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Brazilian and Latin American shares in general followed global markets into the red, as violence in the Middle East, specifically between Israel and Lebanon, sparked investor concern.
Meanwhile, explosions in Nigerian pipelines also supported a surge in crude oil prices to US$ 76.70 a barrel, a record high. In São Paulo, Brazil, the prison gang PCC, set dozens of buses on fire leading the bus companies to leave their vehicles in the garage and stranding millions of commuters. Brazil's Bovespa Index plunged 816.37 points, or 2.31%. Mexico's benchmark Bolsa negated 694.18 points, or 3.57%, while Argentina's Merval Index receded 57.41 points, or 3.37%. Brazilian shares witnessed sharp declines on the day. A surge in crude oil prices does not bode well for the local economy, as Brazil is a net importer of oil. Further supporting oil prices, the Energy Department's weekly crude inventories data showed a sharp decline in supplies. In economic reports, the Getúlio Vargas Foundation's General Price Index, or IGP-M, rose 0.17% in the first 10 days of July compared to a 0.27% jump during a similar period in June. The latest result was in line with analyst expectations. On the earnings front, paper and pulp producer Votorantim Celulose e Papel said that its second-quarter net profit fell 5% to 200 million reais from 211 million reais a year ago. The latest decline was due to falling local paper and pulp prices amid strength in the Brazilian real versus the greenback. Net operating revenue inched up 4% to 708 million reais from 683 million reais, while EBITDA rose to 292 million reais from 260 million reais. O Globo newspaper said that Bolivia tempered its asking price for the natural gas it exports to Brazil. Bolivia is now looking for a price of US$ 5 per million British thermal units, from a possible hike to US$ 5.70 per million BTU. At one point earlier this year, Bolivia's Hydrocarbons Minister hinted at US$ 7.50 per million BTU. Turning to sales data, grocer CBD said that its same-store sales for June rose 2.6%, compared with the year-earlier period. Once again, Mexican equities were unable to shake weakness, marking the fifth- straight session in the red. Still, on a brighter note, industrial production for May came in above expectations, rising 5.7%. Industrial production was down a slight 0.04% from April on a seasonally-adjusted basis. A major investment bank initiated coverage on airport operator Asur at "equal weight," as the brokerage sees greater potential for downside risk as opposed to an upside at this point in time due to "tight route control." Argentine issues tumbled alongside weakness across the region and abroad. Torcuato Di Tella University reported that consumer confidence fell 1.3% in July from a month ago, following a 3.1% increase in June. Thomson Financial - www.thomsonfinancial.com
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The small, coastal town of Condé is located just a twenty minute's drive from João Pessoa, the capital of Paraíba. The Northeast of Brazil has historically been a place of encounter and mixing between peoples. For millenia groups of indigenous people fished, farmed, migrated and sometimes fought along this large, fertile area. 
The Brazilian diplo-MÁ-cia (bad diplomacy) carries on its accelerated course towards the non-acknowledgment of human rights, although sometimes it takes pleasure in saying that it does precisely the opposite. The visit of Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, is another example of a diplomatic omission that verges on hypocrisy. 
On July 4, 2006, representatives of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay met in Caracas to sign the protocol for the entrance of Venezuela into the Southern Common Market (Mercosur). After two and a half years, the protocol was approved by the legislative bodies of Argentina and Uruguay, and as of now it may be only days away from being ratified by the continent's economic megalith, Brazil. 
Some sectors of the fight against AIDS have suggested that Thabo Mbeki, the former president of South Africa, committed genocide through his absence from the fight against the illness in his country throughout his two terms. 
One hundred and eleven years after Brazil abolished slavery, the number of workers deprived of their freedom is still huge. They raise cattle, produce charcoal, sugar cane or timber. Some of them, most undocumented Bolivians, work in basements of small apparel factories in São Paulo and other metropolis. 
On November 7, 2009 a few friends and I had an opportunity to take a look inside a Brazilian jail outside the city of Rio de Janeiro. We were able to take some amateur footage of our experience on video (see link below). It's no surprise, of course, that the typical Brazilian jail lacks some of the functionality of those in North America or Europe, but our experience that day was quite shocking. 
Depletion of the Amazon Rainforest is not a new concern facing environmentalists, biologists, ecologists, and a growing number of the Amazonian indigenous peoples. For decades they have feared for the fate of the world's most biologically diverse and species-rich hothouse. 
Geisy Arruda made history this week in Brazil, but for all the wrong reasons. What began as a poorly planned fashion statement has become a worldwide tale. Geisy decided to wear a pink mini-dress to her private college in São Paulo state, and after that, all hell broke loose. 
The push of vigilante groups in Rio de Janeiro's favelas (shantytowns) in the last three years is the most important and alarming information of the just-released study by the Rio de Janeiro University's Violence Research Center (Nupev-Uerj). 
A dispute over drug trafficking territory in Rio de Janeiro has intensified lately, leaving in its wake unprecedented acts of violence, such as the downing of a police helicopter in the northern zone of the city on October 17. Three policemen died and another two were injured. This event has drawn the attention of the international media, who are raising the issue of public security for the 2016 Olympics to be held in Rio.