Sao Paulo  - In the streets of Sao Paulo, traffic barely moves in rush hour. The endless stream of cars moves at a snail's pace on 10-lane avenues.

Some 6 million cars, buses, motorcycles and trucks daily plough through the city of 20 million people, and an estimated 800 new vehicles join the frenzy every day. On bad days, officials estimate traffic jams reach lengths of more than 220 kilometres. The few underground lines and the 15,000 buses are full. No wonder people with the necessary cash evade the streets by taking to the air.

Sao Paulo is a city with the most helicopter taxis in the world and the highest concentration of helipads.

Sao Paulo  - An airplane carrying 24 people crashed into a river in the state of Amazonas in northern Brazil late Saturday.

The turboprop plane manufactured by Brazilian company Embraer was on its way to Manaus and crashed because of unknown reasons in the Manacapuro River. Officials said the plane disappeared from the radar screens about 20 minutes before its scheduled arrival.

At the last minute, the pilot attempted an emergency landing in the town of Manacapuro, but crashed about 500 metres from the runway.

Sao Paulo  - Fans of the world class footballer Ronaldo will have to wait a little longer for his return.

The 32-year-old star who is joining the Brazilian club Corinthians Sao Paulo showed up Thursday evening to talk to the press - in good form, fine mood and minus a few pounds.

But after the injury to his left knee a year ago, he said he still has problems with unequal muscle power in both legs. Tests showed that his left leg has 30 per cent less strength than his right one.

Sao Paulo  - Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva warned rich countries Friday against turning to protectionism in the current global economic and financial crisis.

"It is a mistake to think that protectionism solves the problem. Protectionism, at this point, will make the problem worse," Lula said.

The president was in the northeastern Brazilian city of Belem, where he took part in the World Social Forum (WSF) a day earlier.

Sao Paulo  - Mano Menezes, the coach of Brazilian football team Corinthians, was upset Tuesday about the attitude of his star striker Ronaldo, who reportedly danced till dawn at a Sao Paulo nightclub.

"That harms his image a little and it even causes us a few problems," Menezes said in an interview with Brazilian television cannel SporTV.

Ronaldo reportedly danced till 6 am in the middle of the physical recovery work he is doing after undergoing surgery to his left knee almost a year ago.

Sao Paulo/Belem  - Tens of thousands of anti-globalization activists gathered Tuesday in the northeastern Brazilian city of Belem for the opening of the World Social Forum (WSF), finding solidarity under the slogan "another world is possible."

The forum's founder Francisco Whitaker said participants would discuss ideas to create "a new civilization, based on other values." WSF runs to Sunday.