MercoPress https://en.mercopress.com/ South Atlantic News Agency en Copyright 2026, MercoPress. https://en.mercopress.com/web/img/en/mercopress-logo.gif MercoPress http://en.mercopress.com/ <![CDATA[Father of Argentine lawyer detained for racism in Brazil repeats same gestures at bar]]> In a second recording from the same night, he is heard claiming that he personally paid the $18,000 bail imposed by the Brazilian court so his daughter could return to Argentina Mariano Páez, father of lawyer and influencer Agostina Páez, was filmed imitating monkey gestures at a bar in Santiago del Estero — the same racist gesticulations that led to his daughter's indictment for racial slur in Brazil, where she spent over two months detained in Rio de Janeiro. The incident took place just hours after the young woman's return to her home province.

]]> Fri, 03 Apr 2026 23:55:00 GMT <![CDATA[Brazil hit hardest as Latin America adjusts to Trump tariffs after one year]]> The region shows uneven results one year after the start of Washington's tariff war. Photo: Brazil's Santos port (APS) One year after the Trump administration launched its tariff offensive against more than 180 countries, Latin America presents a mixed picture: some economies lost competitiveness in the U.S. market, while others redirected exports or negotiated agreements to cushion the blow.

]]> Mon, 30 Mar 2026 15:01:00 GMT <![CDATA[Argentine lawyer held in Brazil on racial slur charges faces new uncertainty after court reversal]]> Páez was filmed making racist gestures toward employees of a bar in the Ipanema neighborhood Agostina Páez, a 29-year-old Argentine lawyer and influencer from the province of Santiago del Estero, has been held in Rio de Janeiro since January 14, when she was filmed making racist gestures toward employees of a bar in the Ipanema neighborhood. The video quickly went viral and led to three criminal complaints for racial slur, a crime that carries a penalty of two to five years in prison per offense under Brazilian law.

]]> Sun, 29 Mar 2026 11:22:00 GMT <![CDATA[UK/Brazil Strategic Partnership 2026/2030, reaffirming 200 years of diplomatic relations]]> Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper and Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira with the Strategic Partnership documents UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper and Brazil Minister of Foreign Affairs Mauro Vieira signed the UK–Brazil Strategic Partnership 2026 to 2030 on 26 March 2026, at Cernay-la-Ville.

]]> Sat, 28 Mar 2026 21:34:00 GMT <![CDATA[Brazil unveils first supersonic fighter jet manufactured on its soil, a milestone for Latin America]]> President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva led the ceremony and christened the aircraft by spraying a champagne bottle over the fuselage Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer unveiled on Wednesday the first F-39E Gripen fighter jet manufactured in Brazil, a milestone the country's presidency called "unprecedented in Latin America." It is the first of 15 supersonic combat aircraft Embraer will produce at its facility in Gavião Peixoto, São Paulo state, under a total contract for 36 jets ordered from Swedish firm Saab.

]]> Sat, 28 Mar 2026 10:21:00 GMT <![CDATA[Bolsonaro leaves hospital, gets 90-day house arrest within 27-year prison sentence]]> Bolsonaro was admitted to a private hospital in Brasilia on March 13 after experiencing vomiting and chills in his cell in the military wing of Papuda prison Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro returned to his home in Brasilia on Friday after being discharged from hospital following a two-week stay for acute bilateral pneumonia. Bolsonaro, 71, will serve at least 90 days of his 27-year prison sentence under house arrest, following a decision by Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes.

]]> Sat, 28 Mar 2026 01:01:00 GMT <![CDATA[Lula warns he will not allow others to seize Brazil's critical minerals]]> Although Lula did not name any country, the remarks come during a week of heightened diplomatic tension over minerals. Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said on Tuesday he will not allow other countries to take the nation's rare earths and critical minerals, in remarks widely interpreted as a direct warning to the United States amid a growing dispute over control of these strategic resources.

]]> Wed, 25 Mar 2026 00:23:00 GMT <![CDATA[Dollar falls and São Paulo stock exchange surges after Trump's truce signal with Iran]]> The Ibovespa index on the B3 exchange rose 3.24% to close at 181,931 points, recovering Friday's 2.25% loss. At its peak, the index approached 183,000 points. Brazilian financial markets posted one of their best sessions of the year on Monday after President Donald Trump announced a five-day postponement of strikes against Iran's energy infrastructure, citing “productive conversations” with Tehran.

]]> Tue, 24 Mar 2026 01:58:00 GMT <![CDATA[Brazil to expand Antarctica activities with new polar vessel Comandante Saldanha]]> The vessel has a displacement of 5.800 tons plus a hangar to host two helicopters, plus the landing platform. Brazil is expanding its Antarctica presence and activities with the introduction of a new polar vessel currently under construction in the county. The vessel “Almirante Saldanha” is considered an operational and scientific leap for the Brazilian Navy in the context of the strategic development of the Brazilian Antarctic Program.

]]> Mon, 23 Mar 2026 02:49:00 GMT <![CDATA[Lula and Peña agree to accelerate Itaipú treaty review]]> Annex C stipulates that both countries are entitled to 50% of the energy generated, but requires whichever party does not use its full share to sell the surplus to the other at preferential rates The presidents of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and Paraguay, Santiago Peña, agreed on Sunday in Campo Grande to intensify negotiations over Annex C of the Itaipú treaty, the instrument that governs the financial terms and energy sales of the binational hydroelectric dam, one of the largest in the world.

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