Rio de Janeiro

"What's that shot?" ask disturbing videos going viral in Brazil

Rio de Janeiro - Emiratesvoice

In the middle of the street or a crowded mall, Brazilians hurl themselves to the ground as if struck by lightning, in scenes that are filmed and posted on the internet, where they are taking the crime-plagued country by storm. "What's that shot?" says a voice, accompanied by the sound of a gunshot, that accompanies the moves on the video.Read more

Rio counting down to carnival

Rio de Janeiro - Emiratesvoice

Rio's annual carnival is seen as a money-making extravaganza for the city. But evangelical Mayor Marcelo Crivella isn't a fan and slashed funding for next month's parade, forcing samba schools to cut their cloth accordingly. Before his bombshell announcement in June that he was halving the budget of some $7 million, newly-elected Crivella broke with tradition by not attending the opening ofRead more

China ride-hailer Didi buys Brazil's 99

london - Emiratesvoice

Chinese ride-hailing giant Didi Chuxing said on Thursday it had bought Brazil's 99 Taxis, opening another front in the Beijing-based company's global battle with Uber. Didi, which claims to be the world's leading mobile transportation platform with more than 450 million users, had become a strategic investor in 99 Taxis last January. It now will acquire the company outright alongRead more

A hundred inmates on the loose after deadly Brazil prison riot

Rio de Janeiro - Emiratesvoice

Nearly a hundred escaped inmates remained at large from a state penitentiary in Brazil Tuesday after a deadly riot between rival gangs left nine prisoners dead, all of them burned and two decapitated, officials said. The riot occurred on Monday in the Complejo de Aparecida prison in the center-west state of Goias. Another 14 inmates were wounded, one of them critically, the head ofRead more

Brazil to maintain control over Embraer

Rio de Janeiro - Emiratesvoice

Brazil on Friday ruled out relinquishing government control over the country's strategically important aircraft manufacturer Embraer but said investment from Boeing would be welcome. "We welcome an injection of foreign capital. What we are not considering is the question of transferring" control, President Michel Temer said in Brasilia. The government holds a so-called golden share in the privatized Embraer, theRead more

Brazil cuts interest rate to record low seven percent

Rio de Janeiro - AFP

Brazil's central bank on Wednesday cut the key interest rate to a record low of seven percent, about half of what it was a year ago. The 0.5 percentage point drop in the Selic rate reflected the strong fall in inflation as Brazil emerges from a two-year recession. Back in October 2016, when the country's economy was still firmly inRead more

Brazil's economy,shifting political landscape

Rio de Janeiro - AFP

After a torrid couple of years, Brazil's battered economy is expected to confirm signs of recovery this week, shifting the ground under the already unpredictable 2018 general elections. On Thursday, the IGBE state statistics office will release October unemployment figures. Go Associados consultants expect the seventh monthly fall to 12.1 percent, down from a record high 13.7 percent in theRead more

British kayak adventurer slain in Brazil's Amazon

Rio de Janeiro - AFP

Brazilian police said Tuesday that a British woman missing during an attempt to paddle the entire Amazon by kayak has been murdered and that three people are in custody. The Amazonas state police force said a 17-year-old suspect has confessed to being part of a gang that shot Emma Kelty, 43, stole her electronic gear and cash, then dumped her bodyRead more

Brazil pre-salt oil auction fetches $1.9 billion

Rio de Janeiro - Emirates Voice

Brazil's auction of deep water, pre-salt oil blocks on Friday raked in 6.15 billion reais ($1.9 billion) in Rio de Janeiro. The signing bonuses fell beneath the government's goal of 7.15 billion reais, with two of the eight blocks not selling. However, the state also secured hefty production sharing deals from consortiums includin Shell, Exxon and Statoil.Read more

Brazilian police shoot dead Spanish tourist

Rio de Janeiro - Emirates Voice

Police in Rio de Janeiro said Monday they accidentally shot dead a Spanish tourist who was visiting a violent favela slum where earlier two officers had been wounded. A car "broke through a police blockade" in the Rocinha favela, police said in a statement, and officers who did not know there was a tourist aboard opened fire. Read more