
Brazil's state-controlled oil company Petrobras on Friday for the first time detailed long-awaited plans to sell a series of refineries and other assets as the company focuses on its core oil and gas exploration business.

The number of Brazilians rejecting the government of right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro continued to rise this month, according to an opinion poll released on Wednesday, underscoring his early struggles after easily winning an October election.

Brazil’s Vice President Hamilton Mourao will travel to China on May 16, staying for 10 days with stops in Beijing and Shanghai. Mourao, a former general who is seen as a moderate in the far-right government of Jair Bolsonaro, has recently become embroiled in a nasty war-of-words with the president’s sons, who are both influential lawmakers.

Brazil’s Economy Ministry on Thursday raised its projected savings from its pension reform bill over the next decade to 1.237 trillion reais (US$ 312 billion), well above the “minimum” 800 billion reais President Jair Bolsonaro said he expects.

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on Thursday expressed horror over the 1,000 penis amputations that he said occur each year in the country due to a lack of basic hygiene, a figure he called “ridiculous and sad.”

The global press freedom is regressing with more and more countries putting journalists at risk and authoritarian regimes tightening their grip on the media, according to a report released by media advocacy group Reporters Without Borders.

Brazilian state-run oil firm Petrobras hiked diesel prices on Wednesday, and executives said the firm could expand its already aggressive divestment plan while arguing the company was completely free of political interference.

Brazil’s Supreme Court drew fire on Tuesday for silencing its critics with a confidential criminal case targeting the press, pundits on social media and even a retired Army general close to President Jair Bolsonaro.

The government of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro announced on Tuesday a financial package aimed at staving off a potential truckers' strike. Chief of Staff Onyx Lorenzoni said the Brazilian Development Bank will be providing US$ 128 million in credit to truckers and that the Ministry of Infrastructure will spend US$ 514 million on improving roads.

Brazil's Real and shares rose on Monday, recovering after declines last week, while the currencies of oil exporters such as the Mexican and Colombian pesos weakened as crude prices dipped.