in a referendum Sunday.BRAZIL: Feeling the Heavy Impact of Foot-and-Mouth Outbreak
The 11,000 residents of Eldorado in Brazil have been plunged into a state of anxiety and uncertainty by an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD). The local meat processing plant has shut down its operations, forced its 600 permanent workers to take early vacations, and laid off the newly hired employees still considered to be on trial.BRAZIL: Workers Party Survives Scandal Relatively Unscathed and Unchanged
The election of a new leadership for Brazil's governing leftist Workers Party (PT) indicates that despite the catastrophic predictions, political activity will continue to follow much the same track as before, with only minor adjustments arising from this year's explosive corruption scandal.« Previous Page — Next Page »
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