Brazil President Dilma Rousseff "decreed a reduction in working hours during the World Cup on the days that Brazil has games," according to OLE. Employees of public organizations will "be free from work" at 12:30pm to enjoy matchdays. Brazilians "will not have problems getting together to watch Brazil's World Cup debut against Croatia on June 12 because the game will be played at 5pm." Starting the following day, "all matchdays will start at 1pm local time" (OLE, 5/12).
AMBASSADOR CONFIDENT: The EP reported the Brazilian ambassador in Spain, Paulo César de Oliveira Campos, on Monday "tried to send a calming message about the preparations for the 2016 Rio Games." Campos pointed out "the character of Brazilians, who do things at their own time, but usually very well." Campos: "I have been in Brazil for Pan American Games and I have seen an infrastructure that has worked. We are Brazilian, not Swiss or Swedish, and we do things on our time, but usually we do it very well. We will let 2014 pass, each thing in its time. There is no rush, there are two years left, there is a lot of time" (EP, 5/12).
PROJECTS BEHIND SCHEDULE: The EFE reported Brazil has "many construction projects pending, as much with football stadiums as with airports and communications networks," with Monday marking exactly one month left until the World Cup kicks off. Three stadiums, in São Paulo, Curitiba and Cuiaba, "are still unfinished." Nearly "half of the 12 stadiums need significant last-minute investments in infrastructure and urbanization projects." Fans "arriving in Brazil will find some airports, including those in Rio de Janeiro and probably in Cuiaba, that will compete for the hardly honorable title of Brazil's worst airport" (EFE, 5/12).
