Brazil in the News

There's quite a lot of interesting news in Brazil this week and I haven't had time to write about it earlier, so I'm combining it into a jumbo entry.

Politics

As expected, the presidential elections have become incredibly contentious with a whole lot of mudslinging. Marina Silva decided to stay neutral, and pretty soon after the remaining two candidates went straight for the jugular. VEJA added fuel to the flames by putting a "two faced" Dilma on its cover last week, quoting her making contradictory statements about abortion. Abortion has been the big issue of late, with both of the candidates claiming they are against decriminalization, even though there's evidence they're both pro-choice. But they're both trying to play it safe, especially since influential church leaders have been pushing the issue.

The polls continue to show that Dilma is ahead, but Serra is gaining ground, leaving the PT nervous. That may be why there was a little kerfuffle this week in Rio, when Serra was campaigning and was hit in the head by an unidentified flying object. Since the object (which did not cause any real harm to Serra) was supposedly thrown by someone in a rowdy, pushy group of Workers Party protestors, it became a party issue. The PT immediately denied any wrongdoing and accused Serra of exaggerating or even making the whole thing up, but Globo helped Serra out by airing a video analysis showing Serra had been hit with not one but two objects. (The Economist, by the way, seems to have also helped Serra by endorsing him). That's political theater for you, but it may actually get worse as the second round draws closer. 

Rio

In easily one of the coolest things I've ever seen, a visual designer projected amazing images on the Christ Redeemer Statue as a part of a campaign against sexual abuse of children and teens. The images made it look as if the statue was folding his arms in an embrace. Watch the amazing light show right here:

 

This weekend, there's going to be a 600K race (that's 372 miles) from Sao Paulo to Rio. The twenty teams will run up the coast for three days. If you're around, cheer them on! They deserve it.

 

Eike Batista is building a port that could help transform international trade in Brazil. Watch him discuss it here.

Media

Brazil rose 12 spots on the Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index for 2010. While it's light years ahead of the other BRIC countries, it is a bit odd considering the various media censorship scandals in the past year, but there has also been lots of pressure from Brazilians and media watchdog groups to keep the media unrestricted.

This week, Francisco Gomes de Medeiros, a journalist, radio host and blogger was murdered in Rio Grande do Norte by two gunmen who shot him as he was walking out the front door of his house. The journalist had written extensively about corruption, specifically vote buying scandals, as well as being a crime reporter. One of the shooters, who was arrested, claimed it was an act of revenge because of an arrest arising from one of the journalist's stories. Gomes had received threats throughout his career, and the shooter had threatened him before.

Crime

In a story that seems to be muffled in the press both here and Brazil, two American air marshals fled Brazil using "alternative" travel documents after being arrested and getting their passports confiscated. Their crime? They arrested a drunk, disorderly Brazilian woman on a flight from Houston to Rio. The woman had gone into the flight attendant area to pour herself more drinks, and the crew asked the air marshals for assistance. The drunk woman got angry and bit one of the air marshals, so they handcuffed and arrested her. In Rio, they handed her over to the Federal Police. Much to the air marshals' surprise, they were brought before a federal judge and charged with assault. It turns out the drunken woman was a powerful judge's wife, and the woman complained about being handcuffed for five hours. It isn't clear if the men left the country illegally (they were told to wait a week for a hearing, and their passports were confiscated), but it's also not clear if Brazil violated the Tokyo Convention with the men's arrest.

The full story hasn't hit the Brazilian media yet (this is the extent of what's out there now) but after this CNN story, it probably will tomorrow.

Comments

[Dennis]

Great updates! That last story is truly bizarre. After the tragic crash a few years ago and the treatment of the American pilots, the American airline employees must be pretty spooked about the biased treatment they can expect in Brazil. A judge's wife - d'oh!

Btw, did you see the video of Dilma's speech to the arts community, Oscar Niemayer et al? (Of course you did!). It seems to have been an arraso and is changing some people's attitudes about her.

[Jessica]

thanks for the link to the reuters story, rachel. useful statistics to have to hand next time someone corners me about this. i'm pro-choice, fervently so, but have learned to keep my opinions to myself when i'm in brazil ..

[lenibeatriz]

The secret past of Rousseff

“A luta armada não estava visando
a democracia, pelo menos no seu programa.”

Supremo critica decisão de tribunal militar que 'blindou' processo de Dilma
FELIPE SELIGMAN - DE BRASÍLIA

Ministros do STF (Supremo Tribunal Federal) afirmaram ontem que não existe impedimento legal para que a Folha tenha acesso ao processo da candidata petista Dilma Rousseff, arquivado em um cofre no STM (Superior Tribunal Militar).

"É inexplicável que tenhamos obstáculos ao acesso à história deste país", disse o ministro Marco Aurélio Mello. "O princípio maior é a publicidade. Não vejo obstáculo constitucional", disse.
O ministro Carlos Ayres Britto concorda: "Em linha de princípio, [o processo de Dilma] é um documento público". Ele cita o artigo 5º da Constituição: "Todos têm direito a receber dos órgãos públicos informações de seu interesse particular, ou de interesse coletivo ou geral".
Assista os vídeos em: http://eutambemacreditoemlobisomem.blogspot.com/2010/10/secret-past-of-rousseff.html

Sobre propinas: http://eutambemacreditoemlobisomem.blogspot.com/2010/10/no-limit-without-shame.html

Agressão a Serra: http://golpadademestre.blogspot.com/2010/10/event-ball-x-event-roll-of-tape.html
The lies of Lula's PT: http://golpadademestre.blogspot.com/2010/10/lies-of-lulas-pt.html