Brazil

• Friday, January 26th 2018 - 07:05 UTC

  Lula's passport seized by a court; trip to African Union conference cancelled

  

  A Brazilian court on Thursday approved the seizure of former President Lula da Silva’s passport, the justice ministry said, after an appeals court upheld the corruption conviction of the left-wing hero.

• Thursday, January 25th 2018 - 07:05 UTC

  Brazil shares surge as Lula's corruption conviction is confirmed ruling him out his presidential bid

  

  Brazilian assets soared, with the Bovespa surging above 83,000 for the first time ever, and the currency Real surging through 3.20 after three judges in a local appeals court upheld a conviction for corruption imposed last July on ex-President Lula da Silva.

• Wednesday, January 24th 2018 - 09:21 UTC

  Brazil's General Prosecutor invited to UK to discuss combating modern slavery

  

  Brazil's General Prosecutor of the Republic Raquel Dodge, is currently in London for a three-day visit sponsored by the UK government with the purpose of deepening and strengthening the leadership of both countries in the struggle against slavery.
  Ms Dodge is accompanied in her mission by UK ambassador in Brazil, Vijav Rangarajan.

• Wednesday, January 24th 2018 - 09:07 UTC

  In support of Lula, the ITUC argues Brazilian legal system is biased and politically motivated

  

  The International Trade Unions Congress, ITUC, has issued a global call for solidarity with former Brazilian president Lula da Silva. On 24 January, a regional appeals court will decide on “politically motivated and false charges against Lula”. The judgment is largely seen as an attempt to stop him from standing for election again as well as to destroy his reputation.

• Wednesday, January 24th 2018 - 07:31 UTC

  Lula supporters will launch his presidential candidacy whatever a court decides on the bribe conviction

  

  Brazilian politicians, voters and investors will find out this Wednesday whether an appeals court will allow the country’s popular leader, Lula da Silva, to run for president this year after being found guilty of accepting a bribe.

• Monday, January 22nd 2018 - 23:26 UTC

  No matter what, Brazil's 2018 election will be controversial

  

  Brazil will head to the polls on October 7 in what is set to be the most polarizing presidential race in living memory. While the final ballot is beginning to take shape, there is still a question mark over the candidacy of former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (Workers’ Party), who may be ineligible to run after his impending appeals court decision on charges of corruption. The imbroglio surrounding Lula guarantees that however the 2018 election turns out, both sides will feel they have reason to call foul play.

• Monday, January 22nd 2018 - 09:36 UTC

  Brazil seizes contraband of Paraguayan cigarettes, some from president Cartes factory

  

  Brazilian authorities have reported the seizure of a huge contraband of cigarettes from Paraguay, and some of the brands in the boxes belong to a well known tobacco company in Asunción, which belongs to president Horacio Cartes.

• Monday, January 22nd 2018 - 09:21 UTC

  Brazil looking to overcome the self imposed ban of fish produce to the EU

  

  “Suspending the export of Brazilian fish to the European Union was a hard decision and still not well understood,” the interim fisheries minister Eumar Novacki said at a meeting with businessmen from the sector, at the headquarters of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (MAPA).

• Friday, January 19th 2018 - 09:13 UTC

  China poured US$ 21bn into Brazil in 2017 taking advantage of recession asset prices

  

  China invested US$20.9 billion in Brazil in 2017, the most since 2010 as a recession helped push down asset prices and attracted investors, according to Brazil’s planning ministry.The energy, logistics and agriculture sectors drew the most Chinese capital, including investments in Brazil’s rich pre-salt oil fields and China’s State Power Investment Corp US$2.25 billion deal to operate the São Simão hydropower plant.

• Friday, January 19th 2018 - 09:01 UTC

  Lula is no radical or a threat to stability: everyone won when he was president

  

  The leader of Brazil's Workers' Party, PT, argued in an interview that former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is anything but radical and does not pose a threat to Brazilian financial stability. Brazilian senator Gleisi Hoffman told Bloomberg News that Lula is working on a second “letter to Brazilian people” (as he did in 2002) to reassure the markets about his commitment to fiscal responsibility.