Lula da Silva, Brazil's hugely influential leftist president between 2003-2010, faces no fewer than five court cases, each of which could thwart his dream of a comeback in 2018. On Wednesday he is due to appear before Brazil's top anti-corruption judge, Sergio Moro, to face charges that he was given a luxury apartment as a bribe.
Brazil's economy will post growth of between 0.7% and 0.8% in the first quarter, turning the corner on a two-year recession, Finance Minister Henrique Meirelles said this week. In an interview with GloboNews cable channel, Meirelles said Brazilian companies will have to start to restock inventories and draw up investment plans.
Brazil's government on Friday sacked the head of its agency handling indigenous issues, a week after 13 members of one tribe were wounded in a bloody attack by ranchers in a land dispute.
Eight Isis sympathizers in Brazil have been jailed for plotting chemical attacks during the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. All the men were Brazilian nationals, who were also accused of promoting militant activities on the internet. The accused men were being monitored by the FBI and found to be trying to make contact with the Islamist militant group to pledge allegiance with them.
May is set to be the Brazil month in the United Kingdom. During two weeks (10-19), the Brazilian Government, through its Ministry of Foreign Affairs and its Embassy in London, and the British Government, through its network in Brazil of Consulates and the Embassy, will bring to London and other UK cities a program full of cultural activities, business meetings and institutional encounters.
Brazil's oil and gas company Petrobras shared innovations and efficiency gains related to the Libra field at the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) in Houston. Petrobras revealed collaboration between Libra area partners has produced a US$13/bbl reduction to the project's breakeven price.
Brazil's Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered the release from prison of Jose Dirceu, who was convicted of graft-related crimes after serving as cabinet chief of ex-president Lula da Silva. Dirceu has been detained since 2015 in connection to a vast corruption scheme known as Car Wash.
Brazilian military police launched a major anti-crime operation in northern Rio de Janeiro on Tuesday, arresting dozens of men and confiscating automatic rifles in a sweep that led gang members to burn public buses and left the city that hosted last year's Olympics on edge.
Violence has erupted in Brazil at the end the country's first general strike in more than 20 years. Buses and cars have been set on fire in Rio de Janeiro's city centre while roads blocks set up by activists were also ablaze and some shops were vandalized.
Public transport largely came to a halt across much of Brazil on Friday as protesters blocked roads and scuffled with police in a general strike to protest proposed changes to labor laws and the pension system. It is the first general strike in over two decades.