Chinese President Xi Jinping today asked BRICS members to shelve their differences and accommodate each other&#39;s concerns by enhancing mutual trust and strategic communication, as he opened the 9th annual summit of the five member emerging economies here.

The opening ceremony of the three-day BRICS summit started with BRICS Business Council in this southeastern Chinese city in Fujian province amid a downpour triggered by typhoon Mawar which had caused widespread disruption to the summit preparations and the city&#39;s traffic. The typhoon also caused considerable disruption to the flights.

BRICS - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa - is a grouping of the five emerging economies. The BRICS summit brings together the leaders of these countries.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Brazilian President Michel Temer, South African President Jacob Zuma and Russian President Vladimir Putin will attend the summit.

In his speech broadly focusing on enhancing cooperation between the BRICS members, Xi said, &quot;Construction of a tall building starts with foundation. We have laid the foundation and put in place the framework for BRICS cooperation.&quot;

Outlining BRICS cooperation in the last 10 years, he said treating each other as equals and seeking common ground while shelving differences is important part of cooperation.

&quot;In terms of BRICS cooperation, decisions are made through consultation (and) not by one country. We respect each other?s model of development, accommodate each other?s concern and work to enhance strategic communication and mutual trust,&quot; he told about 1000 delegates from different countries.

&quot;Given difference in national conditions, history and cultures, it is only natural we may have some differences in pursuing our cooperation,&quot; he said.

&quot;However with strong faith in cooperation and enhancing collaboration the BRICS countries can achieve steady progress in our cooperation,&quot; he added.

The summit comes days after India and China last week ended a 73-day standoff in Dokalam by withdrawing troops from the area. The two sides were locked in a face-off after Indian troops stopped the Chinese People&#39;s Liberation Army from building a road in the area.

In a candid speech without directly referring to differences, Xi referred to his multi-billion dollar Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in which the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is a crucial component.

India had protested to CPEC as it passes through Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir. India also boycotted the Belt and Road Forum (BRF) hosted by China in May.

Xi said BRI is not a tool to advance any geopolitical agenda, but a platform for practical cooperation.

It is not a foreign aid scheme, but an initiative for interconnected development which calls for extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, he said.

&quot;I am convinced that the BRI will serve as a new platform for all countries to achieve win-win cooperation and that it will create new opportunities for implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,&quot; he said.

He also said BRICS should promote the &quot;BRICS Plus&quot; approach to build an open and diversified network of development partners.

China has invited Egypt, Kenya, Tajikistan, Mexico and Thailand as guest countries for the Xiamen BRICS summit as special guests like India invited BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic) leaders for last year&#39;s BRICS summit at Goa.

&quot;We should get more emerging market and developing countries involved in our concerted endeavours for cooperation and mutual benefits,&quot; he said.

Xi said as a cooperation platform with global influence, BRICS cooperation is more than about five countries.

&quot;BRICS places high premium on cooperation with other emerging market and developing countries and have established effective dialogue mechanisms with them,&quot; Xi said.

Xi also said that BRICS cooperation has reached a crucial stage of development.

In assessing the performance of BRICS cooperation, it is important to bear two things in mind -- the historical course of global development and evolving international landscape; the historical process of development of BRICS countries, both individually and collectively, he said.

He said the development of the BRICS countries has delivered tangible benefits to more than three billion people.

Xi said that in the past decade, combined GDP of the bloc has grown 179 percent, trade increased 94 percent while urban population expanded 28 percent, contributing significantly to stabilising the global economy and returning it to growth.

He also said the BRICS countries have been committed to multilateralism, fairness and justice in the past decade.

BRICS countries have endeavoured to fulfil their international responsibility, and have staked out their positions on major regional and international issues and made proposals for addressing them during the past decade, Xi said.

The countries have promoted reform of economic governance to increase the representation and say of emerging market and developing countries, according to the president.

The bloc has also taken the lead in implementing the Millennium Development Goals and Sustainable Development Goals, and engaged in close dialogue and cooperation with other developing countries to pursue development through unity, the Chinese president said.

He said the BRICS countries should work to usher in second golden decade. Going forward BRICS countries have major tasks to accomplish, which are to grow economies and to strengthen cooperation, he said.

&quot;It is time to set sail when the tide rises,&quot; Xi said, adding that countries should work to let their economic cooperation have more substance.

&quot;Economic cooperation is the foundation of the BRICS mechanism,&quot; Xi said, referring to the progress in the operation of the New Development Bank and Contingent Reserve Arrangement and in e-commerce, trade and investment facilitation, trade in services, local currency bond issuance, scientific and technological innovation, industrial cooperation and public-private partnership.

He also said BRICS countries should implement agreements and consensus already reached while actively exploring new ways and areas of practical cooperation.&nbsp;

&quot;Leveraging our respective strengths and converging interests, we have put in place a leaders-driven cooperation framework that covers wide-ranging areas and multiple levels,&quot; Xi said.

The NDB floated by the BRICS countries and the Contingent Reserve Arrangement have provided financing support for BRICS infrastructure building and sustainable development, contributing to enhanced global economic governance and the building of an international financial safety net, he said.

BRICS countries should improve macroeconomic policy coordination, synergize development strategies, leverage strengths in industrial structure and resources endowment, and create value chains and a big market for shared interests to achieve interconnected development, he said.

&quot;We should blaze a new path which may also help other emerging market and developing countries to seize opportunities and meet challenges,&quot; Xi said.

He said economic globalization is facing more uncertainties, noting that emerging markets and developing nations find themselves in a more complex external environment.

&quot;The long road to global peace and development will not be a smooth one,&quot; said the president.

More than 700 million people are still living in hunger, tens of millions of people have been displaced and become refugees, while many people, including innocent children, have been killed in conflicts, Xi said.

He also said global economy has resumed growth, with emerging markets and developing countries delivering a strong performance.

A new round of technological and industrial revolution is in the making, and reform and innovation are gaining momentum, he said.

&quot;We have enough reason to believe that our world will be a better place,&quot; Xi said.&nbsp;

'Construction of a tall building starts with foundation. We have laid the foundation and put in place the framework for BRICS cooperation,' Xi said

Chinese President Xi Jinping today asked BRICS members to shelve their differences and accommodate each other's concerns by enhancing mutual trust and strategic communication, as he opened the 9th annual summit of the five member emerging economies here. The opening ceremony of the three-day BRICS summit started with BRICS Business Council in this southeastern Chinese city in Fujian province amid a downpour triggered by typhoon Mawar which had caused widespread disruption to the summit preparations and the city's traffic. The typhoon also caused considerable disruption to the flights. BRICS - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa - is a grouping of the five emerging economies. The BRICS summit brings together the leaders of these countries. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Brazilian President Michel Temer, South African President Jacob Zuma and Russian President Vladimir Putin will attend the summit. In his speech broadly focusing on enhancing cooperation between the BRICS members, Xi said, "Construction of a tall building starts with foundation. We have laid the foundation and put in place the framework for BRICS cooperation." Outlining BRICS cooperation in the last 10 years, he said treating each other as equals and seeking common ground while shelving differences is important part of cooperation. "In terms of BRICS cooperation, decisions are made through consultation (and) not by one country. We respect each other?s model of development, accommodate each other?s concern and work to enhance strategic communication and mutual trust," he told about 1000 delegates from different countries. "Given difference in national conditions, history and cultures, it is only natural we may have some differences in pursuing our cooperation," he said. "However with strong faith in cooperation and enhancing collaboration the BRICS countries can achieve steady progress in our cooperation," he added. The summit comes days after India and China last week ended a 73-day standoff in Dokalam by withdrawing troops from the area. The two sides were locked in a face-off after Indian troops stopped the Chinese People's Liberation Army from building a road in the area. In a candid speech without directly referring to differences, Xi referred to his multi-billion dollar Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in which the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is a crucial component. India had protested to CPEC as it passes through Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir. India also boycotted the Belt and Road Forum (BRF) hosted by China in May. Xi said BRI is not a tool to advance any geopolitical agenda, but a platform for practical cooperation. It is not a foreign aid scheme, but an initiative for interconnected development which calls for extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, he said. "I am convinced that the BRI will serve as a new platform for all countries to achieve win-win cooperation and that it will create new opportunities for implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development," he said. He also said BRICS should promote the "BRICS Plus" approach to build an open and diversified network of development partners. China has invited Egypt, Kenya, Tajikistan, Mexico and Thailand as guest countries for the Xiamen BRICS summit as special guests like India invited BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic) leaders for last year's BRICS summit at Goa. "We should get more emerging market and developing countries involved in our concerted endeavours for cooperation and mutual benefits," he said. Xi said as a cooperation platform with global influence, BRICS cooperation is more than about five countries. "BRICS places high premium on cooperation with other emerging market and developing countries and have established effective dialogue mechanisms with them," Xi said. Xi also said that BRICS cooperation has reached a crucial stage of development. In assessing the performance of BRICS cooperation, it is important to bear two things in mind -- the historical course of global development and evolving international landscape; the historical process of development of BRICS countries, both individually and collectively, he said. He said the development of the BRICS countries has delivered tangible benefits to more than three billion people. Xi said that in the past decade, combined GDP of the bloc has grown 179 percent, trade increased 94 percent while urban population expanded 28 percent, contributing significantly to stabilising the global economy and returning it to growth. He also said the BRICS countries have been committed to multilateralism, fairness and justice in the past decade. BRICS countries have endeavoured to fulfil their international responsibility, and have staked out their positions on major regional and international issues and made proposals for addressing them during the past decade, Xi said. The countries have promoted reform of economic governance to increase the representation and say of emerging market and developing countries, according to the president. The bloc has also taken the lead in implementing the Millennium Development Goals and Sustainable Development Goals, and engaged in close dialogue and cooperation with other developing countries to pursue development through unity, the Chinese president said. He said the BRICS countries should work to usher in second golden decade. Going forward BRICS countries have major tasks to accomplish, which are to grow economies and to strengthen cooperation, he said. "It is time to set sail when the tide rises," Xi said, adding that countries should work to let their economic cooperation have more substance. "Economic cooperation is the foundation of the BRICS mechanism," Xi said, referring to the progress in the operation of the New Development Bank and Contingent Reserve Arrangement and in e-commerce, trade and investment facilitation, trade in services, local currency bond issuance, scientific and technological innovation, industrial cooperation and public-private partnership. He also said BRICS countries should implement agreements and consensus already reached while actively exploring new ways and areas of practical cooperation. "Leveraging our respective strengths and converging interests, we have put in place a leaders-driven cooperation framework that covers wide-ranging areas and multiple levels," Xi said. The NDB floated by the BRICS countries and the Contingent Reserve Arrangement have provided financing support for BRICS infrastructure building and sustainable development, contributing to enhanced global economic governance and the building of an international financial safety net, he said. BRICS countries should improve macroeconomic policy coordination, synergize development strategies, leverage strengths in industrial structure and resources endowment, and create value chains and a big market for shared interests to achieve interconnected development, he said. "We should blaze a new path which may also help other emerging market and developing countries to seize opportunities and meet challenges," Xi said. He said economic globalization is facing more uncertainties, noting that emerging markets and developing nations find themselves in a more complex external environment. "The long road to global peace and development will not be a smooth one," said the president. More than 700 million people are still living in hunger, tens of millions of people have been displaced and become refugees, while many people, including innocent children, have been killed in conflicts, Xi said. He also said global economy has resumed growth, with emerging markets and developing countries delivering a strong performance. A new round of technological and industrial revolution is in the making, and reform and innovation are gaining momentum, he said. "We have enough reason to believe that our world will be a better place," Xi said.

Xi opens BRICS summit, asks members to shelve differences

&nbsp;Former Brazilian leader Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, a top contender to win next year&#39;s presidential election, was convicted on corruption charges on Wednesday and sentenced to nearly 10 years in prison.

The ruling marked a stunning fall for Lula, one of the country&#39;s most popular politicians, and a serious blow to his chances of a political comeback. The former union leader, who won global praise for policies to reduce stinging inequality in Brazil, faces four more corruption trials and will remain free on appeal.

The verdict represented the highest-profile conviction yet in a sweeping corruption investigation that for over three years has rattled Brazil, revealing a sprawling system of graft at top levels of business and government.

Judge Sergio Moro found Lula, 71, guilty of accepting 3.7 million reais ($1.2 million) worth of bribes from engineering firm OAS SA, the amount of money prosecutors said the company spent refurbishing a beach apartment for Lula in return for his help winning contracts with state oil company Petroleo Brasileiro.

Federal prosecutors have accused Lula, Brazil&#39;s first working-class president from 2003 to 2011, of masterminding a long-running corruption scheme that was uncovered in a probe into kickbacks around Petrobras.

Lula&#39;s legal team said in an emailed statement that he was innocent and they would appeal.

&quot;For over three years, Lula has been subject to a politically motivated investigation,&quot; they wrote. &quot;No credible evidence of guilt has been produced, and overwhelming proof of his innocence blatantly ignored.&quot;

Lula&#39;s lawyer Cristiano Martins has repeatedly accused judge Moro of being biased against his client, which Moro strongly denies.

Moro wrote in his ruling that he &quot;took no personal satisfaction in this conviction, quite to the contrary.&quot;

&quot;It&#39;s lamentable that a president of the republic is criminally convicted,&quot; Moro said. &quot;No matter how important you are, no one is above the law.&quot;

The Brazilian real&nbsp;extended gains following the decision and reached its strongest in two months. The benchmark Bovespa stock index rose to a session high. Investors fear that another Lula presidency would mean a return to more state-directed and less business-friendly economic policies.

&#39;Power vacuum on left&#39;

Lula would be barred from office if his guilty verdict is upheld by an appeals court, which is expected to take at least eight months to rule.

If he cannot run, political analysts say Brazil&#39;s left would be thrown into disarray, forced to rebuild and somehow find a leader who can emerge from the immense shadow that Lula has cast on Brazilian politics for three decades.

&quot;Lula&#39;s absence opens a gaping hole in the political scene, it creates an enormous power vacuum on the left,&quot; said Claudio Couto, a political scientist at the Getulio Vargas Foundation, a top university. &quot;We have now entered a situation of extreme political tension, even beyond the chaos we have been living for the last year.&quot;

Couto said he expected Lula&#39;s guilty verdict to be upheld by the appeals court. That would leave the 2018 presidential race wide open and raise chances of a victory by a political outsider, given most known contenders are also ensnared in Brazil&#39;s corruption investigations.

Boom to bust

Lula&#39;s two-terms were marked by a commodity boom that momentarily made Brazil one of the world&#39;s fastest-growing economies. His ambitious foreign policies, aligning Brazil with other big developing nations, raised the country&#39;s profile on the global stage.

With Lula&#39;s swagger setting the tone, Brazil sought to shrug off northern economic and political hegemony and engage in global problems, like Middle East peace and the standoff over Iran&#39;s nuclear programme.

Former US President Barack Obama once labelled him the most popular politician on earth.

But upon leaving office and managing to get his hand-selected successor Dilma Rousseff elected, Brazil&#39;s economy soured, with the nation just now beginning to emerge from its worst recession on record.

Rousseff was impeached last year for breaking budgetary rules. She and her backers say her ouster was actually a &#39;coup&#39; orchestrated by her vice president and now President Michel Temer, who himself faces corruption charges.

During his trial, Lula gave five hours of fiery and defiant defence, proclaiming his innocence and saying that it was politics and not the pilfering of public funds that put him on trial.

&quot;But what is happening is not getting me down, just motivating me to go out and talk more,&quot; Lula said in his testimony. &quot;I will keep fighting.&quot;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The judge found?Lula guilty of accepting 3.7 million reais ($1.2 million) worth of bribes from engineering firm OAS SA, the amount of money prosecutors said the company spent refurbishing a beach apartment for Lula in return for his help winning contracts with state oil company Petroleo Brasileiro

Former Brazilian leader Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, a top contender to win next year's presidential election, was convicted on corruption charges on Wednesday and sentenced to nearly 10 years in prison. The ruling marked a stunning fall for Lula, one of the country's most popular politicians, and a serious blow to his chances of a political comeback. The former union leader, who won global praise for policies to reduce stinging inequality in Brazil, faces four more corruption trials and will remain free on appeal. The verdict represented the highest-profile conviction yet in a sweeping corruption investigation that for over three years has rattled Brazil, revealing a sprawling system of graft at top levels of business and government. Judge Sergio Moro found Lula, 71, guilty of accepting 3.7 million reais ($1.2 million) worth of bribes from engineering firm OAS SA, the amount of money prosecutors said the company spent refurbishing a beach apartment for Lula in return for his help winning contracts with state oil company Petroleo Brasileiro. Federal prosecutors have accused Lula, Brazil's first working-class president from 2003 to 2011, of masterminding a long-running corruption scheme that was uncovered in a probe into kickbacks around Petrobras. Lula's legal team said in an emailed statement that he was innocent and they would appeal. "For over three years, Lula has been subject to a politically motivated investigation," they wrote. "No credible evidence of guilt has been produced, and overwhelming proof of his innocence blatantly ignored." Lula's lawyer Cristiano Martins has repeatedly accused judge Moro of being biased against his client, which Moro strongly denies. Moro wrote in his ruling that he "took no personal satisfaction in this conviction, quite to the contrary." "It's lamentable that a president of the republic is criminally convicted," Moro said. "No matter how important you are, no one is above the law." The Brazilian real extended gains following the decision and reached its strongest in two months. The benchmark Bovespa stock index rose to a session high. Investors fear that another Lula presidency would mean a return to more state-directed and less business-friendly economic policies. 'Power vacuum on left' Lula would be barred from office if his guilty verdict is upheld by an appeals court, which is expected to take at least eight months to rule. If he cannot run, political analysts say Brazil's left would be thrown into disarray, forced to rebuild and somehow find a leader who can emerge from the immense shadow that Lula has cast on Brazilian politics for three decades. "Lula's absence opens a gaping hole in the political scene, it creates an enormous power vacuum on the left," said Claudio Couto, a political scientist at the Getulio Vargas Foundation, a top university. "We have now entered a situation of extreme political tension, even beyond the chaos we have been living for the last year." Couto said he expected Lula's guilty verdict to be upheld by the appeals court. That would leave the 2018 presidential race wide open and raise chances of a victory by a political outsider, given most known contenders are also ensnared in Brazil's corruption investigations. Boom to bust Lula's two-terms were marked by a commodity boom that momentarily made Brazil one of the world's fastest-growing economies. His ambitious foreign policies, aligning Brazil with other big developing nations, raised the country's profile on the global stage. With Lula's swagger setting the tone, Brazil sought to shrug off northern economic and political hegemony and engage in global problems, like Middle East peace and the standoff over Iran's nuclear programme. Former US President Barack Obama once labelled him the most popular politician on earth. But upon leaving office and managing to get his hand-selected successor Dilma Rousseff elected, Brazil's economy soured, with the nation just now beginning to emerge from its worst recession on record. Rousseff was impeached last year for breaking budgetary rules. She and her backers say her ouster was actually a 'coup' orchestrated by her vice president and now President Michel Temer, who himself faces corruption charges. During his trial, Lula gave five hours of fiery and defiant defence, proclaiming his innocence and saying that it was politics and not the pilfering of public funds that put him on trial. "But what is happening is not getting me down, just motivating me to go out and talk more," Lula said in his testimony. "I will keep fighting."

Ex-Brazil President Lula convicted on graft charges, sentenced to nearly 10 years in jail

The G-20 (Group of 20)&nbsp;is an international forum which was formed with the purpose of establishing international cooperation on global economic and financial&nbsp;issues. The forum plays an important role in decision making on issues of international relevance.

G20 countries account for three-quarters of global trade. The G-20 countries produce more than&nbsp;80 per cent of the global economic&nbsp;output.&nbsp;

Around two-third&nbsp;of the global population lives in G-20 member countries.&nbsp;

The G-20 started in 1999 as a meeting of Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors in the aftermath of the Asian financial crisis that sent shockwaves through the global economic community.

In 2008, the first G-20 Leaders&rsquo; Summit was held, and the group played a key role in responding to the global financial crisis that rattled world markets causing massive financial instabilty and leading to the collapse of financial institutions.&nbsp;Its decisive and coordinated actions boosted consumer and business confidence and supported the global&nbsp;economic recovery.&nbsp;

How it works 
Each year in December&nbsp;a different G-20 member country assumes presidency of the forum. To ensure continuity, the presidency is supported by a &ldquo;troika&rdquo; (Trio) made up of the current, immediate past and next host countries. Being an informal group, the group has no permanent secretariat.&nbsp;

The G-20 president is responsible for bringing together the G-20 agenda in consultation with other members and in response to developments in the global economy. The summit and the preparatory processes &ndash; often including more than 60 ministerial and working group meetings per year &ndash; are coordinated by the respective host country.

Members of G20 
The twenty members of the forum are :

<table border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" style="width: 500px;">
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>
			<ul>
				<li>Argentina</li>
				<li>Australia</li>
				<li>Brazil</li>
				<li>Canada</li>
				<li>China</li>
				<li>France</li>
				<li>Germany</li>
			</ul>
			</td>
			<td>
			<ul>
				<li>India</li>
				<li>Indonesia</li>
				<li>Italy</li>
				<li>Japan</li>
				<li>Republic of Korea</li>
				<li>Mexico</li>
				<li>Russia</li>
			</ul>
			</td>
			<td>
			<ul>
				<li>Saudi Arabia</li>
				<li>South Africa</li>
				<li>Turkey</li>
				<li>The United Kingdom</li>
				<li>The united States</li>
				<li>The European Union</li>
			</ul>
			</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

 
&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false"><img alt="" draggable="false" src="http://s.wionews.com/photos/1-20170707014700.JPG" />
<div class="media-description">
The map displays the member countries, which represent two-thirds of the world population (Image source: g20.org) (Others)
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="javascript:void(0)" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

At the invitation of each Presidency, international organisations also regularly attend the G20 meetings. These organisations include the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the Financial Stability Board (FSB), the World Bank (WB), the World Trade Organization (WTO), the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the United Nations (UN). The German G20 Presidency has also invited the World Health Organisation (WHO) in 2017.

Spain attends the G-20 Summits as a permanent guest. The Presidency can also invite representatives of regional organisations and guests to the G-20 Summit.&nbsp;

India and G20

India has enacted a number of legislations and taken steps to tackle issues like black money, terror financing and food security which can be traced back to G-20. &nbsp;

For instance, India enacted the&nbsp;National Food Security Act with the objective to provide food and nutritional security by ensuring access to adequate quantity of food at affordable prices to people.&nbsp;

India stands to gain from G-20 knowledge sharing and best practices of improving food security without increasing water consumption to unsustainable levels. The same can then also form part of implementation under the National Water Policy of India.

G-20 has emerged as an important forum where global leaders come together to discuss issues of international significance. At a time, when countries like US are turning inwards and showing signs of protectionism, forums like G-20 have assumed all the more importance to steer the global economic community.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

&nbsp;

G20 is an international informal forum where India has made the mark of an emerging economy which aspires to take the world along with it towards development

The G-20 (Group of 20) is an international forum which was formed with the purpose of establishing international cooperation on global economic and financial issues. The forum plays an important role in decision making on issues of international relevance. G20 countries account for three-quarters of global trade. The G-20 countries produce more than 80 per cent of the global economic output. Around two-third of the global population lives in G-20 member countries. The G-20 started in 1999 as a meeting of Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors in the aftermath of the Asian financial crisis that sent shockwaves through the global economic community. In 2008, the first G-20 Leaders’ Summit was held, and the group played a key role in responding to the global financial crisis that rattled world markets causing massive financial instabilty and leading to the collapse of financial institutions. Its decisive and coordinated actions boosted consumer and business confidence and supported the global economic recovery. How it works Each year in December a different G-20 member country assumes presidency of the forum. To ensure continuity, the presidency is supported by a “troika” (Trio) made up of the current, immediate past and next host countries. Being an informal group, the group has no permanent secretariat. The G-20 president is responsible for bringing together the G-20 agenda in consultation with other members and in response to developments in the global economy. The summit and the preparatory processes – often including more than 60 ministerial and working group meetings per year – are coordinated by the respective host country. Members of G20 The twenty members of the forum are : Argentina Australia Brazil Canada China France Germany India Indonesia Italy Japan Republic of Korea Mexico Russia Saudi Arabia South Africa Turkey The United Kingdom The united States The European Union The map displays the member countries, which represent two-thirds of the world population (Image source: g20.org) (Others) × At the invitation of each Presidency, international organisations also regularly attend the G20 meetings. These organisations include the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the Financial Stability Board (FSB), the World Bank (WB), the World Trade Organization (WTO), the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the United Nations (UN). The German G20 Presidency has also invited the World Health Organisation (WHO) in 2017. Spain attends the G-20 Summits as a permanent guest. The Presidency can also invite representatives of regional organisations and guests to the G-20 Summit. India and G20 India has enacted a number of legislations and taken steps to tackle issues like black money, terror financing and food security which can be traced back to G-20. For instance, India enacted the National Food Security Act with the objective to provide food and nutritional security by ensuring access to adequate quantity of food at affordable prices to people. India stands to gain from G-20 knowledge sharing and best practices of improving food security without increasing water consumption to unsustainable levels. The same can then also form part of implementation under the National Water Policy of India. G-20 has emerged as an important forum where global leaders come together to discuss issues of international significance. At a time, when countries like US are turning inwards and showing signs of protectionism, forums like G-20 have assumed all the more importance to steer the global economic community.

All you need to know about G-20

Brazil&#39;s Supreme Court lashed out Saturday after a report that President Michel Temer had ordered the country&#39;s intelligence services to dig up dirt on the judge overseeing his corruption case.

The report in Veja magazine on Friday quoted an unnamed aide to Temer saying that the Brazilian Intelligence Agency, known as Abin, had been tasked with finding compromising material on Supreme Court Justice Edson Fachin.

Although the presidential palace quickly issued a statement denying the report, the Supreme Court came out with an unusually strongly worded statement of its own Saturday to denounce any pressure on its judges.

&quot;It is inadmissable to commit a very serious crime against the Federal Supreme Court, against democracy and against liberty,&quot; said the statement signed by Chief Justice Carmen Lucia.

Describing pressure against judges as &quot;the practice of a dictatorship,&quot; Lucia said the court &quot;vehemently rejects spurious, unconstitutional and immoral snooping against any citizen and even more so against one of its members -- even more so if aimed at embarrassing a judge.&quot;

The statement warned of &quot;legal, political and institutional consequences&quot; if the reported operation were &quot;proven at any time.&quot;

Prosecutor General Rodrigo Janot sent his own statement, saying he &quot;vehemently repudiates&quot; any attempt to gather embarrassing details on a judge.

The Supreme Court is overseeing scores of corruption cases against Brazilian politicians, including ministers, senators and lower house deputies, whose cases are not handled by lower courts.

The slew of graft cases have been unleashed by investigators with the &quot;Car Wash&quot; operation against embezzlement and bribery at the top levels of politics and business. Fachin is the head judge for &quot;Car Wash&quot; matters.

&#39;Now it&#39;s war&#39;

Temer himself is now under investigation for bribe taking and obstruction of justice related to the array of interlocking &quot;Car Wash&quot; corruption scandals.

In a separate case Friday, Temer was narrowly exonerated by the seven judges on the Supreme Electoral Tribunal who had been examining whether his 2014 election was marred by illegal campaign donations.

Temer denies all the charges against him, but now that the election controversy has been put aside he is believed to be gearing up for an intensified fight with prosecutors over the corruption allegations.

Veja, which specializes in political scoops, published its story on the alleged use of the intelligence agency against Justice Fachin with a cover showing Temer dressed as a soldier and the headline: &quot;Now it&#39;s war.&quot;

The presidential palace quickly responded, saying Temer &quot;never deployed (Abin) to investigate the life of Supreme Court Minister Edson Fachin, as was reported.&quot;

&quot;The government does not use the public machinery against Brazilian citizens, much less in any sort of action that would not respect the strict rules of the law.&quot;

The statement also insisted on the Temer government&#39;s support for &quot;Car Wash.&quot;

Temer is under investigation for bribe taking and obstruction of justice related to the array of interlocking 'Car Wash' corruption scandals

Brazil's Supreme Court lashed out Saturday after a report that President Michel Temer had ordered the country's intelligence services to dig up dirt on the judge overseeing his corruption case. The report in Veja magazine on Friday quoted an unnamed aide to Temer saying that the Brazilian Intelligence Agency, known as Abin, had been tasked with finding compromising material on Supreme Court Justice Edson Fachin. Although the presidential palace quickly issued a statement denying the report, the Supreme Court came out with an unusually strongly worded statement of its own Saturday to denounce any pressure on its judges. "It is inadmissable to commit a very serious crime against the Federal Supreme Court, against democracy and against liberty," said the statement signed by Chief Justice Carmen Lucia. Describing pressure against judges as "the practice of a dictatorship," Lucia said the court "vehemently rejects spurious, unconstitutional and immoral snooping against any citizen and even more so against one of its members -- even more so if aimed at embarrassing a judge." The statement warned of "legal, political and institutional consequences" if the reported operation were "proven at any time." Prosecutor General Rodrigo Janot sent his own statement, saying he "vehemently repudiates" any attempt to gather embarrassing details on a judge. The Supreme Court is overseeing scores of corruption cases against Brazilian politicians, including ministers, senators and lower house deputies, whose cases are not handled by lower courts. The slew of graft cases have been unleashed by investigators with the "Car Wash" operation against embezzlement and bribery at the top levels of politics and business. Fachin is the head judge for "Car Wash" matters. 'Now it's war' Temer himself is now under investigation for bribe taking and obstruction of justice related to the array of interlocking "Car Wash" corruption scandals. In a separate case Friday, Temer was narrowly exonerated by the seven judges on the Supreme Electoral Tribunal who had been examining whether his 2014 election was marred by illegal campaign donations. Temer denies all the charges against him, but now that the election controversy has been put aside he is believed to be gearing up for an intensified fight with prosecutors over the corruption allegations. Veja, which specializes in political scoops, published its story on the alleged use of the intelligence agency against Justice Fachin with a cover showing Temer dressed as a soldier and the headline: "Now it's war." The presidential palace quickly responded, saying Temer "never deployed (Abin) to investigate the life of Supreme Court Minister Edson Fachin, as was reported." "The government does not use the public machinery against Brazilian citizens, much less in any sort of action that would not respect the strict rules of the law." The statement also insisted on the Temer government's support for "Car Wash."

Brazil: Supreme Court lashes out at Temer 'snooping'

The UN Security Council on Monday strongly condemned North Korea&#39;s latest missile test and vowed to push all countries to tighten sanctions against Pyongyang.

In a unanimous statement backed by China, Pyongyang`s ally, the council instructed its sanctions committee to redouble efforts to implement a raft of tough measures adopted last year.

The council also agreed to &quot;take further significant measures including sanctions&quot; to force North Korea to change course and end its &quot;highly destabilizing behavior&quot;.

The Security Council will hold a closed-door emergency meeting Tuesday at the request of Japan, South Korea and the United States to discuss further action in response to the latest missile test.

The US-drafted statement was nearly identical to one adopted last week after the launch of an intermediate-range missile that Pyongyang said was capable of carrying a &quot;heavy&quot; nuclear warhead.

The council demanded that North Korea &quot;conduct no further nuclear and ballistic missile tests&quot;.

North Korea on Sunday fired the Pukguksong-2, which uses solid fuel that allows for immediate firing, the state-run Korean Central News Agency said.

It was the latest test-firing in a series this year as Pyongyang steps up its efforts to develop an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of hitting the United States.

(AFP)

Temer last week refused to resign in the face of new corruption allegations against him and his closest aides, putting his government and its reform agenda on the brink of collapse

The UN Security Council on Monday strongly condemned North Korea's latest missile test and vowed to push all countries to tighten sanctions against Pyongyang. In a unanimous statement backed by China, Pyongyang`s ally, the council instructed its sanctions committee to redouble efforts to implement a raft of tough measures adopted last year. The council also agreed to "take further significant measures including sanctions" to force North Korea to change course and end its "highly destabilizing behavior". The Security Council will hold a closed-door emergency meeting Tuesday at the request of Japan, South Korea and the United States to discuss further action in response to the latest missile test. The US-drafted statement was nearly identical to one adopted last week after the launch of an intermediate-range missile that Pyongyang said was capable of carrying a "heavy" nuclear warhead. The council demanded that North Korea "conduct no further nuclear and ballistic missile tests". North Korea on Sunday fired the Pukguksong-2, which uses solid fuel that allows for immediate firing, the state-run Korean Central News Agency said. It was the latest test-firing in a series this year as Pyongyang steps up its efforts to develop an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of hitting the United States. (AFP)

Brazil: Protests erupt against scandal-hit President Temer demanding his ouster

It seems Brazilian politics just can&#39;t catch a break as President Michel Temer becomes embroiled in a corruption scandal of his own. There have even been calls to impeach the President and you can read more details in our story <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/brazil-president-temer-put-under-investigation-refuses-to-quit-15768">here</a>. These corruption allegations are only the latest to hit people at the very top of Brazilian politics, if we look at the tenures of the previous two presidents, Luiz Inacio da Silva and Dilma Rousseff.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false"><img alt="" draggable="false" src="http://s.wionews.com/photos/roussef-20170519072851.jpg" />
<div class="media-description">
The tenure of Dilma Rousseff was overshadowed by the Petrobras scandal (AFP)
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="javascript:void(0)" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

The presidency of Dilma Rousseff, in power from 2011 to 2016, was plagued by allegations of corruption involving the state oil company Petrobras scandal. Before she became president, Rousseff was chairman of Petrobras, and while she denies any knowledge of what happened, money from corporations who signed contracts with Petrobras <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/6e8b0e28-f728-11e5-803c-d27c7117d132">was skimmed</a> by Petrobras executives, lobbyists and politicians belonging to Rousseff&#39;s leftist Worker&#39;s Party.

The embezzlement amounted to billions of dollars, billions that ended up getting accumulated in Swiss bank accounts and was possibly used to fund election campaigns of the ruling Worker&#39;s party. Rousseff, eventually did get impeached herself, though not over these corruption allegations, but for <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-36028117">breaking fiscal laws</a> when her government moved funds between official programmes to hide a budget deficit.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false"><img alt="" draggable="false" src="http://s.wionews.com/photos/lula-20170519072627.jpg" />
<div class="media-description">
Former president Lula Da Silva is currently facing trial over corruption charges (AFP)
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="javascript:void(0)" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

Before Rousseff, Luiz Inacio da Silva or Lula, who was president from 2003 to 2011, was involved in the Petrobras scandal himself and is <a href="http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/brazils-lula-calls-corruption-trial-a-farce/article18426729.ece">currently facing trial</a> for it. He is alleged to have received a seaside apartment near Sao Paulo from the Brazilian construction company OAS, one of the main contractors for Petrobras. Rousseff had <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/mar/17/release-tapped-phone-calls-lula-rousseff-deepens-brazil-chaos">even appointed</a> Lula as a cabinet minister in order to give him legal immunity from prosecution during the Petrobras scandal, but that was later <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2016/03/17/americas/brazil-rousseff-lula-tapes/">blocked by a judge</a>.

Even during his first term, Lula was hit by a <a href="http://www.livemint.com/Politics/xr0PkZA03RTN6yRCM7XC0J/Brazil-to-investigate-expresident-Lula-in-votebuying-scand.html">vote-buying scandal</a>, in which money from Marcos Valeiro, an advertising executive with several government contracts, was allegedly channelled to bribe lawmakers to vote in favour of government bills. Some of the money from Valeiro was also alleged to have been used to fund Lula&#39;s own election campaigns.

Sadly, Lula has emerged as the <a href="https://www.cfr.org/blog-post/will-2018-bring-mandate-change-brazil">frontrunner in opinion polls</a> to become president in the 2018 elections. (Though a conviction in his trial would bar him from competing.) To expect him to be the man who cleans up Brazilian politics would be a fantasy.

The scandal involving Michel Temer continues the sorry saga of presidential misdeeds in Brazil

It seems Brazilian politics just can't catch a break as President Michel Temer becomes embroiled in a corruption scandal of his own. There have even been calls to impeach the President and you can read more details in our story here. These corruption allegations are only the latest to hit people at the very top of Brazilian politics, if we look at the tenures of the previous two presidents, Luiz Inacio da Silva and Dilma Rousseff. The tenure of Dilma Rousseff was overshadowed by the Petrobras scandal (AFP) × The presidency of Dilma Rousseff, in power from 2011 to 2016, was plagued by allegations of corruption involving the state oil company Petrobras scandal. Before she became president, Rousseff was chairman of Petrobras, and while she denies any knowledge of what happened, money from corporations who signed contracts with Petrobras was skimmed by Petrobras executives, lobbyists and politicians belonging to Rousseff's leftist Worker's Party. The embezzlement amounted to billions of dollars, billions that ended up getting accumulated in Swiss bank accounts and was possibly used to fund election campaigns of the ruling Worker's party. Rousseff, eventually did get impeached herself, though not over these corruption allegations, but for breaking fiscal laws when her government moved funds between official programmes to hide a budget deficit. Former president Lula Da Silva is currently facing trial over corruption charges (AFP) × Before Rousseff, Luiz Inacio da Silva or Lula, who was president from 2003 to 2011, was involved in the Petrobras scandal himself and is currently facing trial for it. He is alleged to have received a seaside apartment near Sao Paulo from the Brazilian construction company OAS, one of the main contractors for Petrobras. Rousseff had even appointed Lula as a cabinet minister in order to give him legal immunity from prosecution during the Petrobras scandal, but that was later blocked by a judge. Even during his first term, Lula was hit by a vote-buying scandal, in which money from Marcos Valeiro, an advertising executive with several government contracts, was allegedly channelled to bribe lawmakers to vote in favour of government bills. Some of the money from Valeiro was also alleged to have been used to fund Lula's own election campaigns. Sadly, Lula has emerged as the frontrunner in opinion polls to become president in the 2018 elections. (Though a conviction in his trial would bar him from competing.) To expect him to be the man who cleans up Brazilian politics would be a fantasy.

Brazil's love affair with corruption continues

Brazil&#39;s President Michel Temer defiantly refused to step down Thursday after being put under investigation for allegedly authorising payment of hush money to a politician imprisoned for corruption.

&quot;I will not resign. I repeat: I will not resign,&quot; he announced angrily, wagging his finger, in a brief televised statement to the nation.

Several thousand people demonstrated in Rio de Janeiro, shouting &quot;Temer out!&quot; while about 2,000 held a similar rally in the capital Brasilia. Both protests ended in minor clashes with riot police.

Around 24 hours after a report in O Globo newspaper revealed that Temer had been caught on tape allegedly agreeing to bribe former speaker of the lower house Eduardo Cunha, he already faced eight formal requests for his impeachment.

There were also signs that his ruling center-right coalition was in danger, with some allies calling for his resignation. The culture minister, Roberto Freire, resigned and there were indications that the urban affairs minister would follow.

The Supreme Court piled on the pressure by greenlighting a formal investigation into Temer.

Despite all the calls for his head, the veteran center-right politician -- who took over last year after the impeachment of leftist president Dilma Rousseff -- came out swinging.

Temer highlighted signs this week that Brazil&#39;s two-year recession is coming to an end and claimed that &quot;optimism was returning&quot; thanks to a program of austerity reforms that he is trying to pass in Congress.

Now &quot;those efforts may come to nothing,&quot; he warned, calling for a &quot;full and very rapid&quot; investigation at the Supreme Court.

Popular anger

It remained unclear whether Temer&#39;s defiance will be enough, with cracks growing in the ruling coalition, which is centered on Temer&#39;s PMDB party and the PSDB Social Democrats, along with a coalition of smaller parties.

Earlier, a PSDB leader, Ricardo Tripoli, told AFP that &quot;if the evidence is confirmed, then we will ask our (ministers) to leave the government.&quot;

The Sao Paulo stock market reacted in panic to the specter of Brazil losing its second president in just over 12 months.&nbsp;

The Bovespa index crashed more than 10 percent after opening, triggering an automatic suspension of trading for 30 minutes. It closed 8.8 percent down.

Investors have been counting on Temer pushing through the austerity reforms, which include a raising of the minimum retirement age, so that Brazil&#39;s bloated public finances can be brought under control.

The measures are unpopular with most Brazilians, however, and Temer can expect little backing from the streets.

&quot;As a Brazilian citizen I am obliged to demand our president&#39;s resignation and direct elections so that Brazil can decide its future,&quot; said history professor Jose Vicente, 51, who was at the Rio protest.

&#39;Under control&#39;

The scandal started with Globo&#39;s report late Wednesday that Temer had been secretly recorded while talking to Joesley Batista, an executive from the meatpacking giant JBS, on March 7.

On the tape, which was made public Thursday, Batista told Temer that he was paying money every month to Cunha &quot;to keep things under control&quot; and Temer replied: &quot;You need to keep doing that, OK?&quot;

The conversation, which was provided to prosecutors as part of a plea bargain with Batista, is now evidence with the Supreme Court. It has been interpreted as referring to bribes given to Cunha to make sure that he didn&#39;t spill secrets to prosecutors himself.

In his statement Thursday, Temer angrily responded: &quot;I never bought anyone&#39;s silence.&quot;

A separate secret recording made by Batista allegedly caught Senator Aecio Neves, head of the PSDB party and a close Temer ally, asking him for a bribe of two million reais, or around $600,000.

Globo published what seemed to be pictures showing men delivering a suitcase of cash for Neves, who was suspended Thursday from his position.

Presidential immunity

The scandal is the latest shockwave from the wider &quot;Car Wash&quot; graft probe ripping through Brazilian politics, involving vast bribes and embezzlement.

Until now Temer has managed to stay above the fray, enjoying presidential immunity for alleged crimes prior to his mandate.

However, the hush money claims date from well within his time in office and the Supreme Court probe puts him in the firing line.

If he resigns he would no longer have his case handled by the Supreme Court, but be moved to what are seen as far more aggressive, quicker-acting lower courts.

If he stays, Congress could launch impeachment proceedings but that would depend on him losing his base.

&quot;That&#39;s why today the main question is to know whether the parties that form the government&#39;s base will leave,&quot; said Thomaz Pereira, constitutional law professor at the Getulio Vargas Foundation in Rio. 
&nbsp;

(AFP)

Several thousand people demonstrated in Rio de Janeiro, shouting 'Temer out!' while about 2,000 held a similar rally in the capital Brasilia

Brazil's President Michel Temer defiantly refused to step down Thursday after being put under investigation for allegedly authorising payment of hush money to a politician imprisoned for corruption. "I will not resign. I repeat: I will not resign," he announced angrily, wagging his finger, in a brief televised statement to the nation. Several thousand people demonstrated in Rio de Janeiro, shouting "Temer out!" while about 2,000 held a similar rally in the capital Brasilia. Both protests ended in minor clashes with riot police. Around 24 hours after a report in O Globo newspaper revealed that Temer had been caught on tape allegedly agreeing to bribe former speaker of the lower house Eduardo Cunha, he already faced eight formal requests for his impeachment. There were also signs that his ruling center-right coalition was in danger, with some allies calling for his resignation. The culture minister, Roberto Freire, resigned and there were indications that the urban affairs minister would follow. The Supreme Court piled on the pressure by greenlighting a formal investigation into Temer. Despite all the calls for his head, the veteran center-right politician -- who took over last year after the impeachment of leftist president Dilma Rousseff -- came out swinging. Temer highlighted signs this week that Brazil's two-year recession is coming to an end and claimed that "optimism was returning" thanks to a program of austerity reforms that he is trying to pass in Congress. Now "those efforts may come to nothing," he warned, calling for a "full and very rapid" investigation at the Supreme Court. Popular anger It remained unclear whether Temer's defiance will be enough, with cracks growing in the ruling coalition, which is centered on Temer's PMDB party and the PSDB Social Democrats, along with a coalition of smaller parties. Earlier, a PSDB leader, Ricardo Tripoli, told AFP that "if the evidence is confirmed, then we will ask our (ministers) to leave the government." The Sao Paulo stock market reacted in panic to the specter of Brazil losing its second president in just over 12 months. The Bovespa index crashed more than 10 percent after opening, triggering an automatic suspension of trading for 30 minutes. It closed 8.8 percent down. Investors have been counting on Temer pushing through the austerity reforms, which include a raising of the minimum retirement age, so that Brazil's bloated public finances can be brought under control. The measures are unpopular with most Brazilians, however, and Temer can expect little backing from the streets. "As a Brazilian citizen I am obliged to demand our president's resignation and direct elections so that Brazil can decide its future," said history professor Jose Vicente, 51, who was at the Rio protest. 'Under control' The scandal started with Globo's report late Wednesday that Temer had been secretly recorded while talking to Joesley Batista, an executive from the meatpacking giant JBS, on March 7. On the tape, which was made public Thursday, Batista told Temer that he was paying money every month to Cunha "to keep things under control" and Temer replied: "You need to keep doing that, OK?" The conversation, which was provided to prosecutors as part of a plea bargain with Batista, is now evidence with the Supreme Court. It has been interpreted as referring to bribes given to Cunha to make sure that he didn't spill secrets to prosecutors himself. In his statement Thursday, Temer angrily responded: "I never bought anyone's silence." A separate secret recording made by Batista allegedly caught Senator Aecio Neves, head of the PSDB party and a close Temer ally, asking him for a bribe of two million reais, or around $600,000. Globo published what seemed to be pictures showing men delivering a suitcase of cash for Neves, who was suspended Thursday from his position. Presidential immunity The scandal is the latest shockwave from the wider "Car Wash" graft probe ripping through Brazilian politics, involving vast bribes and embezzlement. Until now Temer has managed to stay above the fray, enjoying presidential immunity for alleged crimes prior to his mandate. However, the hush money claims date from well within his time in office and the Supreme Court probe puts him in the firing line. If he resigns he would no longer have his case handled by the Supreme Court, but be moved to what are seen as far more aggressive, quicker-acting lower courts. If he stays, Congress could launch impeachment proceedings but that would depend on him losing his base. "That's why today the main question is to know whether the parties that form the government's base will leave," said Thomaz Pereira, constitutional law professor at the Getulio Vargas Foundation in Rio. (AFP)

Brazil President Temer put under investigation, refuses to quit

Five-times world champions Brazil have returned to what they will consider their rightful place at the top of the FIFA rankings for the first time in seven years.

Indian football team achieved its best-ever FIFA ranking in over two decades as it jumped to 101 in the latest list released.&nbsp;India has jumped 31 places from its last rank of 132nd in the previous month. The Indian team is ranked 11th in Asia.

Brazil has enjoyed an impressive revival since Tite replaced Dunga as their national team coach last year, winning all nine matches they have played under his leadership including eight World Cup qualifiers.

They continued their run in March with a 4-1 win in Uruguay and 3-0 win over Paraguay to become the first side to book their place at next year&#39;s World Cup in Russia with four games to spare.

Brazil, who replaced arch-rivals Argentina at the top, previously led the rankings going into the 2010 World Cup where they were eliminated by the Netherlands in the quarter-finals.

Since then, they have suffered a string of embarrassments, with elimination by Paraguay at successive Copa America tournaments in 2011 and 2015 and their infamous 7-1 loss to Germany in the 2014 World Cup semi-final.

Argentina lost their place after last week&#39;s 2-0 defeat in Bolivia which has left them struggling to qualify for the 2018 World Cup.

Four of the top five teams in the rankings announcement by FIFA on Thursday, are from South America. Chile are fourth, Colombia fifth and Germany sandwiched in between in third.

Egypt are Africa&#39;s best-placed team in 19th while Asia&#39;s top side are 28th-placed Iran.

&nbsp;

Top ten rankings--(previous month&#39;s places in brackets)

1. Brazil (2)

2. Argentina (1)

3. Germany (3)

4. Chile (4)

5. Colombia (7)

6. France (6)

7. Belgium (5)

8. Portugal (8)

9. Switzerland (11)

10. Spain (10)

(Reuters)

Egypt are Africa's best-placed team in 19th, while Asia's top side are 28th-placed Iran

Five-times world champions Brazil have returned to what they will consider their rightful place at the top of the FIFA rankings for the first time in seven years. Indian football team achieved its best-ever FIFA ranking in over two decades as it jumped to 101 in the latest list released. India has jumped 31 places from its last rank of 132nd in the previous month. The Indian team is ranked 11th in Asia. Brazil has enjoyed an impressive revival since Tite replaced Dunga as their national team coach last year, winning all nine matches they have played under his leadership including eight World Cup qualifiers. They continued their run in March with a 4-1 win in Uruguay and 3-0 win over Paraguay to become the first side to book their place at next year's World Cup in Russia with four games to spare. Brazil, who replaced arch-rivals Argentina at the top, previously led the rankings going into the 2010 World Cup where they were eliminated by the Netherlands in the quarter-finals. Since then, they have suffered a string of embarrassments, with elimination by Paraguay at successive Copa America tournaments in 2011 and 2015 and their infamous 7-1 loss to Germany in the 2014 World Cup semi-final. Argentina lost their place after last week's 2-0 defeat in Bolivia which has left them struggling to qualify for the 2018 World Cup. Four of the top five teams in the rankings announcement by FIFA on Thursday, are from South America. Chile are fourth, Colombia fifth and Germany sandwiched in between in third. Egypt are Africa's best-placed team in 19th while Asia's top side are 28th-placed Iran. Top ten rankings--(previous month's places in brackets) 1. Brazil (2) 2. Argentina (1) 3. Germany (3) 4. Chile (4) 5. Colombia (7) 6. France (6) 7. Belgium (5) 8. Portugal (8) 9. Switzerland (11) 10. Spain (10) (Reuters)

Brazil tops FIFA football rankings, India ranked 101

Shortly after the Lok Sabha elections in 2014, three-time chief minister of a Congress state told me that the Gandhis have become a liability for the Congress. What sounded shocking to me then seems like a cold reality today. Post 2012, every election where Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi campaigned intensively has been lost by the party. The Congress has only been able to retain or regain those states where the state leadership has been strong. This development has been co-terminus with the rise of Modi&rsquo;s brand of politics and Rahul&rsquo;s elevation in the Congress Party. The rise of the BJP also became the rise of Narendra Modi which not only electorally marginalised the Congress but also damaged the Gandhi brand. His campaign model ran down Rahul Gandhi hence his capacity to attract and electrify the voters.

This happened when Narendra Modi had more political baggage than the young Rahul Gandhi. Despite the disadvantage he faced, Modi managed to turn it around. He did this through opportunities inadvertently handed down to him by the Opposition and by projecting himself as an outsider to the corrupt world of the Delhi Durbar. In the process, Rahul Gandhi was successfully projected as a lazy leader who was a product of power and pelf in front of an aspirational India which he has not been able to shake off till date.

Rahul Gandhi not only squandered away the opportunity to understand the humbling process of government work but also proved organisationally inept. Not only did his Youth Congress programme come under tremendous criticism but his transition, forced by his mother Sonia Gandhi, created deep fissures in the party. Married to the defeat of 2014 and 2017, one can safely say that Rahul Gandhi today is turning into a brand liability for the Congress as he fails to draw the voters out on his own account. The truth is that the dynasty is in decline. The truth is that majority of Indians aren&rsquo;t taking Rahul Gandhi seriously. It is failing to connect to a new India on its own accord. It is a difficult truth but stares the Congress in its face and it should worry everyone in the Congress a lot.

The sum and total of five polls is that Narendra Modi today stands as the only pan Indian leader who possesses the ability to move and mobilise multiple social constituencies. Even if concession is given to Rahul Gandhi that the Congress wrested a couple of states, its overall vote share continues to decline. Rahul&#39;s victories never gave him the legitimacy of a mass leader as people gave credit to the state leaders. This time, the family bastion in Uttar Pradesh (UP) was again swept away despite the alliance whereas all seats in Varanasi went into the BJP&rsquo;s pocket indicating that even the home turf of the Gandhis is in tatters.

To top it up is the issue of perception that no leader comes close to Modi. This image has been buffeted further by the economically-contested demonetisation which he used to the party&rsquo;s political advantage in Uttar Pradesh. This not only enhanced his stature but also made all adversaries look small, limited and regional in nature.

The UP results also made Rahul Gandhi fall into the trap of sectional politics. In the 2012 elections, &nbsp;he spoke about the issue of backward Muslims which failed miserably. This time also the same mistake was repeated, but in a different avatar.

Despite appealing to the developmental issues, the dog whisper campaign of the SP-Congress was that with the Muslim Yadav combine with the Congress, the upper-caste vote would do well. This was politically countered by the majority discrimination campaign by BJP which was spearheaded by the prime minister himself. Not only did it derail the alliance, but it also created a united Hindu vote which should worry Congress a lot.

Bluntly putting it, PM Modi has become the biggest Hindu mascot who makes his intention of not running after the minority votes very clear to the electorate. To say that the post-Godhra baggage of the PM has been forgotten by India as he speaks more on development would be to fool oneself. Modi represents a skillful combination of Hindutva and the right-of-center economy of the world. So, to say that the UP results showcase booth-management skills or caste management would be to fool oneself. The vote represents a majority vote against a minority veto which has resurfaced in a much more powerful manner after the 1990s. This is the reason why not a single Muslim candidate was fielded by the BJP in UP and similarly in Assam, where the Muslim population touches 30 per cent of the total votes. This is not limited to India. Through the world, a churn exists where the majority not only asserts itself but also wears its cultural and religious symbols dynamically in the political field.

It is in this contrast that Rahul Gandhi comes across as a perpetually struggling leader who has neither defined his idea nor politics. It is this reality that Rahul Gandhi needs to deal with. It will not resolve itself by visiting temples or talking about Saivism in public because it doesn&rsquo;t look organic.

Congress under Rahul Gandhi can either continue to fight the BJP to preserve its past and the family or can call for internal elections to embrace fresh leadership. Who knows that a tough fight to take over the party might reinvent Rahul Gandhi himself. It did wonders to Sonia Gandhi when she was challenged by Jitendra Prasad. It gave her the legitimacy in front of workers and from there she went on to challenge the BJP. She challenged them state by state and in the process rebuilt a broken party.

The Congress will have to walk the same road again but will have to start the process by addressing the issue of the family first. There is not much of a choice. Fix it or replace it with an outsider. 
 
(WION)

&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

Meanwhile, five-time world champions Brazil have virtually booked a place for the next edition to be held in Russia

Shortly after the Lok Sabha elections in 2014, three-time chief minister of a Congress state told me that the Gandhis have become a liability for the Congress. What sounded shocking to me then seems like a cold reality today. Post 2012, every election where Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi campaigned intensively has been lost by the party. The Congress has only been able to retain or regain those states where the state leadership has been strong. This development has been co-terminus with the rise of Modi’s brand of politics and Rahul’s elevation in the Congress Party. The rise of the BJP also became the rise of Narendra Modi which not only electorally marginalised the Congress but also damaged the Gandhi brand. His campaign model ran down Rahul Gandhi hence his capacity to attract and electrify the voters. This happened when Narendra Modi had more political baggage than the young Rahul Gandhi. Despite the disadvantage he faced, Modi managed to turn it around. He did this through opportunities inadvertently handed down to him by the Opposition and by projecting himself as an outsider to the corrupt world of the Delhi Durbar. In the process, Rahul Gandhi was successfully projected as a lazy leader who was a product of power and pelf in front of an aspirational India which he has not been able to shake off till date. Rahul Gandhi not only squandered away the opportunity to understand the humbling process of government work but also proved organisationally inept. Not only did his Youth Congress programme come under tremendous criticism but his transition, forced by his mother Sonia Gandhi, created deep fissures in the party. Married to the defeat of 2014 and 2017, one can safely say that Rahul Gandhi today is turning into a brand liability for the Congress as he fails to draw the voters out on his own account. The truth is that the dynasty is in decline. The truth is that majority of Indians aren’t taking Rahul Gandhi seriously. It is failing to connect to a new India on its own accord. It is a difficult truth but stares the Congress in its face and it should worry everyone in the Congress a lot. The sum and total of five polls is that Narendra Modi today stands as the only pan Indian leader who possesses the ability to move and mobilise multiple social constituencies. Even if concession is given to Rahul Gandhi that the Congress wrested a couple of states, its overall vote share continues to decline. Rahul's victories never gave him the legitimacy of a mass leader as people gave credit to the state leaders. This time, the family bastion in Uttar Pradesh (UP) was again swept away despite the alliance whereas all seats in Varanasi went into the BJP’s pocket indicating that even the home turf of the Gandhis is in tatters. To top it up is the issue of perception that no leader comes close to Modi. This image has been buffeted further by the economically-contested demonetisation which he used to the party’s political advantage in Uttar Pradesh. This not only enhanced his stature but also made all adversaries look small, limited and regional in nature. The UP results also made Rahul Gandhi fall into the trap of sectional politics. In the 2012 elections, he spoke about the issue of backward Muslims which failed miserably. This time also the same mistake was repeated, but in a different avatar. Despite appealing to the developmental issues, the dog whisper campaign of the SP-Congress was that with the Muslim Yadav combine with the Congress, the upper-caste vote would do well. This was politically countered by the majority discrimination campaign by BJP which was spearheaded by the prime minister himself. Not only did it derail the alliance, but it also created a united Hindu vote which should worry Congress a lot. Bluntly putting it, PM Modi has become the biggest Hindu mascot who makes his intention of not running after the minority votes very clear to the electorate. To say that the post-Godhra baggage of the PM has been forgotten by India as he speaks more on development would be to fool oneself. Modi represents a skillful combination of Hindutva and the right-of-center economy of the world. So, to say that the UP results showcase booth-management skills or caste management would be to fool oneself. The vote represents a majority vote against a minority veto which has resurfaced in a much more powerful manner after the 1990s. This is the reason why not a single Muslim candidate was fielded by the BJP in UP and similarly in Assam, where the Muslim population touches 30 per cent of the total votes. This is not limited to India. Through the world, a churn exists where the majority not only asserts itself but also wears its cultural and religious symbols dynamically in the political field. It is in this contrast that Rahul Gandhi comes across as a perpetually struggling leader who has neither defined his idea nor politics. It is this reality that Rahul Gandhi needs to deal with. It will not resolve itself by visiting temples or talking about Saivism in public because it doesn’t look organic. Congress under Rahul Gandhi can either continue to fight the BJP to preserve its past and the family or can call for internal elections to embrace fresh leadership. Who knows that a tough fight to take over the party might reinvent Rahul Gandhi himself. It did wonders to Sonia Gandhi when she was challenged by Jitendra Prasad. It gave her the legitimacy in front of workers and from there she went on to challenge the BJP. She challenged them state by state and in the process rebuilt a broken party. The Congress will have to walk the same road again but will have to start the process by addressing the issue of the family first. There is not much of a choice. Fix it or replace it with an outsider. (WION)

World Cup qualifiers: Messi-led Argentina beat Chile to exorcise Copa ghosts

About forty potential vaccines for the Zika virus are being tested, but none are likely to be available for women of childbearing age before 2020, the World Health Organization said today.

WHO director Margaret Chan said the virus, linked to deformations in babies&#39; heads and brains, remained &quot;firmly entrenched&quot; in large parts of the world.

Although progress toward effective prevention has been made, with some drugs now in clinical trials, &quot;a vaccine judged safe enough for use in women of childbearing age may not be fully licensed before 2020,&quot; Chan said.

The agency declared in November that Zika was no longer a public health emergency, though Chan said today that the WHO was setting up a new support programme for countries around the world.

The outbreak, which emerged in Brazil in 2015, has affected some 70 countries.

While Zika, spread by infected mosquitoes as well as by sexual contact, causes only mild symptoms in most people, pregnant women with the virus risk giving birth to babies with microcephaly, a crippling deformation that leads to abnormally small brains and heads.

In June, the WHO said USD 122 million (113 million euros) was needed to fund an 18-month plan to fight infections of women of childbearing age.

(AFP)

WHO director Margaret Chan said the virus remained 'firmly entrenched' in large parts of the world

About forty potential vaccines for the Zika virus are being tested, but none are likely to be available for women of childbearing age before 2020, the World Health Organization said today. WHO director Margaret Chan said the virus, linked to deformations in babies' heads and brains, remained "firmly entrenched" in large parts of the world. Although progress toward effective prevention has been made, with some drugs now in clinical trials, "a vaccine judged safe enough for use in women of childbearing age may not be fully licensed before 2020," Chan said. The agency declared in November that Zika was no longer a public health emergency, though Chan said today that the WHO was setting up a new support programme for countries around the world. The outbreak, which emerged in Brazil in 2015, has affected some 70 countries. While Zika, spread by infected mosquitoes as well as by sexual contact, causes only mild symptoms in most people, pregnant women with the virus risk giving birth to babies with microcephaly, a crippling deformation that leads to abnormally small brains and heads. In June, the WHO said USD 122 million (113 million euros) was needed to fund an 18-month plan to fight infections of women of childbearing age. (AFP)

Zika virus: No vaccine for women of childbearing age before 2020, says WHO

The latest in a string of brutal prison massacres involving suspected gang members in Brazil has killed 26 inmates, most of whom were beheaded, officials said.&nbsp;The bloodbath erupted on Saturday night in the overcrowded Alcacuz prison in the northeastern state of Rio Grande do Norte.

&quot;Twenty-six deaths have been verified,&quot; the state&#39;s public safety manager, Caio Bezerra, told a news conference. The authorities had earlier estimated around 30 were killed as they gathered bodies and body parts, he said. Security forces stormed the prison at dawn and restored order after 14 hours of violence, the local authorities said. Officials said members of two drug gangs clashed violently after coming out of different parts of the prison.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="row">
<div class="article-blockquote">
<div class="col-sm-10 col-sm-offset-1 blockquote-content quoteshare">
<blockquote>
<h5>Experts say the violence is part of a war between drug gangs battling for control of one of the world&#39;s most important cocaine markets and trafficking routes.</h5>
</blockquote>
</div>

<div class="col-sm-1 blockquote-content">
<div class="share-blockquote"><a class="twitter popup" href="http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Experts say the violence is part of a war between drug gangs battling for control of one of the world's most important cocaine markets and trafficking routes." target="_blank">&nbsp;</a></div>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqquoteclosemark">&times;</a></div>
</div>
</div>

One family member said the authorities did not seem to be doing everything they could - even after she warned the prison director. &quot;The prison director even said he could not do anything&quot; when told an uprising was looming, said Adriana Feliz, the sister&nbsp;of an inmate. &quot;I told the director they were going to go in and kill everyone in Pavillion 4,&quot; she added. &quot;So why didn&#39;t they do anything?&quot;

President Michel Temer said on Twitter that the federal government stood ready to provide &quot;all assistance necessary.&quot;&nbsp;Separately, officials in the southern state of Parana said 28 prisoners escaped from a jail in the city of Curitiba after inmates blew up a wall and fired on police. At Alcacuz, security forces surrounded the prison but had to wait until first dawn on Sunday to storm the site with armoured vehicles, officials said.&nbsp;

Prisoners had cut off the electricity and were said to have firearms. The prison, just outside the state capital Natal, was built for a maximum of 620 inmates but currently houses 1,083, the state justice department said. The riot was thought to have been a clash between Brazil&#39;s biggest drug gang, the First Capital Command (PCC), and a group allied to its main rival Red Command, Brazilian media said.

Experts say the violence is part of a war between drug gangs battling for control of one of the world&#39;s most important cocaine markets and trafficking routes. Violence in the first week of January left around 100 prisoners dead - many of them active gang members, the authorities said.

Many of the victims were beheaded&nbsp;or dismembered, officials said. The biggest bloodbath, in the northwestern city of Manaus, left about 60 inmates dead. It appeared to be an orchestrated mass killing targeting members of the PCC. Dozens of inmates are still missing.&nbsp; Another&nbsp;bout of violence in Roraima state killed 33. It was thought to be a backlash by the PCC&#39;s rivals for its violent expansion. The states of northern Brazil, which border top cocaine producers Bolivia, Colombia and Peru, are battle zones in the drug trade.

Prisons there - and throughout Brazil - are often under the de facto control of drug gangs, whose turf wars on the outside play out among inmates.Overcrowding exacerbates the problem, activists say.

(AFP)

The riot is thought to have been a clash between Brazil's biggest drug gang and its main rival

The latest in a string of brutal prison massacres involving suspected gang members in Brazil has killed 26 inmates, most of whom were beheaded, officials said. The bloodbath erupted on Saturday night in the overcrowded Alcacuz prison in the northeastern state of Rio Grande do Norte. "Twenty-six deaths have been verified," the state's public safety manager, Caio Bezerra, told a news conference. The authorities had earlier estimated around 30 were killed as they gathered bodies and body parts, he said. Security forces stormed the prison at dawn and restored order after 14 hours of violence, the local authorities said. Officials said members of two drug gangs clashed violently after coming out of different parts of the prison. Experts say the violence is part of a war between drug gangs battling for control of one of the world's most important cocaine markets and trafficking routes. × One family member said the authorities did not seem to be doing everything they could - even after she warned the prison director. "The prison director even said he could not do anything" when told an uprising was looming, said Adriana Feliz, the sister of an inmate. "I told the director they were going to go in and kill everyone in Pavillion 4," she added. "So why didn't they do anything?" President Michel Temer said on Twitter that the federal government stood ready to provide "all assistance necessary." Separately, officials in the southern state of Parana said 28 prisoners escaped from a jail in the city of Curitiba after inmates blew up a wall and fired on police. At Alcacuz, security forces surrounded the prison but had to wait until first dawn on Sunday to storm the site with armoured vehicles, officials said. Prisoners had cut off the electricity and were said to have firearms. The prison, just outside the state capital Natal, was built for a maximum of 620 inmates but currently houses 1,083, the state justice department said. The riot was thought to have been a clash between Brazil's biggest drug gang, the First Capital Command (PCC), and a group allied to its main rival Red Command, Brazilian media said. Experts say the violence is part of a war between drug gangs battling for control of one of the world's most important cocaine markets and trafficking routes. Violence in the first week of January left around 100 prisoners dead - many of them active gang members, the authorities said. Many of the victims were beheaded or dismembered, officials said. The biggest bloodbath, in the northwestern city of Manaus, left about 60 inmates dead. It appeared to be an orchestrated mass killing targeting members of the PCC. Dozens of inmates are still missing. Another bout of violence in Roraima state killed 33. It was thought to be a backlash by the PCC's rivals for its violent expansion. The states of northern Brazil, which border top cocaine producers Bolivia, Colombia and Peru, are battle zones in the drug trade. Prisons there - and throughout Brazil - are often under the de facto control of drug gangs, whose turf wars on the outside play out among inmates.Overcrowding exacerbates the problem, activists say. (AFP)

Brazil prison gang war leaves 26 dead, majority beheaded

Brazilian police on Sunday quelled a riot that left at least 10 people dead in a northern jail, the latest of several gruesome gang-related massacres in the country&#39;s overcrowded prisons.

Officials raised the death toll from Saturday&#39;s riot at the Alcacuz prison from three to 10. They earlier said at least three inmates were beheaded.

Security forces stormed the prison in northeastern Rio Grande do Norte state at dawn on Sunday and restored order after 14 hours of violence, local authorities said.

Officials said members of two separate drug gangs had come out of different parts of the prison and clashed violently.

&quot;There are at least three inmates dead because we were able to see their heads,&quot; state prisons manager Zemilton Silva told local media on Saturday.

District security authorities said in a statement on Sunday that there were &quot;at least 10 confirmed deaths.&quot;

&quot;We cannot yet confirm the final number of victims. We are going to verify the extent of the damage,&quot; district security official Caio Berreza said on Globo News television.

The prison, just outside the state capital Natal, is built for a maximum of 620 inmates but&nbsp;currently houses 1,083, the state justice department said.

Brazilian media said the riot was thought to be a clash between Brazil&#39;s biggest drug gang, the First Capital Command (PCC), and a group allied to its main rival Red Command.

It was believed to be part of a war between drug gangs battling for control of one of the world&#39;s most important cocaine markets and trafficking routes.

A series of massacres early this month left 100 prisoners dead &mdash; many of them active members of gangs, authorities said.

(AFP) 
&nbsp;

Officials raised the death toll from Saturday's riot at the Alcacuz prison from three to 10

Brazilian police on Sunday quelled a riot that left at least 10 people dead in a northern jail, the latest of several gruesome gang-related massacres in the country's overcrowded prisons. Officials raised the death toll from Saturday's riot at the Alcacuz prison from three to 10. They earlier said at least three inmates were beheaded. Security forces stormed the prison in northeastern Rio Grande do Norte state at dawn on Sunday and restored order after 14 hours of violence, local authorities said. Officials said members of two separate drug gangs had come out of different parts of the prison and clashed violently. "There are at least three inmates dead because we were able to see their heads," state prisons manager Zemilton Silva told local media on Saturday. District security authorities said in a statement on Sunday that there were "at least 10 confirmed deaths." "We cannot yet confirm the final number of victims. We are going to verify the extent of the damage," district security official Caio Berreza said on Globo News television. The prison, just outside the state capital Natal, is built for a maximum of 620 inmates but currently houses 1,083, the state justice department said. Brazilian media said the riot was thought to be a clash between Brazil's biggest drug gang, the First Capital Command (PCC), and a group allied to its main rival Red Command. It was believed to be part of a war between drug gangs battling for control of one of the world's most important cocaine markets and trafficking routes. A series of massacres early this month left 100 prisoners dead — many of them active members of gangs, authorities said. (AFP)

Brazil prison riot: 10 killed in latest bout of prison gang wars

A gunman killed 11 people&nbsp;including his wife before killing himself on Saturday in the southeastern Brazilian city of Campinas&nbsp;

The gunman stormed a house party during New Year celebrations.&nbsp;

Sources in the police&nbsp;in the state of S&atilde;o Paulo said the shooter is believed to have been angry over a separation from his former wife, who was among those killed, Reuters reported.

Local media reports said the couple&#39;s 8-year-old son also died. However, police sources haven&#39;t confirmed whether the child of the shooter is among those killed, a report in the news agency Reuters stated.&nbsp;

According to local media sources a total of 15 people are believed to have been shot by the gunman.

Although Brazil struggles with high rates of crime and violence, mass shootings are uncommon. Gun deaths are frequent in heists, holdups and in confrontations among police, drug gangs and other criminals, but shooting sprees like those often seen in the United States are not prevalent.

Campinas, an industrial and university city of over 1 million residents, is located about 100 kilometres north-west of the city of S&atilde;o Paulo, Brazil`s biggest metropolis.&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from Reuters)

Police said the shooter is believed to have been angry over a separation from his former wife, who was among those killed

A gunman killed 11 people including his wife before killing himself on Saturday in the southeastern Brazilian city of Campinas The gunman stormed a house party during New Year celebrations. Sources in the police in the state of São Paulo said the shooter is believed to have been angry over a separation from his former wife, who was among those killed, Reuters reported. Local media reports said the couple's 8-year-old son also died. However, police sources haven't confirmed whether the child of the shooter is among those killed, a report in the news agency Reuters stated. According to local media sources a total of 15 people are believed to have been shot by the gunman. Although Brazil struggles with high rates of crime and violence, mass shootings are uncommon. Gun deaths are frequent in heists, holdups and in confrontations among police, drug gangs and other criminals, but shooting sprees like those often seen in the United States are not prevalent. Campinas, an industrial and university city of over 1 million residents, is located about 100 kilometres north-west of the city of São Paulo, Brazil`s biggest metropolis. (WION with inputs from Reuters)

Gunman kills 11 in Brazil on New Year's eve, commits suicide

Brazil&#39;s Federal Police asked prosecutors to charge former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva for more crimes in the country&#39;s widest-ever corruption probe, Globo&#39;s G1 news site reported on Monday.

Lula, president from 2003 to 2010 and a possible candidate in the 2018 election, is already a defendant in three criminal probes linked to the so-called Car Wash investigation into large-scale corruption at state-controlled oil company Petrobras.

According to the Federal Police, he should also be charged for corruption in the acquisition of land for his foundation and the rental of an apartment in the same building where he lives. The Federal Police alleges these expenses were paid by Brazilian engineering firm Odebrecht SA, G1 said.

The former president&#39;s spokesmen told G1 that Lula had been paying rent on the apartment for years and that his foundation does not own the land on which its headquarters were built. Odebrecht said it is collaborating with Justice and declined to comment further.

Neither the Federal Police nor Lula&#39;s spokesmen were immediately available to comment on the report.

The Odebrecht family and top executives have signed plea bargains with Brazilian prosecutors in which as many as 77 of the engineering group&#39;s executives are testifying about widespread political graft. The family has apologized for its involvement in Brazil&#39;s massive corruption scandal.

(Reuters)

Former President Lula is already a defendant in three criminal probes linked to the so-called Car Wash investigation

Brazil's Federal Police asked prosecutors to charge former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva for more crimes in the country's widest-ever corruption probe, Globo's G1 news site reported on Monday. Lula, president from 2003 to 2010 and a possible candidate in the 2018 election, is already a defendant in three criminal probes linked to the so-called Car Wash investigation into large-scale corruption at state-controlled oil company Petrobras. According to the Federal Police, he should also be charged for corruption in the acquisition of land for his foundation and the rental of an apartment in the same building where he lives. The Federal Police alleges these expenses were paid by Brazilian engineering firm Odebrecht SA, G1 said. The former president's spokesmen told G1 that Lula had been paying rent on the apartment for years and that his foundation does not own the land on which its headquarters were built. Odebrecht said it is collaborating with Justice and declined to comment further. Neither the Federal Police nor Lula's spokesmen were immediately available to comment on the report. The Odebrecht family and top executives have signed plea bargains with Brazilian prosecutors in which as many as 77 of the engineering group's executives are testifying about widespread political graft. The family has apologized for its involvement in Brazil's massive corruption scandal. (Reuters)

Brazil Federal Police ask prosecutors to charge Lula for more crimes: Media

Brazil dealt Argentina&#39;s hopes of reaching the 2018 World Cup finals a serious blow on Thursday with a resounding 3-0 win that dropped the world&#39;s top ranked side into sixth place in the 10-team South American qualifying group.

First half goals from Philippe Coutinho and Neymar were followed by a third from Paulinho after 58 minutes to sink the Argentines and extend their winless run to four games.

The result means Brazil remain top of the group with 24 points from 11 games.

Argentina are sixth on 16 points, with the top four teams qualifying automatically for the finals in Russia and the fifth-placed side going into a play-off with the Oceania winners.

&quot;Today we imposed ourselves, the fans helped from the first minute and we leave here very happy,&quot; Coutinho said in a pitchside interview.

Argentina&#39;s Lionel Messi, who returned to the side after three games out injured, was anonymous in a match lit up by brilliant moments from the home side.

Brazil took the lead after 24 minutes when Neymar slipped the ball to Philippe Coutinho on the left with the deftest of touches and the Liverpool midfielder hammered an unstoppable drive into the top corner of the net.

The Barcelona striker was lucky not to concede a penalty after he handled in the box 12 minutes later but he was always dangerous at the other end and he doubled Brazil&#39;s lead just seconds before half time when he coolly slotted home after taking a defence-splitting pass from Gabriel Jesus.

Paulinho sealed it 13 minutes into the second period when the midfielder charged into the box between defenders and poked home a cross from Renato Augusto.

Brazil were dominant in a rampant second half and could have scored more with Neymar and substitute Robero Firmino both coming close.

In the evening&#39;s other games, Peru got four goals in the second half to beat Paraguay 4-1 away in Asuncion, while Josef Martinez became the first Venezuelan to score a hat trick in World Cup qualifiers in the 5-0 win over Bolivia.

Earlier, Colombia drew 0-0 at home to Chile and stay in third, while Uruguay beat Ecuador 2-1 to remain second, a point behind Brazil.&nbsp;

(Reuters)

Argentina are now winless in four games and sixth in the 10-team South American qualifying group

Brazil dealt Argentina's hopes of reaching the 2018 World Cup finals a serious blow on Thursday with a resounding 3-0 win that dropped the world's top ranked side into sixth place in the 10-team South American qualifying group. First half goals from Philippe Coutinho and Neymar were followed by a third from Paulinho after 58 minutes to sink the Argentines and extend their winless run to four games. The result means Brazil remain top of the group with 24 points from 11 games. Argentina are sixth on 16 points, with the top four teams qualifying automatically for the finals in Russia and the fifth-placed side going into a play-off with the Oceania winners. "Today we imposed ourselves, the fans helped from the first minute and we leave here very happy," Coutinho said in a pitchside interview. Argentina's Lionel Messi, who returned to the side after three games out injured, was anonymous in a match lit up by brilliant moments from the home side. Brazil took the lead after 24 minutes when Neymar slipped the ball to Philippe Coutinho on the left with the deftest of touches and the Liverpool midfielder hammered an unstoppable drive into the top corner of the net. The Barcelona striker was lucky not to concede a penalty after he handled in the box 12 minutes later but he was always dangerous at the other end and he doubled Brazil's lead just seconds before half time when he coolly slotted home after taking a defence-splitting pass from Gabriel Jesus. Paulinho sealed it 13 minutes into the second period when the midfielder charged into the box between defenders and poked home a cross from Renato Augusto. Brazil were dominant in a rampant second half and could have scored more with Neymar and substitute Robero Firmino both coming close. In the evening's other games, Peru got four goals in the second half to beat Paraguay 4-1 away in Asuncion, while Josef Martinez became the first Venezuelan to score a hat trick in World Cup qualifiers in the 5-0 win over Bolivia. Earlier, Colombia drew 0-0 at home to Chile and stay in third, while Uruguay beat Ecuador 2-1 to remain second, a point behind Brazil. (Reuters)

Football: Brazil blitz Argentina 3-0 in World Cup qualifier

Brazilian police on Wednesday arrested Eduardo&nbsp;Cunha, the driving force behind former president Dilma Rousseff&#39;s impeachment, in a new escalation of a corruption probe shaking Latin America&#39;s biggest country.

&quot;We can confirm that (Cunha) was detained in Brasilia,&quot; a police spokesman told AFP.&nbsp;Cunha&nbsp;was later flown under close guard to Curitiba, where the probe into a sprawling embezzlement and bribery ring at flagship state oil company Petrobras is based.

Cunha, who has been nicknamed &quot;Brazil&#39;s Frank Underwood&quot; after the scheming main character in the dark US political TV series &quot;House of Cards&quot;, has been accused of taking some $40 million in Petrobras-related bribes, laundering money and hiding funds in secret Swiss bank accounts.

Cunha, 58, denies all the charges. &quot;This is an absurd decision, without motive,&quot; he said in a Facebook post.

In addition to his detention, the authorities ordered the seisure of eight cars, including two Porsche Cayennes, along with other assets worth&nbsp;nearly $70 million.

Top anti-corruption judge Sergio Moro said the detention was necessary because of risks to &quot;public order, as well as a concrete possibility of flight given his access to hidden resources abroad, as well as double nationality,&quot; the justice department said.

Part of Brazil&#39;s growing conservative evangelical movement,&nbsp;Cunha&nbsp;has long been a consummate mover and shaker,&nbsp;and became the architect of Rousseff&#39;s removal from office in August on charges that she broke government budget laws.

The leftist&nbsp;Rousseff, from the&nbsp;Workers&#39; Party, was replaced by Michel Temer, from Cunha&#39;s own centre-right Party of the Brazilian Democratic Movement (PMDB).&nbsp;Rousseff, who was not accused of enriching herself, also claims that her impeachment was motivated by her refusal to shut down the massive Petrbras scam, dubbed&nbsp;&quot;Operation Car Wash&quot;.

Rousseff&#39;s supporters say her impeachment amounted to a coup by the country&#39;s right wing.&nbsp;Cunha&#39;s triumph over her was short-lived, as the corruption allegations caught up with him. He was stripped of his congressional seat in September, losing his parliamentary legal privileges.

&nbsp;

Is Lula next?

Cunha&#39;s downfall signals that the mammoth Petrobras corruption probe headed by Moro is far from over.

Dozens of politicians,&nbsp;from the Workers&#39; Party but also numerous figures on the right&nbsp;as well as business executives, have already been charged or convicted in the embezzlement and bribery scheme.&nbsp;Rousseff&#39;s presidential predecessor, the leftist icon Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, faces three corruption-related court cases. Speculation&nbsp;is rife that he may also be placed in pre-trial detention.

&quot;Now it will be Lula&#39;s turn. He&#39;s next,&quot; said Alberto Almeida from the Analysis Institute in Sao Paulo.

More, there is&nbsp;speculation&nbsp;Cunha&nbsp;could turn on old allies and strike a plea bargain with prosecutors, fueling a new wave of corruption cases. The Guardian claims that he came to power by knowing the secrets of others, and it&#39;s already said he is writing a book.&nbsp;Analysts say that Temer&#39;s government will be nervous about fallout.

&quot;The political consequences will depend on how long he remains in detention,&quot; Almeida said. &quot;He has a lot of information on Dilma&#39;s government, on the house of deputies, different parties.&quot;

Temer, who has seen several of his ministerial choices targeted in the Petrobras inquiry,&nbsp;&quot;Operation Car Wash&quot;,&nbsp;rejects suggestions that he is seeking to curb the probe.

Even behind bars,&nbsp;Cunha&nbsp;is likely to continue fascinating and scaring the political elite.&nbsp;A master at maintaining influence even as his legal troubles piled up,&nbsp;Cunha used multiple stalling tactics to impede his eventual ouster from Congress. The process dragged on for almost a year, the longest in Brazilian history.

The authorities cited that proven skill as one of the reasons for ordering his detention.

&quot;Although the loss of his mandate probably represents some loss of power,&quot; Moro wrote, &quot;this was not totally exhausted, since the total extent of the ex-deputy&#39;s criminal activities and of his circle of influence are still unknown.&quot;

(WION with inputs fom agencies)

Eduardo Cunho was nabbed for taking about $40 million in bribes relating to the sprawling scandal at state oil company, Petrobras

Brazilian police on Wednesday arrested Eduardo Cunha, the driving force behind former president Dilma Rousseff's impeachment, in a new escalation of a corruption probe shaking Latin America's biggest country. "We can confirm that (Cunha) was detained in Brasilia," a police spokesman told AFP. Cunha was later flown under close guard to Curitiba, where the probe into a sprawling embezzlement and bribery ring at flagship state oil company Petrobras is based. Cunha, who has been nicknamed "Brazil's Frank Underwood" after the scheming main character in the dark US political TV series "House of Cards", has been accused of taking some $40 million in Petrobras-related bribes, laundering money and hiding funds in secret Swiss bank accounts. Cunha, 58, denies all the charges. "This is an absurd decision, without motive," he said in a Facebook post. In addition to his detention, the authorities ordered the seisure of eight cars, including two Porsche Cayennes, along with other assets worth nearly $70 million. Top anti-corruption judge Sergio Moro said the detention was necessary because of risks to "public order, as well as a concrete possibility of flight given his access to hidden resources abroad, as well as double nationality," the justice department said. Part of Brazil's growing conservative evangelical movement, Cunha has long been a consummate mover and shaker, and became the architect of Rousseff's removal from office in August on charges that she broke government budget laws. The leftist Rousseff, from the Workers' Party, was replaced by Michel Temer, from Cunha's own centre-right Party of the Brazilian Democratic Movement (PMDB). Rousseff, who was not accused of enriching herself, also claims that her impeachment was motivated by her refusal to shut down the massive Petrbras scam, dubbed "Operation Car Wash". Rousseff's supporters say her impeachment amounted to a coup by the country's right wing. Cunha's triumph over her was short-lived, as the corruption allegations caught up with him. He was stripped of his congressional seat in September, losing his parliamentary legal privileges. Is Lula next? Cunha's downfall signals that the mammoth Petrobras corruption probe headed by Moro is far from over. Dozens of politicians, from the Workers' Party but also numerous figures on the right as well as business executives, have already been charged or convicted in the embezzlement and bribery scheme. Rousseff's presidential predecessor, the leftist icon Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, faces three corruption-related court cases. Speculation is rife that he may also be placed in pre-trial detention. "Now it will be Lula's turn. He's next," said Alberto Almeida from the Analysis Institute in Sao Paulo. More, there is speculation Cunha could turn on old allies and strike a plea bargain with prosecutors, fueling a new wave of corruption cases. The Guardian claims that he came to power by knowing the secrets of others, and it's already said he is writing a book. Analysts say that Temer's government will be nervous about fallout. "The political consequences will depend on how long he remains in detention," Almeida said. "He has a lot of information on Dilma's government, on the house of deputies, different parties." Temer, who has seen several of his ministerial choices targeted in the Petrobras inquiry, "Operation Car Wash", rejects suggestions that he is seeking to curb the probe. Even behind bars, Cunha is likely to continue fascinating and scaring the political elite. A master at maintaining influence even as his legal troubles piled up, Cunha used multiple stalling tactics to impede his eventual ouster from Congress. The process dragged on for almost a year, the longest in Brazilian history. The authorities cited that proven skill as one of the reasons for ordering his detention. "Although the loss of his mandate probably represents some loss of power," Moro wrote, "this was not totally exhausted, since the total extent of the ex-deputy's criminal activities and of his circle of influence are still unknown." (WION with inputs fom agencies)

Man who led Brazil President's impeachment arrested for corruption

The state security chief for Brazil&rsquo;s Rio de Janeiro, Jose Mariano Beltrame, who was behind a controversial &quot;pacification&quot; plan for impoverished neighbourhoods, resigned on Tuesday following a spike in violent crimes.&nbsp;

Beltrame, a former police officer, was lauded because of reduced violence in recent years and inroads against criminal gangs in Rio.&nbsp;

In the post since 2007, Beltrame is best known for creating the so-called Police Pacification Units (UPPs) to crack down on drug gangs that had seised control of the impoverished slums that dot the Brazilian capital.

Starting in 2008, UPPs were set up in 264 slums, in a bid to restore law and order in the city ahead of the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympic Games.

Beltrame&rsquo;s resignation came in only a day after gun battles between police and drug traffickers killed at least three people and wounded five in two slums in the neighbourhoods of Copacabana and Ipanema, the kind of incident the UPPs were meant to stop.

Beltrame had long pleaded for money for &quot;phase two&quot; of the pacification plan, in which the Brazilian government was to fund schools and clinics in the slums in an effort to turn short-term security gains into long-term ones.

Rio Governor Luiz Fernando Pez&atilde;o,told Reuters the state reluctantly accepted Beltrame&#39;s resignation. &quot;It was 10 years of service, lots of wear and lots of pressure,&quot; Pez&atilde;o said. &nbsp;

Beltrame will be replaced by his deputy, Roberto Sa, starting Monday, the state government said.

Violent crime has been on the rise in Rio in recent months, exacerbated by a severe budget crisis.The state security budget was cut by 30 per cent this year, AFP reported.

(WION with inputs from agencies)

The state security budget was cut by 30 per cent this year, fuelling a spike in violent crime in the Brazilian capital

The state security chief for Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro, Jose Mariano Beltrame, who was behind a controversial "pacification" plan for impoverished neighbourhoods, resigned on Tuesday following a spike in violent crimes. Beltrame, a former police officer, was lauded because of reduced violence in recent years and inroads against criminal gangs in Rio. In the post since 2007, Beltrame is best known for creating the so-called Police Pacification Units (UPPs) to crack down on drug gangs that had seised control of the impoverished slums that dot the Brazilian capital. Starting in 2008, UPPs were set up in 264 slums, in a bid to restore law and order in the city ahead of the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympic Games. Beltrame’s resignation came in only a day after gun battles between police and drug traffickers killed at least three people and wounded five in two slums in the neighbourhoods of Copacabana and Ipanema, the kind of incident the UPPs were meant to stop. Beltrame had long pleaded for money for "phase two" of the pacification plan, in which the Brazilian government was to fund schools and clinics in the slums in an effort to turn short-term security gains into long-term ones. Rio Governor Luiz Fernando Pezão,told Reuters the state reluctantly accepted Beltrame's resignation. "It was 10 years of service, lots of wear and lots of pressure," Pezão said. Beltrame will be replaced by his deputy, Roberto Sa, starting Monday, the state government said. Violent crime has been on the rise in Rio in recent months, exacerbated by a severe budget crisis.The state security budget was cut by 30 per cent this year, AFP reported. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Brazil: Rio security chief quits amid surge in violent crime

Argentina sorely missed its injured captain and star player Lionel Messi as it suffered a humiliating defeat at&nbsp;hands of Paraguay in their World Cup qualifier on home turf.&nbsp;

Paraguay stunned the two-time world champions with a fast break from deep in their own half, Angel Romero playing the ball into the path of Derlis Gonzalez who beat Sergio Romero with a shot inside the near post in the 18th minute.&nbsp;

Argentina missed an opportunity just two minutes into the second half to get back on level, but Paraguay captain Justo Villar saved Sergio Aguero&#39;s weak penalty.

The defeat left the side five points behind new leaders Brazil in the South American group, who won 2-0 in Venezuela. The Argentine side will be desperate to have Messi back in shape for their next qualifier away to Brazil in Belo Horizonte on November 10.

Brazil leads the standings with 21 points from 10 matches, Uruguay is second with 20 points while Ecuador and Colombia are third and fourth respectively with 17 points apiece.&nbsp;

Brazil&#39;s striker Gabriel Jesus opened the scoring at Estadio Metropolitano in Merida on Tuesday by chipping over goalkeeper Hernandez Santos after some poor defending by Venezuela. Willian later made it 2-0 just after halftime with a slick first-time finish following a Renato Augusto cross.

The top four will go through to the 2018 World Cup finals in Russia, while the fifth-placed side go into an intercontinental playoff for another berth. &nbsp;&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from agencies) 
&nbsp;

Lacking inspiration from captain Lionel Messi, Argentina suffered a 1-0 defeat at home to Paraguay

Argentina sorely missed its injured captain and star player Lionel Messi as it suffered a humiliating defeat at hands of Paraguay in their World Cup qualifier on home turf. Paraguay stunned the two-time world champions with a fast break from deep in their own half, Angel Romero playing the ball into the path of Derlis Gonzalez who beat Sergio Romero with a shot inside the near post in the 18th minute. Argentina missed an opportunity just two minutes into the second half to get back on level, but Paraguay captain Justo Villar saved Sergio Aguero's weak penalty. The defeat left the side five points behind new leaders Brazil in the South American group, who won 2-0 in Venezuela. The Argentine side will be desperate to have Messi back in shape for their next qualifier away to Brazil in Belo Horizonte on November 10. Brazil leads the standings with 21 points from 10 matches, Uruguay is second with 20 points while Ecuador and Colombia are third and fourth respectively with 17 points apiece. Brazil's striker Gabriel Jesus opened the scoring at Estadio Metropolitano in Merida on Tuesday by chipping over goalkeeper Hernandez Santos after some poor defending by Venezuela. Willian later made it 2-0 just after halftime with a slick first-time finish following a Renato Augusto cross. The top four will go through to the 2018 World Cup finals in Russia, while the fifth-placed side go into an intercontinental playoff for another berth. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Argentina suffers defeat in WC qualifiers, Brazil tops South American group

Terrorism charges were filed by&nbsp;Brazilian prosecutors on Friday&nbsp;against eight people, accused of plotting attacks and recruiting followers for terrorist organisations ahead of the Rio Olympics held last month.&nbsp; 
 
The eight Brazillian nationals were arrested in July for organising what the authorities described as an &quot;amateur&quot; terrorist cell that had sworn loyalty to the Islamic State, international news agency AFP reported today.&nbsp; 
 
The prosecutors reportedly asked a court to charge all eight accused, including two minors, with &quot;recruitment and promotion of a terrorist organisation.&quot; 
 
The&nbsp;police intercepted messages sent using the cell phone application Telegram in which the suspects discussed &quot;the idea that they had to step out of the virtual realm and start acting for real,&quot; prosecutor Rafael Brum told a news conference. The investigation was dubbed as Operation Hashtag.&nbsp; 
 
While there was no direct evidence of concrete plot or an actual link with the Islamic State group,&nbsp;the discussions included the possibility of staging an attack on the Games and tips on home-made bomb-making. But there was no evidence of a he added. 
 
The Brazilian authorities received an initial tip-off about the group from the FBI in the United States, prosecutors said.&nbsp; 
 
Meanwhile, six other suspects remain under investigation. 
 
The Olympics, which were held from August 5 to 21, went off without major incident despite security fears. Some 85,000 police and soldiers were deployed for the event. 
 
(WION with inputs from AFP)&nbsp; 
 
 
 
&nbsp;

The Brazillian nationals were arrested in July for organising what the authorities described as an 'amateur' terrorist cell

Terrorism charges were filed by Brazilian prosecutors on Friday against eight people, accused of plotting attacks and recruiting followers for terrorist organisations ahead of the Rio Olympics held last month. The eight Brazillian nationals were arrested in July for organising what the authorities described as an "amateur" terrorist cell that had sworn loyalty to the Islamic State, international news agency AFP reported today. The prosecutors reportedly asked a court to charge all eight accused, including two minors, with "recruitment and promotion of a terrorist organisation." The police intercepted messages sent using the cell phone application Telegram in which the suspects discussed "the idea that they had to step out of the virtual realm and start acting for real," prosecutor Rafael Brum told a news conference. The investigation was dubbed as Operation Hashtag. While there was no direct evidence of concrete plot or an actual link with the Islamic State group, the discussions included the possibility of staging an attack on the Games and tips on home-made bomb-making. But there was no evidence of a he added. The Brazilian authorities received an initial tip-off about the group from the FBI in the United States, prosecutors said. Meanwhile, six other suspects remain under investigation. The Olympics, which were held from August 5 to 21, went off without major incident despite security fears. Some 85,000 police and soldiers were deployed for the event. (WION with inputs from AFP)

Brazil prosecutors file terror charges against 8 accused of plotting attacks before Olympics

Organisers of the 2016 Paralympic Games are giving away half a million tickets 100 days before the start of competition in a bid to boost support for September&#39;s events, officials said on Monday. 
 
Sales have lagged and Rio de Janeiro said it was buying 500,000 tickets to give to city employees, students and the handicapped. 
Before the announcement, only 720,000 oout of the total 3.3 million tickets had been sold, said Donovan Ferreti, director of ticketing to Reuters. 
Ferreti said that number was disappointing but hoped Monday`s announcement would boost interest in the 23 Paralympic events that will take place between Sept. 7 and 18. 
&quot;We are delighted that these students are coming to be part of this unique experience,&quot; said Ferreti. 
Some 392,000 of the free tickets will go to children who get good grades in school, he said. 
Another 47,000 tickets will be given away by the city of Rio for the Olympics, which will be held in South America for the first time between Aug. 5 and 21.

Organisers of the 2016 Paralympic Games are giving away half a million tickets 100 days before the start of competition in a bid to boost support for September's events

Organisers of the 2016 Paralympic Games are giving away half a million tickets 100 days before the start of competition in a bid to boost support for September's events, officials said on Monday. Sales have lagged and Rio de Janeiro said it was buying 500,000 tickets to give to city employees, students and the handicapped. Before the announcement, only 720,000 oout of the total 3.3 million tickets had been sold, said Donovan Ferreti, director of ticketing to Reuters. Ferreti said that number was disappointing but hoped Monday`s announcement would boost interest in the 23 Paralympic events that will take place between Sept. 7 and 18. "We are delighted that these students are coming to be part of this unique experience," said Ferreti. Some 392,000 of the free tickets will go to children who get good grades in school, he said. Another 47,000 tickets will be given away by the city of Rio for the Olympics, which will be held in South America for the first time between Aug. 5 and 21.

Rio gives away 500,000 Paralympics tickets to boost support

Police resorted to use of tear gas on Sunday as thousands of demonstrators took to streets in&nbsp;Sao Paulo city of Brazil to protest&nbsp;the removal of leftist president Dilma Rousseff last week in an impeachment trial. 
 
Agitators likened Rouseff&#39;s overthrow by Michel&nbsp;Temer to a coup. This was the largest wave of demonstration against the new President, the Reuters reported. 
 
Rouseff was ousted on Wednesday following the months-long impeachment trial.&nbsp;Senators voted 61-20 to convict Rousseff for illegal use of money from state banks to boost public spending.&nbsp;Temer, Rousseff&#39;s former vice-president, has been leading the country since her suspension and will complete the remainder of her term through 2018. 
 
Carrying anti-Temer banners, protesters made their way down Sao Paulo&#39;s central Avenida Paulista, chanting &quot;Out with Temer&quot;.&nbsp;The organisers said 50,000 people, including families with children,&nbsp;turned out for the march.&nbsp; 
 
As the rally ended and demonstrators headed for metro entrances, riot police fired tear gas canisters that caused panic and led to clashes. Police justified the crackdown saying&nbsp;they were forced to intervene &quot;to stop vandalism at the end of a peaceful march&quot;.&nbsp; 
 
Former senator and candidate for city council, Eduardo Suplicy, called for a vote to allow voters to decide if Temer should serve Rousseff&#39;s remaining term. 
 
At the rally, Suplicy said, &quot;To show the people&#39;s real feelings and so President Temer knows what the Brazilian people are thinking about the coup that was carried out against president Dilma (Rousseff) who did not commit an impeachable offence, much less a crime. She is a serious person who always worked for the good of the Brazilian people&quot;. 
 
Temer aims to shift the economy to the right and vowed to boost a shrinking economy and implement austerity measures, to close the gaping void in Brazil&#39;s budget, which cost its investment grade rating. 
 
Gustavo Amigo, a demonstrator said, this move would be against the wishes of the Brazilian people. 
 
&quot;Because the Temer government is going to look to make anti-democratic reforms that go against the people. And we&#39;re here to show that the people still have power and that despite the coup, we are here in the street to bring down the (current) government and call for a new election.&quot; 
 
(WION with input from Agencies) 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
&nbsp;

Carrying anti-Temer banners, protesters made their way down Sao Paulo's central Avenida Paulista, chanting 'Out with Temer'

Police resorted to use of tear gas on Sunday as thousands of demonstrators took to streets in Sao Paulo city of Brazil to protest the removal of leftist president Dilma Rousseff last week in an impeachment trial. Agitators likened Rouseff's overthrow by Michel Temer to a coup. This was the largest wave of demonstration against the new President, the Reuters reported. Rouseff was ousted on Wednesday following the months-long impeachment trial. Senators voted 61-20 to convict Rousseff for illegal use of money from state banks to boost public spending. Temer, Rousseff's former vice-president, has been leading the country since her suspension and will complete the remainder of her term through 2018. Carrying anti-Temer banners, protesters made their way down Sao Paulo's central Avenida Paulista, chanting "Out with Temer". The organisers said 50,000 people, including families with children, turned out for the march. As the rally ended and demonstrators headed for metro entrances, riot police fired tear gas canisters that caused panic and led to clashes. Police justified the crackdown saying they were forced to intervene "to stop vandalism at the end of a peaceful march". Former senator and candidate for city council, Eduardo Suplicy, called for a vote to allow voters to decide if Temer should serve Rousseff's remaining term. At the rally, Suplicy said, "To show the people's real feelings and so President Temer knows what the Brazilian people are thinking about the coup that was carried out against president Dilma (Rousseff) who did not commit an impeachable offence, much less a crime. She is a serious person who always worked for the good of the Brazilian people". Temer aims to shift the economy to the right and vowed to boost a shrinking economy and implement austerity measures, to close the gaping void in Brazil's budget, which cost its investment grade rating. Gustavo Amigo, a demonstrator said, this move would be against the wishes of the Brazilian people. "Because the Temer government is going to look to make anti-democratic reforms that go against the people. And we're here to show that the people still have power and that despite the coup, we are here in the street to bring down the (current) government and call for a new election." (WION with input from Agencies)

Thousands demonstrate in Brazil's Sao Paulo against new President

Suspended Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff defended he record in the impeachment trial in the Senate on Monday saying the trial was a &#39;coup&#39; and that she was innocent.&nbsp; 
 
Rousseff is accused of manipulating the government budget. She was suspended in May pending the impeachment trial which is now underway. 
 
Brazil, under Rousseff, has been rife with corruption revelations including the Petrobras scandal.&nbsp; 
 
Private firms and politicians have been accused of stealing millions from the state oil giant Petrobras. 
 
Her removal from the office will mark an end to the 13 years of the rule by the leftist Workers&#39; Party.&nbsp; 
 
Rousseff insisted that she has been unjustly accused of the crimes she did not commit.&nbsp; 
 
&ldquo;I did not commit the crimes for which I have been accused unjustly and arbitrarily,&rdquo; she said.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;I cannot help but taste the bitterness of injustice. But like I did in the past, I resist. Don&#39;t expect me to stay silent like a coward.&quot;&nbsp; 
 
Rousseff was welcomed by cheering supporters in the Senate as she arrived hours before the voting began. The voting is likely to last till Wednesday (August 30). 
 
54 out of 81 senators would have to vote for her impeachment for her to be removed from the presidency. 
 
Brazil has also been paralysed by an economic recession and a political standoff, as her opponents claim. They have widened the accusation that Rousseff mishandled the economy, hence contributing to Brazil&#39;s eventual slide into recession.&nbsp; 
 
&#39;Vote for democracy&#39; 
 
Michel Temer, Brazil&#39;s vice-president, will be confirmed as president till the presidential elections in 2018 if Rousseff is impeached.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;The future of Brazil is at stake,&quot; she said, warning of dangers Temer&#39;s interim government will pose. 
 
She, however, thanked the Senators who stood by her side and supported her.&nbsp; 
 
A lot of supporters outside the Senate backed Rousseff for being the scapegoat of a right-wing coup that has accused her of fraudulent charges.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;I am fighting to defend democracy and the dignity of the people. This has been a persecution against the Workers&#39; Party, Dilma and the Brazilian people,&quot; &nbsp;one of about 100 protesters outside the Senate told AFP. 
 
According to AFP, supporters are highly sympathetic towards Rousseff. Temer&#39;s popularity, however, is likely to be marred by his purported illegitimacy as an unelected president.&nbsp; 
 
(WION with inputs from AFP)

Rousseff insisted she has been unjustly accused of crimes she did not commit and that she won't stay silent like a 'coward'

Suspended Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff defended he record in the impeachment trial in the Senate on Monday saying the trial was a 'coup' and that she was innocent. Rousseff is accused of manipulating the government budget. She was suspended in May pending the impeachment trial which is now underway. Brazil, under Rousseff, has been rife with corruption revelations including the Petrobras scandal. Private firms and politicians have been accused of stealing millions from the state oil giant Petrobras. Her removal from the office will mark an end to the 13 years of the rule by the leftist Workers' Party. Rousseff insisted that she has been unjustly accused of the crimes she did not commit. “I did not commit the crimes for which I have been accused unjustly and arbitrarily,” she said. "I cannot help but taste the bitterness of injustice. But like I did in the past, I resist. Don't expect me to stay silent like a coward." Rousseff was welcomed by cheering supporters in the Senate as she arrived hours before the voting began. The voting is likely to last till Wednesday (August 30). 54 out of 81 senators would have to vote for her impeachment for her to be removed from the presidency. Brazil has also been paralysed by an economic recession and a political standoff, as her opponents claim. They have widened the accusation that Rousseff mishandled the economy, hence contributing to Brazil's eventual slide into recession. 'Vote for democracy' Michel Temer, Brazil's vice-president, will be confirmed as president till the presidential elections in 2018 if Rousseff is impeached. "The future of Brazil is at stake," she said, warning of dangers Temer's interim government will pose. She, however, thanked the Senators who stood by her side and supported her. A lot of supporters outside the Senate backed Rousseff for being the scapegoat of a right-wing coup that has accused her of fraudulent charges. "I am fighting to defend democracy and the dignity of the people. This has been a persecution against the Workers' Party, Dilma and the Brazilian people," one of about 100 protesters outside the Senate told AFP. According to AFP, supporters are highly sympathetic towards Rousseff. Temer's popularity, however, is likely to be marred by his purported illegitimacy as an unelected president. (WION with inputs from AFP)

Brazil's Dilma Rousseff defends record, calls impeachment trial a coup

Brazil&#39;s suspended president Dilma Rousseff enters her final battle to win back power on Thursday, when senators open an impeachment trial expected to remove her from office for good. 
 
That would formally end 13 years of leftist rule in Latin America&#39;s biggest economy. 
 
During a trial expected to last several days, the former Marxist guerrilla, 68, will take the stand to defend herself against charges that she fiddled state accounts. 
 
She denounces the impeachment drive as a &quot;coup&quot; by her rivals, led by her replacement, former vice president Michel Temer. 
 
&quot;In the Senate, I will argue not only for democracy and respect for the direct vote of the Brazilian people, but also for justice,&quot; Rousseff told reporters on Thursday. 
 
But media estimate that most senators will vote to remove her. 
 
&quot;This will be the last chance she has to defend herself. 
 
For our part, we will treat her with respect,&quot; said one of the senators seeking to impeach Rousseff, Cassio Cunha Lima. 
 
&quot;It will also depend on her attitude. If she is aggressive and provocative, there will be a reaction,&quot; he told AFP&nbsp; 
 
The trial opens on Thursday, August 25, four days after the Olympic Games closing ceremony in Rio de Janeiro. 
 
Rousseff is scheduled to appear in person to defend herself on August 29. 
 
Senate president Renan Calheiros said the final vote would likely take place on August 30. 
 
If two thirds of the senators vote against her, she will be out. 
 
&quot;Dilma would need a miracle for that not to happen,&quot; said political analyst Everaldo Moraes from Brasilia University. 
 
&quot;Even her own allies can see that.&quot;&nbsp; 
 
Rousseff survived torture in the 1970s under Brazil&#39;s military regime. She later beat cancer and became the country&#39;s first woman president. 
 
But she was unable to resist the turning of the political tide as she struggled to cope with a recession that hit in 2014 and failed to maintain alliances. 
 
&quot;She made every kind of mistake that a president can make,&quot; said Sergio Praca, an analyst at the Getulio Vargas Foundation. 
 
&quot;She failed to keep her campaign promises, didn&#39;t pay enough attention to her coalition, ignored her own party and didn&#39;t listen to anyone.&quot;&nbsp; 
 
Political chaos and scandal have compounded Brazil&#39;s recession. 
 
A probe into corruption in the state oil firm Petrobras has implicated Rousseff&#39;s rivals and allies. The impeachment, however, is not linked to the scandal. 
 
(AFP)

During the trial, the former Marxist guerrilla will defend herself against charges that she fiddled state accounts

Brazil's suspended president Dilma Rousseff enters her final battle to win back power on Thursday, when senators open an impeachment trial expected to remove her from office for good. That would formally end 13 years of leftist rule in Latin America's biggest economy. During a trial expected to last several days, the former Marxist guerrilla, 68, will take the stand to defend herself against charges that she fiddled state accounts. She denounces the impeachment drive as a "coup" by her rivals, led by her replacement, former vice president Michel Temer. "In the Senate, I will argue not only for democracy and respect for the direct vote of the Brazilian people, but also for justice," Rousseff told reporters on Thursday. But media estimate that most senators will vote to remove her. "This will be the last chance she has to defend herself. For our part, we will treat her with respect," said one of the senators seeking to impeach Rousseff, Cassio Cunha Lima. "It will also depend on her attitude. If she is aggressive and provocative, there will be a reaction," he told AFP The trial opens on Thursday, August 25, four days after the Olympic Games closing ceremony in Rio de Janeiro. Rousseff is scheduled to appear in person to defend herself on August 29. Senate president Renan Calheiros said the final vote would likely take place on August 30. If two thirds of the senators vote against her, she will be out. "Dilma would need a miracle for that not to happen," said political analyst Everaldo Moraes from Brasilia University. "Even her own allies can see that." Rousseff survived torture in the 1970s under Brazil's military regime. She later beat cancer and became the country's first woman president. But she was unable to resist the turning of the political tide as she struggled to cope with a recession that hit in 2014 and failed to maintain alliances. "She made every kind of mistake that a president can make," said Sergio Praca, an analyst at the Getulio Vargas Foundation. "She failed to keep her campaign promises, didn't pay enough attention to her coalition, ignored her own party and didn't listen to anyone." Political chaos and scandal have compounded Brazil's recession. A probe into corruption in the state oil firm Petrobras has implicated Rousseff's rivals and allies. The impeachment, however, is not linked to the scandal. (AFP)

Brazil's Rousseff faces final impeachment battle

Most Brazilians think the Olympics did more harm than good to their country but at the same time they&#39;re proud of their image abroad, according to a poll today. 
 
The poll by Ibope, published in Estadao newspaper, showed mixed feelings in Brazil after hosting South America&#39;s first Summer Games. 
 
Sixty-two per cent said the Games were more negative than positive for the country, while 57 per cent said the Games boosted Brazil&#39;s image internationally. 
 
On how the actual event has gone, 42 per cent said good or excellent, 30 per cent said average, and 24 per cent said poorly. 
 
The poll was conducted between 11-15 August, in the middle of the Olympics, which close today. 
 
Marcia Cavallari, head of Ibope Inteligencia, said the &quot;ambiguous&quot; findings are partly explained by the fact that Brazil hosted the party in the middle of its worst recession for decades. 
 
&quot;They don&#39;t clearly see the benefits that the country can expect from having events of this magnitude,&quot; she said in Folha. 
 
&quot;A majority support (the Games) but there are doubts on the use of public money for events of this nature when there are other priorities, especially considering the economic crisis.&quot; 
 
(AFP)

Most Brazilians think Olympics did more harm than good to their country, but at the same time they're proud of their image abroad

Most Brazilians think the Olympics did more harm than good to their country but at the same time they're proud of their image abroad, according to a poll today. The poll by Ibope, published in Estadao newspaper, showed mixed feelings in Brazil after hosting South America's first Summer Games. Sixty-two per cent said the Games were more negative than positive for the country, while 57 per cent said the Games boosted Brazil's image internationally. On how the actual event has gone, 42 per cent said good or excellent, 30 per cent said average, and 24 per cent said poorly. The poll was conducted between 11-15 August, in the middle of the Olympics, which close today. Marcia Cavallari, head of Ibope Inteligencia, said the "ambiguous" findings are partly explained by the fact that Brazil hosted the party in the middle of its worst recession for decades. "They don't clearly see the benefits that the country can expect from having events of this magnitude," she said in Folha. "A majority support (the Games) but there are doubts on the use of public money for events of this nature when there are other priorities, especially considering the economic crisis." (AFP)

Brazilians have mixed feelings after Rio Games: Poll

Brazil captain Bruno said his side could no longer be accused of choking after beating Italy 3-0 to win men&#39;s Olympic volleyball gold on Sunday. 
 
After losing the last two finals in Beijing and London, Brazil reclaimed the title they&#39;d won in Athens as they beat Italy 25-22, 28-26, 26-24 at the Maracazinho in Rio. 
 
A day after the Brazilian football team ended their 120-year wait to finally win Olympic gold, the volleyball team erased memories of their dramatic collapse against Russia in London, triumphing with football star Neymar looking on. 
 
&quot;We deserved this medal so much. It&#39;s much more special to do it at home, it&#39;s a magical moment,&quot; said Bruno, who is the son of coach Bernardo. &quot;Everything we went through and now we are Olympic champions. This generation was said to be chokers. After so many silvers, now we&#39;re gold.&quot; 
 
The United States beat Russia 3-2 in the battle for bronze between the last two Olympic champions. 
 
Led by 20 points from the tournament&#39;s top scorer, the impeccable Wallace, Brazil avenged a 3-1 pool stage defeat to the Italians, who have never won Olympic gold, losing in the final three times now. 
 
&quot;I&#39;m proud of what we&#39;ve done because the whole team worked hard together, each one played with heart,&quot; said Italy outside setter Ivan Zaytsev. &quot;We&#39;ve given a great account of ourselves, we showed a winning mentality. We could have finished with the gold medal but even though we didn&#39;t, we gave our all so we have a very solid base for the future.&quot; 
 
It was a fourth final in a row for Brazil, who also beat Italy in Athens in 2004 before losing to the US in Beijing and suffering a Russian comeback four years ago in London after leading by two sets to nil. 
 
Despite the presence of 2.09-metre tall giants Lucas and Souza, it was the relatively diminutive 1.96m Lipe who rose to get the crucial block on the final point and send a packed home crowd into party mode. 
 
&#39;Brazilian party&#39; 
 
Italy started fast and opened up an early three-point lead but by the midway point of the first set, Brazil had pulled out a four-point gap over their error-prone opponents. 
 
Italy had been more than twice as efficient as Brazil in spiking but their errors proved costly with their patchy display summed up by Zaytsev ploughing his serve into a team-mate on set point. 
 
It was a high-powered affair with serves reaching up to 120km/h (75m/h) while a fiercly partisan home crowd ensured the atmosphere at the Maracazinho was rocking and pretty hostile towards Italy, not that the players were complaining. 
 
&quot;It&#39;s part of the Brazilian party,&quot; said Zaytsev, whose Russian parents were a professional volleyball player father and competitive swimmer mother. 
 
The second set saw a reversal of fortunes in one respect as Brazil&#39;s error count ratcheted up, yet they vastly improved their spiking accuracy, which at the midway point was more than three times better than in the first set. 
 
It was neck and neck with each side saving two set points until a mistake by Filippo Lanza on a serve reception gifted Brazil a two-set lead. 
 
Having been unable to win a first set against opponents with a lamentable spiking accuracy of under 15 per cent and blowing two set points in the second, one with a serve into the net, Italy could have been forgiven for letting their heads drop. 
 
Yet they rallied, their spiking efficiency reaching an incredible 70 per cent at one point in the third set. 
 
But it wasn&#39;t enough as Brazil hung in and with Wallace inspired, Lipe got the vital block to win back the gold medal. 
 
(AFP)

After losing the last two finals in Beijing and London, Brazil reclaimed the title as they beat Italy 25-22, 28-26, 26-24

Brazil captain Bruno said his side could no longer be accused of choking after beating Italy 3-0 to win men's Olympic volleyball gold on Sunday. After losing the last two finals in Beijing and London, Brazil reclaimed the title they'd won in Athens as they beat Italy 25-22, 28-26, 26-24 at the Maracazinho in Rio. A day after the Brazilian football team ended their 120-year wait to finally win Olympic gold, the volleyball team erased memories of their dramatic collapse against Russia in London, triumphing with football star Neymar looking on. "We deserved this medal so much. It's much more special to do it at home, it's a magical moment," said Bruno, who is the son of coach Bernardo. "Everything we went through and now we are Olympic champions. This generation was said to be chokers. After so many silvers, now we're gold." The United States beat Russia 3-2 in the battle for bronze between the last two Olympic champions. Led by 20 points from the tournament's top scorer, the impeccable Wallace, Brazil avenged a 3-1 pool stage defeat to the Italians, who have never won Olympic gold, losing in the final three times now. "I'm proud of what we've done because the whole team worked hard together, each one played with heart," said Italy outside setter Ivan Zaytsev. "We've given a great account of ourselves, we showed a winning mentality. We could have finished with the gold medal but even though we didn't, we gave our all so we have a very solid base for the future." It was a fourth final in a row for Brazil, who also beat Italy in Athens in 2004 before losing to the US in Beijing and suffering a Russian comeback four years ago in London after leading by two sets to nil. Despite the presence of 2.09-metre tall giants Lucas and Souza, it was the relatively diminutive 1.96m Lipe who rose to get the crucial block on the final point and send a packed home crowd into party mode. 'Brazilian party' Italy started fast and opened up an early three-point lead but by the midway point of the first set, Brazil had pulled out a four-point gap over their error-prone opponents. Italy had been more than twice as efficient as Brazil in spiking but their errors proved costly with their patchy display summed up by Zaytsev ploughing his serve into a team-mate on set point. It was a high-powered affair with serves reaching up to 120km/h (75m/h) while a fiercly partisan home crowd ensured the atmosphere at the Maracazinho was rocking and pretty hostile towards Italy, not that the players were complaining. "It's part of the Brazilian party," said Zaytsev, whose Russian parents were a professional volleyball player father and competitive swimmer mother. The second set saw a reversal of fortunes in one respect as Brazil's error count ratcheted up, yet they vastly improved their spiking accuracy, which at the midway point was more than three times better than in the first set. It was neck and neck with each side saving two set points until a mistake by Filippo Lanza on a serve reception gifted Brazil a two-set lead. Having been unable to win a first set against opponents with a lamentable spiking accuracy of under 15 per cent and blowing two set points in the second, one with a serve into the net, Italy could have been forgiven for letting their heads drop. Yet they rallied, their spiking efficiency reaching an incredible 70 per cent at one point in the third set. But it wasn't enough as Brazil hung in and with Wallace inspired, Lipe got the vital block to win back the gold medal. (AFP)

Rio Olympics 2016: Brazil wins men's volleyball gold

Brazil beat Colombia 2-0 to move into the last four and a date with Honduras, while Nigeria and Germany both won on Saturday to set up an intriguing semi-final line up in men`s soccer at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics.&nbsp; 
 
Brazil, who have never won the Olympic soccer title, were nervous, especially in a first half that had 21 fouls and five yellows cards, four of them for Colombia.&nbsp; 
 
The visitors rarely tried to play, preferring to hack at their opponents and it was from a 30-yard free kick that Brazil took the lead after 12 minutes with Neymar curling the ball through a wall that disintegrated.&nbsp; 
 
Brazil were the better team throughout and Luan got the second goal they deserved seven minutes from time when he lifted a sublime chip over the goalkeeper from 25 yards out. 
 
&quot;It was very important that we scored early and that helped us not fall into their trap of winding us up,&quot; defender Marquinhos told TV cameras after the game in Sao Paulo. 
 
&quot;We are very disciplined to not lose a goal and when we score early that allows us to open up a bit,&quot; he added. &quot;We held it together at the back and we played well.&quot;&nbsp; 
 
Rampant Germany hammered Portugal 4-0 to set up a semi-final clash with Nigeria. Serge Gnabry put the Germans ahead with an angled strike just before halftime and Matthias Ginter added a second with a commanding header from a corner 12 minutes into the second half.&nbsp; 
 
Davie Selke got the third in the 75th with a goal that was almost identical to the first before substitute Philipp Max put the icing on the cake when he ended a sweeping move with a neat finish into the top corner three minutes from time. 
 
Germany will face Nigeria in Sao Paulo on Wednesday after the Africans scored in each half to beat Denmark.&nbsp; 
 
John Obi Mikel put Nigeria ahead after 16 minutes when he slotted home from the edge of the six-yard box after Imoh Ezekiel had set him up. Aminu Umar doubled their lead with a glancing header that may have come off his shoulder from a corner after 58 minutes.&nbsp; 
 
Honduras, seeking their first soccer medal in the Olympics, were inferior to a South Korea side that had 16 shots, compared to six for the Central American side, who got the only goal of the game after 59 minutes.&nbsp; 
 
The speedy Romell Quioto ran the length of the field before feeding Alberth Elis who coolly side-footed home from 15 metres. The 
 
Koreans pushed frantically for an equaliser but could not score. 
 
The men`s tournament is restricted to players aged under 23, though each squad is allowed to name three `overage` players. 
 
(Reuters)

Selecao to meet Honduras in last four while the other semi-final will see Germany and Nigeria slug it out for the summit clash

Brazil beat Colombia 2-0 to move into the last four and a date with Honduras, while Nigeria and Germany both won on Saturday to set up an intriguing semi-final line up in men`s soccer at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics. Brazil, who have never won the Olympic soccer title, were nervous, especially in a first half that had 21 fouls and five yellows cards, four of them for Colombia. The visitors rarely tried to play, preferring to hack at their opponents and it was from a 30-yard free kick that Brazil took the lead after 12 minutes with Neymar curling the ball through a wall that disintegrated. Brazil were the better team throughout and Luan got the second goal they deserved seven minutes from time when he lifted a sublime chip over the goalkeeper from 25 yards out. "It was very important that we scored early and that helped us not fall into their trap of winding us up," defender Marquinhos told TV cameras after the game in Sao Paulo. "We are very disciplined to not lose a goal and when we score early that allows us to open up a bit," he added. "We held it together at the back and we played well." Rampant Germany hammered Portugal 4-0 to set up a semi-final clash with Nigeria. Serge Gnabry put the Germans ahead with an angled strike just before halftime and Matthias Ginter added a second with a commanding header from a corner 12 minutes into the second half. Davie Selke got the third in the 75th with a goal that was almost identical to the first before substitute Philipp Max put the icing on the cake when he ended a sweeping move with a neat finish into the top corner three minutes from time. Germany will face Nigeria in Sao Paulo on Wednesday after the Africans scored in each half to beat Denmark. John Obi Mikel put Nigeria ahead after 16 minutes when he slotted home from the edge of the six-yard box after Imoh Ezekiel had set him up. Aminu Umar doubled their lead with a glancing header that may have come off his shoulder from a corner after 58 minutes. Honduras, seeking their first soccer medal in the Olympics, were inferior to a South Korea side that had 16 shots, compared to six for the Central American side, who got the only goal of the game after 59 minutes. The speedy Romell Quioto ran the length of the field before feeding Alberth Elis who coolly side-footed home from 15 metres. The Koreans pushed frantically for an equaliser but could not score. The men`s tournament is restricted to players aged under 23, though each squad is allowed to name three `overage` players. (Reuters)

Brazil overcome nerves to prevail over Colombia, Germany thrash Portugal

Armed police and security personnel are patrolling Olympic venues and streets in Rio de Janeiro as Brazil tightens security with the 2016 Summer Olympic Games just around the corner. 
 
In addition to the increased security presence, vendors who usually sell beverages and snacks have been banned from working during the games due to the safety concerns. Only those who are officially authorised can trade in designated areas. 
 
According to authorities, neither water nor unpacked foods are allowed in Olympic venues, and all personal items must go through security checks. 
 
&quot;I feel very good about that [security measures] because there was a lot of fear about the Olympic Games, about all the things happening in Europe, in the United States. And I feel more secure with police here and all the security here. I feel better,&quot; said Melanie, an Argentine tourist. 
 
During the games, the Brazilian federal police, army and air force, as well as Rio police officers, will work together to patrol all venues, stadiums and related areas 24/7. 
 
The enhanced security measures have been hailed by those covering and competing in the Olympics. 
 
&quot;You never know all the stuff going outside here, but I don&#39;t feel any danger right now,&quot; said Michal Gasiorowski, a Polish reporter. 
 
&quot;I don&#39;t have any fears, I feel pretty secure,&quot; said Alexander Choupenitch, a Czech foil fencer. 
 
(Reuters)

According to authorities, neither water nor unpacked foods are allowed in venues and all personal items must go through security checks

Armed police and security personnel are patrolling Olympic venues and streets in Rio de Janeiro as Brazil tightens security with the 2016 Summer Olympic Games just around the corner. In addition to the increased security presence, vendors who usually sell beverages and snacks have been banned from working during the games due to the safety concerns. Only those who are officially authorised can trade in designated areas. According to authorities, neither water nor unpacked foods are allowed in Olympic venues, and all personal items must go through security checks. "I feel very good about that [security measures] because there was a lot of fear about the Olympic Games, about all the things happening in Europe, in the United States. And I feel more secure with police here and all the security here. I feel better," said Melanie, an Argentine tourist. During the games, the Brazilian federal police, army and air force, as well as Rio police officers, will work together to patrol all venues, stadiums and related areas 24/7. The enhanced security measures have been hailed by those covering and competing in the Olympics. "You never know all the stuff going outside here, but I don't feel any danger right now," said Michal Gasiorowski, a Polish reporter. "I don't have any fears, I feel pretty secure," said Alexander Choupenitch, a Czech foil fencer. (Reuters)

Brazil steps up security arrangements ahead of Rio Olympics 2016

The Rio de Janeiro Olympics opening ceremony will display Brazilian creativity to the world, the ceremony&#39;s executive producer Marco Balich said on Thursday, just one day before the official opening of the Games. 
 
Balich said that although its organizers come from around the globe, the curtain-raiser and its creative elements will show the world a wonderful Brazil from various aspects. 
 
&quot;There was no problem between a strong international team supporting and all Brazilian creativity. So what you are going to see is all Brazilian, pure, beautiful creativity from Brazil that will touch the heart,&quot; the Italian producer said at a press conference. 
 
The opening ceremony has three themes: the garden, diversity and joy, according to organizers. 
 
The limited space in the opening ceremony&#39;s venue, Maracana Stadium, meant organizers had to overcome many challenges to ensure they could present a wonderful event. 
 
&quot;The entrance of the Maracana Stadium is less than two meters high. The stadium is a football stadium, not a track and field stadium, and there is no track in it. So the stadium is relatively small and the stage is also small. Our budget is less than what we expected, but we are used to such things. It is important to be flexible,&quot; said Daniela Thomas, a director of the opening ceremony. 
 
The Rio de Janeiro Olympics opening ceremony will be held today.Some 21 million US dollars have been spent on the show, about half of London&#39;s outlay four years ago. 
 
(Reuters)

According to organisers, the opening ceremony has three themes, the garden, diversity and joy

The Rio de Janeiro Olympics opening ceremony will display Brazilian creativity to the world, the ceremony's executive producer Marco Balich said on Thursday, just one day before the official opening of the Games. Balich said that although its organizers come from around the globe, the curtain-raiser and its creative elements will show the world a wonderful Brazil from various aspects. "There was no problem between a strong international team supporting and all Brazilian creativity. So what you are going to see is all Brazilian, pure, beautiful creativity from Brazil that will touch the heart," the Italian producer said at a press conference. The opening ceremony has three themes: the garden, diversity and joy, according to organizers. The limited space in the opening ceremony's venue, Maracana Stadium, meant organizers had to overcome many challenges to ensure they could present a wonderful event. "The entrance of the Maracana Stadium is less than two meters high. The stadium is a football stadium, not a track and field stadium, and there is no track in it. So the stadium is relatively small and the stage is also small. Our budget is less than what we expected, but we are used to such things. It is important to be flexible," said Daniela Thomas, a director of the opening ceremony. The Rio de Janeiro Olympics opening ceremony will be held today.Some 21 million US dollars have been spent on the show, about half of London's outlay four years ago. (Reuters)

Rio set for 'all Brazilian' Olympic opening ceremony: Organisers

Brazilian police arrested a Moroccan Olympic boxer on Friday for allegedly sexually assaulting two female cleaners in the athletes&#39; village in Rio de Janeiro. 
 
Officers arrested Hassan Saada, 22, from Casablanca, on suspicion of committing the assault on Wednesday, said a police statement released hours ahead of the Games&#39; opening ceremony. 
 
&quot;According to investigations, on August 3 the athlete sexually assaulted two Brazilian room cleaners who were working in the athletes&#39; village,&quot; it said. 
 
Billions of people around the world are expected to watch on Friday evening as Rio hosts the formal opening of the Olympics, with several world leaders in attendance 
 
Police sources told the news site G1 that Saada was accused of calling the cleaners to his room on the pretext of asking them a question and then improperly touched them. The women managed to escape. The site said that two other athletes were allegedly in the room at the time but did not react to the assault. 
 
A court granted a police request for Saada to be held in preventive detention for two weeks pending an investigation, the statement said. 
 
The International Boxing Association (AIBA) lists Saada as a former Moroccan youth champion and &quot;newcomer to the international scene.&quot; He was to fight in the 81-kilogram (178-pound) or light-heavyweight category in the Rio Games. 
 
Saada had been scheduled to fight Mehmet Nadir Unal of Turkey on Saturday in his first bout of the Games, G1 reported. - Olympic scandals - News site Globo reported that the Rio 2016 organizing committee had promised to cooperate with the investigation. 
 
The AIBA said in a statement it &quot;has taken note of the serious allegations&quot; against Saada. 
 
&quot;We understand that the situation is being dealt with by the local Brazilian authorities and have complete confidence that they will handle the matter appropriately,&quot; it said. 
 
It was the latest in a series of scandals and dramas to hit the Games in the crime-plagued Brazilian city. 
 
On July 31, a private security guard at Rio&#39;s Olympic Park was arrested after allegedly sexually assaulting a female firefighter while she slept. 
 
About 85,000 police and soldiers, as well as thousands of private guards, have been deployed -- double the number used at the 2012 London Games. 
 
Brazil suffers high levels of violence against women. Statistics indicate that in 2014, a sexual assault took place on average every 11 minutes. 
 
In May, an alleged gang rape of an unconscious teenage girl shocked the country after it came to light in an online video posted by the suspects. 
 
The Games had already been hit by scandal, with dozens of Russian athletes being barred over allegations of state-run doping. 
 
The AIBA said Thursday that all 11 Russian boxers entered for the Rio Olympics had been cleared and should be allowed to compete. 
 
The AIBA drew wide criticism in world boxing circles this year for opening the Olympic competition to professional boxers for the first time. 
 
Professionals in many other sports -- like basketball, ice hockey and tennis -- were long ago allowed to compete in the Olympics. 
 
(AFP)

The boxer is accused of assaulting two female Brazilian cleaners in the athletes' village who managed to escape the room

Brazilian police arrested a Moroccan Olympic boxer on Friday for allegedly sexually assaulting two female cleaners in the athletes' village in Rio de Janeiro. Officers arrested Hassan Saada, 22, from Casablanca, on suspicion of committing the assault on Wednesday, said a police statement released hours ahead of the Games' opening ceremony. "According to investigations, on August 3 the athlete sexually assaulted two Brazilian room cleaners who were working in the athletes' village," it said. Billions of people around the world are expected to watch on Friday evening as Rio hosts the formal opening of the Olympics, with several world leaders in attendance Police sources told the news site G1 that Saada was accused of calling the cleaners to his room on the pretext of asking them a question and then improperly touched them. The women managed to escape. The site said that two other athletes were allegedly in the room at the time but did not react to the assault. A court granted a police request for Saada to be held in preventive detention for two weeks pending an investigation, the statement said. The International Boxing Association (AIBA) lists Saada as a former Moroccan youth champion and "newcomer to the international scene." He was to fight in the 81-kilogram (178-pound) or light-heavyweight category in the Rio Games. Saada had been scheduled to fight Mehmet Nadir Unal of Turkey on Saturday in his first bout of the Games, G1 reported. - Olympic scandals - News site Globo reported that the Rio 2016 organizing committee had promised to cooperate with the investigation. The AIBA said in a statement it "has taken note of the serious allegations" against Saada. "We understand that the situation is being dealt with by the local Brazilian authorities and have complete confidence that they will handle the matter appropriately," it said. It was the latest in a series of scandals and dramas to hit the Games in the crime-plagued Brazilian city. On July 31, a private security guard at Rio's Olympic Park was arrested after allegedly sexually assaulting a female firefighter while she slept. About 85,000 police and soldiers, as well as thousands of private guards, have been deployed -- double the number used at the 2012 London Games. Brazil suffers high levels of violence against women. Statistics indicate that in 2014, a sexual assault took place on average every 11 minutes. In May, an alleged gang rape of an unconscious teenage girl shocked the country after it came to light in an online video posted by the suspects. The Games had already been hit by scandal, with dozens of Russian athletes being barred over allegations of state-run doping. The AIBA said Thursday that all 11 Russian boxers entered for the Rio Olympics had been cleared and should be allowed to compete. The AIBA drew wide criticism in world boxing circles this year for opening the Olympic competition to professional boxers for the first time. Professionals in many other sports -- like basketball, ice hockey and tennis -- were long ago allowed to compete in the Olympics. (AFP)

Rio Olympics: Morocco boxer Saada arrested for suspected assault

Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal, one of the country&#39;s strongest medal hope, kicked off her campaign at the Rio Olympics on a winning note as she brushed aside Brazil&#39;s Lohaynny Vicente in straight games in the opening match of the women&#39;s singles event on Wednesday. 
 
Saina, the bronze medallist at the 2012 London Olympics, produced an imperious form throughout the match to register an emphatic 21-17, 21-17 win over her Brazilian compatriot in the one-sided contest that lasted for 39 minutes at Riocentro- Pavilion. 
 
The 26-year-old will play her next Group G match against Ukraine&#39;s&nbsp;Ulitina Maria. 
 
Earlier today, PV Sindhu, the other shuttler in fray, also made a great start to her badminton campaign by thrashing Hungary&#39;s Laura Sarosi 21-8, 21-9 in her opening round. 
 
Meanwhile, the Indian women&#39;s double pair of Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa had lost 15-21, 10-21 to top-ranked Japanese pair of Ayaka Takahashi and Misaki Matsumoto in a match which lasted 36 minutes in their Group A opener. 
 
In the men&#39;s doubles competition, Manu Attri and B Sumeeth Reddy also suffered a 18-21, 13-21 defeat at the hands of World Number 2 Indonesian pair of Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan in their first match. 
 
(ANI) 
&nbsp;

Saina produced an imperious form throughout the match to register an emphatic 21-17, 21-17 win over Brazil's Lohaynny Vicente

Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal, one of the country's strongest medal hope, kicked off her campaign at the Rio Olympics on a winning note as she brushed aside Brazil's Lohaynny Vicente in straight games in the opening match of the women's singles event on Wednesday. Saina, the bronze medallist at the 2012 London Olympics, produced an imperious form throughout the match to register an emphatic 21-17, 21-17 win over her Brazilian compatriot in the one-sided contest that lasted for 39 minutes at Riocentro- Pavilion. The 26-year-old will play her next Group G match against Ukraine's Ulitina Maria. Earlier today, PV Sindhu, the other shuttler in fray, also made a great start to her badminton campaign by thrashing Hungary's Laura Sarosi 21-8, 21-9 in her opening round. Meanwhile, the Indian women's double pair of Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponnappa had lost 15-21, 10-21 to top-ranked Japanese pair of Ayaka Takahashi and Misaki Matsumoto in a match which lasted 36 minutes in their Group A opener. In the men's doubles competition, Manu Attri and B Sumeeth Reddy also suffered a 18-21, 13-21 defeat at the hands of World Number 2 Indonesian pair of Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan in their first match. (ANI)

Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal gets off to winning start in Rio Olympics

Ivo Pitanguy, a plastic surgeon renowned for his celebrity patients and for turning Brazil into a beauty surgery mecca, died Saturday in Rio de Janeiro, a hospital spokesman said. He was 93. 
 
A cultural icon in a country famous for keeping up its looks, Pitanguy improved the looks of scores of famous people, many of whom stayed on his island of Angra dos Reis in Rio de Janeiro state. 
 
Celebrities that went under Pitanguy&#39;s knife reportedly included Jackie Onassis, Elizabeth Taylor, Sophia Loren and Gina Lollobrigida. Pitanguy however always kept his list of patients secret. 
 
Just Friday, Pitanguy -- in a wheelchair -- briefly carried the Olympic torch ahead of the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games at Maracana stadium. 
 
&quot;Ivo Pitanguy died today at 17H30 (20H30 GMT) from a heart attack at home in Gavea,&quot; a posh Rio neighborhood, said clinic spokeswoman Patricia Sallum. 
 
The Minas Gerais native was to have his remains cremated on Sunday, she said. 
 
Pitanguy authored hundreds of publications in his field and trained scores of young plastic surgeons. 
 
He helped put Brazil on the map as a plastic surgery &quot;destination,&quot; and likely helped pave the way to acceptance of the medical tourism industries booming in many nations around the world. 
 
Though he enjoyed his fabulous wealth, Pitanguy also took time out to operate for free on thousands of poor women unable to pay to fix major burns and facial deformities. 
 
(AFP)

Pitanguy was renowned for transforming the likes of Jackie Onassis, Elizabeth Taylor, Sophia Loren and Gina Lollobrigida

Ivo Pitanguy, a plastic surgeon renowned for his celebrity patients and for turning Brazil into a beauty surgery mecca, died Saturday in Rio de Janeiro, a hospital spokesman said. He was 93. A cultural icon in a country famous for keeping up its looks, Pitanguy improved the looks of scores of famous people, many of whom stayed on his island of Angra dos Reis in Rio de Janeiro state. Celebrities that went under Pitanguy's knife reportedly included Jackie Onassis, Elizabeth Taylor, Sophia Loren and Gina Lollobrigida. Pitanguy however always kept his list of patients secret. Just Friday, Pitanguy -- in a wheelchair -- briefly carried the Olympic torch ahead of the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games at Maracana stadium. "Ivo Pitanguy died today at 17H30 (20H30 GMT) from a heart attack at home in Gavea," a posh Rio neighborhood, said clinic spokeswoman Patricia Sallum. The Minas Gerais native was to have his remains cremated on Sunday, she said. Pitanguy authored hundreds of publications in his field and trained scores of young plastic surgeons. He helped put Brazil on the map as a plastic surgery "destination," and likely helped pave the way to acceptance of the medical tourism industries booming in many nations around the world. Though he enjoyed his fabulous wealth, Pitanguy also took time out to operate for free on thousands of poor women unable to pay to fix major burns and facial deformities. (AFP)

Brazil's iconic plastic surgeon Pitanguy dies one day after appearance at Rio opening ceremony

brazil

Brazil, News on Brazil, stories on Brazil, articles on Brazil, Brazil stories at Wion, Brazil news, Brazil latest news