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SAO PAULO, May 9 (Reuters) - Renowned Brazilian rock singer and songwriter Rita Lee, an icon of the Tropicalia artistic movement, died on Tuesday after a two-year battle with lung cancer, her family said. Her death brought an outpouring of tributes from artists, politicians and celebrities who cheered her trailblazing role in Brazilian rock. Rita Lee Jones de Carvalho was born on Dec. 31, 1947, in Sao Paulo, to a dentist of U.S. descent and a Brazilian pianist with Italian ancestry. Kicked out of Os Mutantes by Baptista, whom she had been married to, for supposed artistic differences, Lee played with the band Tutti Frutti in the 1970s. Rita Lee was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2021 and had been undergoing treatment since then.

☆ Mexican president backs U.S. dollar as globe's 'principal currency'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MEXICO CITY, May 8 (Reuters) - Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador gave the U.S. dollar a vote on confidence on Monday after he was asked if a weakening greenback might spur a move to diversify Mexico's foreign currency reserves. "We are going to continue considering the dollar as the world's principal currency," Lopez Obrador told a press conference. "We have sufficient reasons to not move to other currencies," he said, underscoring Mexico's "increasingly close" economic ties to the United States. The United States is by far Mexico's largest trading partner, with both economies closely integrated over decades in sectors ranging from energy, autos and agriculture. The dollar remained weaker against most of its major peers on Monday as fears persist about a potential recession in the United States later this year.

The recent selloff in Vitru shares presents an attractive entry point opportunity, according to Morgan Stanley. Morgan Stanley upgraded Vitru shares to overweight. Shares of the Brazil-based digital education company have plunged 44% since March, as of Friday's closing price. However, Morgan Stanley thinks the decline wasn't due to the company's fundamentals, but rather was "exacerbated" by the stock's limited liquidity. "Vitru is the best-positioned player to capture the [distance learning] opportunity," added Martinez.

☆ Brazil's Haddad backs longer-term target for inflation, no talk of goal change
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BRASILIA, May 5 (Reuters) - Brazilian Finance Minister Fernando Haddad said on Friday that he favored taking a long-term view of inflation and that the central bank could begin cutting interest rates. He added, however, that the government could not pre-empt any decision on changing the inflation targets set by the National Monetary Council consisting of himself, the planning minister, and the central bank governor. "I think continuous inflation targeting is much better than looking at the calendar year," Haddad said in an interview with CBN radio. The central bank, meanwhile, has suggested the discussion may have raised inflation expectations, requiring interest rates to remain at 13.75%, the highest they have been in the current cycle. Haddad reiterated criticism of the central bank, saying the bank could already begin cutting rates.

☆ Olympic champion surprised by five-year ban after post threatening Brazilian president
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Wallace was originally suspended by the Brazilian Olympic Committee's Ethics Commission (CECOB) for a year from representing the Brazil national team and for 90 days from national competitions. Yet the sanction was increased on Tuesday after he played for his club Cruzeiro in last Sunday's Super League final. He later deleted the post and uploaded a video apologising, saying he would never suggest violence or hatred towards anyone and calling the post a mistake. If it really happens, theoretically it's over for me," Wallace told local media outlet Globo on Friday. The CECOB, however, dismissed those decisions and increased the ban after Wallace took part in the match.

☆ Is Brazil Under Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva ‘Anti-American’? - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Vanessa Barbara | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

When Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva took office in January, after defeating Mr. Bolsonaro, it was widely hoped that he would guide Brazil back to the international mainstream. The early signs were good: In November, even before assuming the presidency, Mr. Lula traveled to COP27 in Egypt, and there was an amiable visit to the United States in February. Then Mr. Lula started going off script. In line with the country’s history of multilateralism, and sensitive to its needs, Mr. Lula is charting his own course. Mr. Lula’s visit to Beijing in April, where he met President Xi Jinping amid much fanfare, put several noses out of joint.

☆ Brazil working on payment solution for exports to Argentina, says minister
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BRASILIA, May 2 (Reuters) - Brazilian Finance Minister Fernando Haddad said on Tuesday that the country is working on a solution to ensure that Brazilian exporters are paid for sales to Argentina, which is currently facing a severe economic crisis and a shortage of U.S. dollars. Argentina is Brazil's third largest trading partner after China and the United States. "We are trying to find a mediated solution," he said, adding that it "necessarily" involves the granting of collaterals by Argentina, which are being currently studied. Haddad will take part in a meeting between Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Argentine Alberto Fernandez later on Tuesday. Brazil also decided to recently simplify procedures of the local currency payment system (SML), an infrastructure that brings together the central banks of Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay.

☆ Brazil government to tax income from financial investments obtained abroad
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BRASILIA, May 1 (Reuters) - Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's government published an executive order aimed at increasing revenue by taxing the capital income from financial investments obtained abroad by individuals who reside in Brazil. Income earned from Jan. 1, 2024, will be considered for that purpose, said the text of the measure published on Sunday night that takes effect immediately. According to the text, income obtained abroad from financial investments will be taxed upon the sale or maturity of assets, while profits and dividends from controlled entities will be taxed on Dec. 31 of each year. Income up to 6,000 reais ($1,203) will be tax exempt, while income above that but below 50,000 reais will be taxed at 15%. The Finance Ministry said the measure had the potential to collect around 3.2 billion reais ($641 million) in 2023, close to 3.6 billion reais in 2024 and 6.7 billion reais in 2025.

☆ Brazil police shoot dead 4 illegal gold miners on Yanomami reservation
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] A helicopter of the Brazilian Environmental Agency (IBAMA) is seen near Uraricoera river during an operation at illegal mining in the Yanomami indigenous land, Roraima state, Brazil, February 11, 2023. REUTERS/Amanda Perobelli/File PhotoBRASILIA, May 1 (Reuters) - Brazilian police and environmental protection agents were ambushed by illegal gold miners on the Yanomami Indigenous reservation in the Amazon on Monday and four miners were shot dead in the exchange of gunfire, a government statement said. The Environment Ministry said their team was attacked when they moved in to dismantle a wildcat mining camp run by an organized crime gang. Brazilian authorities are keen to show that they mean business in their efforts to remove the remainder of the wildcat miners on the reservation following the fatal shooting of a Yanomami man. Gold miners killed one man and seriously injured two others in an attack on Saturday in the Yanomami territory, where authorities have been evicting illegal miners who invaded Brazil's largest indigenous reservation, the size of Portugal.

☆ Bolsonaro steals show at Brazil's biggest farm fair
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Lais Morais | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Brazil's former President Jair Bolsonaro attends the Agrishow fair, in Ribeirao Preto, Brazil, May 1, 2023. REUTERS/Carla CarnielRIBERAO PRETO, Brazil, May 1 (Reuters) - Former right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro stole the show on Monday at Brazil's largest agribusiness fair where he was acclaimed by supporters from the country's strong farm sector. Bolsonaro criticized the decision by Lula to recognize new Indigenous reservations, a constant complaint by farmers in Brazil's expanding agricultural frontier. The deep-pocketed and powerful farm sector were major supporters of Bolsonaro's 2018 election. Bolsonaro faces legal risks that could ban him from running in the 2026 election.

☆ Brazil's Lula pledges new minimum wage policy, expanded tax exemption
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BRASILIA, April 30 (Reuters) - Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva pledged on Sunday to introduce a new policy of real increases in the minimum wage and announced plans to raise the income tax exemption for lower-income earners. Lula said the government would present a bill to Congress to make the annual minimum wage adjustment above inflation a permanent rule. At present, workers earning above 4,664.68 reais per month are already subject to the highest income tax rate. In his speech, Lula officially announced that starting May 1, the income tax exemption will extend to individuals earning up to 2,640 reais per month, and the minimum wage will rise from 1,302 reais to 1,320 reais. Both measures were widely anticipated by government officials, with the Finance Ministry estimating that the increase in the minimum wage would cost about 5 billion reais this year and the rise in income tax exemption another 3.2 billion reais.

☆ Brazil to step up removal of indigenous land invaders after Yanomami killing
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] People who were working in illegal mining sit in the trunk of a car to travel to the city as they arrive at Porto do Arame after leaving the Yanomami indigenous land, in Alto Alegre, Roraima state, Brazil, February 12, 2023. REUTERS/Amanda PerobelliBRASILIA, April 30 (Reuters) - Brazil will increase efforts to remove the remainder of wildcat miners from indigenous lands following a shooting attack by invaders that killed a Yanomami indigenous person and left two others seriously injured, the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples said on Sunday. An inter-ministerial delegation is en route to Roraima state to "further reinforce actions to remove criminals," the ministry said on Twitter. Since President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva took office in January, its administration has announced actions to remove thousands of illegal miners from the country's largest indigenous reservation in northern Brazil. Lula's government declared a medical emergency for the Yanomamis earlier this year and pledged zero tolerance for mining on indigenous reservation land protected by Brazil's Constitution.

IRACEMAPOLIS, Brazil, April 28 (Reuters) - Brazil's ability to produce and sell hybrid cars that can run on 100% ethanol is a huge asset for its auto industry as global economies push for decarbonization to tackle climate change, Vice President Geraldo Alckmin told Reuters. Alckmin on Thursday attended the opening of a factory by Chinese carmaker Great Wall Motor Co Ltd (601633.SS) that will produce hybrid cars, including a flex-fuel pickup called Poer. Brazil has one of the world's largest ethanol industries, and most cars in the country can run on 100% biofuel made from sugarcane or corn. He highlighted the export opportunities hybrid cars manufactured in Brazil can bring for the country as it pushes for re-industrialization, a process in which he sees the auto industry playing a key role. "It is very important because it is an industry of cutting-edge technology, with semiconductors and the whole decarbonization area," said the vice president.

☆ Brazil's Lula resumes creation of Indigenous reservations halted by Bolsonaro
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Ueslei Marcelino/File PhotoBRASILIA, April 27 (Reuters) - Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva announced the formal recognition of six Indigenous reservations on Friday, fulfilling a campaign promise to reverse the policy of his far-right predecessor Jair Bolsonaro. Lula made the announcement as part of the annual meeting in Brasilia of representatives of Brazil's one million Indigenous people. The Free Land Camp is a five-day event featuring music, dance and food in tents erected on the grass esplanade of the capital. Indigenous leaders called on the president to speed up the recognition of some 300 Indigenous territories that have been mapped out but have waited for years to be formally recognized. With no state protection, Indigenous communities are in danger of invasions by illegal loggers and wildcat gold miners that surged under Bolsonaro.

☆ With Zelensky call, Xi Jinping steps up bid to broker peace – but does he have a plan?
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin shake hands after signing a joint statement in Moscow on March 21, 2023. But another set of optics, Beijing’s close rapport with Moscow, has already embedded a deep skepticism in the West over China’s potential role as mediator. Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Xi has claimed China’s neutrality, but has spoken with Putin five times – including twice in person – without picking up the phone to call Zelensky, despite a years-long strategic-level partnership between their countries. It calls for a ceasefire but includes no provision that Moscow first withdraw its troops from Ukrainian land. But this rapport has also been the reason that some leaders, including Zelensky and Macron, have expressed hope that Xi could leverage his clout to influence Russia to respect international law.

☆ Colombia's Gustavo Petro finds his opening in Washington
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Stefano Pozzebon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

So what was the most solid common ground President Biden, as host, could find for his guest? Leaders from the region tend to see the climate issue as their platform in international summits. Like many countries in Latin America, Colombia has received considerable investments from Chinese companies in recent years, mostly in the transport and mining sectors. “Petro has the aspiration of leading the new phase of Latin America’s geopolitics. And Biden can also tout a considerable concession from his meeting with Petro, who had always refused to condemn Russia’s actions in Ukraine – until now.

☆ Bolsonaro accidentally created Facebook post questioning Brazil election results, attorneys say
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Julia Jones | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Sao Paulo CNN —Attorneys for former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro say he had only accidentally created a Facebook post questioning the results of 2022’s presidental elections – a post that has come under the scrutiny of authorities investigating whether the ex-leader had a role in inciting the country’s January 8 riots. Bolsonaro’s Facebook post casts doubt on the integrity of Brazil’s voting machines and the election results, which saw Bolsonaro lose his bid for a second term. He was questioned about the post by Brazilian Federal Police on Wednesday, the attorneys said. The post was eventually flagged by his team and Bolsonaro took it down, Bessa added. On the evening of January 8, Bolsonaro tweeted that “peaceful demonstrations, respecting the law, are part of democracy.

The country's IPCA-15 inflation index eased to a 30-month low of 4.16% from 5.36% in the previous month, government statistics agency IBGE said on Wednesday, coming in below market consensus of 4.20% in a Reuters poll of economists. The latest data comes a day after central bank Governor Roberto Campos Neto ruled out an imminent interest rate cut, saying in a Senate hearing that the current rate was appropriate to address inflation concerns. "Will RCN and his team wait for current inflation to reach 3% before starting to cut interest rates?" William Jackson, Capital Economics' chief emerging markets economist, said he doubts policymakers will pivot to interest rate cuts imminently, considering that core inflation remains strong and the central bank has been striking a hawkish tone. "All told, the inflation picture continues to improve in Brazil," Pantheon Macroeconomics' chief Latin America economist Andres Abadia said.

[1/3] Supporters of Brazil's former President Jair Bolsonaro demonstrate against President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva as security forces operate, outside Brazil’s National Congress in Brasilia, Brazil, January 8, 2023. REUTERS/Adriano MachadoBRASILIA, April 26 (Reuters) - Brazil's Congress on Wednesday prepared to open an inquiry into the Jan. 8 storming of key government buildings in the capital by violent demonstrators who denied the electoral victory of the recently inaugurated President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. The right-wing opposition has pushed for an inquiry as a way to blame his new government for security failures in Brasilia that day. Once the congressional inquiry is formally opened, there will be a fierce battle over the committee's composition. Reporting by Anthony Boadle and Ricardo Brito Editing by Brad Haynes and Aurora EllisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

From the 15th to the 19th century, 6 million Africans were kidnapped and forcibly transported across the Atlantic by Portuguese vessels and sold into slavery, primarily to Brazil. But so far Portugal has rarely commented on its past and little is taught about its role in slavery in schools. Reparations and public policies to fight inequalities caused by Portugal's past were essential, Cardoso said. "We continue to suffer in Brazil the effects of a legacy of slavery," Almeida said in a statement. Europe's top human rights group previously said Portugal had do more to confront its colonial past and role in the transatlantic slave trade in order to help fight racism and discrimination today.

☆ Brazil’s Lula pitches ‘peace coalition’ for Ukraine, but he treads a thin line
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Julia Jones | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

He says he aims to form a coalition of countries willing to intervene and lead efforts for peace in Ukraine, though in the process is finding himself treading a thin line with the world’s biggest powers. When he launched his political comeback in 2022, Lula told Time magazine that he thought both Russia and Ukraine were responsible for the conflict. Lula condemned Russia’s decision to invade its neighbor, but controversially claimed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky could have done more to avoid the conflict. Lula could not contemplate sending weapons – a step that would go far beyond Brazil’s traditional foreign policy, suggested the analyst. But he couldn’t do nothing, either – after all, Lula had promised to bring Brazil “back” to the world stage.

☆ Brazil woos sceptical foreign investors with new fiscal plan
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Rebounding commodity prices and a hawkish, independent central bank made Brazil an emerging market investor darling last year. But stocks are in the red in dollar-terms (.MIBR00000PUS) in 2023 compared to small gains in wider emerging markets (.MSCIEF) and a more than 20% rise in Mexico's equities (.MIMX00000PUS). "It feels to me like there are a lot of things that can go wrong," said William Jackson, chief emerging markets economist with Capital Economics. Ronaldo Patah, chief investment officer Brazil at UBS Wealth Management, said that despite uncertainties, Lula's fiscal reform suggested he had shifted his focus to the future -- and away from unravelling previous reforms. "Foreign investors have goodwill for Brazil - they want to invest."

Buarque was awarded in 2019 the Camoes Prize, which every year recognises an author from a Portuguese-speaking nation. The prize, named after Portuguese poet Luis de Camoes, was created by Portugal and Brazil in 1988. When Buarque won, Bolsonaro refused to sign the award diploma, delaying the ceremony. Buarque was also an opponent of the two decade-long military dictatorship in Brazil that began in 1964. "It is for me a satisfaction to correct one of the biggest mistakes ... committed against Brazilian culture in recent times," Lula said.

☆ Brazil hopes for conclusion to EU-Mercosur trade deal this year
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-23 | by ( Catarina Demony | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LISBON (Reuters) - Brazil hopes the Mercosur trade deal with the European Union (EU) will be concluded this year, a government official said on Sunday, ending years of delay and opening the way to increased trade between the two regions. While Germany has pushed for a swift conclusion, France has said it is waiting to see progress in Brazil. “The signs are very positive,” Elias Rosa said. “Brazil already complies with the socio-environmental requirements related to labour legislation,” Elias Rosa said. Together with other government officials, Elias Rosa is in Portugal as part of a five-day visit by Lula, his first to Europe since being elected president.

LISBON, April 23 (Reuters) - Government officials from Brazil are using their president's first visit to Europe since being elected to raise awareness and fight against the racial discrimination faced by the Brazilian community in Portugal and elsewhere. Brazil's minister of racial equality, Anielle Franco, was one of the officials who travelled with President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. When elected, Lula said he aimed to attack racism and Brazil's legacy of slavery. Europe's top human rights group previously said Portugal had to confront its colonial past and role in the transatlantic slave trade to help fight racism and discrimination in the country today. Franco met Portuguese parliament affairs minister Ana Catarina Mendes on Saturday to discuss policies to tackle racial injustice.

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