Editor's Note: We have always heard that time is not an absolute but rather, an invention of mankind that rules our lives. This fascinating Amazonian tribe have no concept of time; nor do they have the concept of "river" as we know rivers; nor do they measure their lives in... » read this article

BUENOS AIRES - The governments of Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay are drafting laws to curb acquisition by foreigners of extensive tracts of their fertile agricultural land. Despite slight differences between them, the proposed measures are generally fairly mild. None of these three member countries of the Southern Common Market (Mercosur)... » read this article

Editorial comment: Mono-cultures, industrial farming and animal raising, Genetically Engineered seeds, bio-chemical herbicides and insecticides (note especially herbicide resistant weeds due to treatment with Monsanto's killer insecticide, Roundup) - in short agribusiness and bio-chemical business (read Monsanto et al.) are very busy ruining the global environment, local farmers' livelihoods and... » read this article

19 March 2011 President Barack Obama’s embarking on a tour of Latin America as the US and its allies prepare for war against Libya has drawn fire from some of his critics in Washington. In reality, however, the tour and the war involve common issues: oil and US imperialist interests.... » read this article

Brazilian companies added a record number of government registered jobs in 2010 as Latin America’s biggest economy expands at the fastest pace in over two decades. Brazil generated 2.52 million formal jobs in 2010, after companies hired a record 1.23 million workers and fired a record 1.64 million last month,... » read this article

Israel has reacted angrily to Argentina's recognition of a Palestinian state within 1967 borders. Monday's move by Argentina comes days after a similar step by South American neighbour Brazil. The Argentinian foreign ministry said recognition was in line with the Palestinians' right to build an independent state. More than 100... » read this article

The risk of meningitis outbreaks rises during the dry season — December to June — in some 20 countries of sub-Saharan Africa. Meningitis in the region is too often deadly, though the disease can be prevented with vaccination. Nana Diallo, 45, has her children vaccinated whenever possible. “It’s one of... » read this article

New species discovered in the Amazon every three days Louise Gray, Environment Correspondent October 26, 2010 More than 1,200 species have been discovered in the Amazon over the past decade, including giant snakes, colourful frogs and tiger-striped tarantulas, according to the WWF. A blind and tiny, bright red new species... » read this article

Editor's Commentary: Dilma Rousseff was a guerilla fighter who led a resistance movement against a military dictatorship in Brazil 40 years ago and was imprisoned and tortured by the U.S.-backed regime from 1970 to 1972. It's difficult to know if she has retained that revolutionary commitment or if she has softened to... » read this article

“To search for solutions to hunger means to act within the principle that the status of a citizen surpasses that of a mere consumer.” CITY OF BELO HORIZONTE, BRAZIL In writing Diet for a Small Planet, I learned one simple truth: Hunger is not caused by a scarcity of food... » read this article

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's chief of staff quit on Thursday over an ethics scandal, in a bid to stave off possible damage to Lula's front-running candidate in Brazil's presidential election next month.   Erenice Guerra, whose role as cabinet chief is an influential post in the Lula government,... » read this article

A campaign poster in Brasilia shows how strongly Dilma Rousseff is linking her campaign with the legacy of Pres. Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Photo: Maria Elena Romero/Al Jazeera. Brazil is leaning heavily towards electing the country's first female president. Dilma Rousseff has never been elected to public office, but the... » read this article

Introduction Two elections in Latin America this fall will have decisive importance in the direction of economic and foreign policy for the coming decade. Venezuelan legislative elections on September 26 will determine whether President Chavez can secure the two-thirds majority needed to proceed with his democratic socialist agenda without the... » read this article

Editor's Comment: On May 24, Iran officially informed the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna of the deal made between Brazil, Iran and Turkey on May 24 to exchange fuel. The agency immediately forwarded it to the United States, France and Russia for their opinions. The 3 countries responded with nine questions... » read this article

(Subtitles added by Axis of Logic) The 2008 report of the US National Intelligence Council - which supports the Director of National Intelligence and is the centre for long-range analysis in the US intelligence community - published in November 2008, issued the latest in a series of futuristic publications intended... » read this article

Brazil and Turkey have brokered a deal with Iran over its nuclear programme that shows the two countries are a new global force. The dramatic news from Tehran that a last-minute breakthrough may have been reached to avert a global crisis over Iran's nuclear programme is a highly positive development... » read this article

Earlier this month, as the US loudly complained about Venezuela’s decision to purchase arms from Russia, South America’s ministers of defense came together in Guayaquil, Ecuador and put the finishing touches on an agreement to develop common mechanisms of transparency in defense policy and spending. The agreement, which also calls... » read this article

Millions of Brazilians have serious housing problems. The Movimiento Sin Techo (Homeless Movement) seeks to organize them, and to occupy abandoned properties and land on the outskirts of the city to pressure the government. When they get settled, even temporarily, they try to transform social relations based on their dreams... » read this article

Johann Hoffmann started patenting inventions to protect the environment while still a young boy in his native Austria. His first—created when he was just 14—was a buoy system to contain oil spills in the ocean, a system that's still being used today. Hoffman's work eventually led him to Brazil, where... » read this article

When the United States first realized circa 1970 that its hegemonic dominance was being threatened by the growing economic (and hence geopolitical) strength of western Europe and Japan, it changed its posture, seeking to prevent western Europe and Japan from taking too independent a position in world affairs. The United... » read this article