Brazil

• Saturday, February 3rd 2018 - 10:37 UTC

  Federal Judge orders authorities to return the passport of ex president Lula

  

  A Brazilian federal judge ruled on Friday that authorities must return the passport of former President Lula da Silva, seized last week on the order of another court after his conviction for corruption was upheld on appeal. Lawyers for Lula, who governed from 2003-2011, handed over the passport to Brazil’s Federal Police on Jan. 26.

• Thursday, February 1st 2018 - 20:35 UTC

  Majority of Brazilians want Lula in prison and would not support a candidate sponsored by him

  

  Brazil’s presidential election is up for grabs, according to the latest public opinion poll, with popular ex-president Lula da Silva likely to be barred because of his corruption conviction and half of the electorate responding they want to see him in jail.

• Wednesday, January 31st 2018 - 09:06 UTC

  Pension reform dispute between Brazil's Executive and Congress

  

  Brazilian Finance Minister Henrique Meirelles said on Monday that although there may be differences in strategy between president Michel Temer and the speaker of the House of Representatives, Rodrigo Maia, everyone's goal is to ensure the approval of the pension reform.

• Tuesday, January 30th 2018 - 10:00 UTC

  Petrobras to join the Oil and Gas Climate Initiative

  

  The Oil and Gas Climate Initiative (OGCI) and Petrobras announced that the Brazilian company will join the initiative. This commitment is subject to the approval of the OGCI Climate Investments Members’ Agreement by the Petrobras board of directors.

• Tuesday, January 30th 2018 - 09:49 UTC

  Surprise shock for Lula: praise from Temer, “he's a very charismatic figure”

  

  Brazil's popular but scandal-plagued leftist ex-president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva got an unlikely morale boost on Monday from a political nemesis, current President Michel Temer. Lula easily leads the polls heading to October's presidential election but his dream of returning to office was left in doubt last week after an appeals court upheld an earlier corruption conviction against him.

• Tuesday, January 30th 2018 - 09:28 UTC

  Brazil's meets 2017 fiscal target and juggles funds to keep the investment/debt rule

  

  Brazil’s government will tap the nation’s sovereign fund and recent surpluses to cut debt and avoid breaking budget rules this year, officials said on Monday, after easily meeting the 2017 fiscal target.

• Monday, January 29th 2018 - 10:50 UTC

  Drugs related shootings in northeast Brazil kill 14 in a nightclub

  

  At least 14 people were killed in a shootout at a nightclub in Fortaleza, in northeastern Brazil, officials said on Saturday. “We can confirm 14 deaths,” Andre Costa, security secretary for the state of Ceara - of which Fortaleza is the capital - told a press conference.

• Friday, January 26th 2018 - 09:42 UTC

  Massive vaccination, 23.8 million, against yellow fever in Sao Paulo and Rio do Janeiro

  

  Brazil launched a mass immunization campaign that will deliver fractional doses of yellow fever vaccine to residents of 69 municipalities in the states of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. The strategic plan for the campaign was developed with support from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the World Health Organization (WHO). It will be the world’s largest vaccination campaign, to date, using fractional doses of yellow fever vaccine.

• Friday, January 26th 2018 - 09:27 UTC

  Brazil announces open skies policy with US and an end to the 20% ownership cap

  

  Brazil’s Congress will finalize as soon as February legislation opening the way for deregulation of flights to and from the United States, Minister of Tourism Marx Beltrao said. He also expects legislators to approve a plan to allow foreign carriers a bigger chunk of Brazilian airlines. Both measures are part of a government drive to push down fares and boost tourism, which accounts for an estimated 3.7% of GDP.

• Friday, January 26th 2018 - 07:21 UTC

  Lula challenges court and accepts nomination as presidential pre-candidate

  

  Brazilian ex-head of state Lula da Silva agreed on Thursday to represent the opposition Workers’ Party (PT) in this year’s presidential election, although a corruption conviction makes it unclear whether he will be able to run.