Brazil

Saturday, December 8th 2018 - 09:35 UTC
Lula tells BBC why he was jailed to prevent him from winning the presidential election

Brazil's former president, Lula da Silva, says he was jailed to prevent him from winning the 2018 presidential election which saw far-right candidate Jair Bolsonaro elected. In an exclusive interview with the BBC via letters from his cell, Lula said Judge Sergio Moro “did politics and not justice” when he sentenced him.
Saturday, December 8th 2018 - 09:34 UTC
Bolsonaro names evangelical pastor to head a new Women, Family ministry

Brazil's right-wing President-elect Jair Bolsonaro named a pro-life evangelical pastor to head a new ministry of Women, Family and Human Rights that will also take over the agency looking after the country's 850,000 indigenous people. Damares Alves, a lawyer, preacher and congressional aide, is a staunch opponent of legalizing abortion, which is allowed only in cases of rape, anencephaly or when the mother's life is in danger.
Saturday, December 8th 2018 - 09:30 UTC
Brazil environment regulator denies license to drill near mouth of the Amazon

Brazil's environmental regulator on Friday denied French oil giant Total a license to drill for crude in five blocks near the mouth of the Amazon river. Regulatory agency Ibama said the license was denied “due to a set of technical problems” identified during the application process.
Saturday, December 8th 2018 - 09:07 UTC
Twelve people, including six hostages killed in bank robbery shootout in Brazil

Twelve people including 6 hostages were killed on Friday in a shootout between police and bank robbers attempting to blow up ATMs at 2 banks in a small town in northeastern Brazil, authorities said.
Friday, December 7th 2018 - 16:07 UTC
Atocha Massacre fugitive captured in Brazil

Spanish diplomatic sources confirmed Thursday that Carlos Garcia Julia, 65, a fugitive Spanish terrorist, convicted for the politically motivated killings of five people in 1977, is in the custody of Brazil's Federal Police in the state of Sao Paulo.
Friday, December 7th 2018 - 10:01 UTC
Temer has no regrets and trusts Bolsonaro's government will succeed

Brazilian outgoing president Michel Temer said on Thursday his government will leave a primary budget deficit fewer than 130 billion reais (US$ 33.3 billion) when he hands over the reins to President-elect Jair Bolsonaro on January first.
Friday, December 7th 2018 - 09:54 UTC
Brazilian federal judge freezes proposed tie-up of Embraer with Boeing

A Brazilian federal court on Thursday suspended a proposed US$ 4.75 billion tie-up between US aerospace giant Boeing and the civilian business of Brazilian plane-maker Embraer pending the government of president-elect Jair Bolsonaro taking office.
Friday, December 7th 2018 - 09:45 UTC
Two more million Brazilians living in poverty: total reaches 54.8 million

The number of people living in poverty in Brazil grew by two million last year in the wake of the country's worst recession on record, according to the government statistics bureau.
Thursday, December 6th 2018 - 19:17 UTC
Bolsonaro's announcements earned Brazil a “fossil of the day” at pessimism-ridden UN climate conference

Environmental activists have labelled Brazil and Saudi Arabia “fossils of the day” during the United Nations two-week climate conference in Katowice, Poland.
Wednesday, December 5th 2018 - 09:40 UTC
Will Bolsonaro be able to overcome the traditional “horse trading” of Congress

Traditionally leaders of Brazil have had to offer ministerial posts to allied parties to form a working majority in a Congress that has more than two dozen parties. But following years of corruption scandals that pummeled trust in Brazil’s political establishment, president-elect Jair Bolsonaro has chosen his cabinet ignoring powerful party bosses.