
A Brazilian court on Wednesday handed a near 13-year sentence to Lula da Silva, in a new corruption conviction for the former president already serving a lengthy jail term in a separate case.

A report commissioned by Brazilian miner Vale SA last year to look into the stability of the tailings dam that ruptured January 25, killing 135, certified it as sound but raised concerns over its drainage and monitoring systems, newspaper Folha de S Paulo reported on Tuesday.

Argentina and Brazil had always been competing. This is not only true for soccer, but also for tourism. Anti-LGBT policies in the making in Brazil may contribute to an even bigger growth for tourism from this sector for Argentina.

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro’s medical condition has improved, with no fever, but he remains in semi-intensive care with visits restricted and there is no date set for him to leave the hospital, his spokesman, Otavio de Rego Barros said on Tuesday.

Argentina and the UK have agreed that the second commercial air link between the Falkland Islands and South America, with a stopover at Cordoba, Argentina, will begin operational next October in coincidence with the South Atlantic summer tourist season, according to Martin Dinatale, an Argentine journalist who specializes in diplomatic affairs.

The Brazilian Senate elected a pro-government lawmaker as their chief, potentially boosting President Jair Bolsonaro’s reform agenda but also leaving the administration’s strength in the upper house in question. Bolsonaro congratulated Davi Alcolumbre, saying his challenge is to act on Brazilian voters’ desire for change.

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro was in semi-intensive care in hospital on Monday following abdominal surgery and was set to stay in the hospital at least another week, his office said. Concerns of potential infection meant the medical team wanted more time to monitor the far-right leader, 63, after the operation a week ago to remove a colostomy bag, the office said.

Automaker General Motors Co is in talks to invest 9 billion reais (US$ 2.5 billion) in the Brazilian state of Sao Paulo over the next three years in return for tax incentives, newspaper Valor Economico has reported.

Brazil's industrial output increased 1.1% in 2018, the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) announced. According to IBGE, though the annual figures were positive, the industrial sector grew at a slower pace than it registered in 2017, when production increased 2.5%.

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro was ill in hospital with a feeding tube on Sunday following surgery days ago to remove a colostomy bag fitted after he suffered a knife attack late last year.