Brasilia — Brazil’s Senate approved on Tuesday a 20-year freeze on government spending billed as a centrepiece of austerity reforms, sparking angry clashes in the capital Brasilia where protesters torched a bus. Hundreds of people clashed with police who fired tear gas to break up the crowd, following the upper house vote, which saw the measures pushed through by 53 votes to 16. Centre-right President Michel Temer said the spending freeze was needed to get Brazil’s finances back under control, but his austerity policies have prompted protests and were criticised last week by a UN expert as "a historic mistake." During the vote, police were out in force to protect government buildings as about 2,000 people turned out for a demonstration. Police said they had arrested 100 people. Union leader Luis Jorge expressed anger that the Senate had managed to rush through the vote "before we could demonstrate and that makes us very angry". Protests also erupted in São Paulo, where left-wing dem...
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