There are even more interesting things happening in Brazil this month, so I decided to write a follow-up to my list from last month. Thanks to several readers who made suggestions about some of these points.
5. Bolsa Família: On October 20, Brazil's renowned conditional cash transfer program turns 10 years old. After a decade in operation, around 50 million Brazilians, or a quarter of the population, receive this benefit. An estimated 36 million people left extreme poverty as a result of the program. Learn more from the Ministry of Social Development
4. Dengue vaccine: Instituto Butantan, one of the world's most important biomedical research centers, will begin human trials this month of a dengue vaccine. It was previously tested in the United States, and if results are good, the vaccine could be approved for use in Brazil. Learn more from G1
3. Major oil discovery: Along with the much-anticipated pre-salt auctions taking place in October, the Brazilian government will reportedly announce "the world's largest oil discovery of 2013" next week. The newly discovered field off the coast of Sergipe could produce up to 100,000 barrels a day. Learn more from the WSJ
2. Mensalão defendants behind bars: Now that 12 of the defendants in the mensalão case get a chance at further appeals, Brazil's biggest corruption scandal continues to drag on. However, this month, the Supreme Court could make a decision about when some of the defendants will be sent to prison. Learn more from Zero Hora
1. PEC 215: This month, Brazil's Congress is slated to vote on a constitutional amendment that would transfer the power to demarcate indigenous lands from FUNAI (the government body responsible for indigenous rights) to the legislative branch. Some tribes are staging protests throughout the country to protest the bill, which they say will give even more power to agribusiness interests. Learn more from EBC
Image: Kit Sweeny / Flickr.
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