Anadolu Agency
SÃO PAULO – With just a day to go, São Paulo is bracing itself for Thursday’s World Cup opening ceremony and first match of the tournament between hosts Brazil and Croatia.
The 25-minute opening ceremony will showcase the host nation’s “treasures: nature, people, football,” its Belgian artistic director Daphne Cornez was quoted by local media as saying.
SÃO PAULO – Saturday’s anti-World Cup protest in São Paulo, the latest to be held under the #nãovaitercopa (“There Won’t Be A World Cup”) banner, might not have had the crowds of Thursday’s march led by the Homeless Workers’ Movement (MTST), but it seemed to herald a change in tactics for the group and other protest movements: coordinating calls with the public sector for a general strike to disrupt the event and pressure the government.
Anadolu Agency
SÃO PAULO – A wildcat strike by bus drivers in São Paulo continued for a second day on Wednesday, with many commuters struggling to reach workplaces and schools.
Drivers and conductors from five bus companies continued their walkout and protested at various locations, with buses lined up to block bus lanes and at least nine of 28 bus terminals out of action by early Wednesday evening.
The stoppages come just three weeks ahead of the World Cup, with other public workers also on strike with more threatening walkouts in the coming days that could weigh on the sporting mega-event.
Ben Tavener 