Brazil

• Friday, March 12th 2021 - 10:08 UTC

  Argentina promises Bolivia's incorporation to Mercosur for the next bloc's summit

  

  Argentina pledged on Thursday to manage Bolivia's entry into Mercosur, after both countries relaunched their trade relationship during the official visit of the Argentine Foreign Minister, Felipe Solá, who sees the need to approve the full entry of the Andean country at the next Mercosur summit to be held on March 26.

• Friday, March 12th 2021 - 09:55 UTC

  Brazil's hospitals overwhelmed and in main cities stops receiving pandemic patients

  

  Hospitals in Brazil's main cities are reaching capacity, health officials warned, as the country recorded the world's highest COVID-19 death toll for the second day running, 2,233, triggering restrictions in the main and richest states.

• Friday, March 12th 2021 - 09:06 UTC

  Brazilian congress passes US$ 8 billion bill to help millions of poor families

  

  Brazil's lower house of Congress approved the basic text of a bill on Thursday that revives a federal cash transfer program to help millions of poor families whose incomes have been hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Thursday, March 11th 2021 - 09:59 UTC

  Lula launches 2022 presidential campaign: “health, jobs and justice for Brazil”

  

  Former Brazilian President Lula da Silva launched on Wednesday the campaign for the 2022 presidential election, which is anticipated will be dominated by attacks on Jair Bolsonaro on the pandemic, a weak economy and deep political polarization.

• Thursday, March 11th 2021 - 09:40 UTC

  Brazil overtakes US in daily Covid-19 deaths, 2,286 on Wednesday

  

  New Covid-19 infections in Latin America are still rising, particularly in Brazil where a resurgence has caused record daily deaths, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) warned on Wednesday.

• Wednesday, March 10th 2021 - 09:20 UTC

  Brazilian Supreme Court divided on overturning graft convictions of Lula da Silva

  

  The Brazilian Supreme Court was divided on Tuesday on overturning graft convictions of ex-president Lula da Silva, which could definitively clear his name ahead of a possible 2022 presidential election if he decides to run.

• Wednesday, March 10th 2021 - 08:00 UTC

  Rio's iconic Maracaná stadium to be named Rei Pelé

  

  Brazil’s world-famous Maracana stadium is to get a new name after the Rio de Janeiro state legislature voted on Tuesday to change its official title to the Edson Arantes do Nascimento – Rei Pele stadium.

• Tuesday, March 9th 2021 - 09:55 UTC

  Retrial of Lula da Silva makes him a formidable rival for Bolsonaro's reelection; financial markets rattled

  

  The decision to annul former president Lula da Silva's conviction had an immediate effect in financial markets and scrambled forecasts for the 2022 Brazilian presidential race, with many investors betting it would polarize voters between right-wing populist president Jair Bolsonaro, and Lula, a left-wing populist but also his greatest opponent.

• Monday, March 8th 2021 - 08:55 UTC

  Brazilian state of Mato Grosso admits its hospital network has collapsed

  

  Brazilian state of Mato Grosso, the largest grain producer in the country, announced on Sunday that its hospital network has begun to collapse, as there is a lack of intensive care beds due to the increasing number of patients suffering from COVID-19.

• Saturday, March 6th 2021 - 09:59 UTC

  Bolsonaro tells Brazilians stop whining about the pandemic and Sao Paulo governor calls him “crazy guy”

  

  President Jair Bolsonaro has told Brazilians to “stop whining” about Covid-19, as he criticized measures to curb the virus despite a surge in cases and deaths. His comments came a day after Brazil saw a record rise in deaths over a 24-hour period.