Brazil amends retirement rules in wake of police protest

Brazil modified a proposal to raise the retirement age after police officers violently protested the measure, a legislator said on Wednesday.

Lawmaker Arthur Maia, rapporteur of the Brazilian social security reform in the Congress, announced the minimum age for police officers to retire was lowered from the proposed 65 to 55, closer to what it is today.

Retirement age in other careers remains at 65 for men and 62 for women.

Finance Minister Henrique Meirelles on Tuesday took pains to say the changes would "not alter a very significant portion of the original" proposed reforms.

The reform bill, designed to lower the country's public deficit, is extremely unpopular among average Brazilians, but has been touted by credit-rating agencies as necessary to curb public spending.

Protesting policemen broke into the Congress building in Brasilia on Tuesday and clashed with security guards, demanding the government acknowledge the special circumstances of police work and the risks involved. Endi