Brazil's Congress elected a conservative as speaker of the Chamber of Deputies on Sunday in a setback for the ruling Workers' Party that split President Dilma Rousseff's coalition and will complicate her legislative agenda.
Brazil's Congress struck down this week a proposal to impose new taxes on the internal soy market after fierce opposition from the country's agricultural sector. An amendment to apply a tax known as PIS/Cofins on soybean sales to some domestic buyers had been removed from a bill to simplify taxation of Brazilian companies abroad that was passed by the lower chamber late on Tuesday.
A delegation of political advisors from the Brazilian Congress is currently in the Falkland Islands. The group is accompanied by Andrew Ford First Secretary FCO Brasilia.
Brazil's congress late Tuesday evening rejected controversial amendment PEC 37, which would have limited the power of federal prosecutors to investigate crimes, and designated all royalties from newly discovered oil fields to education and healthcare.
Brazil's Supreme Court convicted three top aides of former president Lula da Silva of graft related to a vote-buying scheme in Congress. Lula's ex-chief of staff Jose Dirceu was found guilty by six of the 10 judges in connection with the scheme that ran from 2002 to 2005 during the popular president's first term, a court spokesman said.
The so called “trail of the century” in Brazil has already condemned 22 of the 37 culprits and on Wednesday is expected to peak when three former leaders of the ruling Workers’ Party are formally accused of having setup a network of bribes to ensure a majority in congress.
The defence of one of the main accused at Brazil’s “trial of the century” claimed at a hearing before the Supreme Tribunal (Supreme court) that former president Lula da Silva (2003/2010) was who ordered the bribes scheme to buy votes in Congress.
Brazil's government may cut as much as much 60 billion Reais (32 billion dollars) from spending in 2012 in an effort to control its deficit and inflation, the Estado de Sao Paulo newspaper reported, citing unnamed Finance Ministry officials.
Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff made the second key change of the week in her cabinet on Friday, a move aimed at improving strained ties with allies in Congress. Luiz Sergio, the minister responsible for liaising with Congress, resigned from his post,