Developing world's rise heralds global shift: UN The developing world's rapid growth has sharply cut extreme poverty, created a new middle class and put the economies of Brazil, China and India on a path to overtake the globe's wealthiest nations.
Football/Olympics: Sex motels revamp for World Cup, Olympics A shortage of hotel rooms has led Rio authorities to invest millions of dollars to convert raunchy motels to accommodate the legions of tourists expected for the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 summer Olympics.
23 February 2013
Brazil's Carnival reaches its crescendo Origin: BrazilRio's Carnival festivities reached their crescendo late Monday with a final night of samba school parades, part of a contest appropriately dubbed the greatest show on earth.
12 February 2013
Celebrities flock to Rio Carnival extravaganza As world celebrities watched, top samba schools paraded their elaborate fantasy floats and scantily-clad beauty queens Sunday in the fiery highlight of the Rio Carnival.
11 February 2013
Sequins, beer, robberies at Rio's pet Carnival parade Hundreds of pets decked out with sequins, ruffles and hats paraded on Rio's famed Copacabana beach Sunday in an annual pre-Carnival extravaganza briefly interrupted by a spate of robberies.
04 February 2013
Brazil police say deadly fire caused by flare Police said Tuesday they believe a nightclub blaze that killed 234 people and left scores fighting for their lives was triggered by a cheap flare that musicians lit as part of an indoor light show.
31 January 2013
Deadly nightclub inferno leaves Brazil in mourning A massive blaze at a nightclub in Brazil killed more than 230 people and left relatives desperately searching for loved ones as horrific accounts emerged of a tragic rush to escape the inferno.
28 January 2013
Sao Paulo begins mandatory detention of crack addicts Brazil's economic capital Sao Paulo on Monday began mandatory detention of drug addicts for rehab, authorities said, amid rising worries over an epidemic of crack cocaine use.
Brazil inmates train cat for prison break A cat trained by prisoners to deliver cell phones and tools to dig tunnels was caught at a jail in northeastern Brazil after sneaking in with forbidden items strapped to its body.
World's smelliest and largest flower blooms in Brazil Hundreds of visitors are flocking daily to a botanical garden in southeastern Brazil to watch the rare blooming of the Titan arum, the world's smelliest and largest tropical flower.
29 December 2012
China and emerging powers to pay more for UN China, Brazil, India and other emerging powers agreed to major increases in their United Nations payments as the global body hammered out a new budget deal this week to avoid its own fiscal cliff.
26 December 2012
Brazil to produce more sugar, less ethanol Brazil's sugarcane production will rise 6.5 percent this year but ethanol output will slump 5.22 percent as a greater focus is put on exporting sugar.
14 December 2012
Brasilia architect Oscar Niemeyer dead at 104 Oscar Niemeyer, the Brazilian icon who revolutionized modern architecture and designed much of the country's futuristic capital Brasilia, died in Rio Wednesday.
06 December 2012
Huge Rio protest against oil royalties share-out plan Tens of thousands of people took to the streets of Rio Monday to press Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff to veto a bill that would redistribute oil royalties in favor of non-oil producing states.
28 November 2012
Rio gay pride march puts some politics in the mix Techno music was thumping as tens of thousands hit the streets in Rio Sunday for the annual Gay Pride Parade, which organizers insisted was both a party and political.