DENGKIL, Malaysia (Reuters) – Anwar Ibrahim is free and he knows how to work a crowd.

Wading into a throng of supporters at a rally near the capital Kuala Lumpur last week, the veteran Malaysian opposition leader was relishing his unexpected freedom after being acquitted on sodomy charges that could have ended his career.

DENGKIL, Malaysia (Reuters) – Anwar Ibrahim is free and he knows how to work a crowd.

Wading into a throng of supporters at a rally near the capital Kuala Lumpur last week, the veteran Malaysian opposition leader was relishing his unexpected freedom after being acquitted on sodomy charges that could have ended his career.

RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) – Socrates, who died of organ damage at the age of 57 on Sunday, was an elegant midfielder who led one of Brazil’s most dazzling soccer teams and stood up to the country’s military rulers.

A qualified doctor who drank and smoked liberally, he died after being admitted to hospital for the third time since August because of liver and intestinal problems.

RIO DE JANEIRO, Dec 4 (Reuters) – Socrates, who died
of organ damage at the age of 57 on Sunday, was an elegant
midfielder who led one of Brazil’s most dazzling soccer teams
and stood up to the country’s military rulers.

A qualified doctor who drank and smoked liberally, he died
after being admitted to hospital for the third time since August
because of liver and intestinal problems.

RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) – All heads of state should attend a major environmental summit in Rio de Janeiro next year to agree concrete ways of putting the world economy on a more sustainable path and reducing inequality, the United Nations’ official leading the process said Wednesday.

The U.N. summit next June is billed as the most important environmental gathering in a generation, marking 20 years since the 1992 “Earth Summit” in the same Brazilian city produced landmark pacts on biodiversity and the climate.

RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) – Brazil braced for a sharper-than-expected slowdown as a key indicator of economic activity fell on Thursday and the government reportedly considered easing curbs on credit and investment.

Latin America’s largest economy has been a rare global bright spot since last year. But it now appears to be braking more quickly than policymakers had anticipated as it feels the impact of Europe’s debt crisis and slack growth in the United States.