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MercoPress, en Español

Montevideo, May 16th 2026 - 14:26 UTC

Tag: Lula da Silva

  • Tuesday, May 12th 2026 - 23:32 UTC

    Lula seeks his own security recipe to counter Brazilian right wing's tough-on-crime narrative

    The plan also includes investments to regain control of 138 penitentiary facilities through drones, scanners, and metal detectors

    Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Tuesday unveiled in Brasília a public security plan worth around USD 2.25 billion aimed at weakening the finances of organized crime, regaining control of prisons, curbing arms trafficking, and improving homicide investigations, five months ahead of October's presidential election. The package is designed to give the government a distinct identity on one of the issues where public opinion sees the ruling party at its weakest against the right wing's punitive narrative.

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  • Tuesday, May 12th 2026 - 13:31 UTC

    Brazil's inflation accelerates to 4.39% in April driven by food and pharmaceuticals

    The Central Bank of Brazil, which closely tracks the indicator, cut the Selic benchmark rate by half a percentage point at each of its two latest meetings, bringing it to 14.50% annually

    Year-on-year inflation in Brazil accelerated to 4.39% in April, up from 4.14% in March, pressured mainly by rising prices for food and pharmaceuticals, the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) reported on Tuesday. The national consumer price index advanced 0.67% from the previous month, 0.21 percentage points below March, reflecting a slower monthly pace even as the annual comparison continues to climb.

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  • Friday, May 8th 2026 - 05:08 UTC

    Lula and Trump declare bilateral relationship reset after three-hour meeting at the White House

    “We discussed many subjects, including trade, specifically tariffs,” Trump wrote at the conclusion of the encounter

    The presidents of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and the United States, Donald Trump, held a meeting of close to three hours at the White House on Thursday in which both leaders declared an end to one of the most severe bilateral crises in two centuries of relations between the two largest economies in the Americas. The encounter, formalized as a working meeting, unfolded in a climate of personal fluency and allowed for the agreement to establish bilateral channels to address commercial, security, and regional cooperation matters.

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  • Friday, May 8th 2026 - 02:14 UTC

    United States imposes new sanctions on Cuban military conglomerate GAESA amid escalating pressure

    US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on Thursday a new package of sanctions against the Grupo de Administración Empresarial S.A. (GAESA), the conglomerate linked to the Cuban Armed Forces that controls approximately 40% of the island's economy, in a fresh escalation of the economic pressure deployed by the Trump administration against the Havana regime. The measure is part of the implementation of Executive Order 14404, signed by President Donald Trump on May 1, which authorizes sanctions against those responsible for political repression and threats to US national security.

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  • Thursday, May 7th 2026 - 15:08 UTC

    Lula arrives at the White House to mend fences with Trump after a year of tariffs and disputes

    The Trump administration imposed in August 2025 a 50% tariff on Brazilian products that it explicitly linked to the Bolsonaro trial, a chapter that Lula handled with diplomatic firmness

    Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was received on Thursday by his American counterpart Donald Trump at the White House, in his first official visit to Washington since his return to power in 2023 and the second face-to-face meeting between the two leaders, following a brief 45-minute encounter on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit in Kuala Lumpur last October. The meeting, formalized as a working session rather than a state visit, seeks to consolidate the fragile bilateral truce reached after one of the most severe diplomatic crises in two centuries of relations between the two most populous democracies in the Americas.

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  • Thursday, April 30th 2026 - 13:25 UTC

    Brazil's fiscal deficit climbs to 9.41% of GDP amid economic slowdown and election year

    The Brazilian economy grew 2.3% in 2025, below the 3.4% recorded in 2024, and the Central Bank itself projects a further slowdown to 1.6% for the current year

    Brazil's nominal public sector deficit reached 9.41% of gross domestic product in the twelve months to March 2026, nearly one percentage point higher than the previous period, according to data published on Thursday by the Central Bank. The combined shortfall of all public administrations — central government, states, and municipalities — stood at 1.21 trillion reais, equivalent to around $244 billion, in one of the highest readings in recent years for Latin America's largest economy.

  • Wednesday, April 29th 2026 - 15:08 UTC

    Lula's Supreme Court nominee defends limits on judicial power in Brazilian Senate hearing

    The vote takes on political significance five months before the October general elections, in which Lula will seek re-election

    Jorge Messias, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's nominee to fill the open seat at the Federal Supreme Court (STF), defended on Wednesday before the Senate the need to limit the power of judges, in a bid to expand support for his candidacy in what is shaping up to be a closely contested vote. The Solicitor General of the Union appeared before the Constitution and Justice Committee, where he made explicit overtures toward the Bolsonarist right-wing opposition, particularly critical of the country's top court's recent rulings.

  • Friday, April 17th 2026 - 21:49 UTC

    Lula and Sanchez seal progressive alliance in Barcelona and call for front against global far right

    Sánchez responded that Spain and Brazil share “the same vision of the world, anchored in the defense of democracy, international cooperation, respect for international law and human rights, and peace”

    Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on Friday cemented a political alliance in Barcelona between the European and Latin American left against the advance of the far right on both continents. At the first bilateral Spain-Brazil summit, held at the Pedralbes Palace with military honors and the participation of roughly ten ministers from each side, both leaders displayed total alignment and signed a series of cooperation agreements.

  • Thursday, April 9th 2026 - 01:08 UTC

    Brazilian judge suspends 12% crude oil export tax for five international oil companies

    Judge Humberto de Vasconcelos Sampaio ruled that the sudden imposition of the 12% rate amounts in practice to the creation of a new tax burden with a “merely revenue-raising” purpose

    A federal judge in Rio de Janeiro issued a preliminary injunction suspending the 12% crude oil export tax for five international companies operating in Brazil: Shell, TotalEnergies, Equinor, Repsol Sinopec and Petrogal. The ruling represents an initial court victory for the oil companies in their dispute with President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's government over a levy they consider unconstitutional.

  • Saturday, March 28th 2026 - 10:21 UTC

    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.

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