Stories about Portuguese from April, 2013
Brazil: Police Condemned for the Carandiru Massacre
Over 20 years after the rebellion in São Paulo’s Carandiru Penitentiary, ending with the deaths of 111 inmates, 23 military police have been condemned to 156 years in jail for a total of 13 fatalities.
Brazilian Cartoonist Inspires Kissing Protest
Images of people kissing went viral on Facebook, blogs and Twitter in Brazil, under the hashtags #beijaço (protest by kissing) and #Laerte. Strips by Laerte published on Folha de São...
Indigenous People Occupy Brazil's Congress Over Land Rights Bill
The occupation of a plenary session of the Brazilian Chamber of Deputies by around 300 indigenous people, on April 16, have caught congressmen by surprise and have put the spotlight on proposed amendment to the Constitution number 215, which transfers the power to demarcate indigenous land from the Executive to the Legislative power.
What Do Mozambique's Artists Need?
April 2013's “Open Terrace” will focus on Artists and ‘Houses of Culture’ [pt] from the Northern province of Cabo Delgado, Mozambique. The initiative takes place every month, bringing together people...
Popular Demonstrations in Porto Alegre Reverse Increased Bus Fares
Weeks of popular demonstrations in the city of Porto Alegre in favour of reduced bus fares have precipitated the decision to return to the previous rate.
Brazilians Accuse FIFA of Stamping Out Local Culture
Anger in Brazil is on the rise as World Cup authorities refuses to allow street vendors in the northeastern city of Salvador, one of 12 cities hosting the 2014 football competition, from selling a typical local food known as "acarajé" during the Cup. Some are accusing FIFA of trying to snuff out Brazilian culture from World Cup branding.
Brazil Accused of Spying on Belo Monte Dam Opponents
An activist collective opposed to the construction of the controversial Belo Monte hydroelectric dam in northern Brazil uncovered a spy among its members who confessed to infiltrating the the group allegedly at the behest of the dam company and the Brazilian intelligence agency. The agency is also accused of spying on dock workers in northeastern Brazil.
Displaced Residents Accuse Brazilian Power Plant of False Promises
Among 4,325 people that have been either removed or indirectly affected by the construction of the Jirau and Santo Antonio dams in the Madeira river region, in the Brazilian Amazon, former river dwellers who now reside in New Mutum Paraná complain about promises that haven't been met concerning their displacement.
Portugal: One Arrested in “Screw the Troika” Protest
An anti-austerity flashmob called by “Screw the Troika” [pt] in front of the the Ritz Hotel in Lisbon, on April 16, 2013, ended with the detention of a 49 year...
Mozambique: Coal mine blocked in protest
Mozambique's @Verdade newspaper is reporting on Facebook that about 500 residents of neighborhoods resettled by Brazilian mining company Vale are blocking road access to its coal mine in Moatize, Tete...
Residents Displaced by Brazilian Power Plant Struggle to Earn Living
While moving in to New Mutum Parana – a town built by the company Energia Sustentável to house Jirau’s engineers and officers – the river dwellers who were removed from their community in order to allow Madeira River’s power plant flooding found a “phantom city” where making a living seems impossibe.
Construction Project Fuels Sex and Violence in Brazilian Amazon
Sex and violence are a part of life in the small Brazilian fishing town of Jaci Parana, where police struggle to keep up with crime as a nearby hydroelectric construction project in the state of Rondonia pumps money into the local economy.
Guinea-Bissau President Caught up in ‘Arms for Drugs’ Conspiracy
A drug and arms trafficking scheme in Guinea Bissau appears to go straight to the top. On the eve of the first anniversary of a military coup in Guinea Bissau that thwarted last year's presidential elections, US court documents seemed to implicate the country's interim president in a failed plan to smuggle weapons to Colombian rebels and cocaine into Guinea Bissau.
São Tomé and Príncipe: Petition Against Deforestation
Raul Jorge, a Santomean citizen, launched a petition [fr] against deforestation in São Tomé and Príncipe, addressed to the current Prime Minister Gabriel Costa. The petition has already gathered more...
Portugal's Constitutional Court Blocks Bailout Measures
Portugal's Constitutional Court has struck down austerity measures considered necessary by the government to meet the conditions of its 78-billion-euro (101 billion US dollars) bailout program, opening a billion-euro gap in the country's 2013 budget.
FIFA Vetoes Brazil's Stadium Name
Brazilian journalist Fernando Rodrigues complains [pt] about FIFA's veto of the name of a “Brazilian public stadium in Brasília, built with the money of tax payers”. The stadium is named...
VIDEO: Guinea-Bissau Community Radio Serves People, Not Politics
Guinea-Bissau's community radio does much more than fill local airwaves with music, according to the documentary "Voice of the Population". Stations have saved lives during a cholera outbreak, fought against illegal logging, and pushed back against gender discrimination, all the while uniting local communities around the rich musicality of Guinea-Bissau.
Cuban Blogger Denied US Visa
Cuban blogger, teacher and GV author Elaine Díaz Rodríguez was denied a visa to enter the US [pt] Wednesday, April 3, 2013, preventing her from participating in the International Congress of Latin-American...
Mozambican Political Parties and the Internet
(…) there is a space that until now has been little explored by the national political forces, be it for political propaganda or electoral campaigns: the internet. Mozambican platform Olho...
Century-Old Trees Face the Axe in Brazil
Residents in host city Porto Alegre are threatening to climb and occupy century-old trees in Southern Brazil to save them from being axed for an expansion project in preparations for the 2014 World Cup.
Anonymous Brazil Report on Controversial Preacher
Anonymous Brazil released a dossier [pt] about Marco Feliciano, recently elected as chairman of the Committee for Human Rights and Minorities in the Deputy Chamber amid the outrage of human...
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