Brazil's ex-president and alleged head of a graft ring, Michel Temer, was freed from jail Monday after a judge said there were no legal grounds for his detention.

Former army captain Jair Bolsonaro was elected president of Brazil on Sunday, promising a fundamental change in direction for the giant Latin American country, the latest to take a turn to the right.

Leaders of Asian countries have sent their condolences to Việt Nam over the death of President Trần Đại Quang and have shown their respect for him through directions for national mourning.

 Brazilian officials on Monday blamed years of government cutbacks for an inferno that gutted the treasured National Museum, described by President Michel Temer as a "tragic" loss of knowledge and heritage.

Brazilian President Michel Temer signed a decree on Tuesday to send the army to "guarantee law and order" on the border with crisis-hit Venezuela after recent violent clashes

Rio de Janeiro's drug war hit a bloody crescendo Monday when at least 11 suspected criminals and two soldiers were reported killed in a huge military sweep through impoverished favelas and during a rush-hour police car chase.

Brazil's President Michel Temer, under pressure from a week-long national truckers' strike which led to fuel and food shortages, ceded to protesters' demands Sunday and slashed the cost of diesel.

Thousands of Brazilians demonstrated on Tuesday in favor of prison for former president and election frontrunner Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on the eve of a Supreme Court ruling on whether he should start serving a 12 year sentence for corruption.

Brazil's Congress rejected corruption charges against President Michel Temer on Wednesday, meaning he will not have to face trial and is free to pursue austerity reforms in Latin America's biggest economy.

The Brazilian government backed off a controversial proposal to authorize private companies to mine a sprawling Amazon reserve on Monday after blistering domestic and international criticism.