Brazil officials must register gay unions as marriages

MSNBC - Sunday 19th May, 2013

By The Associated Press Brazilian notaries public must register same-sex civil unions as marriages if the couple requests it, the country's National Council of Justice said Tuesday. The council that oversees the country's judiciary said in a statement that notaries public cannot refuse to marry gay couples or convert a same-sex civil union into a marriage if that's what the pair ...

How A Free Press Is Threatened By Latin American Governments

Huffington Post - Sunday 19th May, 2013

One of the greatest threats to press freedom in Latin America comes in the form of shady criminal groups like Mexican drug cartels or Colombian paramilitaries who harass and sometimes murder journalists that report on their activities. Increasingly, however, a new threat is emerging in the hemisphere. It comes in the form of democratically elected officials. These politicians, who wear suave ...

US robots Israeli drones to help make 2014 World Cup in Brazil one of safest sporting events ever

RT - Sunday 19th May, 2013

World Cup 2014 Brazil has added 30 US military robots to the Israeli drones and 'Robocop-style' glasses with face recognition cameras to its arsenal after the country allocated $900 million to make 2014 World Cup "one of the most protected sports events in history." The 30 PackBot 510 units, which usually cost between $100,000 and $200,000 apiece, will arrive in Brazil as ...

Jordy Smith surfs to ASP win in Brazil

Middle East Times - Sunday 19th May, 2013

surfing tournament Sunday. Smith navigated the 2-to-4 foot swells at Barra Da Tijuca to win the third stop on the Association of Surfing Professionals World Championship Tour by a score of 17.80-16.34. Smith scored high by catching air on one productive wave and performing a so-called stailfish air-reverse on another. It was the third career ASP victory for the 25-year-old Smith and his first ...

Corrida da Ponte Half Marathon 2013 Daily

The Rio Times - Sunday 19th May, 2013

Chesney Hearst By Chesney Hearst, Contributing Reporter RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Early on the morning of Sunday, May 19th, over eight thousand registered runners will take part in the Corrida da Ponte (The Bridge Run), a 21.4 km half marathon across the famous bridge known as the Ponte Rio-Niteri, which connects the cities of Rio de Janeiro ...

Uruguay and Brazil prove opposites attract

FIFA - Sunday 19th May, 2013

Uruguay are filled with episodes of rivalry and tension, the countries' peoples insist instead on a relationship based on friendship and admiration. Thus, despite having motives aplenty to produce angst-filled on-the-pitch encounters, it is simply not the case ...

Vitor Belfort Jacare Souza treat Brazilian fans to special night at UFC on FX 8

Las Vegas Sun - Sunday 19th May, 2013

Vitor Belfort, from Brazil, celebrates after defeating Michael Bisping, from Britain during their middleweight mixed martial arts bout at the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Sunday, Jan. 20, ...

In Brazil Dominos makes rented DVDs smell like pizza

Chicago Tribune - Sunday 19th May, 2013

In Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, Domino's has teamed up with 10 rental stores to use movie DVDs for an unusual marketing push. Users pop in a rented DVD like they would any other, and after they've watched the film and take the disc out, the DVD disc shows a picture of a pizza and emits the aroma of one of Domino's ...

ALADI Announces First Latin American Meeting on Commerce

Prensa Latina - Sunday 19th May, 2013

Montevideo, May 19 (Prensa Latina) A first Latin American trade and investment meeting, ExpoAladi, will be held here next year, jointly announced the Uruguayan government and the Latin American Integration Association (ALADI). To promote this event and start a mutual cooperation, Aladi Secretary General, Carlos Alvarez, and the director of the Institute Uruguay XXI, Roberto Villamil signed an ...

Safer Soccer Brazil Launches Massive Military Campaign Ahead Of FIFA Games

General Sources - Saturday 18th May, 2013

Brazil's military prepares for a massive undertaking ahead of FIFA soccer games next month. The country has one of the more sophisticated miltary in the world and will try to show Brazilians and foreigners that the country will be safe and ready for the FIFA World Cup 2014 and the Summer Olympics in 2016. With just a year away before the FIFA World Cup games in Brazil, Latin ...

World science map grim for Latin America

Tribune Review - Saturday 18th May, 2013

The highly respected Nature Scientific Reports journal has just published a map of the world's leading science cities and it looks pretty bad for emerging countries: It shows the planet's Northern Hemisphere full of lights and the south almost solidly ...

El Salvador Court Requests More Time To Consider “Urgent” Abortion Case

Argentina Independent - Saturday 18th May, 2013

(Photo: Beatrice Murch) A pregnant Salvadoran, whose life is at risk due to her unborn baby, may not be able to abort due to the country's ban on therapeutic abortion. Doctors have told 21-year-old Name Beatriz, who is 23 weeks pregnant, that her life is in danger because she is suffering from Lupus, an autoimmune disease. Her child has also been diagnosed with anencephaly, a cephalic ...

El Salvador recognizes Palestinian state

Arabic News - Saturday 18th May, 2013

El Salvador recognizes Palestinian state Palestine-El Salvador, Politics, 8/26/2011 El Salvador Thursday recognized Palestine as an independent and sovereign state, according to Palestinian officials. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas thanked the president of El Salvador for the recognition, expressing hope that it will bolster bilateral relations. Foreign Minister Riyad Malki had ...

Brazil shows high interest in Russian arms

Pravda - Saturday 18th May, 2013

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev started his visit to Brazil on Wednesday, February 20th. Medvedev had a meeting with Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff. Due to the injury that Rousseff received at the carnival, the Brazilian president was wearing only one shoe. On her other foot, Rousseff had a rubber sandal, which gave an informal touch to the official ...

Military op against drugs human trafficking in Brazil

Times of India - Saturday 18th May, 2013

Brazilian army soldiers take part in a military exercise in preparation for the upcoming FIFA Confederations Cup, in a field near the National Stadium in Brasilia. (AP ...

Europe and the US should heed Latin America on drugs

The Guardian - Saturday 18th May, 2013

drugs . There is a growing belief that the current punitive-based approach has failed. It has visited a savage level of violence on Latin America as narco cartels, moving cocaine and cannabis into the US, have butchered and bribed their way through the continent. The killing and corrupting of public officials - judges, police, politicians - threatened, and still threatens, to demolish the ...

Two small quakes rumble off California coast

Middle East Times - Saturday 18th May, 2013

Two shallow earthquakes -- one a magnitude 4.0 and the other a magnitude 3.3 -- struck early Saturday off the California coast, the U.S. Geological Survey said. The magnitude 4.0 temblor occurred at 6:46 a.m. PDT, 17 miles off the coast of Rio Dell in northern California at a depth of 11.8 miles. The magnitude 3.3 temblor was recorded 12 miles from ...