Brazil News in English: Travel, Tourism, Crime, Culture, Celebrities, Videos, Beautiful People
| SAO PAULO – In just the first two months of the year, the U.S. Embassy in Brazil granted 181,318 visas to Brazilians. During January and February, 2012, the consulate in Sao Paulo alone issued an average of 2,236 nonimmigrant visas per day.
U.S. Tourist Visa (Image: hostelbookers.com)
| RIO DE JANEIRO – The 2012 Carnaval in Rio de Janeiro attracted a record number of tourists to the city. According to Riotur, 1.114 million visitors passed through the city between February 13th and the 26th, which includes the bulk of the celebrations. Of the total, 32% were foreigners.
Rio 2012 Carnaval (Photo: Folha)
| RIO DE JANEIRO – Sexy superstar, American songbird and actress Jennifer Lopez, 41, seems to have loved spending Carnaval in Brazil.
Jennifer Lopez in Rio's Carnaval 2012 (Photo: Fabio Martins/AgNews/Folha de Sao Paulo)
| RIO DE JANEIRO – American actor Will Smith caused a sensation among fans during his visit to Rio this week. Smith is visiting Brazil to promote his new film “Men in Black 3,” which opens nationwide on May 21st.
Will Smith in Copacabana (Photo: G1 RJ)
| SAO PAULO – A 54-year-old tourist died on Monday afternoon in the Sao Paulo countryside when the zip-line she was riding snapped. According to police in Águas de Lindóia, the accident occurred in Monte Alegre when the woman was riding a zip-line which broke, sending her plunging to the ground as family looked on in horror.
Broken Zip-line in Sao Paulo (Photo: EPTV/G1)
| RIO DE JANEIRO – The animals at the Rio de Janeiro Zoo get a three-day break while the park is closed for Carnaval. According to ZooRio, the park concessionaire, the popular tourist attraction will be closed for Carnaval on Monday, Fat Tuesday and Ash Wednesday.
Bear Eating Sherbert (Photo: Esther Nazareth/RioZoo/G1 RJ)
| PORTO ALEGRE, Brazil – Twenty swimmers were injured after being attacked by a school of palometas, a type of piranha. The attacks took place on Sunday, in Balneario Passo do Angico, a tourist center in the Central Region of Rio Grande do Sul state in southern Brazil.
Carnivorous Fish Attack Humans (Photo: G1 RS/RBS TV)
| SAO PAULO – The wait for a visa to visit the United States is getting shorter at the American consulate in Sao Paulo. A month after President Barack Obama announced that Brazilian tourists would find it easier to get a visa, the wait time at the consulate has shrunk considerably.
U.S. Tourist Visa (Image: hostelbookers.com)
| PARIS – An Air France flight that departed Paris on Thursday, bound for Sao Paulo, made an emergency landing. The flight returned to Charles de Gaulle airport after a fire-detection system alarm sounded.
Paris/Sao Paulo AF456 (Image: neonflights.com)
| RIO DE JANEIRO – On Thursday, Time for Fun productions announced the schedule for Bob Dylan's 2012 Brazilian tour. The American singer will perform at six shows across Brazil during the month of April.
Bob Dylan Brazil 2012 Tour (Photo: G1 Pop & Art)
| SAO PAULO – A city in the state of Sao Paulo approved a law that will make it easier for obese people to board buses. People with a certificate from a medical doctor stating that they are obese will be able to bypass turnstiles to get on public transportation throughout the city of Santa Bárbara d'Oeste.
Gabriela Pezzo is unaffected by the new law (Photo: terra.com.br)
| SAO PAULO – A video showing 60 restaurant patrons being robbed in Sao Paulo was made public Wednesday. Civil Police released the video hoping somebody might recognize the assailants who forced the diners to the floor and robbed them.
Pinheiros SP Restaurant Robbery (Video G1 SP)
| RIO DE JANEIRO – A seven-story building, which was under renovation, collapsed completely in downtown Rio de Janeiro late on Wednesday. State Civil Defense reported that the fall of the building left 11 victims dead and wounded, one taken alive from the rubble.
Building collapse Rio (Photo: G1 RJ)
A large explosion was reported just before the collapse. Civil Defense speculates that there may have been a natural gas leak which was ignited.
Video from TV Globo can be seen below.
| SAO PAULO – The famed Mercado Municipal Paulistano, the Mercadão, celebrates its 79th anniversary on Wednesday. The enormous neo-classical structure was inaugurated on 25 January 1932 after four years of construction.
Mercado Municipal Paulistano (Photo: espaco.gourmet.zip.net)
| BELO HORIZONTE, Brazil – The city of Pirapora in the state of Minas Gerais is home to the only operating steamship in the world, the Benjamin Guimaraes. The city, located 347 km (216 miles) from the state capital, Belo Horizonte, has charms and beauty due to the curves of Old Chico, the affectionate nickname given to the Sao Francisco River, which meanders through the city.
Steamer Benjamin Guimaraes (Photo: City of Pirapora/Jornal Web Minas)
| SAINT CATHERINE, Egypt – A group of 50 Brazilian tourists, divided in two buses, was held on Friday on a road in Egypt because of a protest by demonstrators. The bus stopped at about 2:30 pm EST and as of 6 pm had not been able to continue.
Moisés Ambrósio (Photo: G1 Brasil)
| RIO DE JANEIRO – During a two-month operation that just concluded, Military Police (PM) in Rio seized over 7,000 motorcycles. According to police, the seizure is the main reason for the reduction in crime in the month of December. The motorcycles, most of them with illegal or stolen documents, were used in robberies.
PM in Rio (Photo: G1 RJ/RJ TV)
| RIO DE JANEIRO – After going through a meticulous restoration, Guanabara Palace – once the seat of state government – will be reopened to visitors on Thursday. The monument, located in the Laranjeiras neighborhood, was completely made over, including electrical, plumbing, lighting and art. The restoration cost R$19.2 million reals ($10.2 million USD).
Guanabara Palace (photo: terra.com.br/Government of Rio de Janeiro Press Release)
| SAO PAULO – The City of Sao Paulo's tourism agency (SPTuris) released last week the SP Mobile app for tablets and smartphones. The app offers tips on tourism and culture in the capital. The electronic guide has tips for city hotels, restaurants and other useful information such as phone numbers, services, public transportation routes and maps.
Sao Paulo App (photo: G1 Sao Paulo)
| SAO PAULO – About two months ago, authorities in Sao Paulo discovered a device being used by some malicious taxi drivers to inflate their fares by twenty percent. The electronic equipment, which is attached to the taximeter and activated by remote control, inflates the distance traveled and the time of the ride, increasing the fare.
Sao Paulo taxi meter (photo: nacahaca.com)
