Intense floods in Latin America's business hub Sao Paulo, which turned roads into rivers and tossed cars atop buildings and into trees, have killed at least 11 people, with authorities bracing for more rain.
Brazil’s far-right president described the country’s armed forces, which led the country under a military dictatorship for over two decades, as the ultimate arbiters of democracy. Speaking at a naval event in Rio de Janeiro alongside some of the former generals who sit in his cabinet, Jair Bolsonaro praised Brazil’s military.
Latin American stocks hovered near 2019 lows on Wednesday led by steep losses in Argentina and Brazil which resumed trading after a two-day Carnival holiday, while currencies of oil exporters in the region fell as crude prices came under pressure. MSCI's index of Latin American stocks fell 1.3%, tracking losses across the region, barring Chile and Colombia which ended higher.
Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro has provoked controversy by posting an obscene video of two revelers at Carnival, saying he wanted to reveal the truth about the festival. The clip posted on Twitter shows two men engaging in sex acts on top of a taxi shelter during a street party.
The Brazilian government posted a fiscal surplus of 46.9 billion reais (US$ 12.5 billion) in January, the central bank said, above forecasts but unchanged from a year earlier. In Brazil, January is traditionally marked by higher tax revenues and lighter spending, so these figures do not change the fragile outlook for public finances, analysts said.
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro will pay his first official visits to the United States, Chile and Israel this month, in a clear sign of the alliances the far-right leader wants to shore up, official sources said.
The head of Brazil's Vale mining giant has stepped down following the collapse of a dam which killed at least 186 people in the town of Brumadinho. Fabio Schvartsman and several other executives asked to be removed after prosecutors called for their dismissal.
Ex Brazilian president Lula da Silva is back in prison after being let out to attend his grandson Arthur's funeral. The seven-year-old died of meningitis on Friday. Lula was allowed to go to the burial in São Paulo on Saturday, where supporters gathered to greet him. Lula is serving 12 years in prison on corruption charges.
Ninety-eight countries reported more cases of measles in 2018 compared with 2017, and the world body warned that conflict, complacency and the growing anti-vaccine movement threatened to undo decades of work to tame the disease.
An earthquake measuring 7.0 degrees on the Richter scale Friday rattled southern Peru, 67 km (41 miles) north-northwest of Juliaca, near the Bolivian border, it was reported.