2024-03-01
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Brazil’s economy grew 2.9% in 2023, beating expectations in the first year of the administration of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva SAO PAULO -- Brazil's economy grew 2.9% in 2023, beating expectations in the first year of the administration of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, according to the government statistics institute Friday. The number announced by IBGE impressed many economists, whose overall forecaste early last year was for only 0.8% growth in 2023. Brazil's economy grew 3% in 2022, partly due to government spending programs pushed by then-President Jair Bolsonaro amid his failed reelection bid. The credit rating agency Austin Ratings said Brazil's economy is now the ninth biggest in the world, based on the preliminary gross domestic product numbers announced Friday. Reaching $2.17 trillion in GDP last year moved the South American nation ahead of Canada and Russia, it said. The Brazilian statistics agency said Brazil's record production of soybeans and corn helped the overall results. “Agriculture represented about a third of all the growth of Brazil's economy last year,” Rebeca Palis, a coordinator at IBGE, said in a statement. The government said after the results that it expects 2024 growth to be at 2.2%, which would again above market expectations. Lula has said in public forums he wants to push the number above 3% this year by drawing more foreign investment to Brazil.
2024-03-28
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[Emmanuel Macron](https://www.theguardian.com/world/emmanuel-macron) has called a proposed trade agreement between the EU and South America’s Mercosur bloc a “very bad deal” that lacks proper climate considerations. “As it is negotiated today, it is a very bad deal, for you and for us,” the French president told Brazilian businessmen in São Paulo on Wednesday while on a three-day trip to [Brazil](https://www.theguardian.com/world/brazil), Latin America’s largest economy. The comments come amid troubled talks over a free trade deal between the two economic blocs. “There is nothing that takes into consideration the subject of biodiversity and climate – nothing,” Macron said. “Let’s forge a new deal in light of our goals and reality, a trade deal that is responsible on development, climate and biodiversity.” While Brazil has said it is ready to sign a deal, France has repeatedly expressed reservations and said its [farmers have objected](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/feb/02/why-are-farmers-protesting-across-the-eu-and-what-can-the-bloc-do-about-it) to the prospect that could allow in agricultural imports, notably beef, that do not meet strict EU standards. “We still have time,” Brazil’s finance minister, Fernando Haddad, said at the same event. “It’s true we lost an opportunity at the end of last year but we should not give up on this deal.” He added that the Brazilian president, [Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva](https://www.theguardian.com/world/luiz-inacio-lula-da-silva), had invested a lot of time in the deal and would keep investing in a closer relationship with the European market. Earlier this month, European officials said “decisive progress” was possible by July. Macron also called for much more direct investment from Brazilian firms into [France](https://www.theguardian.com/world/france) and said the two countries could cooperate on investing in third markets, notably in Africa. Lula has visited several African nations since he returned to power last year and said he wants to resume the “good and fruitful” relations his country used to have with the continent when he was first elected as president in the 2000s. His government has also looked to reverse policies under the prior government of far-right president [Jair Bolsonaro that sought to undo climate protections](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/may/09/jair-bolsonaro-brazil-amazon-rainforest-environment). At upcoming G20 and Cop summits in Brazil, Macron said he planned to push for more international standards to financially incentivise banks, firms and investors to decarbonise industrial processes and better preserve the environment. “We need to go much faster, much stronger, much farther,” Macron said.
2024-03-29
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Image source, Reuters Image caption, People have compared photos of the two presidents taken during Mr Macron's visit to Brazil to wedding photos **Diplomatic visits by world leaders are normally stately affairs, featuring formal handshakes and news conferences.** But photos of French President Emmanuel Macron and Brazilian counterpart Inacio Lula da Silva during his recent visit have put some more in mind of a romantic getaway. Social media users compared the images to wedding photos. "It was a wedding," joked Mr Macron in response. "France loves Brazil and Brazil loves France!" Mr Macron spent a whirlwind three days in the country this week - visiting the Amazon, São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Brasilia. It was during a trip to the Amazon rainforest that Mr Macron and Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva were photographed clutching hands and laughing. "They are going to marry in the Amazon and have their honeymoon in Paris," one person quipped online about the images, which have been turned into light-hearted memes. In one of the edited images, red heart balloons have been added to the men's hands. In another, which Mr Macron shared, the two men are shown walking hand-in-hand superimposed over a film poster for the 2016 romantic musical La La Land. The French leader has used the response to his interactions to President Lula to highlight the strength of his country's relationship with Brazil. "We have just opened a new chapter in our relationship!" he said. Image caption, Mr Macron paid a three-day visit to Brazil, visiting several places including the Amazon rainforest Among the policy announcements made during the trip was a new €1bn (£854m; $1bn) investment plan to help protect the Amazon rainforest. Lula was similarly enthused about the meeting, writing on X about how "among the traditional powers, none is closer to Brazil than France". He announced that he had given his French counterpart "five of the best and most awarded Brazilian cheeses", as well as some sparkling wine. "I think he'll like it," Lula wrote on X, accompanied by a cheese emoji. Lula also outlined the key discussion points between himself and Mr Macron - including new investment opportunities in Brazil's hotel, energy, defence and technology sectors. However, there are some issues the pair do not see completely eye-to-eye on - including Ukraine. While France and other Western countries support Kyiv in its conflict with Russia, President Lula has refused to condemn Russia - saying both sides share responsibility for the war. Image caption, Both leaders have been keen to stress the strength of French and Brazilian relations However, it is by no means the first time this title has been given to a relationship the French leader has developed with one of his counterparts. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's visit to France last year saw him [photographed with Mr Macron sharing smiles and an umbrella.](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-64922634) It is also not the first time photographs of Mr Macron have caused controversy. Earlier this month, [images of him hitting a punching bag](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-68618722) that were released by his office drew a mixture of praise and criticism. * [France](/news/topics/c302m85qenyt) * [Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva](/news/topics/ce73e161xjet) * [Emmanuel Macron](/news/topics/cjnwl8q4nv3t) * [Brazil](/news/topics/cmj34zmw77wt)
2024-04-09
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The world stage often seems sepia-toned, dominated by the dusty international structures of the post-second world war era, favouring the world’s richest countries. However, it is increasingly clear that this setup isn’t sufficient to respond to the interests of the global south, including combating climate breakdown and expanding economic development. Recognising this mismatch, Brazil under President [Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva](https://www.theguardian.com/world/luiz-inacio-lula-da-silva) has positioned itself as an international leader, focused on the agenda of emerging economic powers who prize stability, and in fact have much to lose from conflict and power struggles between rich countries. But in a world that is increasingly focused on competition between major powers like China and the US, Lula’s “active nonalignment”, which seeks to balance engagement between powers without picking one side, is often interpreted with suspicion. The [Brics alliance](https://www.theguardian.com/business/brics) that Brazil has championed as a forum for global south priorities – such as the reform of global financial institutions like the IMF, where developing states hold only a fraction of voting power – is consistently interpreted as “[anti-west](https://www.compactmag.com/article/the-brics-plot-against-america/)” by US and European analysts. This year will be a test for Lula’s global strategy. Brazil holds the rotating presidency of the G20, and Brazil’s agenda for it is firmly grounded in the [priorities of the global south](https://www.phenomenalworld.org/analysis/g20-brazil/). Lula promised to focus work on “the reduction of inequalities”, including social inclusion and hunger reduction; energy transition and sustainable development; and global governance reform. And next year, Brazil will host the UN Cop30 climate change conference in the Amazonian city of Belém. Lula’s foreign policy has also long sought to reshape global institutions like the UN security council to create permanent seats for developing nations in addition to the existing cold war-era veto power balance. He has elevated Brazil’s negotiating power along with other emerging markets in the Brics alliance: Russia, India, China and South Africa. And he has sought a global role for [Brazil](https://www.theguardian.com/world/brazil) in mediating international conflict, from Ukraine to tensions between Venezuela and Guyana. But nonalignment is more difficult these days, as competing superpowers have hyper-polarised perspectives. “What I see is a more complicated world, with more closed spaces. As if it were a game, a jigsaw puzzle in which the pieces are very close, not fitted together, but very close, and where the space to act is less,” Celso Amorim, a special adviser to Brazil’s president and a former foreign minister, told me. [Brics](https://www.theguardian.com/business/brics) (which this year expanded to include Saudi Arabia, Iran, Ethiopia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates) will be difficult to sell as an nonaligned group – or one that doesn’t threaten western interests – when the leaders’ summit takes place in Russia later this year. [](https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/apr/09/brazil-g20-lula-west-global-south#img-2) ‘Macron quipped that the “bromance” photoshoots represent a symbolic wedding between France and Brazil’ … The French president with Lula in March 2024. Photograph: Ricardo Stuckert/Reuters It doesn’t help that Lula is a peacemaker with a penchant for (perhaps inadvertent) offence. His efforts at diplomacy have been overshadowed in some cases by headline-grabbing positions, such as that Ukraine has a portion of blame in Russia’s invasion of its territory, and that Israel’s actions in Gaza are comparable to Hitler’s genocide of the Jews. The uproar ignores discussion of the central thrust of his mediation: that balance and pragmatism will obtain better results than posturing and polarisation. That in apparently insoluble situations, the all or nothing of good v evil undermines attainable solutions. And, crucially, that it is fair for the global south to suggest new and disruptive innovations that might improve its position in the international system, such as his call to use alternative currencies for international trade, [challenging US dollar dominance](https://www.ft.com/content/669260a5-82a5-4e7a-9bbf-4f41c54a6143). Far from western headlines, the diplomacy led by Lula has a strong impact. He often voices the opinions of emerging countries that do not align with the disputes of the great powers. Lula’s call for a ceasefire in Gaza reflects the opinion of a growing number of [countries from the global south](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/21/world/middleeast/brazil-blinken-israel.html), including South Africa, which took the case to the international court of justice. Lost in the uproar is the fact that Lula spoke those words in Ethiopia, at the close of the African Union summit – an example of how Brazil’s foreign policy has lateral connections to the developing world, outside the western-dominated international institutions. Ultimately, Brazil’s foreign policy focus on peace is pragmatic as well as idealistic, said Amorim. “For Brazil to grow, it is important that the world is at peace. It is an illusion to think that we can win because the price of a commodity rises.” In a world of polarisation, Lula is betting on balance and attainable – rather than perfect – peace. Lula must convince the sceptical major players that the global south’s interests can legitimately diverge from those of the developed world, and that effective global governance must reflect the geopolitical clout of emerging powers. That even though “the west and the rest” may disagree at times, they can still coexist amicably in a reformed international system. Last week’s images of Emmanuel Macron [frolicking in the Amazon rainforest](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/mar/28/macron-lula-photos-memes-brazil) with Lula could be an indicator of Brazil’s successful international diplomacy. During the French president’s three-day visit to Brazil, the two countries signed nearly two dozen cooperation agreements and an £855m investment plan for the Amazon, and Macron endorsed Lula’s G20 agenda, including a proposal to create a global tax for the world’s wealthiest people. France and Brazil “represent a bridge between the global south and the developed word”, Lula told the press, while Macron quipped that the “bromance” photoshoots represent a symbolic wedding and mutual love between France and Brazil. It’s a long shot. But if anybody can leverage the importance of the global south on the international stage, it’s the one-name international superstar Lula. * Jordana Timerman is a journalist based in Buenos Aires, she edits the Latin America Daily Briefing
2024-04-11
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SAO PAULO -- Headline-grabbing billionaire Elon Musk is clashing with a Supreme Court justice in Brazil over free speech, far-right accounts and misinformation on X, the social media platform Musk bought when it was Twitter. Since his takeover, Musk has upended many of Twitter's policies, gutted its staff and transformed what people see on the site. As its owner and perhaps most influential user, he's also used it to try to sway political discourse around the world. His latest entanglement is inside the nation of 203 million people that has the largest population and economy in South America. The South Africa-born CEO of Tesla and SpaceX bought Twitter in 2022 and declares himself a “free speech absolutist.” To his critics, it's absolutism with a political slant. He reinstated previously banned accounts such as the conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and former U.S. President Donald Trump, as well as accounts belonging to neo-Nazis and white supremacists. Advertisers who halted spending on X in response to antisemitic and other hateful material were engaging in “blackmail," Musk has alleged. In the United States, free speech is a constitutional right that’s much more permissive than in many countries, including Brazil, where Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes this month ordered an investigation into Musk over the dissemination of defamatory fake news and another probe over possible obstruction, incitement and criminal organization. In Brazil, judges can order any site to remove content. Some decisions are sealed from the public. Neither Brazilian courts nor X have disclosed the list of accounts that have been ordered to stop publishing, but prominent supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro and far-right activists no longer appear on the platform. Some belong to a network known as “digital militias.” They were targeted by a five-year investigation overseen by de Moraes, initially for allegedly spreading defamatory fake news and threats against Supreme Court justices, and then after Bolsonaro's 2022 loss for inciting demonstrations across the country that were pushing to overturn President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's election. De Moraes is unmistakeable, with his bald head, athletic build and sweeping black robe. In his escalating attacks on the judge, Musk called him “Brazil's Darth Vader.” Whether investigating former President Jair Bolsonaro, banishing his far-right allies from social media, or ordering the arrest of supporters who stormed government buildings on Jan. 8, 2023, Moraes has aggressively pursued those he views as undermining Brazil’s young democracy. Days after a mob stormed Brazil’s capital, de Moraes ordered Facebook, Twitter, Telegram, TikTok and Instagram to block the accounts of individuals accused of inciting or supporting attacks on Brazilian democratic order. Brazil’s political right has long characterized de Moraes as muzzling free speech and engaging in political persecution. Lawmakers from Bolsonaro’s circle have been imprisoned and his supporters’ homes raided. Bolsonaro himself became a target of the digital militias investigation in 2021. That was partly because he was casting unfounded doubt on Brazil's electronic voting system. That year, he also told a massive rally that he would no longer comply with de Moraes’ decisions, pushing Brazil to the brink of institutional crisis. Far-right X users have been trying to involve Musk in Brazilian politics for years, said Bruna Santos, lawyer and campaign manager at nonprofit Digital Action. “They often tag him, asking him to take a stand on Moraes,” she said. On Saturday, he did, republishing a post from X’s Global Government Affairs, tagging de Moraes and writing: “Why are you doing this @alexandre?” Musk posted Saturday that reinstating the accounts — most of which apparently are blocked only in Brazil — will “probably” lead the social media platform to dry up revenue in Brazil and force the company to shutter its local office. In his decision to investigate Musk, de Moraes accused him of waging a public “disinformation campaign” about the top court’s actions. While Musk has railed against what he perceives as the censorship of certain viewpoints by Twitter's previous administration, he's also tried to silence critics he doesn't agree with, including journalists and nonprofits reporting on his companies. Musk had accused the journalists in late 2022 of sharing private information about his whereabouts that he described as “basically assassination coordinates.” He provided no evidence for that claim, though earlier Musk decided to permanently ban an account that automatically tracked the flights of his private jet using publicly available data. Last month, a federal judge dismissed a lawsuit by X against the non-profit Center for Countering Digital Hate, which has documented the increase in hate speech on the site since it was acquired by the Tesla owner. X had argued the center’s researchers violated the site’s terms of service by improperly compiling public tweets, and that its subsequent reports on the rise of hate speech cost X millions of dollars when advertisers fled. But U.S. District Court Judge Charles Breyer dismissed the suit, writing in his order that it was “unabashedly and vociferously about one thing,” punishing the nonprofit for its speech. Brazil is a key market for X and other platforms. About 40 million Brazilians, or about 18% of the population, access X at least once per month, according to the market research group eMarketer. Twitter closed offices and laid off employees in Brazil in 2022 after Musk bought the company. It is not clear how many employees X has in Brazil. X’s legal representatives in Brazil, law firm Pinheiro Neto, declined to comment. X did not respond to a message for comment. That depends on Musk and X’s actions. If they reinstate the accounts in Brazil, the company will face fines — at least. While fines have generally not phased Musk, experts say they could increase and X could even face suspension. “The fines could escalate, eventually leading to the platform’s suspension. But this is always the last measure, as it harms other users in Brazil,” said Filipe Medon, a data privacy lawyer and professor at the Getulio Vargas Foundation. Regarding Musk — a foreign citizen with a company based in the U.S. — any measures from Brazilian authorities would demand legal cooperation with U.S. authorities. \_\_\_ Ortutay reported from San Francisco, California. \_\_\_ This story has been corrected to reflect that free speech is a constitutional right in Brazil.
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SAO PAULO -- Headline-grabbing billionaire Elon Musk is clashing with a Supreme Court justice in Brazil over free speech, far-right accounts and misinformation on X, the social media platform Musk bought when it was Twitter. Since his takeover, Musk has upended many of Twitter's policies, gutted its staff and transformed what people see on the site. As its owner and perhaps most influential user, he's also used it to try to sway political discourse around the world. His latest entanglement is inside the nation of 203 million people that has the largest population and economy in South America. The South Africa-born CEO of Tesla and SpaceX bought Twitter in 2022 and declares himself a “free speech absolutist.” To his critics, it's absolutism with a political slant. He reinstated previously banned accounts such as the conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and former U.S. President Donald Trump, as well as accounts belonging to neo-Nazis and white supremacists. Advertisers who halted spending on X in response to antisemitic and other hateful material were engaging in “blackmail," Musk has alleged. In the United States, free speech is a constitutional right that’s much more permissive than in many countries, including Brazil, where Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes this month ordered an investigation into Musk over the dissemination of defamatory fake news and another probe over possible obstruction, incitement and criminal organization. In Brazil, judges can order any site to remove content. Some decisions are sealed from the public. Neither Brazilian courts nor X have disclosed the list of accounts that have been ordered to stop publishing, but prominent supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro and far-right activists no longer appear on the platform. Some belong to a network known as “digital militias.” They were targeted by a five-year investigation overseen by de Moraes, initially for allegedly spreading defamatory fake news and threats against Supreme Court justices, and then after Bolsonaro's 2022 loss for inciting demonstrations across the country that were pushing to overturn President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's election. De Moraes is unmistakeable, with his bald head, athletic build and sweeping black robe. In his escalating attacks on the judge, Musk called him “Brazil's Darth Vader.” Whether investigating former President Jair Bolsonaro, banishing his far-right allies from social media, or ordering the arrest of supporters who stormed government buildings on Jan. 8, 2023, Moraes has aggressively pursued those he views as undermining Brazil’s young democracy. Days after a mob stormed Brazil’s capital, de Moraes ordered Facebook, Twitter, Telegram, TikTok and Instagram to block the accounts of individuals accused of inciting or supporting attacks on Brazilian democratic order. Brazil’s political right has long characterized de Moraes as muzzling free speech and engaging in political persecution. Lawmakers from Bolsonaro’s circle have been imprisoned and his supporters’ homes raided. Bolsonaro himself became a target of the digital militias investigation in 2021. That was partly because he was casting unfounded doubt on Brazil's electronic voting system. That year, he also told a massive rally that he would no longer comply with de Moraes’ decisions, pushing Brazil to the brink of institutional crisis. Far-right X users have been trying to involve Musk in Brazilian politics for years, said Bruna Santos, lawyer and campaign manager at nonprofit Digital Action. “They often tag him, asking him to take a stand on Moraes,” she said. On Saturday, he did, republishing a post from X’s Global Government Affairs, tagging de Moraes and writing: “Why are you doing this @alexandre?” Musk posted Saturday that reinstating the accounts — most of which apparently are blocked only in Brazil — will “probably” lead the social media platform to dry up revenue in Brazil and force the company to shutter its local office. In his decision to investigate Musk, de Moraes accused him of waging a public “disinformation campaign” about the top court’s actions. While Musk has railed against what he perceives as the censorship of certain viewpoints by Twitter's previous administration, he's also tried to silence critics he doesn't agree with, including journalists and nonprofits reporting on his companies. Musk had accused the journalists in late 2022 of sharing private information about his whereabouts that he described as “basically assassination coordinates.” He provided no evidence for that claim, though earlier Musk decided to permanently ban an account that automatically tracked the flights of his private jet using publicly available data. Last month, a federal judge dismissed a lawsuit by X against the non-profit Center for Countering Digital Hate, which has documented the increase in hate speech on the site since it was acquired by the Tesla owner. X had argued the center’s researchers violated the site’s terms of service by improperly compiling public tweets, and that its subsequent reports on the rise of hate speech cost X millions of dollars when advertisers fled. But U.S. District Court Judge Charles Breyer dismissed the suit, writing in his order that it was “unabashedly and vociferously about one thing,” punishing the nonprofit for its speech. Brazil is a key market for X and other platforms. About 40 million Brazilians, or about 18% of the population, access X at least once per month, according to the market research group eMarketer. Twitter closed offices and laid off employees in Brazil in 2022 after Musk bought the company. It is not clear how many employees X has in Brazil. X’s legal representatives in Brazil, law firm Pinheiro Neto, declined to comment. X did not respond to a message for comment. That depends on Musk and X’s actions. If they reinstate the accounts in Brazil, the company will face fines — at least. While fines have generally not phased Musk, experts say they could increase and X could even face suspension. “The fines could escalate, eventually leading to the platform’s suspension. But this is always the last measure, as it harms other users in Brazil,” said Filipe Medon, a data privacy lawyer and professor at the Getulio Vargas Foundation. Regarding Musk — a foreign citizen with a company based in the U.S. — any measures from Brazilian authorities would demand legal cooperation with U.S. authorities. \_\_\_ Ortutay reported from San Francisco, California. \_\_\_ This story has been corrected to reflect that free speech is a constitutional right in Brazil.
2024-05-15
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The head of Brazil’s Petrobras is stepping down after a fight over dividends, sending shares of the state-controlled oil and gas giant tumbling RIO DE JANEIRO -- The head of Brazil’s state-controlled oil and gas giant Petrobras has stepped down, the company said Wednesday, following months of tensions with the federal government. Petrobras opted not to pay extraordinary dividends to its shareholders earlier this year, souring relations between Petrobras CEO Jean Paul Prates and Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, head of the ruling leftist Workers' Party. Lula had defended that move, calling the market a “voracious dinosaur” after Petrobras' shares plunged following the decision regarding dividends. The company’s shares fell by as much as 9% after the announcement of Prates’ departure, before paring losses. They were down by 7% by Wednesday afternoon. Local newspaper O Globo reported that Lula himself informed Prates of his dismissal. Prates, a former senator for the Workers' Party, will be replaced by engineer and former director of Brazil’s oil and gas regulator ANP, Magda Chambriard. Petrobras appointed the executive director of corporate affairs, Clarice Coppetti, as interim president. Brazil's federal government has a controlling stake in Petrobras, while private investors also hold shares. That often creates a clash of interests between the government and minority shareholders. “Magda Chambriard appears to have a more nationalist vision, that is, of Petrobras serving national interests more than those of shareholders,” said Rafael Schiozer, a finance professor at the Getulio Vargas Foundation, a university and think tank. Prates “had a more pro-market vision — he was more concerned with the company’s value creation,” Schiozer added. Chief Financial Officer Sergio Caetano Leite will also step down from his role. Petrobras appointed the current finance executive manager, Carlos Alberto Rechelo Neto, as interim, until the [election](https://abcnews.go.com/alerts/Elections) of a new chief financial officer by the board of directors.
2024-07-04
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10 hours ago By Leonardo Rocha and Jaroslav Lukiv, BBC News Getty Images Javier Milei The President of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, has cancelled a visit to the southern state of Santa Catarina because his Argentine counterpart is there this weekend. Javier Milei is expected to meet Brazil's former President Jair Bolsonaro at a gathering of conservative leaders. Lula recently demanded an apology from Mr Milei, who had described him as corrupt, a communist and a dinosaur. Mr Milei said he "had no regrets". The leaders of South America's two biggest economies have never talked face to face. Mr Milei, a right-wing economist and former television personality, is expected to attend a meeting of the Conservative Political Action Conference in Santa Catarina. At the gathering, he plans to meet Mr Bolsonaro, whom Lula defeated in the 2022 Brazilian presidential election. Mr Milei is an outspoken critic of leftist governments in the region. During his successful election campaign last year, he accused Lula of being corrupt. The current Brazilian president once spent a year and a half in prison for corruption but the charges were dismissed on appeal. After his release he was allowed to run for office again. Last week, Lula demanded an apology from Mr Milei but the Argentine leader ruled that out, saying: "I haven't done anything wrong." The main concern among diplomats and businessmen is that the row between the leaders of the two neighbouring countries will have a major impact on bilateral relations. Brazilian news website UOL said Mr Milei was putting the future of the South American trade bloc Mercosur at risk.  EPA Brazil's President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva [Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva](/news/topics/ce73e161xjet)
2024-07-05
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Brazil’s former president [Jair Bolsonaro](https://www.theguardian.com/world/jair-bolsonaro) faces possible charges for money laundering, embezzlement and criminal association in connection with undeclared diamonds the far-right leader received from Saudi Arabia during his time in office, local media has reported. [Brazil](https://www.theguardian.com/world/brazil)’s supreme court has yet to receive the police report with the indictment. Once it does, the country’s prosecutor-general, Paulo Gonet, will analyze the document and decide whether to file charges and force Bolsonaro to stand trial. This is Bolsonaro’s second indictment since leaving office, [following another in May](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/mar/19/bolsonaro-brazil-covid-indictment) for allegedly falsifying his Covid vaccination certificate. But this indictment dramatically raises the legal threats facing the divisive ex-leader that are applauded by his opponents but denounced as political persecution by his supporters. Bolsonaro did not immediately comment, but he and his lawyers have previously denied any wrongdoing in both those cases, as well as other investigations into the former president. One is probing his possible involvement in inciting an uprising in the capital, Brasília, on 8 January 2023 that sought to oust his successor from power. Last year, federal police accused Bolsonaro of attempting to sneak in diamond jewelry reportedly worth $3m and selling two luxury watches. Police said in August that Bolsonaro received cash from the nearly $70,000 sale of two luxury watches he received as gifts from [Saudi Arabia](https://www.theguardian.com/world/saudiarabia). Brazil requires its citizens arriving by plane from abroad to declare goods worth more than $1,000 and, for any amount above that exemption, pay a tax equal to 50% of their value. The jewelry would have been exempt from tax had it been a gift from Saudi Arabia to [Brazil](https://www.theguardian.com/world/brazil), but not to Bolsonaro to keep for himself. Rather, it would have been added to the presidential collection. The investigation showed that Mauro Cid, Bolsonaro’s former aide-de-camp who allegedly falsified his Covid records, in June 2022 sold a Rolex watch and a Patek Philippe watch to a store in the US for a total of $68,000. They were gifted by Saudi Arabia’s government in 2019. [Cid later signed a plea bargain with authorities and confirmed the allegations](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/sep/15/bolsonaro-aide-tells-police-he-sold-luxury-foreign-gifts-for-ex-president-report). Flávio Bolsonaro, the former president’s eldest son and a sitting senator, said on X after Thursday’s indictment that the prosecution of his father was “blatant and shameless”. In addition to Bolsonaro, police indicted 10 others, according to reports. The 69-year-old former army captain started his political career as a staunch advocate of Brazil’s military dictatorship, and was a lawmaker for nearly three decades. When he ran for the presidency for the first time, in 2018, he was widely dismissed as an outsider and too radically conservative. But he surprised analysts with a decisive victory, in no small part due to his self-portrayal as an upstanding citizen in the years following a sprawling corruption probe that ensnared hundreds of politicians and executives. Last year, Brazil’s top electoral court ruled that Bolsonaro abused his presidential powers during his 2022 re-election bid, which rendered him ineligible for any elections until 2030. The case focused on a meeting during which Bolsonaro used government staffers, the state television channel and the presidential palace in Brasília to tell foreign ambassadors that the country’s electronic voting system was rigged. Bolsonaro is expected to meet the Argentinian president, [Javier Milei](https://www.theguardian.com/world/javier-milei), this weekend at a conservative conference in Balneario Camboriu, in Brazil’s south.
2024-07-14
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51 minutes ago By Robert Plummer, BBC News Getty Images Lula's Brazil is keen to promote the Brics, but it is dwarfed by Xi Jinping's China It's been more than a year-and-a-half since Brazil's Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva returned to the country's presidency, back from the political dead after his conviction on corruption charges was dramatically annulled. In that time, President Lula's comeback has given renewed force to one of the world's most unlikely economic alliances - the Brics, a grouping that unites Brazil with Russia, India, China and South Africa. In his previous time as president from 2003 to 2010, Lula was instrumental in efforts to weld the Brics into a geopolitical entity, and an emerging counterweight to the West. Now the bloc has momentum on its side once again. It's come to be known as Brics Plus, after the original members agreed at a watershed summit in Johannesburg in August last year [to admit a handful of new joiners,](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-66525474) including Saudi Arabia and Iran. Not bad for a grouping that was originally willed into being by sheer high-concept financial whimsy, [the brainchild](https://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/fandd/2021/06/jim-oneill-revisits-brics-emerging-markets.htm) of economist Jim O'Neill, who saw it more as an investment opportunity than a new gang of nations. "When the Brics were invented, it was pretty much an asset class," says Monica de Bolle, senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics in Washington. "But it caught on in Brazil, because it directly spoke to Lula's aspirations in foreign policy." At the Johannesburg meeting, Lula was particularly bullish about the group's long-term economic prospects. “We have already surpassed the G7 and account for 32% of global GDP in purchasing power parity," he said. "Projections indicate that emerging and developing markets will be those that will show the highest growth rate in the coming years," he went on. "This shows that the dynamism of the economy is in the global south and the Brics is its driving force.” But that is disingenuous on Lula's part, to say the least. As has been pointed out by the originator of the Bric acronym, who now rejoices in the title of Baron O'Neill of Gatley, all the economic growth in the group has actually come from Xi Jinping's China and Narendra Modi's India. "None of the other Brics has performed anywhere near as well as those two," he said [in an article written](https://www.chathamhouse.org/2023/08/does-expanded-brics-mean-anything) in reaction to the bloc's expansion. "Brazil and Russia account for around the same share of global GDP as they did in 2001, and South Africa is not even the largest economy in Africa \[Nigeria has surpassed it\]." As he also points out, China "dominates the Brics by being twice the size of all the others combined", in much the same way that the US dominates the G7. So what does slow-growth Brazil gain from being dragged along in China's economic slipstream? Rodrigo Zeidan, a Brazilian economist based at China's New York University Shanghai, tells the BBC that Brazil and China alike see the Brics as a "hedge" in terms of global alliances, rather than as a top priority. "The Brics right now, for Brazil, cost almost nothing," he says. "So if the benefits are not high, it's fine. They are neither a big benefit nor a hindrance." Since China is its biggest trading partner, Brazil is comfortable maintaining close relations with Beijing, even if the Brics grouping provides it with some "strange bedfellows", as Mr Zeidan puts it. Lula has certainly maintained [an ambiguous position on Russia's war in Ukraine](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-65307553), but that is more due to Brazil's traditional neutrality in foreign policy than to a wish to support a fellow Brics nation. For Monica de Bolle at the Peterson Institute, herself a Brazilian economist, President Lula showed "a lot of naivety" in committing to the Brics because of his belief in furthering relations among the big so-called global south nations. As a result, Brazil has now acquired "a China dependency" that could harm it in other foreign policy relations, she says. "If you are in the US, you know that the US stance on China is not going to change \[whoever wins the presidential election in November\]," she adds. "In either case, it's moving in the direction of greater anti-China sentiment. At some point, that's going to create additional reactions from China, which could put Brazil in a very difficult position, because it's perceived as being aligned with China." AFP The New Development Bank has provided money for rebuilding after floods in southern Brazil One tangible gain for Brazil from the alliance comes in the shape of the New Development Bank (NDB), a multilateral lender founded by the Brics and described by Lula as "a milestone in effective collaboration between emerging economies". It is currently headed by Brazilian ex-President Dilma Rousseff. She was President Lula's political protegee, and succeeded him in 2011. But her time in office came to a chaotic end when she was impeached in 2016 for breaking budgetary laws. The NDB has not only returned her to public life, but since the bank's headquarters are in Shanghai, it makes her key to maintaining links between Brazil and China. "Dilma is definitely huge in terms of political image. Having Dilma here in Shanghai is very important for strengthening Brazil-China relations," says Mr Zeidan. Brazil has also benefited directly from NDB money. In June, Ms Rousseff and Brazilian Vice-President Geraldo Alckmin signed a loan deal worth more than $1.1bn (£880m) to help pay for reconstruction after [widespread floods in the state of Rio Grande do Sul](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-68968987). Regarding the NDB and Russia, the bank put all transactions involving the country on hold in March 2022, shortly after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. And the NDB has complied with international sanctions against Russia. But Russia is due to take over the rotating presidency of the bank in mid-2025 and there is some uncertainty over what will happen then. In the meantime, Ms Rousseff is not averse to attending financial gatherings in Russia, and shaking hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has praised her work at the helm of the NDB. AFP Dilma Rousseff and Vladimir Putin in St Petersburg, June 2024 President Lula is a passionate advocate of the Brics as a means of reforming global governance and giving a greater voice to the developing world. He has criticised the "paralysis" of global institutions, while praising the expansion of the Brics as strengthening the fight for more diverse perspectives. But other observers retort that the Brics are themselves paralysed by their own internal contradictions, with Russia at war in Ukraine, while China and India have their own mutual squabbles. Ultimately, says Ms de Bolle in Washington, the Brics are "a heterogeneous group of countries that have nothing in common, apart from the fact that they are big". "The Brics have no clear agenda that has any real weight," agrees Mr Zeidan in Shanghai. "Right now, China doesn't ask much of Brazil. However, anything that China asks, Brazil does. "It's fine to be part of the Brics when the stakes are low. But what if the stakes rise?" In other words, the effect of the Brics, on Brazil and on the world, may be minor for now. But if China decides to become more assertive, that could change rapidly - and Brazil could be faced with some uncomfortable choices. [Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva](/news/topics/ce73e161xjet)
2024-08-17
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Getty Images X, formerly known as Twitter, has closed its office in Brazil over a censorship row. The social media platform said a Brazilian Supreme Court judge, Alexandre de Moraes, threatened its legal representative in Brazil with arrest if it did not comply with his "censorship orders". Brazil's Supreme Court has not commented. People in Brazil are still able to use X, billionaire Elon Musk's platform said on Saturday. Mr Moraes had ordered X accounts he has accused of spreading disinformation - many supporters of the former right-wing president Jair Bolsanaro - must be blocked while they are under investigation. After X owner Musk criticised Mr Moraes, the judge ordered 100,000 reais ($19,774; £15,670) fines a day for any account that X reactivated, and stressed the possible liability of the company's legal representatives in Brazil if this were to happen. He also put [Mr Musk under investigation for charges](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cv2ygp5pdqlo) including the obstruction of justice. Getty Images X said in a statement that Brazilian staff had no responsibility or control over whether content is blocked but Mr Moraes has chosen to threaten staff in Brazil rather than respect the law. "As a result, to protect the safety of our staff, we have made the decision to close our operation in Brazil, effective immediately," X said. "The responsibility lies solely with Alexandre de Moraes. "His actions are incompatible with democratic government." Musk posted on X that there was "no question that Moraes needs to leave". He added that the decision to close the office in Brazil was "difficult", but if the company agreed to Mr Moraes' "demands, there was no way we could explain our actions without being ashamed". Mr Moraes is disliked by fans of the former president Mr Bolsonaro. During his presidency, he ordered investigations into some of the president’s allies. [ Brazil Supreme Court judge opens inquiry into Musk -------------------------------------------------- ](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cv2ygp5pdqlo)
2024-09-02
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Members of Brazil’s supreme court have unanimously voted to uphold the ban on X, after Elon Musk’s refusal to comply with local laws led to [the social network being blocked in one of its biggest markets.](https://www.theguardian.com/technology/article/2024/aug/31/x-offline-brazil-elon-musk) On Monday, five of the court’s justices were asked to consider Friday’s decision to temporarily banish X from [Brazil](https://www.theguardian.com/world/brazil), where the platform has more than 21 million users. By lunchtime all five had voted in favour of the ban. Casting his vote in favour of X’s continued suspension, Flávio Dino said the company’s decision to “deliberately” ignore a court order to name a legal representative in Brazil suggested it “considered itself above the rule of law”. Such behaviour risked turning X into an “outlaw”, Dino added, indicating that he could revisit his decision in the future if the company corrected its “illegal conduct”. “Economic power and the size of one’s bank account do not produce some strange immunity from jurisdiction,” Dino argued, warning of the risks of “private autocrats” being allowed to lay down the laws of social networks. Judge Cristiano Zanin also backed the ban, citing how X had “systematically” flouted supreme court orders, first to block accounts that were allegedly spreading disinformation and then to name a local representative. “The repeated noncompliance with supreme court decisions is extremely serious for any citizen or legal entity, be they public or private. No one can seek to perform their activities in Brazil without complying with the laws and the federal constitution,” Zanin argued. A third justice, Cármen Lúcia Antunes Rocha, said she supported the suspension as a result of X’s “aggressive and bellicose infringement of Brazilian legislation”. At stake was whether a foreign company could be allowed to behave “however it wished, without rules or legal limits” in Brazil, Rocha added. Earlier, justice Alexandre de Moraes – [who ordered last week’s ban](https://www.theguardian.com/technology/article/2024/aug/30/elon-musk-x-could-face-ban-in-brazil-after-failure-to-appoint-legal-representative) – reiterated his belief that the “immediate, complete and total” suspension of X across the whole of Brazil was necessary. Dino, Zanin and Rocha all agreed with perhaps the most contentious part of Moraes’s earlier ruling: the prohibition of the use of “technological subterfuge” such as virtual private networks (VPNs) to bypass the blocking of X. Using such technology to access X in Brazil is now punishable with a fine of 50,000 reais (£6,760) a day. Musk has increased his attacks on Brazil’s supreme court and leftwing government since last week’s ruling, which he has denounced as part of a woke authoritarian crusade to silence conservative voices and curb free speech. On Sunday, Musk’s satellite internet subsidiary Starlink reportedly told Brazil’s country’s telecommunications regulator, Anatel, it would not obey the court’s order to block X in the South American country. Simultaneously, Musk has used his X account to vilify Moraes as a “fake judge”, “the dictator of Brazil” and “Brazil’s Voldemort”. “He can block this platform in Brazil, but he can’t stop the whole world from knowing his illegal, shameful & hypocritical deeds,” Musk tweeted on Saturday as the ban came into force and millions of Brazilians found themselves shut out of X, formerly known as Twitter. Musk, who has aligned himself with the far-right movement of Brazil’s former president [Jair Bolsonaro](https://www.theguardian.com/world/jair-bolsonaro), as well as his US ally Donald Trump, has also turned his fire on the government of leftwing President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. “The current Brazilian administration likes to wear the cloak of a free democracy, while crushing the people under its boot,” tweeted Musk, who visited Bolsonaro in Brazil during the final year of his 2019-2023 presidency and received a military decoration for distinguished services to the country. That medal was given to the tech billionaire by Bolsonaro’s then defence minister, Paulo Sérgio Nogueira, who is being investigated by federal police over the suspected conspiracy to stop Lula taking power after he won Brazil’s 2022 election. That alleged plot culminated in the 8 January 2023 far-right riots in Brasília, which Moraes has accused X and other social networks of helping cause by spreading hate speech and anti-democratic sentiment. Bolsonaro and several close allies will be formally charged by federal police over the alleged coup attempt in the coming weeks, the broadsheet O Globo reported on Sunday. The former president denies wrongdoing and on Monday hit out at the ban on X, where he has 13 million followers. Bolsonaro attributed the ban to the “inexplicable desire of some members of the government and the judiciary to control public debate and silence dissenting voices”. Senior members of Lula’s administration have rejected attempts by Musk and Bolsonaro to paint the standoff as an attack on free speech. “It’s simply about following the rules … nobody is above the law,” vice-president Geraldo Alckmin told the Folha de São Paulo newspaper. Alckmin compared the case to the recent arrest of Telegram CEO Pavel Durov in France, “a country with a huge democratic tradition”. Experts believe the showdown between Musk and Brazil’s supreme court will escalate before it cools. If Starlink follows through on its reported vow to ignore the X ban, it is likely to face similar sanctions itself for ignoring a supreme court order. That could have a big impact in the Brazilian Amazon, where Starlink antennae have spread rapidly since being made available in September 2022, bringing high-speed internet connection to far-flung regions. By the end of 2023 Starlink antennae were being used in more than 90% of the Amazon’s municipalities, [according to BBC Brasil](https://www.bbc.com/portuguese/articles/cv2edkw84zmo).
2024-10-20
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Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has cancelled a trip to Russia after injuring his head in an accident at home on Saturday. The 78-year-old was scheduled to travel on Sunday afternoon for the Brics summit - a grouping of major developing countries including Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. A top hospital in capital Brasília said it advised the president to avoid long-haul flights temporarily. He will now participate in the meetings via video link instead. In a statement, the Sírio-Libanês Hospital in Brasília said the president was advised against long-distance travel, but is able to continue other activities as normal. It added that Lula suffered a laceration to the back of his head and is being monitored by doctors. The president's office said he will take part in the summit virtually from Brasília and will continue his other work. His office did not disclose any details about his injury. Citing doctors at the hospital, local media said the president was sent home on Saturday after receiving five stitches. He then returned to the hospital on Sunday morning for a follow-up and was later sent home, local media said. Lula was set to travel at 17:00 local time (20:00 GMT) on Sunday for what would have been his first face-to-face meeting with President Vladimir Putin this year. On Friday, Putin announced that he will not attend the G20 summit in Brazil next month. He said his arrival might "disrupt" the conference and insisted the International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant for his arrest was not a factor. Last year, Putin [skipped the previous Brics summit in South Africa](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-66247067) after the ICC issued a warrant for his arrest. If Putin left Russian soil, he would have been subject to the arrest warrant. As ICC signatories, South Africa and Brazil would have been expected to help in Putin's arrest. The Brics grouping is seen by some as an alternative to the G7 group of advanced economies. The forum was founded 15 years ago by major emerging markets Brazil, Russia, India, China, and has since expanded to include South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates. This year's summit will take place in the Russian city of Kazan from Tuesday to Thursday.
2024-11-16
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Argentina has ordered the arrest of 61 Brazilian citizens for participating in the [2023 storming of government buildings](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jan/18/brazil-mob-attack-military-police-reform) in Brasília by supporters of the far-right former president Jair Bolsonaro, an Argentine source said on Saturday. Two people have been arrested so far who face prison sentences in Brazil, a judicial source in [Argentina](https://www.theguardian.com/world/argentina) told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity because the person was not authorised to speak publicly. Argentina received an extradition request from Brazil’s judicial authorities last month. During the incident on 8 January 2023, a week after the leftist president [Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva](https://www.theguardian.com/world/luiz-inacio-lula-da-silva) took office, several thousand Bolsonaro supporters invaded and ransacked the Congress building, the presidential palace and the supreme court. Some [rioters fled to Argentina](https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/jun/13/brazil-bolsonaro-rioters), hoping to find refuge under the government of the rightwing president Javier Milei. Federal police officials in Brazil said in June they believed between 50 and 100 Bolsonaro supporters charged with vandalism and insurrection had entered Argentina to avoid legal consequences. Many had convictions from the Brazil supreme court carrying heavy sentences. Bolsonaro’s former vice-president, Hamilton Mourão, said at the time that those who fled to Argentina did not believe they would get a fair trial in Brazil. The Brasília riots resembled the 6 January 2021 attack on the US Capitol by supporters of the then president Donald Trump, who since has been elected to a second term. Brazilian authorities arrested about 3,000 people after the riots and about half are still in jail. Political violence flared up again last week after an attempted bomb attack on the Brazil supreme court, in a reminder of the ransacking of the building by Bolsonaro supporters last year. The incident has hardened consensus in Congress against a proposal to offer amnesty to participants in the 2023 attacks.
2024-11-17
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Brazil's first lady has sworn at billionaire Elon Musk at an event ahead of the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro. While advocating for tougher social media regulation on a panel about disinformation, Janja Lula da Silva appeared to be startled by a loud noise, joking, "I think it's Elon Musk." "I'm not afraid of you," she went on to say, then swore at the billionaire, who owns Tesla and social media platform X. Musk, who was picked to lead the Department of Government Efficiency in incoming US President Donald Trump's administration, has a complicated relationship with Brazil and its left-wing government. X was briefly banned there this year. He reposted a video of the incident, captioned "lol". In another post, Musk added two laughing emojis and wrote: "They are going to lose the next election", apparently referring to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's Workers Party. Earlier this year, Brazil's Supreme Court ordered a nationwide ban on X, after it failed to name a legal representative in the country and suspend accounts for allegedly spreading disinformation. The [ban was lifted after the platform paid a $5.1m (£3.8m) fine](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c5y06vzk3yjo) more than a month later. But Musk is also an ally of Brazil's former far-right President Jair Bolsonaro, who was found guilty of discrediting the electoral system after losing in 2022. Despite the [eight-year ban stopping him from running in an election](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-66070923), he has declared his intent to run again in the next elections, to be held in 2026. Bolsonaro, who reposted a screenshot of the video and Musk's response, said, "We now have another diplomatic problem." Leaders of the G20 nations will be meeting for the summit, which starts on Monday.
2024-11-18
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The president of [Brazil](https://www.theguardian.com/world/brazil), [Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva](https://www.theguardian.com/world/luiz-inacio-lula-da-silva), has opened the G20 meeting in Rio de Janeiro with the launch of an alliance to combat hunger, which he described as the “ultimate symbol of our collective tragedy”. Brazil holds the rotating presidency of the group and is hosting the meeting this Monday and Tuesday, attended by all but two – Russia and Saudi Arabia – of the 19 member countries. [In his speech](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pltXdeRXjGA&t=2s), Lula recalled attending the first G20 meeting in the US in 2008: “Sixteen years later, I regret to say that the world is worse,” he said. [ No-show Joe: G20 leaders take group photo without Biden ](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/nov/18/joe-biden-g20-photo) In a litany of the world’s current troubles, the leftwing leader included the highest number of armed conflicts since the second world war, the largest recorded displacement of people, extreme weather phenomena, and deepening social, racial and gender inequalities. But Lula said the “scourge that shames humanity” was hunger and poverty, with 733 million undernourished people worldwide, according to figures from the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization. “In a world that produces nearly 6bn tonnes of food every year, this is unacceptable,” he said, addressing leaders including Joe Biden, China’s Xi Jinping, the UK’s Keir Starmer and France’s Emmanuel Macron. “It is the task of those gathered around this table to address this shameful scourge that dishonours humanity. For this reason, we have made the launch of a Global Alliance Against [Hunger](https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/hunger) and Poverty the central goal of Brazil’s G20 presidency,” said Lula. Eighty-one countries have backed the plan, but initially it seemed that only 18 of the 19 G20 members had signed up. [Argentina](https://www.theguardian.com/world/argentina), whose far-right president, Javier Milei, has previously described Lula as a communist, did not initially back the plan but later came around after negotiations. Earlier, Lula had welcomed all the leaders at the Museum of Modern Art, where the summit is being held. It was the first time Lula and Milei had met face to face, and the coldness of their handshake drew attention. [](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/nov/18/g20-brazil-lula-hunger-alliance#img-2) Argentina’s President Javier Milei (top) walks behind his Brazilian counterpart, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, at the G20 summit. Photograph: António Lacerda/EPA The Argentinian leader was accompanied by his sister, Karina, [who is considered a key figure in his government](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/dec/31/karina-javier-milei-argentina-president-power), and the Brazilian was joined by his wife, Janja da Silva. The four posed for an official photo with Lula but there was none of the whispered conversation that marked Lula’s meetings with other leaders. Since his election, the Argentinian president has visited Brazil, but has not held any meetings with Lula. In contrast, he recently participated in a CPAC event where [he praised and posed for photos](https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/internacional/en/world/2024/07/milei-spares-lula-and-delivers-a-speech-criticizing-socialism-in-brazil.shtml) with the former far-right president Jair Bolsonaro. In addition to joining the alliance late, [Argentina has opposed ideas championed by Brazil](https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/mundo/2024/11/brasil-nao-cede-a-argentina-e-mantem-genero-e-taxacao-de-super-ricos-em-texto-do-g20.shtml) as the rotating president of the G20 on issues such as taxation of the super-rich, for example. Last week, Argentina was the only country to vote against a non-binding UN resolution condemning violence against women. Iran, North Korea and Russia abstained. The [Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty](https://endhungerandpoverty.org/) has a total of 148 signatories, including 82 countries, 26 international organisations, 9 financial institutions, and 31 philanthropic foundations and non-governmental organisations. “May this summit be marked by the courage to act,” said Lula.
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RIO DE JANEIRO -- Brazil pushed for concerted action to alleviate hunger Monday as it hosted a summit of the Group of 20 leading economies amid global uncertainty over two major wars and incoming U.S. President-elect Donald Trump. Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva welcomed foreign leaders to Rio de Janeiro’s modern art museum Monday morning and delivered an opening address that focused on fighting food insecurity. “It is for those of us here, around this table, to face the undelayable task of ending this stain that shames humanity,” Lula told his colleagues. “That will be our biggest legacy.” Heightened global tensions and uncertainty about an incoming Trump administration ahead of the summit already had tempered expectations for a strongly worded statement addressing the [conflicts in the Middle East](https://apnews.com/hub/middle-east) and [between Russia and Ukraine](https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine). Further dimming prospects of consensus, Argentina’s negotiators challenged some of the draft language. That has left experts anticipating a final document focused on social issues like the eradication of hunger — one of Brazil’s priorities. “Launching the global alliance (against hunger) was Brazil’s main objective. That was the main point, it was Brazil’s first priority. But other priorities have fallen by the wayside without achieving concrete results, which frustrates Brazil a little,” said Paulo Velasco, an international relations professor at the State University of Rio de Janeiro. “It will be difficult to have detailed criticism against Russia or Israel regarding the two wars that could impede consensual support, which is definitely not what Brazil wants.” After [Lula](https://apnews.com/hub/luiz-inacio-lula-da-silva)[thwarted far-right former President Jair Bolsonaro](https://apnews.com/article/jair-bolsonaro-religion-caribbean-voting-ed2130a095ca42ff1be324a3dea9f355) 's reelection bid in 2022, there was some excitement in the international community at the prospect of the leftist leader and savvy diplomat hosting the G20. Bolsonaro had little interest in international summits, let foreign policy be guided by ideology and clashed with several leaders, [including French President Emmanuel Macron](https://apnews.com/general-news-6da58b3ca8ea476985a470762855fee6). Lula took office and [often quoted a catchphrase: “Brazil is back."](https://apnews.com/article/brazil-lula-un-general-assembly-global-south-fafdca8216d5fe43e4be72ab85135501) Under Lula, Brazil has reverted to its decades-old principle of nonalignment to carve out [a policy that best safeguards its interests](https://apnews.com/article/brazil-lula-foreign-policy-us-venezuela-iran-2ca10d070df6177a33e909c20acbe030) in an increasingly multipolar world, even as his administration's foreign policy has at times raised eyebrows. For the first time ever, Argentina has signed the G20 declaration while dissociating itself from certain aspects, its presidency said in a statement posted to X. Its objections related to limiting freedom of expression on social media; infringement on national sovereignty by institutions of global governance; and greater state intervention to fight hunger, its statement said. One official from Brazil and one from another G20 nation say Argentine negotiators most vehemently opposed a clause calling for a global tax on the superrich — which they had previously accepted, in July — and another promoting gender equality. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to speak publicly. Last month, Argentina alone opposed a declaration of the G20 working group on female empowerment, preventing consensus. While Lula received heads of state Monday with smiles and warm embraces, he and Argentina's right-wing President Javier Milei stood at arms' length while briefly shaking hands. Milei is an avid Trump supporter. [Trump’s win in the U.S. presidential election](https://apnews.com/article/election-day-trump-harris-white-house-83c8e246ab97f5b97be45cdc156af4e2) earlier this month and the imminent return of an “America First” doctrine may also hamper the diplomatic spirit needed for broad agreement on divisive issues, analysts said. Ambassador Mauricio Lyrio, Brazil’s key negotiator at G20, told reporters earlier this month that Lula's launch of a [global alliance against hunger and poverty](https://apnews.com/article/brazil-g20-hunger-poverty-71b77cecdb7d84b9fe4a1b9dff99d51b) on Monday is just as important as the final statement. As of Monday, 82 nations had signed on to the plan, Brazil’s government said. It is also backed by organizations including the Rockefeller Foundation and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. A demonstration Sunday on Rio’s Copacabana beach featured 733 empty plates spread across the sand to represent the 733 million people who went hungry in 2023, according to United Nations data, and calling on leaders to take action. “Brazil wanted a global deal to fight poverty, a project to finance green transition and some consensus over a global tax for the superrich. Only the first one has survived,” according to Thomas Traumann, a former government minister and a political consultant based in Rio. Be that as it may, Lula reiterated his call for a tax on billionaires at the start of leaders’ afternoon session. "Taxation of 2% on the total assets of superrich individuals could generate funds of about $250 billion per year to be invested in facing up to social and environmental challenges all over the world,” Lula said. U.S. President Joe Biden attended the summit after a stop in Lima for the [Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum](https://apnews.com/article/peru-apec-biden-xi-lima-china-fc2ac014b2f7314bfa1a53351b0bc3a7). He also traveled over the weekend to Manaus, a city in Brazil's Amazon rainforest. It was the first time a sitting American president set foot in the Amazon. The [White House](https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2024/11/17/fact-sheet-president-biden-marks-historic-climate-legacy-with-trip-to-brazils-amazon-rainforest/) announced Sunday a $50 million contribution to the [Amazon Fund](https://apnews.com/article/brazil-united-kingdom-amazon-fund-donation-0842cb11c9c2c166bcd765a552f16451), the most significant international cooperation effort to preserve the rainforest, after a prior $50 million. Biden’s administration announced plans last year to give $500 million. [White House officials have](https://apnews.com/article/biden-trump-apec-g20-latin-america-peru-8b317fc2c4f161a60f1a17d52eac3f0a) said Biden also would use the summits to press allies to not lose sight of finding an end to the wars in Lebanon and Gaza and to keep up support for Ukraine as it tries to fend off [Russia’s invasion](https://apnews.com/hub/ukraine). Looming large on Monday was news of Biden's decision to ease restrictions on [Ukraine’s](https://apnews.com/article/biden-ukraine-long-range-weapons-russia-52d424158182de2044ecc8bfcf011f9c) use of longer-range U.S. missiles to allow that country’s military to strike more deeply inside [Russia.](https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-russia-missiles-war-nato-zelenskyy-b8039dcdd5b5f03415acd757fbead8e6) During the summit, Biden pointed to his soon-to-end administration’s efforts on global hunger and poverty. He urged counterparts to redouble efforts to ease those ills, as well as to resolve wars in Sudan, Gaza and Ukraine. “The United States strongly supports Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. Everyone around this table in my view should, as well,” Biden said. Biden had intended to be part of the G20's group photo, a set piece at most international summits, but it occurred earlier than scheduled, according to a senior administration official, who was not authorized to comment publicly. He missed it, along with Italy’s Giorgia Meloni and Canada's Justin Trudeau, the current and next leaders of the G7 group. Any commitments Biden makes at the G20 may be overturned by the next White House administration. Trump’s election may also cause some countries to look toward China as a [more reliable partner](https://apnews.com/article/biden-xi-usa-china-apec-peru-504111bb2837ceae5fba1543a70d48c4). U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer [met with China's Xi Jinping on Monday](https://apnews.com/article/uk-china-starmer-xi-g20-brazil-b1314c8aabf33db8fbf8e2af58d54ac9), the first meeting between British and Chinese leaders since 2018, seeking to repair relations with Beijing. Russian President Vladimir Putin is the summit’s most notable absentee. The [International Criminal Court has issued a warrant](https://apnews.com/article/icc-putin-war-crimes-ukraine-9857eb68d827340394960eccf0589253) that obliges member states to arrest him. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov attended the meeting. In a plaza a few blocks away, hundreds of demonstrators gathered to denounce the killings in Gaza, some beating drums and chanting “Long live the fight of the Palestinian people!” Among them were two rabbis who traveled from New York. Israel isn’t a G20 member. “We are trying to get the message to the G20, to the leaders of the world,” said Rabbi Yisroel Dovid Weiss, from the Neturei Karta International movement. “It is so critical. We are witnessing the mass murder of people and it is being perpetuated in the name of my religion, of Judaism. We cannot be silent, we dare not be silent.” \_\_\_ Aamer Madhani in Rio de Janeiro, Gabriela Sá Pessoa in Sao Paulo and Jill Lawless in London contributed to this report.
2024-11-21
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The Brazilian authorities announced on Thursday that they were recommending criminal charges against former far-right President Jair Bolsonaro over his role in a [broad plot to cling to power](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/08/world/americas/brazil-police-raid-bolsonaro-attempted-coup-investigation.html) after he [lost the 2022 presidential election](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/30/world/americas/lula-election-results-brazil-bolsonaro.html). The accusations sharply escalate Mr. Bolsonaro’s legal troubles and highlight the extent of what the authorities have called an organized attempt to subvert Brazil’s democracy. After Mr. Bolsonaro narrowly lost to the current president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, a leftist, he refused to acknowledge defeat but left office anyway. Brazil’s federal police urged prosecutors to charge Mr. Bolsonaro and three dozen others, including members of his inner circle, for the crimes of “violent abolition of the democratic rule of law, coup d’état and criminal organization.” The police did not provide any specifics about Mr. Bolsonaro’s actions that led to their recommendations. The charges are the culmination of a sweeping two-year investigation in which police raided homes and offices, arrested senior aides to Mr. Bolsonaro and secured confessions and plea deals with people involved in the plot. The announcement comes two days after four members of an elite military unit, including a former top aide to Mr. Bolsonaro, were arrested and accused of planning to assassinate Mr. Lula shortly before he took office in January 2023. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and [log into](https://myaccount.nytimes.com/auth/login?response_type=cookie&client_id=vi&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2024%2F11%2F21%2Fworld%2Famericas%2Fbolsonaro-coup-brazil-election-charges.html&asset=opttrunc) your Times account, or [subscribe](https://www.nytimes.com/subscription?campaignId=89WYR&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2024%2F11%2F21%2Fworld%2Famericas%2Fbolsonaro-coup-brazil-election-charges.html) for all of The Times. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. Already a subscriber? [Log in](https://myaccount.nytimes.com/auth/login?response_type=cookie&client_id=vi&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2024%2F11%2F21%2Fworld%2Famericas%2Fbolsonaro-coup-brazil-election-charges.html&asset=opttrunc). Want all of The Times? [Subscribe](https://www.nytimes.com/subscription?campaignId=89WYR&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2024%2F11%2F21%2Fworld%2Famericas%2Fbolsonaro-coup-brazil-election-charges.html).
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 RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil — Brazil's federal police say the former right-wing president, Jair Bolsonaro, attempted to launch [a coup in 2022](https://www.npr.org/2023/01/08/1147761999/pro-bolsonaro-protesters-storm-brazils-congress) to stay in office following his relection defeat. The police indicted 36 other people, as part of what they say was a criminal conspiracy working to keep Bolsonaro in power, after he lost the 2022 election to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Among the dozens allegedly part of the conspiracy are Bolsonaro's former defense minister, who was also his vice-presidential running mate, and a number of former close aides. The Federal Police report called the coup an attempt to "violently dismantle the constitutional state". The nearly 900-page report now goes to Brazil's Supreme Court to be referred to the attorney general who will decide whether to go ahead and try the former president.  The police were investigating events that preceded the riots in the capital Brasília on January 8 2023, when shortly after Bolsonaro's left wing rival took office, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters stormed the presidential palace, the Supreme Court and congress. On Tuesday, officials arrested four members of the military, including a top aide to Bolsonaro who they said colluded to assassinate then President-elect Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, his vice-presidential pick and a Supreme Court Justice. The plan was to spark a federal emergency that would allow Bolsonaro to declare a "state of siege" and stay in power as a caretaker government. Former Bolsonaro administration officials also accused of involvement in the alleged plot, include Defense Minister Walter Braga Netto, ex-National Security Adviser Augusto Heleno, the head of Bolsonaro's party, Valdemar Costa Neto and the former Justice Minister Anderson Torres. [In a post on X](https://x.com/jairbolsonaro/status/1859674801419452478), Bolsonaro said his lawyers would have to look more closely at the indicment. If convicted of attempting a coup and criminal association, the former president could face years in prison. Bolsonaro has denied all charges and says he is being politically persecuted.
2024-12-06
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Brazil soccer has extended its kit deal with Nike by 12 years to 2038 SAO PAULO -- Brazil soccer extended its kit deal with Nike by 12 years to 2038 on Friday. A source told The Associated Press the agreement was worth $100 million per year, plus royalties on the sale of national team shirts which were not included in previous contracts. The source spoke on condition of anonymity as they weren't authorised to discuss the agreement with media. For the first time, the Brazilian Football Confederation will also be allowed to license products and open stores worldwide. “This contract shows the strength of Brazilian soccer,” CBF president Ednaldo Rodrigues said. “This is one of the longest and most successful partnerships in soccer and, together, we will keep celebrating the brilliance of Brazilian soccer and honor the jogo bonito legacy.” Brazil and Nike first paired up in 1996, and their latest contract wasn't going to expire until 2026. Nike vice president for Latin America, Doug Bowles, said the deal “strengthens our old commitment with Brazilian soccer.” Nike kits are worn by Brazil’s men’s and women’s teams of all ages, plus by the beach soccer and futsal teams. In March, Nike signed a deal with the [German soccer federation](https://apnews.com/article/germany-nike-adidas-gear-48140a6b97e2ca66cc72217f9921310c) to replace adidas as the provider of apparel and equipment for its national teams from 2027 to 2034. The agreement was reportedly worth about 100 million euros ($108 million). Germany's relationship with adidas goes back some 70 years and appeared unshakeable. Other national teams sponsored by Nike include Australia, Croatia, England, France, Nigeria, Poland, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, and South Korea. \_\_\_ AP soccer: [https://apnews.com/hub/soccer](https://apnews.com/hub/soccer)
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MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay -- The [European Union](https://apnews.com/hub/european-union) reached a blockbuster free trade agreement Friday with Brazil, Argentina and the three other South American nations in the Mercosur trade alliance, capping a quarter-century of on-off negotiations even as France vowed to derail the [contentious accord](https://apnews.com/article/china-caribbean-global-trade-brazil-business-893c82f0f11c179c77c999ded4c835d7). Provided it is ratified, the accord would create one of the world's largest free trade zones, covering a market of 780 million people that represents nearly a quarter of global gross domestic product. The accord's proponents in Brussels say it would save businesses some $4.26 billion in duties each year, slashing red tape and removing tariffs on products like Italian wine, Argentine steak, Brazilian oranges and German Volkswagens. Its critics in France, the Netherlands and other countries with big dairy and beef industries say the pact would subject local farmers to unfair competition and [cause environmental damage](https://apnews.com/general-news-e460c9026562cad2221aa54314588bfe). From Uruguay, the host of the Mercosur summit, [European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen](https://apnews.com/article/eu-mercosur-trade-agreement-farmers-uruguay-ca2ce61cf88b76a328d43c22bb85e00d) hailed the deal as a “truly historic milestone" at a time when global protectionism is on the rise. “I know that strong winds are blowing in the opposite direction, toward isolation and fragmentation, but this agreement is our clear response,” von der Leyen said, an apparent reference to U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's vows to protect American workers and goods. Under pressure from his country's powerful and vocal farming lobby, French President Emmanuel Macron said Friday the deal remained “unacceptable” as it stands and stressed that governments have not yet seen “the final outcome” of negotiations. “The agreement has neither been signed nor ratified. This is not the end of the story,” Macron's office said, adding that France demands additional safeguards for farmers and commitments to sustainable development and health controls. For France to block the deal, it would need the support of three or more other EU member states representing at least 35% of the bloc's population. The French government, which has been rallying countries to oppose the pact, named Austria, Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands and Poland as other wary states that share French concerns about the deal. To take effect, the pact must also be endorsed by the European Parliament. In remarks aimed at her “fellow Europeans,” and perhaps in particular French skeptics, von der Leyen promised the accord would boost 60,000 businesses through [lower tariffs](https://apnews.com/article/eu-mercosur-trade-deal-france-2068d8a70f8378fbd3235460231a8138), streamlined customs procedures and preferential access to raw materials otherwise supplied by China. “This will create huge business opportunities,” von der Leyen said. She then turned to address European farmers who fear that an influx of cheap food imports will jeopardize their livelihoods. South American countries do not have to adhere to the same standards for animal treatment and pesticide use. “We have heard you, listened to your concerns, and we are acting on them,” von der Leyen said. Outrage over environmental rules, rising costs and unregulated imports [has unleashed massive farmers’ protests across the continent](https://apnews.com/article/europe-farmers-protests-eu-climate-elections-b6232dc455575f0dc941657fab528390) over the past year. Leaders on both sides of the Atlantic who long have pushed for the deal praised the announcement Friday, welcoming the results as a boon for export industries. It marks the first major trade agreement for Mercosur, which is comprised of Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay and, newly, Bolivia. The bloc had previously only managed to conclude free-trade deals with Egypt, Israel and Singapore. “An important obstacle to the agreement has been overcome,” said Chancellor Olaf Scholz of Germany, where the nation's vaunted car industry is poised to profit. From Spain, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez called the agreement “an unprecedented economic bridge." At the Mercosur summit in Uruguay’s capital of Montevideo, [Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva](https://apnews.com/article/brazil-g20-rio-de-janeiro-wars-trump-12f7a09b8f79229509de52c92c0a074c) praised “a modern and balanced text which recognizes Mercosur’s environmental credentials." “We are securing new markets for our exports and strengthening investment flows,” he said. The Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency said it expects the pact to boost the nation's Europe-bound exports by $7 billion. Libertarian [President Javier Milei of Argentina](https://apnews.com/article/election-milei-massa-runoff-6a171de948a034bd43c853f6d3f50f5c) described the accord as aligning with his free market principles. Argentines are excited about selling more beef and agricultural products in the EU. The deal is the product of 25 years of [painstaking negotiations](https://apnews.com/article/eu-brazil-mercosur-trade-summit-pollution-climate-893bc74d9c8d11807a1ea7bef0c4db15), dating back to a Mercosur summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1999. Talks collapsed [over differences in economic priorities](https://apnews.com/article/eu-latin-america-mercosur-summit-trade-719b9daaca0cbae2a9a801a4154b501f), regulatory standards and agricultural policies. The rise of protectionist tendencies also repeatedly [upended hopes.](https://apnews.com/article/brazil-mercosur-eu-free-trade-5ed064566d6a708ea378c39c4c89139b) Momentum picked up in 2016, as former President Trump imposed harsh tariffs on Europe. At the same time, market-friendly governments came to power in South America's biggest economies, Brazil and Argentina, which had been closed for years. [In June 2019, negotiators announced](https://apnews.com/article/753d5dc2de8942baa809201d49871fdc) a deal that included provisions for tariff reductions and commitments to environmental standards. But it was never implemented. In Brazil, the region's economic powerhouse, right-wing former [President Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil,](https://apnews.com/hub/jair-bolsonaro) presided over [record levels of deforestation in the Amazon](https://apnews.com/article/climate-jair-bolsonaro-new-york-city-deforestation-and-environment-3d22fd36946c3b6aeda628eeacb89ab4), prompting EU governments to [demand tougher sustainability criteria](https://apnews.com/general-news-e460c9026562cad2221aa54314588bfe). In Argentina, a new left-wing protectionist government [opposed the deal.](https://apnews.com/article/argentina-eu-mercosur-brazil-paraguay-7448623940e803b314ccd021f22ad7da) But things picked up as the region's politics shifted again in 2023. Brazil's President Lula rode to power on [pledges to rein in illegal logging](https://apnews.com/article/brazil-amazon-deforestation-lula-climate-change-2fe225f71a8f484e8d365ea641acd65e), soothing [concerns that the pact could accelerate deforestation](https://apnews.com/article/brazil-amazon-deforestation-lula-wildfires-4a8e25c3dee73ccd942677c192cf3e42). Argentina's Milei is working to open the nation's notoriously closed and crisis-stricken economy. But if past EU trade agreements are any indication, ratification could take years. "We celebrate it, but it's still far from reality,” Milei said of the accord. In 2016, the EU and Canada signed a pact, known as the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, or CETA, but the approval process is still lumbering along. Germany’s parliament only signed off on that pact two years ago, and the [French Senate rejected it in March this year](https://apnews.com/article/france-canada-trade-deal-d245382b5d5e627a537a60f19e09060b). “Anyone with any memory is skeptical," said Brian Winter, a vice president of the New York-based Council of the Americas. “They have trotted out leaders and declared victory and celebrated, and yet there always seems to be a hitch.” \_\_\_ DeBre reported from Buenos Aires, Argentina. Associated Press writers Mauricio Savarese in São Paulo, David Biller in Rio de Janeiro, Lorne cook in Brussels and Sylvie Corbet in Paris contributed to this report.
2024-12-15
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Brazil’s president, [Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva](https://www.theguardian.com/world/luiz-inacio-lula-da-silva), has been discharged from hospital after spending six days recovering from emergency surgery to drain a haematoma in his brain. The announcement – made on Sunday by the medical team at the Sírio-Libanês hospital in São Paulo – was interrupted near the end by the president himself, who entered the room walking alongside the first lady, Rosângela da Silva, known as Janja. Wearing a panama hat – “so you don’t see the dressing on my head” the president joked – Lula spoke for 13 minutes and, at one point, became emotional as he recalled the shock of discovering the haematoma, 52 days after a fall in the bathroom of the presidential residence on 19 October. “Since I thought I was already cured, I must admit I was a bit alarmed at how much \[the haematoma\] had grown and the amount of fluid in my head. I was worried,” the president said, pausing to take a sip of water as the first lady affectionately touched his arm. “I only became fully aware of the seriousness of what had happened to me after the surgery,” Lula said. In the early hours of Tuesday, he underwent a trepanation – a procedure in which a small hole is made in the skull to drain blood – and, on Thursday, had a non-surgical procedure known as a middle meningeal artery embolisation to [reduce the risk of further bleeding in the future](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/dec/12/brazil-president-lula-recovery-brain-surgery). Lula, 79, said he was still experiencing headaches from the emergency surgery but felt well enough to return to work. “I feel fine, I’m calm, and you all know that I claim the right to live until I’m 120,” said the leftist, serving his third term as Brazilian president. Although his discharge came earlier than expected – it was initially planned for Monday or Tuesday – Lula will not immediately return to the capital, Brasília. According to his medical team, he will remain in São Paulo until at least Thursday, when he is due to undergo a follow-up CT scan. If the results are satisfactory, he may then take the roughly two-hour flight back to Brasília. However, international travel, due to its longer duration, has been “prohibited until further notice”, said the president’s personal doctor, the cardiologist Dr Roberto Kalil Filho. Journalists were not permitted to ask Lula questions, but in his impromptu speech he addressed [the arrest on Saturday of one of the closest allies of the former president Jair Bolsonaro](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/dec/14/brazil-ex-president-ally-walter-braga-netto-arrested-alleged-coup-plot) – ex-defence minister Gen Walter Braga Netto – who was detained by federal police in connection with an alleged plot to stage a military coup. “As I know you’re going to ask,” said Lula, “what happened this week with the arrest warrant issued against Gen Braga, I’ll show that I have more patience and am a democrat. I believe he is entitled to the presumption of innocence, something I didn’t have,” said Lula, who spent 580 days in prison during his second term due to a [conviction that was later annulled](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/mar/08/lula-convictions-annulled-by-brazil-judge-bolsonaro-election-2022). However, the president stressed that if the accusations were proven, “these individuals \[…\] must be severely punished”. He added that it was unacceptable for “high-ranking military officers to plot the murder of a president, his vice-president, and a supreme court judge”, referring to what federal police claim was an assassination plan devised by Bolsonaro’s allies after his 2022 electoral defeat.
2024-12-18
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Brazil’s real has fallen to its weakest level against the dollar since the currency was introduced in 1994, undercut by investors’ frustration with President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's efforts to rein in government spending SAO PAULO -- SAO PAULO (AP) — [Brazil’s](https://apnews.com/hub/brazil) real on Wednesday fell to its weakest level against the dollar since the currency was introduced in 1994, undercut by investors' frustration with President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's efforts to rein in government spending. A bill backed by Lula that aims to slash 70-billion-real ($11 billion) in government spending is being debated in Brazil's lower house of Congress. But some market players have said it is insufficient to shore up Brazil’s finances. The real shed 2.8% of its value against the U.S. dollar Wednesday, depreciating to 6.26 per dollar. It’s the weakest the currency has been in nominal terms since its adoption in an economy with a history of boom-and-bust cycles and bouts of high inflation. This year, it has lost nearly 23% of its value against the U.S. currency. Brazil's lower house late Tuesday passed some less-divisive elements of the bill, but key parts — such as restrictions to increases in the minimum wage — have yet to be taken up for a vote. The Senate also needs to vote on what the lower house approves, and Congress adjourns Friday. Brazil's central bank has repeatedly intervened in local currency markets to stem the real's slide but so far has largely failed to stop the bleeding. Economists say the currency's weakness, which will increase costs of Brazilian imports, could trigger inflation as soon as January. “The government sent a package that is seen as insufficient, and it will be watered down in Congress. It also comes with a measure to increase spending through income tax,” analyst Mario Sérgio Lima, from Medley Advisors, told The Associated Press. “The real at 6 per dollar looks acceptable, but nearing 6.30 looks like an exaggeration.” Lula, who is [recovering from surgery to stop a brain bleed](https://apnews.com/article/brazil-lula-surgery-628cff2dc0c07ccaf003093c4c5e7218), told TV Globo on Sunday that his administration is fiscally responsible and downplayed concerns in the financial markets. “It is not the market that needs to be worried about government spending. It is our administration. If I don't rein in spending, if I spend more than I have, it is the poor people who will pay for it,” the Brazilian president said. Brazil's Economy Minister Fernando Haddad said the real's steep depreciation does not reflect the realities of the country's economy, noting that inflation and unemployment figures are improving. “Some are talking about speculation, including respectable journalists,” Haddad told journalists in Brazil's capital, Brasilia, without providing more details. “Our currency floats and at this moment, when some things are pending (in Congress), there's an atmosphere of uncertainty that makes the currency float. But I believe it will find its ground."
2025-01-16
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Jair Bolsonaro has had a rough couple of years: [election losses](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/30/world/americas/lula-election-results-brazil-bolsonaro.html), [criminal cases](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/08/world/americas/brazil-police-raid-bolsonaro-attempted-coup-investigation.html), [questionable embassy sleepovers](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/25/world/americas/jair-bolsonaro-hungary-video.html). So when he finally received a piece of good news last week — an invitation to President-elect Donald J. Trump’s inauguration — it lifted his spirits. “I’m feeling like a kid again with Trump’s invite. I’m fired up. I’m not even taking Viagra anymore,” the former Brazilian president said in an interview on Tuesday, employing his trademark sophomoric humor. “Trump’s gesture is something to be proud of, right? Who’s Trump? The most important guy in the world.” But reality has a way of spoiling plans. Brazil’s Supreme Court has confiscated Mr. Bolsonaro’s passport as part of an investigation into [whether he tried to stage a coup](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/08/world/americas/brazil-police-raid-bolsonaro-attempted-coup-investigation.html) after losing re-election in 2022. To attend Monday’s inauguration, Mr. Bolsonaro has had to request permission from a Supreme Court justice who is [also his political nemesis](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/22/world/americas/brazil-alexandre-de-moraes.html). On Wednesday, Brazil’s attorney general recommended that his request be rejected. Mr. Bolsonaro admitted he would likely be watching from home. A mural of Mr. Bolsonaro at the headquarters of his party, Partido Liberal.Credit...Victor Moriyama for The New York Times That likely split screen — Mr. Trump returning to the world’s most powerful job while Mr. Bolsonaro stays home on court orders — would encapsulate the two political doppelgängers’ starkly divergent paths since they were voted out of office and then claimed fraud. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and [log into](https://myaccount.nytimes.com/auth/login?response_type=cookie&client_id=vi&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2025%2F01%2F16%2Fworld%2Famericas%2Fjair-bolsonaro-brazil-trump-us.html&asset=opttrunc) your Times account, or [subscribe](https://www.nytimes.com/subscription?campaignId=89WYR&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2025%2F01%2F16%2Fworld%2Famericas%2Fjair-bolsonaro-brazil-trump-us.html) for all of The Times. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. Already a subscriber? [Log in](https://myaccount.nytimes.com/auth/login?response_type=cookie&client_id=vi&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2025%2F01%2F16%2Fworld%2Famericas%2Fjair-bolsonaro-brazil-trump-us.html&asset=opttrunc). Want all of The Times? [Subscribe](https://www.nytimes.com/subscription?campaignId=89WYR&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2025%2F01%2F16%2Fworld%2Famericas%2Fjair-bolsonaro-brazil-trump-us.html).
2025-01-21
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Brazil has announced the top team for the [next UN climate summit](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/oct/16/lula-and-petro-have-chance-of-lifetime-to-save-amazon-can-they-unite-idealism-realpolitik-to-pull-it-off-cop16-aoe), which will be hosted in Belém this November, bypassing the country’s environment minister, Marina Silva, in favour of a veteran diplomat for the crucial role of president of the talks. The experienced climate negotiator and secretary for climate, energy and environment, André Aranha Corrêa do Lago, will preside over the Cop30 summit, which is expected to draw scores of world leaders to Brazil – though not Donald Trump, who soon after his inauguration on Monday [ordered the US’s withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jan/20/trump-executive-order-paris-climate-agreement). Ana Toni, a [respected Brazilian economist and the government’s climate change secretary](https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/jul/28/brazil-radical-plan-tax-global-super-rich-tackle-climate-crisis), will take on the role of executive director of the summit. Cop30 is set to be one of the most consequential climate summits, as countries must agree fresh targets under the Paris agreement to cut their greenhouse gas emissions in line with the aim of limiting global temperature rises to 1.5C above preindustrial levels. [](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jan/21/brazil-appoints-veteran-diplomat-as-cop30-president-for-november-summit#img-2) Marina Silva will continue in her role as environment minister. Photograph: Rafiq Maqbool/AP This will be difficult – not only is the US withdrawing from the Paris treaty, but many countries are falling behind on their carbon cutting targets, and even more have targets that are much too weak to limit emissions to what scientists say are safe. Last year was the first in which temperatures were consistently above 1.5C. This does not mean the end of the Paris agreement, as that will be judged after years or decades, but shows that hopes of avoiding the worst ravages of climate breakdown are rapidly fading. Civil society groups welcomed Brazil’s moves. The Observatório do Clima, a Brazilian green group, said in a statement: “Corrêa do Lago possesses both the skills and the respect of the international community – qualities he will need to tackle a challenging agenda at a time when global warming has exceeded the Paris agreement’s limits and geopolitics are increasingly hostile to climate action and international cooperation.” Natalie Unterstell, president of the Instituto Talanoa, said: “Cop30 cannot be just another conference – it must be a turning point. Corrêa do Lago brings a rare blend of diplomatic expertise and vision to push the Paris agreement from paper to reality. His leadership will be critical to turning global ambition into actionable, measurable outcomes.” [](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jan/21/brazil-appoints-veteran-diplomat-as-cop30-president-for-november-summit#img-3) Brazil’s president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, right, shakes hands with André Aranha Corrêa do Lago after naming him president of UN climate summit Cop30. Photograph: Sérgio Lima/AFP/Getty Images Toya Manchineri, of the Coordination of Indigenous Organisations of the Brazilian Amazon (COIAB), said: “\[The appointment of Corrêa do Lago\] represents a positive effort but still does not guarantee what we truly expect: the centrality of Indigenous peoples in climate discussions.” The success of climate Cops – annual “conference of the parties” to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, the 1992 parent treaty to 2015’s Paris agreement – relies heavily on the expertise of the presidency. Azerbaijan, which held the presidency for the previous Cop, which took place last November, was privately [criticised by many developed and developing countries for its handling of Cop29](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/nov/26/how-late-deal-left-a-sense-of-dissatisfaction-and-betrayal-at-cop29-baku), including a failure to push countries to reconfirm a commitment to “transition away from fossil fuels”. One observer said: “The Cop can only be as good as the host country’s presidency, as we all could see last year.” There are still questions from some over how much personal interest Brazil’s president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, will take in the talks. Cop30 is scheduled to take place in Belém, a city near the mouth of the [Amazon](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/dec/03/exclusive-protection-deal-for-amazon-rainforest-in-peril-as-big-business-turns-up-heat) river. But participants are increasingly concerned about the lack of facilities in the city, despite its emblematic situation in the rainforest state of Pará. Silva will continue in her role as environment minister.