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.
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.
Paraguay's President Mario Abdo Benitez Friday welcomed Venezuelan dissident acting President Juan Guaidó, saying the latter represented hope for his people. Abdo added Nicolás Maduro's tyranny must end.
Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido arrived in Brazil on Wednesday night to meet with Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro as part of a tour of several nations to drum up international pressure on President Nicolas Maduro to step down.
Jair Bolsonaro paid tribute to the former dictators of Brazil and Paraguay this week at a ceremony to celebrate the Itaipu hydroelectric dam. The Brazilian president, who has spoken previously of his admiration for the military dictatorship that ruled his nation from 1964 to 1985, praised former Paraguayan dictator Alfredo Stroessner as a man of vision.
Brazilians are split on a proposed overhaul of the country’s pension system, a poll showed on Tuesday, while most said they approve of right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro’s performance.
Brazil's Senate-confirmed Roberto Campos Neto as central bank governor on Tuesday, after he stressed that controlling inflation and reining in public spending were critical to supporting economic growth.
Brazil’s new right-wing government requested on Monday that schools film their students singing the national anthem and that a message including President Jair Bolsonaro’s campaign slogan be read aloud to classes.