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Sunday, October 11, 2026
News and Views from the Global South
Using Vegetable Oil to Propel Cars
In their search for a more eco-friendly fuel, Brazilian researchers are exploring the potential of biodiesel, which utilizes inputs like used vegetable oil from fast-food restaurants. The formula would reduce the emission of gases that cause the greenhouse effect.CULTURE: Defending ‘Intangible Heritage’ in the South
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) is focusing on protecting humanity's intangible cultural heritage as a means of correcting imbalances in the granting of world heritage status, which has up to now favoured the industrialised North.POLITICS-BRAZIL: Wave of Kidnaps Triggers Public Alarm
A wave of kidnappings in Brazil, concentrated in the south-central state of Sao Paulo, has put public safety back on the top of the political agenda, reflecting the public's fear of the "Colombianization" of Brazilian society.RIGHTS-BRAZIL: Wave of Terror Against Leftist Workers Party
The murder of Mayor Celso Daniel, one of the most prominent leaders of Brazil's Workers Party (PT), provided further evidence of a campaign of terror against the leftist party, which stands a real chance of winning the presidency in October.BRAZIL: Cardoso Diplomacy Seeks a Place at Superpowers’ Table
Brazil's President Fernando Henrique Cardoso began his two-day visit in Ukraine Wednesday, after spending three days in Russia, in search of new horizons for his country's trade and foreign policy.CLIMATE-LATAM: Forecasters Predict Moderate El Niño
The El Niño weather phenomenon that causes meteorological changes in various parts of the world by heating up the waters of the Pacific Ocean will reappear sometime between April and June this year, according to Brazil's National Space Research Institute (INPE).RIGHTS-BRAZIL: Homosexuals Celebrate Victories
The 90 groups that make up the gay rights movement in Brazil are celebrating several recent triumphs that marked progress towards recognition of the rights of same-sex domestic partnerships.DEVELOPMENT-BRAZIL: Scientists Await New Livestock Clones in 2002
Cloning in Brazil has become a soap opera-like issue since last October. The giant Globo television network began production of a drama known as "The Clone" in which the main character is duplicated in a laboratory mishap that a scientist keeps secret for years.TRADE-BRAZIL: Fuel Alcohol to Sustain Sugarcane Industry
There is an excess of sugar on the world market and there is a chance that production will increase further in 2002, but a greater demand for sugarcane-based alcohol could stabilise prices. Brazilian industrialists and government authorities are keeping their fingers crossed.SPORT-BRAZIL: A Champion in Exporting Footballers
Brazilian football, known as "the beautiful game", lost a good part of its power and prestige this year due to previously unimaginable defeats and to the difficulties the national team had in winning a berth for the 2002 World Cup, but the country continues to be the world's leading exporter of football players.
Brazil Awaits New Clones in 2002
Vitoria was the first calf to be cloned in Brazil, but she will not be the last. At least six university research centers are working on cloning calves - any one of which could be born within the next few months as part of efforts to improve productivity in the agricultural sector.ECONOMY-LATAM: Argentina’s Neighbours Feel Relatively Safe
Brazil and Chile do not expect a heavy impact from the suspension of debt payments and a possible devaluation in neighbouring Argentina, although Uruguay is a bit more concerned.2001-2002/Brazil’s Successful Anti-AIDS Efforts Set to Expand
The Brazilian government plans to push for a more concerted international effort to come up with an HIV/AIDS vaccine, after the triumphs it has scored in its efforts to manufacture or attain cheap anti-retroviral drugs and make them available to low-income patients free of charge.BRAZIL-PARAGUAY: Oviedo’s Release Sparks Tension
A new political squabble was sparked within South America's Mercosur trade bloc by a Brazilian court decision that released former Paraguayan general Lino Oviedo Tuesday, who is wanted in his country in connection with the assassination of former vice-president Luis María Argaña.TRADE: US Should Pay ‘Hypocrisy Tariff’, says Brazilian Expert
The United States should be made to pay a "hypocrisy tariff" in global trade, in benefit of nations that do not rely on heavy protectionist measures, said Brazilian farm leader Gilman Viana Rodrigues.RIGHTS-BRAZIL: Gov’t to Reserve Job Quotas for Blacks
The Brazilian government decided to start with its own employees and those of private companies contracted to provide services to the government to reserve 20 percent of jobs for people of African descent.POLITICS-BRAZIL: Early Polls Suggest a Lula Presidential Victory
Political uncertainty will predominate in Brazil next year - at least until the presidential elections - given the strong possibility of a victory by former metalworker Luis Inacio "Lula" da Silva and the governing coalition's so-far chaotic efforts to prevent it./ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT/FILM-BRAZIL: “Doña Flor” Returns to Heat Up Big Screen
Sonia Braga, Brazil's leading female sex symbol of the 1970s, has returned to the big screen in an uncut version of "Doña Flor and Her Two Husbands", the biggest box-office hit in national film history.COMMUNICATION-BRAZIL: Media Set to Open to Foreign Capital
The participation of foreign capital in Brazil's communications media, banned under the 1988 Constitution, is expected to become a reality next year, the result of an amendment that the Chamber of Deputies is to take up for a vote Tuesday.HEALTH-LATAM: NGOs the Driving Force Behind AIDS Policy
Many in Brazil complain about the precariousness of the country's public health system. Like other countries in Latin America, corporations and the middle-class pay for costly insurance with private health providers if they want decent coverage. However, there is one exception, one that many consider a model for the entire region: Brazil's National AIDS Programme.SPORTS-BRAZIL: Senate Commission Reveals ‘Rot’ in Football
Seventeen top football officials in Brazil were accused of fraud and corruption by a Senate commission which concluded a 14-month probe and recommended measures to reorganise the way sports are run.« Previous Page — Next Page »
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