Western sanctions might push Russia to deepen cooperation with BRICS states, in particular, to strengthen its ties with China, which will possibly turn out to be a big catastrophe for the US and the EU some time later. On March 18, the spokesperson for the Kremlin, Dmitry Peskov, claimed in a BBC interview that Russia would switch to new partners in case of economic sanctions being imposed by the... 

Brazil police in Sao Paulo have clashed with protesters demonstrating against the billions of dollars being spent on the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Waving flags, carrying banners and chanting, “There will be no Cup,” crowds of demonstrators swarmed the streets of Sao Paulo on Sunday to protest against the football tournament that the country is set to host from June 12 to July 13. According to local... 

Brazilian campaigners have gathered outside the Foreign Ministry building in the capital Brasilia to demand the government grant asylum to US surveillance whistleblower Edward Snowden. On Thursday, the campaigners walked to the Foreign Ministry building while chanting slogans and carrying symbolic boxes of data. They handed in a one million names-strong petition, asking asylum for Snowden. Reports... 

The overflooded Doce River in Vitoria, Espirito Santo state on December 26, 2013. The death toll for flooding and landslides in southeastern Brazil has reached 44, with thousands of people still displaced, officials say. According to Civil Defense officials in Espirito Santo, 27 people, including eight on Thursday, lost their lives in the state. A total of 61,379 people were forced to leave their homes. Espirito... 

The house is submerged by floodwater in the southeastern Brazilian state of Minas Gerais on December 23, 2013. Brazilian authorities say floods and mudslides caused by heavy rain have killed at least 20 people and forced 40,000 others from their homes in southeastern parts of the country. The civil defense department of the Minas Gerais state said on its Monday website that 14 people were killed in... 

Former CIA officer Edward Snowden, who was given temporary asylum in Russia, requests permanent shelter in Brazil. In exchange, the disgraced American whistleblower promises to assist in the investigation of USA’s espionage against Brazil. It is not the first time, when Snowden requests asylum in Brazil. Earlier, he appealed to the leaders of Russia, Cuba, Bolivia, Venezuela, Germany and other... 

Brazil has rejected a contract for Boeing’s F/A-18 fighter jets in favor of the Swedish Saab’s JAS 39 Gripens. The unexpected move to reject the US bid comes amid the global scandal over the NSA’s involvement in economic espionage activities. The announcement for the purchase of 36 fighters was made Wednesday by Brazilian Defense Minister Celso Amorim and Air Force Commander Junti Saito. The... 

German Ambassador Peter Witting The UN human rights committee unanimously passed a ‘right to privacy’ resolution sponsored by Germany and Brazil that protects the right to privacy against illegal surveillance, following revelations about NSA spying. The resolution states that surveillance and data interception by governments and companies “may violate or abuse human rights.” This... 

In a mission statement last year the US National Security Agency described how it would continue to expand its power and assert itself as the global leader in clandestine surveillance, according to a new report based on the Edward Snowden leaks. The five-page document brought to light Friday by the New York Times reveals the intelligence agency’s intention to “aggressively pursue legal authorities... 

Argentine Defense Minister Agustin Rossi Argentinean Defense Minister Agustin Rossi has called for a joint plan among South American countries to cope with the US spying activities. Rossi made the remarks during a meeting with his Brazilian counterpart Celso Amorim in Brasilia on Thursday. “I believe that UNASUR (the Union of South American Nations) must have a joint defense strategy,” the... 

The United States is silently watering down the text of an anti-spying UN resolution introduced by Germany and Brazil in order to ensure any extra-territorial violation of online privacy remains legal, according to a document obtained by The Cable. According to a government document obtained by the publication, the US has circulated a confidential communique entitled “Right to Privacy in the... 

Brazil has called an unscheduled meeting of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) over reports of the US National Security Agency (NSA) spying on the financial institution. ON Wednesday, Brazil’s IMF representative, Paulo Nogueira Batista, called on the IMF executive board to convene to ask for explanations on the reported NSA espionage. The official declined to divulge what was said at the meeting,... 

Brazil and Germany have formally presented an anti-spying draft resolution to the UN General Assembly amid the US surveillance scandal. On Thursday, the jointly sponsored Brazilian-German resolution was introduced to the UN General Assembly’s human rights committee. “Today, there seem to be hardly any technical limitations for accessing, storing or combining personal data. But should everything... 

Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff has censured alleged spying by the US National Security Agency (NSA) on German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s phone communications. “Nobody, no democratic nation, will permit this violation of sovereignty and human and civil rights,” Rousseff said on Thursday, adding, “There will be a growing reaction” from... 

Twenty-one countries, including US allies France and Mexico, have now joined talks to hammer out a UN resolution that would condemn “indiscriminate” and “extra-territorial” surveillance, and ensure “independent oversight” of electronic monitoring. The news was reported by Foreign Policy magazine, which has also obtained a copy of the draft text. The resolution was proposed earlier this...