Brazil: The Future's Country

(Newser) - Nine people died, and 10 more are missing and feared dead after a ferry in Brazil sank this morning after colliding with a barge on the Amazon River, the AP reports. Authorities, who rescued 92 passengers near the town of Itacoatiara, say  "visibility was very poor" at the time of the accident due to the lunar eclipse. More »

(Newser) - The president of Brazil is pushing for stricter alcohol regulations following the release of two studies showing more Brazilians are abusing alcohol and at an earlier age, the Christian Science Monitor reports. The government has already temporarily banned the sale of alcohol on federal highways, and President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva wants Congress to limit daytime alcohol advertising on TV and radio. More »

(Newser) - Petrobras, Brazil’s state-owned oil company, today announced that important information had gone missing, and one Brazilian site says the data concerns two large, important new gas and oil finds, the Associated Press reports. The new fields are so large, Terra reports, that they could earn Brazil a seat with the OPEC oil cartel. More »

(Newser) - Brazil kicked off its legendary pre-Lenten carnival today, ushering in the five-day weekend that has been dubbed “the best public party on earth,” AFP reports. Revelers took the streets of Brazil’s major cities, but the main event will be the samba competitions in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday and Monday, in which dancers will compete in front of 50,000 onlookers. More »

(Newser) - A wave of police resignations has hit R