# data[].attributes.attachment_link.entities[].name
una final de la Copa del Mundo Alcides Ghiggia

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
El día que Brasil lloró | Uruguay Campeón del Mundo 1950

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Maracanazo Campeón del Mundo de Fútbol 1950

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Two top Brazilian businessmen have been arrested as part of a major investigation into corruption at state-owned oil giant Petrobras.

Marcelo Odebrecht heads the Odebrecht group - Latin America's largest construction conglomerate.

Also detained is Otavio Azevedo, boss of Andrade Gutierrez, another top construction company.

Investigators allege firms paid corrupt officials in order to get lucrative Petrobras contracts.

The scandal has rocked Brazil's governing Workers' Party, with top politicians accused of taking bribes.

But President Dilma Rousseff, who chaired Petrobras when much of the corruption is believed to have taken place, has been cleared of involvement.

Analysis: Daniel Gallas, BBC South America Business Correspondent

Odebrecht is one of Brazil's most successful construction firms - with a huge presence in countries like Angola and Mozambique.

Among its many works is the Sao Paulo stadium used in the opening of last year's Fifa World Cup.

Just last month its president took pride in the fact that his company had not been implicated in the wide-ranging investigations into Petrobras.

But today Marcelo Odebrecht is under police custody.

Even before the Petrobras scandal, Odebrecht was accused by critics of benefiting from close relations with the Brazilian government.

The accusation led Brazil's investment bank BNDES to reveal details of how much money it lent to Odebrecht to build infrastructure projects in Cuba and Angola.

Now Odebrecht is at the centre of Brazil's costliest corruption scandal.

Odebrecht had been named by former Petrobras executives as one of the companies that allegedly paid bribes in exchange for contracts with the oil firm, but until now the firm had not been targeted by investigators.

Odebrecht said in a statement (in Portuguese) its offices had been raided, and arrests had been made, but called them "unnecessary" as it had been co-operating with the authorities.

Andrade Gutierrez also said it was co-operating, according to the Reuters news agency, but had no connection to the investigation into Petrobras.

Announcing the arrests, a police spokesman said the operation sent a "clear message" no one would escape their attention, no matter how big they were.

Petrobras' investments alone represent 2% of Brazil's gross national product, and its downturn has harmed a national economy struggling as a result of low commodity prices.

The corruption scandal has cost Petrobras over $16bn (£10bn), including $2bn (£1.2bn) that went straight to corrupt executives and firms.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Two top Brazilian businessmen have been arrested as part of a major investigation into corruption at state-owned oil giant Petrobras. Marcelo Odebrecht heads the Odebrecht group - Latin America's largest construction conglomerate. Also detained is Otavio Azevedo, boss of Andrade Gutierrez, another top construction company.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Economic Report

, by Herwin Loman

In this Economic Report we take a look at Brazil's turbulent macroeconomic history and discuss the main characteristics of Brazil's current macroeconomic policy mix. Brazil has experienced many economic crises. In the past its dependence on commodity exports proved a major vulnerability. Meanwhile, in the eighties the government had to reschedule its foreign debt and as recently as the early nineties, the country suffered from hyperinflation. However, since the launch of the Plano Real in 1994, Brazil's macroeconomic environment has become increasingly stable and in the past decade, Brazil started to benefit from the commodity boom. However, more recently growth has disappointed.

A turbulent past

Brazil's economic history is characterized by economic volatility. South America's largest country experienced many huge booms that were followed by periods of economic stagnation and decline. In the 16th century, Brazil became the world's main sugar producer, but in the late 17th century the sugar industry suffered heavily from the rise of the Caribbean as a sugar producer. At the turn of the 18th century, there was a gold boom after a major discovery in Minas Gerais, but the resulting upswing for the Brazilian economy proved only temporary.

The mother of all Brazilian booms was the coffee boom which started in the 19th century. Brazil benefitted from the rapid growth of coffee consumption in the late 19th century, with the country producing almost 75% of all coffee produced globally around the turn of the century. It made the country very reliant on this sector. It is estimated that coffee exports were equal to more than 10% of Brazil's GDP. However, due to overproduction and a fall in demand due to the global recession, the coffee price fell 50% between September 1929 and January 1930. As Brazil tried to maintain the gold standard, to which it had returned in 1926, this resulted in the depletion of Brazil's foreign exchange reserves and in 1930 the country abandoned the gold standard. The economy contracted strongly in 1930 and 1931, but recovered quite vigorously in the following years.

After World War II, Brazil implemented a policy of import substituting industrialization, as the country wanted to become less dependent on commodity exports. Especially during the 1970s, the country enjoyed very high rates of economic growth and made large scale investments in infrastructure and industry. This helped to establish new industries and to diversify the economy. People started to talk about the "Brazilian miracle". However, at the same time, a large part of the population was left behind and inequality, which had already been high thanks to a history of concentrated landownership and slavery, grew rapidly, making Brazil one of the most unequal societies of the world.

Meanwhile, the first oil shock in 1973 led to a strong deterioration of Brazil's terms of trade. As Brazil at that time imported 80% of its oil consumption, its total import bill more than doubled from USD 6.2bn in 1973 to USD 12.6bn in 1974 . Brazil accommodated this shock by borrowing large amounts of cheap petrodollars The boom thus continued for some time, but when global interest rates were raised strongly and lenders became less willing to lend to Latin American countries in the early eighties, this reliance on foreign lending led to huge economic problems. Debt service was equal to 83% of export earnings in 1982. The country struggled to finance its external indebtedness and growth came to a halt. In 1987, the government was not able to pay the interest on its foreign debt and Brazil's public debt had to be rescheduled.

These economic problems were accompanied by political turbulence. The military dictatorship that had ruled Brazil since 1964 lost support and was forced to step down in 1985, which resulted in the return of democracy . Thanks to democratization, social inclusion became a new priority, which marked a big departure from military rule, which had focused on maximizing growth without much attention for Brazil's extremely high social inequalities.

The first democratic government after military rule had limited means to resist spending pressure from congress. As a result, inflation, which had already been high for some decades (see figure 2) thanks to the decades old practice of monetary financing of budget deficits, frequent devaluations and indexation (automatic correction of prices, interest rates and wages according to past inflation), ran totally out of control. In the late eighties and early nineties several attempts were made to end high inflation, some primarily based on wage and price freezes, and one on a deposit freeze, but all failed. Instead, Brazil experienced Weimar Republic style hyperinflation, with inflation peaking at 2,950 percent in 1990. Hyperinflation made all economic activities extremely short-term oriented and was most detrimental to the poor, who were not able to protect themselves against inflation.

A new start

The launch of the Plano Real in 1994 would prove to be the turning point. This plan, designed by Henrique Cardoso, who would later become Brazil's president, envisaged the introduction of a new currency, put constraints on public spending and ended the indexation of the economy The new currency, the real, had a crawling peg against the dollar as a nominal anchor and was somewhat overvalued, which made imports cheap, thus limiting the room for domestic producers to raise prices. Meanwhile, Brazil in the late eighties and nineties also embarked on large scale trade liberalization and privatization.

The Plano Real was very successful in exterminating hyperinflation, with inflation falling from 2,477% in late 1993 to 9.5% in late 1996. Although it was thus a big step forward, the Plano Real did not mean an immediate end to economic volatility. Partially thanks to the overvaluation of the real, the current account deteriorated, which made Brazil reliant on a continuous inflow of foreign capital. Brazil needed high interest rates to suppress inflation and attract capital, but those high rates contributed to a deterioration of the fiscal accounts. This became problematic when financial crises in Asia and Russia greatly reduced the availability of foreign capital.

In 1999, Brazil was therefore forced to make major policy changes. The real was floated and instead of an exchange rate targeting regime the country adopted an inflation targeting regime. Monetary policy was tightened and fiscal policy as well. The introduction of a Fiscal Responsibility Law in 2000 thereby helped to control public spending. To stave off a default, Brazil also got an IMF loan package. The election of Lula da Silva in 2002 led to new economic tensions, as foreign investors suddenly shunned the country fearing president Lula would default on Brazil's debt, as his Workers Party had very radical roots and Lula had been very critical about the Plano Real during the nineties. However, once in office, Lula chose to maintain Brazil's macroeconomic policies.

Brazil as a BRIC

Meanwhile, the outside environment became much friendlier for Brazil. High growth in China and other Emerging Markets fuelled the demand for many different types of commodities. As a prime producer of iron ore, sugar, coffee, meat, soy and many other commodities, Brazil was very well placed to benefit from this trend. At the same time, the domestic economy also became more dynamic. Cash transfers, a higher minimum wage and credit growth resulted in a strong growth of consumption. The good years were also used to build a large stock of foreign reserves, while the government maintained a large primary surplus, which, coupled with higher growth, led to a fall of the public debt/GDP ratio. Early in 2008, the rating agencies recognized that the macro economy had stabilized by granting the country an investment grade rating.

Brazil's resilience was demonstrated when the 2008 global financial crisis struck. The country suffered from the quick fall of commodity prices and the strain on financial markets. For the first time in its history, Brazil was able to enact countercyclical policies during a (global) crisis. Instead of having to tighten fiscal and monetary policies, which was necessary in the past to preserve confidence, Brazil had enough buffers to counter the crisis by increasing public spending and lowering interest rates.

As a result of these stimulus measures, and also due to a strong recovery of commodity prices, the Brazilian economy recovered vigorously in 2010, with GDP growth swinging from minus 0.9% in 2009 to 7.5% in 2010. Meanwhile, large oil reserves were found in the Atlantic Ocean. This meant that Brazil, which had already experienced a strong growth of oil production in the first decade of the 21st century, could become a major oil producer, with partially state owned Petrobras playing a central role. In 2010, Petrobras raised USD 70bn in the world's biggest IPO ever. However, growth fell disappointingly to 2.7% in 2011 0.9% in 2012.

Present situation

Monetary policy

Thanks to the hyperinflation history, support for anti-inflation policies has been strong in Brazil. The central bank has an inflation target of 4.5%, whereby inflation should not fall or rise more than 200 basis points above or below the target. Although inflation increased temporarily above the target in 2011 and in early 2013, the central bank has been successful in keeping inflation in check, especially when Brazil's dismal track record before 1994 is taken into account. The central bank is fairly independent, although the influence of the government over monetary policy increased somewhat in the past years. It seems that the central bank in practice no longer aims for 4.5% inflation, but instead wants inflation to be between 4.5% and 6.5%.

Brazil's real interest rates used to be high, but have declined for many years. During 2012, the policy interest rate reached a historic low, after the central bank had cut the SELIC rate, its main policy rate, by 525 basis points in one year. In April 2013, the started a new tightening cycle and the central bank seems intent on regaining its credibility that had been somewhat weakened by the earlier unprecedented easing of policy. In the past years, the central bank has also increasingly resorted to macro prudential rules as complementary tools for monetary policy. In practice, this has meant that the central bank tries to influence credit growth by increasing or lowering capital and reserve requirements for banks, and not through monetary policy, as the latter could make it more difficult to control the exchange rate.

Figure 3: Foreign reserves

Source: EIU

Exchange rate policy

Brazil has had a managed floating exchange rate system since its ended the real's peg to the US dollar in 1998. In the past few years, the ultra-loose monetary policies in the western world and high commodity prices resulted in strong upward pressure on the exchange rate. To protect the competitiveness of domestic producers, the government went to great lengths to limit the appreciation of the real, thus making the real a heavily managed currency. It not only used foreign exchange interventions to influence exchange rate policy, but also imposed several capital controls, such as taxes on portfolio inflows, to limit capital inflows.

Recently, the government has removed those restrictions, as it became concerned about the strong depreciation of the real after the financial markets started to anticipate a tapering of the monetary stimulus by the US Federal Reserve. In the past decade, the central bank has built up a large stock foreign reserves. In August 2013 this stock was USD 367bn, which is equal to roughly 14 months of imports and almost all of Brazil's foreign debt. Nowadays, the central bank primarily intervenes in the currency markets with swaps.

Fiscal policy

Brazil's fiscal policies have improved markedly in the past decades. Control over public spending has increased strongly, with the already mentioned Fiscal Responsibility law playing an important role. This allowed the government to achieve its target of running sizeable primary surpluses. Even in 2009, when the government took to significant fiscal stimulus, the government had a 2% of GDP primary surplus. However, Brazil's sizeable public debt and the high interest rates require a relatively high primary surplus. Thanks to economic growth, moderate inflation and budget deficits, public debt fell as percentage of GDP from 77% in 2002 to 54% in 2011, but increased afterwards to 58% of GDP in 2012. Furthermore, the government missed its 3.1% of GDP 2012 primary surplus target, despite the fact that it used several accounting tricks. Thanks to the reserves build-up and the fact that almost all government debt is now local currency debt, the government has become a net external creditor. With total government revenue accounting for 36.2% of GDP in 2011, against a 26.3% average for emerging markets, the public sector is relatively big in Brazil.

Conclusion and outlook

Brazil's macroeconomic situation has become much more stable in the past decades. In the past years, the macroeconomic policies became somewhat less orthodox. The exchange rate has become more heavily managed and the central bank seems to aim for a slightly higher inflation target. This increases the risk of inflation overshooting the target range, which would force the central bank to raise rates aggressively, and may thus lead to slightly more volatility. Recently, the central bank seems to be trying to regain its credibility, while controls on capital inflows were abolished, after the strong upward pressure on the real eased.
Sources

Werner Baer, The Brazilian economy : growth and development, 6th edition, 2008

Thomas E. Skidmore, Five Centuries of Change, 2nd edition, 2009

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Brazil's macro economy, past and present

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Economic Report , by Herwin Loman In this Economic Report we take a look at Brazil's turbulent macroeconomic history and discuss the main characteristics of Brazil's current macroeconomic policy mix. Brazil has experienced many economic crises. In the past its dependence on commodity exports proved a major vulnerability.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Why Petrobras (PBR) Could Be The World Cup's Biggest Winner | OilPrice.com

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Brazil has enormous oil and gas reserves. That is what has led to many getting in the way as PBR has fallen out of bed. The problem is that de-risking those reserves

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Brazil Moves From Sadness to Acceptance in Its World Cup Loss

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Yes, it was just about the worst defeat in World Cup history. But Brazilians are resilient

# data[].attributes.body
"Will Brazil Win the World Cup?"

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
On the morning of 16 July 1950, the day Brazil took to the field at the Maracana to face Uruguay in the World Cup final, Rio de Janeiro newspaper printed a picture of the national team headlined: "These are the world champions." Alcides Ghiggia ensured that would not be the case on the occasion now known as the Maracanazo , but it will be hard to stop such optimism and expectation creeping in once more after Luiz Felipe Scolari's side lifted the Confederations Cup on Sunday after demolishing Spain in the final.

Brazil had the force of a whole nation behind them. Divided by the politics that have caused riots across the country, the public were united in triumph. The dismantled the reigning world champions with a purposeful, tenacious, passionate performance that signalled Scolari has moulded a team that can compete with any other on their own turf.

The sound inside the iconic Maracana was deafening. Every single touch was greeted with a raucous cheer, while every second of Spanish possession was whistled and jeered. And if the whole crowd singing the national anthem at the top of their voices even after the music had stopped did not rattle the visitors, then the 's high-intensity, high pressing game certainly did.

SPAIN PULLED TO PIECES

THE THREE BIG GOALS

2'

GOOOOOAAAAAAL!!! GOOOOAAAAALLL!! GOOOOOOAAAAAAAL!!!! BRAZIL TAKE AN EARLY LEAD!! Hulk clips a cross to the back post and a scuffle ensues before Fred lashes home whilst lying on the turf! What a start! 1-0!!!

44'

GOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAL FOR BRAZIL!!! THE SELECAO LEAD THE WORLD CHAMPIONS 2-0!!! Oscar picks up possession on the edge of the box and stabs a pass through to Neymar who nearly bursts the net with a sensational left-footed strike into the top corner!!! Unbelievable!! The Maracana EXPLODES!!

47'

GOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAALLLL FOR BRAZIL!!! They explode out of the blocks in the second period!!! Hulk slides the ball through the middle and Neymar cleverly dummies the pass. Fred runs on to the loose ball and expertly curls a strike into the bottom right corner! 3-0! Spain are sinking without a trace!

Drawing on the inspirational, fervent support Brazil instantly put the pressure on and one person seemingly lost in the cacophony of noise was Alvaro Arbeloa. It was enough to put goosebumps on the skin, but the right-back suffered far worse as his incomprehensible positioning let Hulk's cross drop at the back post for Fred to stab home the opener.

The 's super start continued as they forced Spain to make their decisions quickly, denying them the usual time and space on the ball to which they have become accustomed. Luiz Gustavo and Paulinho worked brilliantly in tandem in midfield to hunt down the ball and restrict space, while Neymar and Hulk, at times even Fred, dropped behind the ball and defended from the front.

Their sharpness caught Spain off-guard and made them look utterly redundant despite all their possession. Granted, they had less time to recover for the game and played an additional 30 minutes to Brazil, but they were unable to match the determination, vigour and desire to win of their opponents.

Scolari seemed to have remedied his side's previous shortcomings and set his team out with exactly the right game plan from the off. What would have been highlighted as a potential weakness in the attacking wing-backs of Dani Alves and Marcelo was turned into an advantage. As they pushed up to tighten the area within which La Roja could operate, they prised errors from their opponents.

Only once were they exposed on the counter-attack and even then David Luiz was back to cover with an heroic goal-line clearance to keep Pedro off the score sheet.

Indeed, the creativity which had previously been missing also returned as Oscar showed sublime decision-making in the final third, particularly when he slotted the ball through for Neymar to slam home the second.

After evading the loose marking of Arbeloa, Neymar announced himself on the biggest stage of his career and in front of many of his new team-mates. Previously accused of going quiet in big games, there can be little doubting now that the 21-year-old is capable of making an impact at the highest levels.

Things got even better early in the second half. "The champions are back!" roared from the stands as Fred made it 3-0 in a huge display from Scolari's Brazil. From villain following the Selecao's Copa America elimination in 2011 to national hero with his double in the final - Fred's international redemption was complete back in the city where he inspired Fluminense to lift the 2012 Brasilleirao.

Although Sergio Ramos missed from the penalty spot and Spain were reduced to 10 men when Gerard Pique brought down Neymar in the 68th minute, Julio Cesar ensured the safety of his clean sheet by denying Pedro and David Villa goals in the closing 10 minutes.

Brazil had given their all. They simply wanted to win more than Vicente del Bosque's men and it was evident in the contrast between their aggressive approach to the game and Spain's timidity. Scolari had spoken of the need for maturity and growth prior to the final. He got that in abundance.

The coach downplayed the victory to the press after the game, but for Brazil this competition was not just a test for their stadia and infrastructure. Their team also passed it with flying colours, proving they have the capability to avenge the 1950 defeat to Uruguay that still torments the nation's football-mad public. They will be even more expectant at the World Cup, but if they support the side in the manner which they did on Sunday then Brazil will be confident they can take on the world - and win.

Follow Tom Webber on

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
These are the world champions? Brazil batter Spain, and will take some stopping in 2014 | Goal.com

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
On the morning of 16 July 1950, the day Brazil took to the field at the Maracana to face Uruguay in the World Cup final, Rio de Janeiro newspaper printed a picture of the national team headlined: "These are the world champions."

# data[].attributes.body
Brazil in shock after horrendous defeat in World Cup

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
National catastrophe: Brazil in shock after horrendous defeat in World Cup

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Brazilian soccer fans quickly went from excitement to tears Tuesday night after a crushing loss to Germany. Despite the team being a favorite to win the entire tournament, Brazil suffered an historic 7-1 defeat. Ameera David gets a recap of the game from RT's Nicholas O'Donovan.

# data[].attributes.body
Brazil Fan "7-1 is unbelievable"

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Frederik Pleitgen speaks to Brazilians who saw the team's stunning 7-1 World Cup defeat. More from CNN at http://www.cnn.com/ To license this and other CNN/HLN content, visit http://imagesource.cnn.com or e-mail cnn.imagesource@turner.com.

# data[].attributes.body
prints the news of a brazilian loss

# data[].attributes.body
the Brazilian Magazine prints the news that Uruguay Won

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
DIRETO DA PORTA DA TV GLOBO 

"Chegamos aqui no final desta grande marcha. Uma marcha pela democracia ao local que é o símbolo de um golpe que está sendo arquitetado no país." 

Vídeo: ViaTv e Kátia...

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Uma coletânea "muito resumida" de gritos de "ORDEM" à REDE GLOBO nas manifestações de Junho de 2013... Hey, GLOBO, VTNC!!!!

# data[].attributes.body
at the opening of the world cup 12/06/14

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
President Dilma is booed at the opening of the World Cup 12/06/2014

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Presidente Dilma é vaiada na abertura da copa do mundo 12/06/2014

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
"I want institutions that are more transparent, more resistant to wrongdoing," the leader said in reference to protesters' anger over political and financial corruption. "It's citizenship and not economic power that must be heard first."

The leader said that she would soon meet with the leaders of the protest movement, as well as governors and the mayors of major cities. It remains to be seen however exactly who would represent a protest movement comprised of disparate groups that have coalesced around multiple grievances.

For the last week, the country has been gripped by protests directed at the government over the quality of public transport, health care and education, particularly against the backdrop of massive public spending on the World Cup and the current Confederations Cup. In a country of jarring social inequality, many are resentful that their standards of living have not kept pace with the improvements in Brazil's fortunes.

On Thursday night, a million people joined the gatherings but a minority turned to vandalism, smashing bus stops, shop windows and bringing down lamp-posts.

President Rousseff said: "Brazil is fighting hard to become a more just country. It was not easy to get where we are. Only will it become reality if we strengthen this democracy.

"The protesters have the right and freedom to question and criticise everything, to propose and demand changes, to defend their ideas and proposals with passion, but must do so in a peaceful and orderly way." Many of the protests have expressed anger at the lack of investment in public services while the country spends billions of dollars on staging next year's World Cup. President Rousseff promised a "great World Cup" and said it was a historic opportunity for the country.

She also referred to her own past as a guerrilla who was tortured and imprisoned under the dictatorship.

"My generation fought hard so that the voice of the public be heard, the voices from the streets need to be heard and respected and should not be confused with the noise and the brutality of some hooligans." She is expected to meet with governors and mayors of the major cities in the coming days to address the protesters' causes.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Rousseff pledges reforms to end Brazil protests

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
"I want institutions that are more transparent, more resistant to wrongdoing," the leader said in reference to protesters' anger over political and financial corruption. "It's citizenship and not economic power that must be heard first." The leader said that she would soon meet with the leaders of the protest movement, as well as governors and the mayors of major cities.

# data[].attributes.body
Power failure in Rio

# data[].attributes.body
Any massive failure of government or corporate

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
When the lights go out these days in Brazil, the one word that Energy Minister Edison Lobão doesn't want to hear is apagão, or "blackout."
The word took on multiple meanings for citizens in the world's fifth largest nation after crippling power outages and government-mandated energy rationing in the early 2000s. Any massive failure of government or corporate officialdom-from plane delays to shortages of skilled workers-came to be branded as apagão. In last year's national elections, before Dilma Rousseff won the presidency in a runoff, there was vigorous dispute on Twitter over apagão, and which party had left more people in the dark most often. And last February, when 50 million people lost electricity for hours in the impoverished northeast, Lobão said it should not be considered an apagão, but a "temporary interruption of the electricity supply."

Keenly aware of domestic pressure over reliable electricity service, and knowing that the world will be watching as Brazil hosts both the World Cup and the Olympics within the next five years, public and private officials are working to bolster power delivery. But solutions are not easy in this sprawling country, South America's largest nation. While faced with feeding one of the world's largest cities, São Paulo, Brazil also is steward both to the Amazon and to more rural poor than any other nation in the Western Hemisphere. Brazil is roiled by conflict between city and village, development and preservation, as it considers how to fuel its economy and deliver future energy.
Wide Reach, Many Complaints
AES Eletropaulo, which serves 6.1 million customers in São Paulo and the 23 cities in the surrounding metropolitan region, has plenty of critics. Procon, São Paulo state's consumer protection agency, lists it every year as one of the companies that receives the most complaints. The agency says blackouts are occurring more often in the city. A judicial sentence that took effect in August against Eletropaulo, in a case brought by Procon after a nationwide blackout in 2009, established that for any blackout exceeding four hours, the company would be fined 500,000 Brazilian reais ($300,000) for each hour of power outage beyond the initial four.

Despite frequent displeasure over outages, the reality is that electricity has wider reach in Brazil than any other public service, according to newly published figures from Brazil's census. The official records show the electric grid reaches up to 97.8 percent of homes throughout the country. In contrast, only 82.9 percent of homes have access to water supply, and just 67.1 percent of homes are hooked into public sanitation systems.

Energy consultant Roberto Kishinami, a former adviser to Brazil's government, described how private multinational companies developed the first power plants around São Paulo city in the 1920s, tapping the power of the Tietê River to generate electricity. While powering the industrialization of São Paulo, they left treatment of sewage to the same river, causing an environmental and urban problem for decades. Kishinami says water resources were viewed as a public good, and entrepreneurial spirit was unleashed to advance electricity. But these were not accompanied by commitments to efficiency or environmental protection.

Distribution of electricity is by no means equal across the country. In the poor northern states, including the Amazon, nearly one in each four rural homes still needs candlelight at night. But in São Paulo, only 1 in 2,000 homes lacks access to the power grid. As a result, more than 10 percent of Brazil's electricity is consumed in an area less than 1/1000th of the nation's size.

The most frequent power shortages in Brazil are actually in the poor rural areas where electricity coverage is limited, and where cities are small and sparse. Nearly 30 percent of the 65 incidents registered in the first half of 2011 by the national grid operator ONS (National Operator of the System), occurred in the Amazonian states of Pará, Acre, and Rondonia.

"I have worked in the north of Brazil," says Otavio Grillo, operational director of AES Eletropaulo. "Sometimes, power lines have to extend for 400 kilometers [248 miles] in the jungle to reach the population," he says. That, according to him, increases the chances that environmental factors will interfere with the lines.

Official data kept by Brazil's National Agency of Electric Energy (Aneel) shows that blackouts in São Paulo are less frequent than in rural areas. When blackouts happen in the city, though, they affect areas vital to Brazil's economy; São Paulo generates 15 percent of Brazil's GDP. "We have the most critical clients in Brazil," says Grillo. When power outages happen in the north of the country, few outside the affected region hear about it, like a tree falling in the Amazon.

In São Paulo, due to the high concentration of energy consumers-more than 4,000 per square kilometer-any such disruption generates a swarm of complaints, making Eletropaulo's call center buzz. On the worst day, when a cyclone hit the city in July, there were 240,000 calls an hour. Eletropaulo issued a press statement that the outage should not be considered an apagão because only a few streets experienced outages.

Pressure to improve the nation's electric service is expected to increase in the next five years, when Brazil's second-largest city, Rio de Janeiro-capital of state adjacent to São Paulo-hosts the finals of the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the summer Olympics in 2016. "Quero ver na Copa" has become a common remark when a Brazilian faces a lapse in any public service, including electrical: "I want to see what happens during the World Cup."

Power upgrades are integrated with construction planning for the events. In the capital of Brasília, a substation is being built just to power the national stadium for the games. In Paraná, just south of São Paulo state, the state power company is investing 500,000 Brazilian reais ($269,500) to improve the system for faster response to outages. In Rio, served by the electric company, Light, authorities are pouring millions of dollars into revamping the decades-old underground electricity and gas utility infrastructure. Last summer, exploding manhole covers became epidemic in Rio as sparks from old transformer junctions ignited gases beneath the street.

Eletropaulo says that since 2006 it has invested more than 3 billion Brazilian reais ($1.6 billion) in its network and it plans to invest a like amount before 2015 to improve services. This past summer, it announced a collaboration with General Electric and Trilliant to install smart meters and wireless communication to improve its electric delivery.

Brazil's government has put an emphasis on new energy generation, focusing on the same kind of development that has served the nation in the past: Hydroelectric, which currently provides nearly 85 percent of the nation's power. Regulators at the Aneel are discussing how to privatize power generators in Brazil's north, which currently are enterprises administered by Brazil's state-run Eletrobras. (Most other power companies in the country-like AES Eletropaulo-were auctioned away by the federal government in the late 1990s.) In the past five years, there have been ten auctions for licenses to build new power plants.

Three of the new hydroelectric plants would be in the Amazon, tapping the energy potential of the Madeira and Xingu rivers. But one project, Belo Monte, threatens to displace native populations, causing the Organization of the American States in April to demand suspension of construction. Brazil's government criticized the OAS move, and president Rousseff suspended Brazil's payment of $800,000 to the organization in retaliation. Lobão once attacked critics of the Belo Monte project as "the demoniac forces that are pulling Brazil down."

But the new hydro generation will only partially help address the electricity delivery problems that trouble Brazil's residents. Critics of Belo Monte are quick to point out that its power is likely to flow, at least in part, to new and growing industrial development. Brazil's giant mining company, Vale, and steelmaker Sinobras are shareholders in the consortium of government and private companies building Belo Monte.

But getting power from rivers to the cities and industry has often been a challenge in a nation that is more than 8.5 million square kilometers (3.3 million square miles) in size. This is true even though Brazil has what Kishinami describes as "a very robust interlinked system," a grid that covers the entire country, north to south, east to west. "Few countries as big as Brazil have the same kind of [interconnection]," said Kishinami. (In contrast, the United States has no interconnection between its east and west grids and Texas is isolated on its own grid.)

In 2007, a blackout that left 3 million Brazilians in the dark was caused by accumulated soot in power line insulators. Such incidents are becoming less frequent, though. Aneel's official figures say the average Brazilian consumer loses power nearly 15 times a year, for a total of 18 hours, down from 21 times and 26 hours a year in 1998, when the agency was created.

But the general interconnection can allow trouble to spread far and wide. That's what happened on November 10, 2009. After a triple failure in energy transmission circuits, 18 Brazilian states were in the dark for as long as seven hours. The entire neighboring country of Paraguay also faced a brief power shortage, because the two nations share the second-largest hydroelectric dam in the world, Itaipu on the Paraná River. In Rio de Janeiro state alone, the outage cost industries 1 billion Brazilian reais ($539 million).

Officials blamed strong wind and lightning for the power failure, although researchers have disputed these findings. Since the final report on the incident found flaws in maintenance of the transmission lines, Aneel fined Furnas Centrais Elétricas, a private company that manages power distribution, 53.7 million Brazilian reais ($28.9 million) -one of the largest fines in the agency's history.

It is not only the maintenance of the long transmission lines that is a problem, but the political tension that results from Brazil's decision to have power travel long distance from rivers in rural areas to its metropolitan centers in the south. Critics say the nation is both failing to serve the power needs of its rural poor, and threatening the culture of the indigenous people who rely on the rivers.

Kishinami believes that Brazil has focused on large hydroelectric projects to the exclusion of other energy alternatives, just as the building of roads has crowded out other transportation alternatives, such as trains and navigation by water. He believes Brazil should be spending more resources to explore technologies like biomass and solar energy to power rural communities. "Brazil has the challenge to incorporate new technologies to minimize environmental impact and make alternative energy an economic alternative," he said. In addition to "big solutions" in the interest of the nation, he said, "small solutions" need to be developed in the interest of communities. "We still don't have a planning system that's able to think in different scales and levels," he said.

This story is part of a special series that explores energy issues. For more, visit The Great Energy Challenge.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Power Quest: Brazil Works to Wipe "Blackout" From the Lexicon

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
When the lights go out these days in Brazil, the one word that Energy Minister Edison Lobão doesn't want to hear is apagão, or "blackout." The word took on multiple meanings for citizens in the world's fifth largest nation after crippling power outages and government-mandated energy rationing in the early 2000s.

# data[].attributes.body
"improved infrastructure and stimulate the economy"

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Your usage has been flagged as a violation of our terms of service.

For inquiries related to this message please contact support. For sales inquiries, please visit http://www.bloomberg.com/professional/request-demo

If you believe this to be in error, please confirm below that you are not a robot by clicking "I'm not a robot" below.

Please make sure your browser supports JavaScript and cookies and that you are not blocking them from loading. For more information you can review the Terms of Service and Cookie Policy.

Block reference ID:

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Your usage has been flagged as a violation of our terms of service. For inquiries related to this message please contact support. For sales inquiries, please visit http://www.bloomberg.com/professional/request-demo

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The next macarena? Street protestors in Brazil are gearing up to bring down president Dilma Rousseff's government-by practicing their dance moves.

An activist group, Consciência Patriótica, is asking Brazilians to show their discontent at anti-Rousseff demonstrations Sunday with a bouncy choreography. Check out Facebook for a step-by-step tutorial.

"Shout strongly Brazilian! Out with Dilma! Out with Lula! Out with PT!" says the refrain of the catchy tune, called "Be Patriotic." The video has been viewed nearly 175,000 times.

Hundreds of thousands of people throughout Brazil are expected to take to the streets during protests on Sunday as the country sinks into a deeper political crisis. Rousseff's mentor, former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, was charged with money laundering this week in an investigation linked to the corruption scandal at Petrobras, Brazil's oil company. Separately, Rousseff is facing impeachment proceedings for allegedly fudging budget numbers.

Observers worry that violence could break out during the protests. Lula and Rousseff supporters are expected to attend, even as some party leaders ask them to stay home (link in Portuguese).

Protestors' plans sound more like a carnival. In São Paulo, there will be gigantic balloons à la Macy's Thanksgiving parade, except they will be of political figures in prison garb, not cartoon characters. Organizers have rented sound equipment and lined up several acts, including a Queen cover band, reports Veja Sao Paulo, a magazine supplement. A variety of impeachment gear, including t-shirts and trumpets, is being promoted online ahead of the event.

Then there's the anti-impeachment choreography. Consciência Patriótica posted the video earlier this week after "many people from different ages and parts of the country" requested to learn the moves. They are asking followers to perfect their performance for Sunday's events.

Using dance, the group tells Quartz, "is a way to say that demonstrations are peaceful and orderly environments."

Not everyone is joining the party mood.

"That choreography is the most bizarre, unnecessary thing," reads one comment on the group's Facebook page. "What's the point of dancing in a protest against the government? I feel embarrassed for them."

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Watch: Protestors in Brazil plan on bringing down their unpopular president with a choreographed song and dance

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The next macarena? Street protestors in Brazil are gearing up to bring down president Dilma Rousseff's government-by practicing their dance moves. An activist group, Consciência Patriótica, is asking Brazilians to show their discontent at anti-Rousseff demonstrations Sunday with a bouncy choreography. Check out Facebook for a step-by-step tutorial. "Shout strongly Brazilian!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
BRASILIA/SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Protests erupted in several Brazilian cities on Wednesday after President Dilma Rousseff named her predecessor Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva chief of staff and a taped conversation fed opposition claims the move was meant to shield Lula from prosecution.

In the capital Brasilia, riot police fired pepper spray at more than 5,000 demonstrators who filled the streets outside the presidential palace and Congress building. They waved banners calling for the leftist leader's resignation and Lula's arrest.

Thousands more demonstrators packed the main Avenue Paulista in Sao Paulo, Brazil's financial hub, which was the center of national protests on Sunday that drew more than 1 million people onto the streets in a call for Rousseff's departure.

With Brazil's economy mired in its worst recession in a generation, popular anger at Rousseff is mounting as an investigation into bribes and political kickbacks at state oil company Petrobras () taints her inner circle.

"I am here for the future of my children, grandchildren and great grandchildren," said Vera Carneiro, 75, draped in a yellow-and-green Brazilian flag outside the presidency. "Dilma has to go. She and Lula both. Enough is enough."

Rousseff's appointment of Lula, who was charged last week with money laundering and fraud as part of the probe, was slammed by opposition parties as a desperate attempt to rally support in Congress against impeachment proceedings due to start on Thursday.

Lula, a 70-year-old former union leader whose 2003-2010 government helped lift some 40 million Brazilians out of poverty, remains one of Brazil's most influential politicians.

However, the corruption investigation has weakened his sway in Congress and there are growing signs that Rousseff's main coalition partner is preparing to abandon the government.

"Brazil cannot continue with them anymore," said Rubens Bueno, one of dozens of opposition lawmakers who interrupted a session with chants for Rousseff to resign. "They are using their positions to stay in power at all cost."

The hurried publication of Lula's appointment as Rousseff's chief of staff in a special edition of the government's Official Gazette on Wednesday gave him immunity from all but the Supreme Court, delaying any attempts to prosecute him.

The federal judge overseeing the graft probe said in a court filing released on Wednesday that taped telephone conversations showed Lula and Rousseff considered trying to influence prosecutors and courts in favor of the former president.

He admitted, however, there was no evidence they actually carried this out. One recording, made public by the court, showed Rousseff offering to send Lula a copy of his appointment "in case it was necessary" - a possible reference to it providing him with immunity.

Facing a government backlash against his release of the recordings, Judge Sergio Moro - whose uncompromising tactics have been repeatedly criticized by authorities - said they allowed the public to scrutinize Brazil's leaders.

"Democracy in a free society requires that the governed know what their leaders do, even when they try to act in the protected shadows," he wrote.

GOVERNMENT PROMISES ACTION

Lula's lawyer, Cristiano Zanin Martins, said the decision to release the wiretaps by the court was arbitrary and intended to stir up demonstrations.

The presidential palace said it would take action against the judge and that Lula's swearing in would go ahead as planned on Thursday morning.

Rousseff said Lula was chosen as chief of staff for his experience and that he has a history of championing sound economic policies and fighting inflation.

She said his appointment would not mean he was above investigation as he could be tried by the Supreme Court.

The former president's return to Brasilia was overshadowed on Tuesday by the release of plea bargain testimony from Senator Delcídio do Amaral, who alleged Lula and Rousseff knew about the graft scheme at Petrobras and one of her ministers had tried to buy his silence.

Lula, Rousseff and her ministers have denied any wrongdoing.

Veja magazine reported on Wednesday that Prosecutor-General Rodrigo Janot has decided to request an investigation of Rousseff based on the testimony. Reuters could not immediately confirm the report.

Lula's nomination stirred concern among investors that he might push Rousseff to abandon austerity measures aimed at cutting a fiscal deficit that hit more than 10 percent of GDP last year. Lula has publicly called for more public spending to drag Brazil out of recession.

Credit rating agency Moody's, which downgraded Brazil's debt to junk status last month, said his appointment marked a shift toward political expediency at the expense of fiscal reforms.

Brazil's currency slid as much as 2 percent on Wednesday, and has lost around 6 percent this week as Rousseff's invitation to Lula fed fears of a policy swing.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
judicial process / court cases / court decisions

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
monetary / fiscal policy / policy makers

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Brazilians protest after Lula named chief of staff, gains immunity

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
BRASILIA/SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Protests erupted in several Brazilian cities on Wednesday after President Dilma Rousseff named her predecessor Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva chief of staff and a taped conversation fed opposition claims the move was meant to shield Lula from prosecution.

# data[].attributes.body
(2015)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
CNN correspondent Shasta Darlington, who lives in Sao Paulo, explains who the demonstrators are, why they're mad and what could be in store for the President and the country.

What do the protesters want?
They're angry about the country's economy being in shambles at a time when political corruption at the highest levels of government is alleged. If it were just one of those things, maybe we wouldn't be seeing this kind of turnout because Brazilians have lived with corruption for decades and the economy was not doing well before the presidential election in October. But it's all come to a head.
Political corruption -- let's break that down. What's the scandal about?
Petrobras is the national oil company. It's one of the most powerful, richest companies in the country -- and has been counted among the largest in the world. It was very respected. People invested in it. Rousseff, who won election in October by a slim margin, was -- before becoming President -- the chairwoman of Petrobras' board of directors. She was chairwoman during much of the time that former oil company executives have told investigators that bribes were paid to Petrabras executives and politicians in order to secure contracts from Petrobras. In early March, the country's highest court authorized the investigation which involves about 40 politicians, many of them from the President's ruling Workers' Party and the speakers of the House and Senate.
But Rousseff hasn't been accused of anything, right?
Right. She's not being investigated. Protesters' call for impeachment -- the formal process of accusing, because she's not been accused of anything -- looks very unlikely. But, the public perception is that even if she didn't personally profit for this scheme, she was still the chairwoman at a time when it was supposedly happening and she should be held accountable.
Has she responded to the protesters?
She has. What she says is that she will not stand for corruption and she's rooting it out. As proof, she contends, she's given her attorney general free rein to investigate who is stealing from the state oil company. It's important to know that the Petrobras scandal has been known publicly for at least a year and during Rousseff's election campaign, she said over and over that she would root out corruption.

It's also interesting that she isn't lashing out at protesters. She is saying she won't put up with violence -- and so far the protests haven't gotten violent. But she says that Brazil is a democratic country and people have the right to protest. She comes from a left-wing background so that approach is fitting.
You brought up that she is from the left-wing Workers' Party. How is that significant?
The protests were mostly organized by the right-wing party that opposes Rousseff...organized by people who didn't vote for her.
There aren't people out today protesting. The next demonstrations are scheduled for April 12. I guess that goes to how organized these demonstrations really are -- setting an advance date like that.
Yes, well, that's Brazil. It's so the word can get out on social media.
If she's not accused of anything and the protests are politically motivated, will the protests affect her presidency?
Rousseff has four years ahead of her, it could end up being very hard for her govern. She won a little over half the vote in October and the people who didn't vote for her are still making their voices heard. And this Petrobras scandal is a problem.
Why was the election so close?
You have to bring it back to the economy. It had been slowing down, and traditionally the wealthier parts of the country like Sao Paulo haven't voted for Rousseff's party, the Workers' Party. The country is at 7.5% inflation.
The April 12 protest is ahead but three or four months down the road, what might happen?
The Senate and House speakers are Rousseff's allies and they are among those implicated in the Petrobras scheme. What if she isn't able to get badly needed legislation? What will she do? What will be party do? These questions are hard to answer now.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
brazil's dilma rousseff: why are protesters furious?   - cnn

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Brazil's Dilma Rousseff: Why are protesters furious? - CNN

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
CNN correspondent Shasta Darlington, who lives in Sao Paulo, explains who the demonstrators are, why they're mad and what could be in store for the President and the country. What do the protesters want? They're angry about the country's economy being in shambles at a time when political corruption at the highest levels of government is alleged.

# data[].attributes.body
state of brazils economy

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
impeachment proceedings begin against brazil's rousseff - cnn

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Impeachment proceedings begin against Brazil's Rousseff - CNN

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
A bid to impeach Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff has been launched by the Speaker of the country's lower house of Congress, Eduardo Cunha.

# data[].attributes.body
Monorail collapses in Brazil

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
One Killed As Monorail Collapses In Brazil(1:41am)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Part of a monorail has collapsed in Brazil's biggest city just days before the start of the World Cup, killing a construction worker. The man is believed to have been working on an extension to Sao Paulo's metro network near Congonhas airport when he was hit by a large concrete support beam.

# data[].attributes.body
Sepp Blatter announces 2014 world cup

# data[].attributes.body
bus torched by fans
after loss

# data[].attributes.body
"I feel immensely for all us fans and our players"

# data[].attributes.body
BBC news coverage of brazilian loss

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff has urged the country to bounce back after its devastating 7-1 World Cup defeat against Germany.

"Like all Brazilians, I am very, very sad after the defeat. But we will not let ourselves be broken," she tweeted.

The coach of the national team Luiz Felipe Scolari called the defeat "the worst day of his life".

Brazilian media reflected the mood of shock on Wednesday, describing the result as a "historic humiliation".

The result was Brazil's biggest defeat in World Cup finals history.

The BBC's Wyre Davies in Rio de Janeiro

Fans who had paid upwards of $300 (£175) for their tickets were streaming out of the ground in Belo Horizonte at half-time - by which time the Germans were already way out of sight with a commanding 5-0 lead.

On Tuesday night, many Brazilians were dealing with defeat in the way they know best - playing music, drinking and staying out on the streets.

Others have taken it to heart. Football and the Selecao really do mean that much to them.

They're hurt and humiliated. To be fair the writing had been on the wall, it's just that no-one had expected this World Cup campaign, on home soil, to be extinguished in such a brutal manner.
Shock and humiliation after German rout
"I feel bad for all of us - for fans and for our players," Ms Rousseff said, urging Brazilians to "get up, shake off the dust and come out on top".

Some have speculated that the team's poor showing may affect Ms Rousseff's chances in the presidential election in October.

"Brazil's historic humiliation has set off a warning signal in Dilma Rousseff's government, which fears that the bad mood stemming from the defeat may affect expectations for the economy - already not very favourable - as well as the campaign trail," a column in the Folha de Sao Paulo newspaper said.

It added that fans in the stadium had chanted insults about Ms Rousseff.

The German team established a 5-0 lead within just 29 minutes, adding two more goals in the second half.

By the end of the match many of the remaining Brazilian fans were cheering the German team.

The match was the first time a team had scored seven goals in a World Cup semi-final, and the first World Cup game with eight or more goals since Germany beat Saudi Arabia 8-0 in 2002.

Twitter was soon abuzz with jokes about the result
Germany 7- 1 Brazil: The internet responds Brazil defeat breaks Twitter records
In Brazil the match has already been dubbed the "Mineirazo" after the Mineirao Stadium in Belo Horizonte, recalling the "Maracanazo", Brazil's defeat at the hands of Uruguay in the World Cup final at the Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro in 1950.

The website of the Brazilian newspaper O Dia presented all images from the game drained of any colour with the headline "Shame in the country of football".

Germany will now face either Argentina or the Netherlands, who play each other on Wednesday evening.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Joachim Gauck are expected to fly to Brazil to watch the final on Sunday.
Painful Brazil defeats of the past
1950: Uruguay beat Brazil 2-1 in the final of the World Cup at the Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro. When Uruguay winger Alcides Ghiggia scores the decisive second goal with 11 minutes to go, 200,000 Brazilian fans in the stadium fall silent. The unexpected defeat becomes known as the Maracanazo and is considered a national tragedy: The goal that broke Brazil's heart.

1966: Brazil's worst performance overall at a World Cup, with the team eliminated in the first round for the first time since 1934 after superstar Pele came in for brutal treatment from opposing defences.

1978: Brazil and hosts Argentina compete in the second-round group stage, with top spot required to go through to the final. When Brazil beat Poland 3-1, they look set to progress. Argentina, whose kick-off is later, know they need four clear goals. Peru collapse completely and Argentina win 6-0, eventually taking the World Cup. A Peruvian senator, among others, has since alleged that the military rulers of Peru and Argentina fixed the game.

1982: Brazil are eliminated from the World Cup after a hat-trick from Italy striker Paolo Rossi in the final match of the second-round group stage. Brazil had won all four of their previous matches in style and were the pre-tournament favourites to take the Cup.

1998: Brazil play France in the final. Brazil star striker Ronaldo is left off the teamsheet after reportedly blacking out in the dressing room just before the game, only to reappear just in time for kick-off. A below-par Ronaldo is subsequently eclipsed by France's Zinedine Zidane in a one-sided match which saw France crowned world champions for the first time.

It is, however, worth mentioning that Brazil won the World Cup in 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994 and 2002 - which is more times than any other nation.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff has urged the country to bounce back after its devastating 7-1 World Cup defeat against Germany. "Like all Brazilians, I am very, very sad after the defeat. But we will not let ourselves be broken," she tweeted. The coach of the national team Luiz Felipe Scolari called the defeat "the worst day of his life".

# data[].attributes.body
German team accompanied by military police on their return to training camp

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Belo Horizonte:

Brazil's stunned football stars struggled to explain one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history after they lost their semi-final 7-1 to Germany on Tuesday.

"It is difficult to explain the inexplicable," said 34-year-old goalkeeper Julio Cesar after the record defeat.

"We had the worst game of our lives and Germany the best of their lives," added stand-in captain David Luiz who was at the centre of the defence that crumbled.

"Until now everything had gone very well. We had been very strong. It is so unexpected," said Cesar.

"Now we need to return home and be comforted by our families."

After Thomas Mueller's 11th minute opener, Germany sealed their passage to an eighth World Cup final with a stunning four-goal spree in six minutes just before the half hour mark.

Miroslav Klose became the World Cup's all-time leading scorer with his side's second of the evening. Sami Khedira and two apiece from Toni Kroos and Andre Scherrle made it 7-0 before Oscar's late consolation.

"I am sorry for not being able to make the fans happy. We didn't win it and I ask for the forgiveness of all the Brazilian people," said Luiz, who took over the captain's armband from the suspended Thiago Silva.

"They were better and we conceded four goals in six minutes. It is a day of great sadness."

The Paris Saint-Germain defender was one of the main culprits as the Brazilian defence crumbled in the absence of regular captain Thiago Silva through suspension.

It was misfiring striker Fred who received the brunt of the criticism for the shocked Brazilian fans at the Estadio Mineirao, though, as he was roundly booed before being replaced 21 minutes from time.

"It is a huge disappointment because it's certainly the worst defeat of all our careers," said Fred. ( Germany Thump Brazil 7-1)

"It is a moment of great sadness and disappointment, but we'll have to hold on to the people who will help us in these difficult times we are going through now," he added. ( Press Slams Brazil's Performance)

Barcelona right-back Dani Alves was only able to watch on from the bench as he was dropped for the second consecutive game in favour of Roma's Maicon.

And he said he had never seen a team collapse like Brazil did for those six minutes midway through the first-half.

"It has been one of those nightmares that can happen in football.

"This has never happened to me in a game of football. That a team so well-organised, so complete in every area can lose four goals in six minutes. In my 31 years I have never seen six minutes so without explanation."

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
FIFA World Cup: I Ask for the Forgiveness of the Brazilian People, Says David Luiz - NDTV Sports

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Belo Horizonte: Brazil's stunned football stars struggled to explain one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history after they lost their semi-final 7-1 to Germany on Tuesday. "It is difficult to explain the inexplicable," said 34-year-old goalkeeper Julio Cesar after the record defeat.

# data[].attributes.body
(Luis Felipe Scolari)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Tore aus Sicht der Trainer, Brazil 1 - 7 Germany, 08.07.2014

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Joachim Löw and Luiz Felipe Scolari Brazil 1 - 7 Germany, World Cup Semi-Final, Belo Horizonte, 8 July 2014 Coaches' camera during all eight goals. More on: http://wholelottaloew.net78.net/brazil2014/brazil8jul14.html Deutschland, Brasilien, Brasil

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
World Cup Classic Matches: (1950) Uruguay - Brazil 2-1

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
16 July 1950, Estádio do Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro, attendance 173,850 URUGUAY: Máspoli, M. Gonzales, Tejera, Gambetta, Varela, Andrade, Ghiggia, Pérez, Miguez, Schiaffino, Morán. Manager: Lopez. BRAZIL: Barbosa, Augusto, Juvenal, Bauer, Danilo, Bigode, Friaça, Zizinho, Ademir, Jair, Chico. Manager: Costa.

# data[].attributes.body
Brazil 2014 footage (full match)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Brasil 1 x 7 Alemanha Jogo Completo pela Semifinal da Copa do Mundo 2014 Narraçao de Galvao Bueno

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
EMISSORA-REDE GLOBO.. BRASIL 1 X 7 ALEMANHA Data: 8 de julho de 2014 Horário: 17h00 (de Brasília) Local: Mineirão, em Belo Horizonte (MG) Árbitro: Marco Rodriguez (MEX) Assistentes: Marvin Torrentera (MEX) e Marcos Quinteto (MEX) Cartões amarelos: Dante, aos 22 min. do 2°t (BRA) Gols: Müller, aos 9 min., Klose, aos 22 min., Kroos, aos 24 min.

# data[].attributes.body
Brasil 1x 7 Germany footage (german goals)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Brasil 1 x 7 Alemanha. Melhores Momentos, HD

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Vídeo com os melhores momentos da goleada alemã em cima da seleção canarinho! acesse para mais sobre futebol: http://futeboldewallpapers.blogspot.com.br

# data[].attributes.body
"football and politics are so intertwined that, whether by accident or design, the world cup is always the same year as presidential elections"

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
It was a stunning loss for a country that views soccer as a religion.

If Brazil has been shell-shocked since its 7-1 rout by Germany in the semifinals of the World Cup, the President who staked so much on the Cup, Dilma Rousseff, pledged in an exclusive interview with Christiane Amanpour on Wednesday that the loss will not shake the national psyche.

"There is one hallmark and feature about football," she told Amanpour at the presidential palace in Brasilia. "It is made of victories and defeats. That's part and parcel of the game."

"And being able to overcome defeat I think is the feature and hallmark of a major national team and of a great country."

Brazil, like so many other middle-income countries around the world, has been engaged in the great project of modernization, and lifting millions out of poverty.

Rousseff has had a long education in Brazilian politics - first as a left-wing guerrilla battling Brazil's military dictatorship, then as right-hand woman to the heavyweight of Brazilian politics, former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Despite the country's deep-seated passion for soccer, its move to host the World Cup was controversial. Brazilians across the country turned out in the streets to protest the vast sums the government spent on stadiums and how they were built.

Rousseff was booed and jeered as she watched the opening match pitting the host nation against Croatia.

Now as she gears up for re-election in October, can President Rousseff push forward with Brazil's grand transformation?
'My nightmares never got so bad'
It is one thing to lose; it is quite something else to lose like that.

President Rousseff told Amanpour, she never imagined her country facing such a crushing World Cup defeat.

"My nightmares never got so bad, Christiane," she said. "They never went that far. As a supporter, of course, I am deeply sorry because I share the same sorrow of all supporters. But I also know that we are a country that has one very peculiar feature. We rise to the challenge of adversity."

Brazil came into the match missing its two star players: captain and main defender, Thiago Silva, and star striker, Neymar.

"Not being a person that is deeply knowledgeable about football, I do believe that there was a significant effect," Rousseff said.

"Two hundred million Brazilians view themselves as coaches and they all of course will weigh in, voice their opinions about the national team."

But despite the drubbing, President Rousseff said Germany deserves to be congratulated.

"This is not a war, after all. It is just a game. And that is why football charms us all."

"So yes, I will greet Angela Merkel, and I will tell the German Chancellor that, yes, her team did play very well. They are to be congratulated."
An extraordinary journey: Rousseff's struggle against dictatorship
Rousseff says she "never dreamed of being the president," and her early life gives some clue why.

From 1964 to 1984, a military dictatorship ruled Brazil; Rousseff was an urban guerilla, fighting against that regime.

That experience, she told Amanpour, made her who she is today.

"As a young person, yes, I did struggle against the dictatorship. I am the product of that period in time, yes. And I'm very proud of the fact that I struggled and fought the dictatorship of the time."

"It is very difficult to live under a dictatorship. Dictatorship limits your dreams. And when one has no right to express oneself or organize your efforts, any act of disagreement becomes an act of opposition under dictatorship."

Rousseff felt the awful weight of that dictatorship when she was arrested in the 1970s and spent three years in jail, where she was frequently tortured.

"It was an experience - an experience where one learns that two things are necessary: Number one, to resist. And you realize that only you, yourself, can defeat yourself."

"I'm not saying that it is easy to support, to tolerate, or to put up with torture. It is not easy to tolerate torture."

"And you can only tolerate or put up with torture if you deliberately deceive yourself by telling yourself, well, a little bit more, yes, I can cope with that. I can also cope with a little bit more, a little bit more. And you deliberately mislead yourself, if you will, because you cannot allow torture to defeat you."

"You cannot allow yourself to be contaminated by what torturers think of you."

She endured, she told Amanpour, "the worst form of torture."

"People were hung by their arms and legs on this piece of wood, as well as a lot of electric shock."

"An act of torture and pain perpetrated by one upon someone else is unpardonable. It's a barbaric act. Anyone who perpetrates torture has lost all human values, and has lost all the gains we as human beings have established as civilization gains ever since we left the caves."

"I have never seen a torturing process that has not ultimately destroyed the institution that has engaged in torture," she said.

Torture, she said, "has led me to live life in a more intensive way."

"There's just one way for torture not to contaminate you; you cannot allow it to develop anger or hatred towards those who perpetrated torture against you. You cannot allow that to go into your being."

The victory against torture was not personal, against those who perpetrated it, she said, but much broader.

"It is a much broader victory because, in Brazil, nationwide, we have ultimately defeated the institutional establishment that engaged in torture. And we did so by building democracy."

"In Brazil, we have this so-called lust, love - for democracy."
Lifting up the country
Brazil, among the BRIC nations, is modernizing at breakneck pace.

Since 2003, Rousseff said, the country has lifted 36 million people out of poverty and brought 42 million into the middle class. But that process, of course, is never trouble-free.

The country's growth-rate has slowed since the global economic crisis, yet she proudly promotes Brazil's relatively low unemployment, plus government spending on infrastructure and health.

She reeled off a torrent of statistics on how much had been poured into these sectors.

"It is my belief that we will now move into a new development cycle in Brazil," she said.

"As a country, we must wage a bet on education. Education can take care of two things: number one, you can ensure that those people who have improved their income and standards of living will be in a position to ensure continuity of those gains.

"And number two, we must move into the knowledge economy and value added economy."

Amanpour asked just "how deep" the problem of corruption is.

Rousseff acknowledged Brazil, like many other developing nations suffers corrosive corruption.

"My entire life shows that I advocate zero tolerance towards corruption," Rousseff said. "At the federal public service level, we have established the transparency or accountability web portal, where all government spending, all government purchases and procurement made by the federal government are shown or posted on the accountability web portal within less than 24 hours after the expenses are made."

As for the police forces, Rousseff said it "is perhaps one of Brazil's major challenges."

Police in Brazil are responsible for around 2,000 deaths a year, according to Amnesty International - a disturbing statistic for a country with an authoritarian past.

"Fighting criminal activity cannot be conducted using the same methods that are used by the criminals themselves, and that is very often what happens."

"The police service in Brazil are assigned to the state level governments as established under the federal constitution. I believe we may have to revisit that arrangement and revise that article of the constitution."
Pride and politics
Brazil's World Cup performance is important to President Rousseff not only as a matter of national pride, but as a matter of politics.

"If we had won," one Brazilian told CNN's Isa Soares in Rio de Janeiro, "the people would have forgotten all the money spent; at least now the realities are back in focus."

The country saw widespread anger and protests against what many viewed as excessive spending on stadiums and infrastructure for the World Cup.

Many question the decision, for example, to build a stadium in Manaus, deep in Brazil's rainforested interior; there is no football team to fill the stadium once the Cup has concluded.

Rousseff defended the decision.

"Manaus is a city that is not only close to the world's largest tropical forest, but it is also in a region that is inhabited by twenty million Brazilians. And those twenty million Brazilians who live in that region do deserve a stadium that will stage all of the different activities that are usually conducted in any other stadium in South or Southeastern Brazil."

Part of the solution, Rousseff said, is for Brazil to stop "exporting football players."

"Exporting football players means that we give up the main attraction that can help stadiums be crowded with supporters. After all, what is the biggest attraction that a country like Brazil has to attract supporters to stadiums? Its football supporters and players."

Rousseff, who is bidding for re-election this October, put a big emphasis on the World Cup as a chance for Brazil to prove itself on the world stage.

"One has to bear in mind that from all different aspects, the fact is that Brazil has organized and staged a World Cup which I do believe is one of the world's best World Cups. And that is largely due to the Brazilian people's ability to offer and extend hospitality and welcome supporters from all over the world."
'Harsh women' and 'cute men'
Being a female president, Rousseff said, "is still viewed as a different fact in today's world."

"Woman who are political leaders are viewed as being harsh women, cold, surrounded by ... cute men."

"But I think both things are not true. As leaders - as female leaders, as presidents, or as chancellors - we are just women exercising our role as women."

"It is quite certain and doubtless that women do know by definition that people are about feelings and emotions, in addition to thoughts and rationalities. I think that is a fundamental difference."

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
After stunning World Cup loss, Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff pledges country will recover

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
By Mick Krever, CNN It was a stunning loss for a country that views soccer as a religion. If Brazil has been shell-shocked since its 7-1 rout by Germany in the semifinals of the World Cup, the President who staked so much on the Cup, Dilma Rousseff, pledged in an exclusive interview with Chris...

# data[].attributes.body
(talks about brazil wanting to overhaul their system)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
BBC FIFA World Cup 2014 - Reaction to Brazil's humiliating 7-1 loss to Germany

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Reaction to Brazil's shocking and humiliating 7-1 defeat to Germany in the first semi-final at the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Host Mark Chapman is joined by BBC South American football expert Tim Vickery and Martin Keown. Music at 0:57 is Bill Connor - 'Snooping Around'

# data[].attributes.body
(after match)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Bastian Schweinsteiger Interview After The Match ~ Germany Champion FIFA World Cup 2014

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Bastian Schweinsteiger Interview After The Match ~ Germany Champion FIFA World Cup 2014 Football Betting Master - $69.04 Avg Commission. 2.65% Refunds!! CLICK: http://www.bettingsystemfootball.com/?hop=tungtk01

# data[].attributes.body
(before match)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Bastian Schweinsteiger on why Brazil have lost their magic

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Germany's Bastian Schweinsteiger says Brazil's current crop of players is not as impressive as its teams of the past. "Brazil nowadays are not what they have been", the Germany midfielder told journalists at a press conference ahead of the country's semi-final tie against Brazil.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Dozens of youth snatching bags, phones and jewelry sparked a stampede on the beach at Copacabana in Rio de Janeiro on Tuesday where fans gathered to watch Brazil play Germany in the semi-final match of the World Cup.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Raw: Brazil Fans Cry After World Cup Loss

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The tears started flowing before half time, and by the end of a 7-1 shellacking in the World Cup semifinal, millions across Brazil were in dazed, damp-eyed disbelief. (July 8) Subscribe for more Breaking News: http://smarturl.it/AssociatedPress Get updates and more Breaking News here: http://smarturl.it/APBreakingNews The Associated Press is the essential global news network, delivering fast, unbiased news from every corner of the world to all media platforms and formats.

# data[].attributes.body
"Ei, Dilma Vai tomar no Cu"

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Torcida do Brasil vaia Dilma "Ei, Dilma Vai tomar no Cu" - Brasil 2 x 1 Croácia 2014

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Dilma é hostilizada por torcedores na abertura da Copa do Mundo. Arena Corinthians. Gritos de: Ei, Dilma Vai tomar no Cu

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
'Brazilians have the right to protest' says Rio Mayor Eduardo Paes - BBC News

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Subscribe to BBC News www.youtube.com/bbcnews Rio de Janeiro Mayor Eduardo Paes told BBC News that tourists coming to Rio for the World Cup need not worry about their safety. He also said that Brazilians have the right to protest if they wish to do so.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Its a special story from the land of football fever, its the sad tale of Moacyr Barbosa who was blamed for the loss of 1950 at the World Cup. For more news from Headlines Today visit https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZdjh94PIFy6fDekDtWRRJQ

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
'I want Brazil to avenge 1950's World Cup loss' Brazilian footballer Pele

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
He has brought smiles to millions of his countrymen by scoring more than 1000 goals and now legendary Brazilian footballer Pele wants to feel the joy of Brazil winning the FIFA World Cup at home. Download the Times Now India's Election HQ app and get all the election info at one go.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Sepp Blatter hands over World Cup trophy to Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff - video

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Fifa president Sepp Blatter entrusts the trophy to Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff

# data[].attributes.body
David Luiz (L) and Luiz Gustavo react after loss

# data[].attributes.body
"Shame, Embarrassment, Humiliation"
"The dream of winning the 6th title at home has turned into a horrible nightmare. Who would have thought that in the Cup of Cups, Brazil would end up having the humiliation of humiliations?"

# data[].attributes.body
Cover of popular newspapers after defeat to Germany

# data[].attributes.headline
Video: Brazil 1-7 Germany drinks (viral)

# data[].attributes.subject
Video: Brazil 1-7 Germany drinks (viral)

# data[].attributes.body
(4:05)

# data[].attributes.body
composed by Maartine Babo
(1:09)

# data[].attributes.body
the saddest day in Brazilian football  (6:27)

# data[].attributes.body
"Under Brazilian law the maximum sentence is 30 years. But my imprisonment has been for 50 years," - Barbosa, 79th birthday

# data[].attributes.body
"He was the first black goalkeeper to have a solid career in the national squad. The colour of his skin is thought by many to have been a decisive factor in the antipathy felt towards him - in 1950, Brazilian football had not grown out of its racist past." - the gaurdian

# data[].attributes.body
needs translation
(1:07)
(2:21)

# data[].attributes.body
by Tabere Cardozo (5:31)
and lyrics