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RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - Travel across Brazil and you’ll spot signs almost everywhere for BR Distribuidora, the owner of South America’s largest gas station chain. The familiar green-and-yellow logo of the company, formerly a unit of state oil giant Petrobras, is a fixture in big cities and hamlets alike.
A worker of National Petroleum Agency ANP, makes a procedure to check fuel quality at a gas station in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil March 10, 2021. REUTERS/Pilar Olivares
Less well-known is BR’s effort to purge its retail network of alleged crooks. In 2019, the company booted hundreds of independent franchisees from its network for purported “irregularities,” a BR spokesman told Reuters, including evading fuel taxes and ripping off customers with adulterated gasoline. In all, BR stripped its name from 730 outlets, roughly 10% of its Brazilian network at the time, the company said.
Brazil: Lulaâs Return Means There Is Finally Some Hope for Workers
Despite being imprisoned for nearly two years, the centre-left leader enjoys far more popularity than President Jair Bolsonaro, who he could take on in the next elections.
Brazil s former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva gestures as he speaks during a news conference in Sao Bernardo do Campo near Sao Paulo, Brazil March 10, 2021.
World11/Mar/2021
On March 8, Brazilian Supreme Court judge Luiz Edson Fachin ruled to annul all of the former president Lula da Silvaâs convictions. Fachin said that the court that convicted Lula in the southern city of Curitiba did not have the legal authority to convict Brazilâs first Workersâ Party (PT) president. As such, he must be retried by a federal court in the capital city of BrasÃlia.
One year into the COVID-19 pandemic, the world has seen death, economic hardship and anxiety on an unprecedented scale. But it has also witnessed self-sacrifice, courage and perseverance. In India, Brazil, South Africa and other places around the globe, people are helping others and reinventing themselves. “I’ve been adaptable, like water,” said a woman whose…
Athletes in limbo as COVID-19 scuppers Tokyo Games qualifiers Sorry, but your browser needs Javascript to use this site. If you re not sure how to activate it, please refer to this site: https://www.enable-javascript.com/
Just four months before the start of the Tokyo Olympics, 39% of qualification spots are yet to be filled. | REUTERS
Reuters Mar 12, 2021
Four months remain before the start of the rescheduled Olympics in Tokyo but the cancellation of qualifying events in various disciplines due to COVID-19 restrictions is once again disrupting the run-up to the games.
With a deadline of June 29 set by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to wrap up qualification, 25% of athlete quota places are yet to be filled, with another 14% to be decided based on rankings.