Ben Tavener

Eduardo Cunha — the speaker of Brazil's lower house of Congress who wants to see President Rousseff impeached —is under pressure over his alleged role in a major kickback scheme in the state-owned oil company Petrobras.

The process could take months, even if it is supported by Congress, though analysts say that President Rousseff's abysmal approval ratings may persuade her to jump before she is pushed.

A new comprehensive study has revealed that while murders of black Brazilian women rose by 54 percent between 2003 and 2013, they fell by 10 percent for white women.

A new NGO report alleges that the US-based TIAA-CREF circumvented Brazilian law and is linked to a businessman accused of two murders.

The report, by US-based group Human Rights Watch, found prison guards at horrifically overcrowded jails in the northeastern state of Pernambuco gave control, including the keys to their blocks, to particularly dangerous inmates.

Opposition says end is nigh for embattled president after one court rules her government cooked the accounts, while another opens probe into campaign funding.

Although touted by good governance advocates as vital to the fight against graft and malfeasance, others believe the ruling in Brazil will simply force campaign cash under the table.

Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff says the government will cut illegal deforestation to zero by 2030 and ramp up renewable energy production.

A police investigation will now assess whether this was an excessive use of force, which will involve a close evaluation of the footage that was broadcast on television.

Brazil's national mortality rate of 21.9 gun-related fatalities per 100,000 inhabitants is the second highest ever recorded by the annual Map of Violence report.

The epidemic is most severe in drought-stricken São Paulo, where residents have taken to storing water — a practice that public health officials say is creating breeding grounds for mosquitoes.

Construction for the games and a worsening housing crisis have prompted accusations that Olympic preparations are riding roughshod over Rio's most vulnerable inhabitants.