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BELEM, Brazil, Aug 10 (Reuters) - Amazon rainforest nations emerged from a summit this week with a stronger hand to play at upcoming United Nations climate talks, despite the meeting's lackluster final agreement, according to environmental groups. Lula will take that message on the road this year at the G20, United Nations General Assembly and U.N. COP28 climate summit. But he also applauded the symbolism of the eight Amazon countries meeting together for the first time in 14 years and joining their voices with the world's other major rainforests. STRONGER VOICERainforest nations have a stronger unified voice after the meeting, at least on paper, said Luis Roman, a representative of nonprofit WWF Peru. Rainforest nations thus far have focused on past funding commitments.

Persons: It's, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Lula, André Guimarães, Marcio Astrini, Astrini, Luis Roman, Susana Muhamad, Jake Spring, Oliver Griffin, Brad Haynes, Aurora Ellis Organizations: Democratic, United Nations General Assembly, Amazon Environmental Research Institute, Observatory, WWF, Colombia's, Thomson Locations: BELEM, Brazil, Nations, Indonesia, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Colombia, Venezuela, Lula, Bolivia, WWF Peru, European, Belem, Bogota

Ecuadorean presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio waves an Ecuadorian flag as he attends a rally in Quito, Ecuador August 9, 2023. REUTERS/Karen Toro/File PhotoAug 10 (Reuters) - Fernando Villavicencio, the Ecuadorean presidential candidate gunned down in Quito on Wednesday, was no stranger to threats and intimidation from powerful figures in Ecuador. Villavicencio also denounced high-ranking executives in Ecuador's oil, mining and power industries – and even big foreign companies including Chinese oil behemoths, Brazilian engineering firms and global oil trading firms. The murder is the first of a presidential candidate in Ecuador's history. A year later, in 2014, Villavicencio went on the run to avoid imprisonment for alleged defamation of then-President Correa.

Persons: Fernando Villavicencio, Karen Toro, Long, –, Rafael Correa, Correa, Villavicencio, I'm, Villavicencio's, Guillermo Lasso ., Steven Grattan, Joshua Schneyer, Brad Haynes, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: REUTERS, Mexico's, Mexico's Sinaloa Cartel, Prensa, The Workers Press, National Assembly, Lasso, Thomson Locations: Quito, Ecuador, Belgium, Mexico's Sinaloa, Peru, China, London, New York

Police officers work outside the rally site where Ecuadorean presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio was killed at a campaign event in Quito, Ecuador August 9, 2023. REUTERS/Karen ToroQUITO, Aug 10 (Reuters) - The murder of Ecuadorean presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio has made some voters more wary of going to the polls on Aug. 20, making an unsettled election even harder to forecast. Voters said they were afraid of more bloodshed, with some weighing whether to comply with mandatory voting rules. "I am scared and I'm thinking about whether to go vote," said Quito manicurist Margarita Alvarado, 45. "The assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio complicates what is already an atypical and complex political crisis in Ecuador," said Verisk Maplecroft chief analyst Jimena Blanco and lead Americas analyst Eileen Gavin in a note.

Persons: Fernando Villavicencio, Karen Toro QUITO, Margarita Alvarado, couldn't, Alvarado, pollster Cedatos, Verisk, Jimena Blanco, Eileen Gavin, Villavicencio's, Villavicencio, Luisa Gonzalez, Teneo, Rafael Correa, Gonzalez, Correa, Guillermo Lasso, Lasso, Paulina Recalde, Perfiles, Recalde, Fernando, Santiago Avilez, Alexandra Valencia, Tito Correa, Julia Symmes Cobb, Brad Haynes, David Gregorio Our Organizations: REUTERS, Voters, Twitter, Albanian mafia, Thomson Locations: Quito, Ecuador, Americas

[1/2] A general view shows the water conditions of the Piraiba river before a summit of Amazon rainforest nations, in Belem, Para state, Brazil August 5, 2023. Leaders are expected to announce the final agreement, known as the Belem Declaration, late on Tuesday afternoon. Presidents from Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Guyana, Peru and Venezuela will attend, while Ecuador and Suriname will send other representatives. ACTO Executive Director Carlos Lazary said the final agreement may include Brazil's plans for a regional center in Manaus where Amazon countries can coordinate police operations. Norway and Germany, which have funded Amazon preservation, and France, which controls the Amazon territory of French Guiana, will also participate.

Persons: Ueslei Marcelino, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Jair Bolsonaro, Carlos Lazary, Jake Spring, Brad Haynes, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: REUTERS, Ueslei, Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization, CNN Brasil, European Union, Thomson Locations: Belem , Para, Brazil, Ueslei Marcelino BELEM, Brazilian, Belem, Belem Declaration, Bolivia, Colombia, Guyana, Peru, Venezuela, Ecuador, Suriname, policymaking, Manaus, Congo, DRC, Indonesia, Norway, Germany, France, French Guiana

BELEM, Brazil, Aug 8 (Reuters) - Eight Amazon nations agreed to a list of unified environmental policies and measures to bolster regional cooperation at a major rainforest summit in Brazil on Tuesday, but failed to agree on a common goal for ending deforestation. The failure of the eight Amazon countries to agree on a pact to protect their own forests points to the larger, global difficulties of forging an agreement to combat climate change. Bolivia and Venezuela are the only Amazon countries not to sign onto a 2021 agreement among more than 100 countries to work toward halting deforestation by 2030. But tensions emerged in the lead up to the summit around diverging positions on deforestation and oil development. Fellow Amazon countries also rebuffed Colombia's leftist President Gustavo Petro's ongoing campaign to end new oil development in the Amazon.

Persons: Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Marcio Astrini, Lula, Luis Arce, Mauro Vieira, Ricardo Stuckert, Gustavo Petro's, Petro, Alexandre Silveira, Silveira, Jake Spring, Steven Grattan, Brad Haynes, Rosalba O'Brien, Jason Neely, Peter Graff, Aurora Ellis, Richard Chang Organizations: Climate, Reuters, Bolivian, Brazil's, Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization, REUTERS, Amazon, Brazil's Energy, United Nations, Thomson Locations: BELEM, Brazil, Brazilian, Belem, Bolivia, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Guyana, Suriname, Venezuela

[1/3] A general view shows the water conditions of the Piraiba river before a summit of Amazon rainforest nations, in Belem, Para state, Brazil August 6, 2023. REUTERS/Ueslei MarcelinoSAO PAULO, Aug 7 (Reuters) - Eight Amazon rainforest nations are expected to face divisions over proposals to block new oil drilling and end deforestation when they meet on Tuesday for their first summit in 14 years. But at a pre-summit meeting last month, Colombian President Gustavo Petro pushed his Brazilian counterpart Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva to block all new oil development in the Amazon. Brazil is weighing whether to develop a potentially huge offshore oil find near the mouth of the Amazon River. "Are we going to let hydrocarbons be explored in the Amazon rainforest?

Persons: Ueslei Marcelino, Gustavo Petro, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Petro, Lula, Jake Spring, Oliver Griffin, Lucinda Elliott, Brad Haynes, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: REUTERS, Ueslei, Ueslei Marcelino SAO PAULO, Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization, Brazilian, Miami Herald, Global Forest Watch, Thomson Locations: Belem , Para, Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, Venezuela, Belem, Amazon, Lula's, Leticia, Bolivian, Bogota, Montevideo

☆ Brazil courts private sector help to reforest the Amazon, minister says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-07 | by ( Lisandra Paraguassu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] An aerial view shows trees as the sun rises at the Amazon rainforest in Manaus, Amazonas State, Brazil October 26, 2022. REUTERS/Bruno Kelly/File PhotoBRASILIA, Aug 7 (Reuters) - Brazil's government wants the private sector to help reforest large swathes of the Amazon, the country's Environment Minister Marina Silva said in an interview, using concessions to replant some 12 million hectares (120,000 square km) of forest by 2030. The plan's outlines were sketched out in a briefing last week by President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who has vowed to end Amazon deforestation by 2030. Concessions could also be granted to generate other products, like oilseeds, fibers and resins, along with potential carbon credit schemes. The vast Amazon rainforest is a key buffer against climate change.

Persons: Bruno Kelly, Marina Silva, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Silva, Andre Lima, Jair Bolsonaro, Lisandra, Gabriel Stargardter, Brad Haynes, Richard Chang Organizations: REUTERS, country's, Reuters, Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization, Thomson Locations: Manaus, Amazonas State, Brazil, BRASILIA, Brasilia, Colombia, Peru, Belem

☆ Brazil central bank kicks off rate cuts more aggressively than expected
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Peter Frontini | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The bank's rate-setting committee Copom cut its Selic policy rate to 13.25%, as just 10 of 46 economists surveyed by Reuters had anticipated. Although Wednesday's policy decision was closely divided, Copom's policy statement signaled a shared outlook to keep up the pace of rate cuts in coming months. Wednesday's rate decision reflected a split among board members, with five votes in favor of the 50-basis-point cut and four votes for a more modest 25-basis-point cut. Finance Minister Fernando Haddad had called for a rate cut of 50 basis points earlier on Wednesday. Brazil's inflation target is 3% for both years.

Persons: we'd, William Jackson, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's, Roberto Campos Neto, Lula, Campos Neto, Fernando Haddad, Haddad, Copom, Peter Frontini, Marcela Ayres, Brad Haynes, Diane Craft Organizations: SAO PAULO, Reuters, Capital Economic, Finance, Fitch, Carolina, Thomson Locations: Brazil

☆ Brazil now main holdout against BRICS expansion, sources say
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Lisandra Paraguassu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

An attendant is stands next to South African, Indian, Russian, Brazilian and Chinese flags during a plenary session of BRICS Summit, in Xiamen, China September 4, 2017. "An expansion could transform the bloc into something else," said a Brazilian official, who asked not to be named. Russia said expansion would be high on the agenda of the upcoming BRICS summit. A government official told Reuters: "India has reservations about the expansion ... South Africa, the first beneficiary of a BRICS expansion in 2010, now supports inclusion of new members, though South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has said the expansion formula requires "closer scrutiny and understanding."

Persons: Tyrone Siu, Vladimir Putin, Dmitry Peskov, Cyril Ramaphosa, Oliver Stuenkel, Stuenkel, Lisandra, Laurie Chen, Krishn Kaushik, Carien du Plessis, Tim Cocks, Wendel Roelf, Anthony Boadle, Brad Haynes, David Gregorio Our Organizations: BRICS, REUTERS, Tyrone, Reuters, Brazilian, Diplomats, Getulio Vargas Foundation, Thomson Locations: Xiamen, China, Tyrone Siu BRASILIA, Brazil, Russia, India, South Africa, United States, Ukraine, Brasilia, Algeria, Cape Town, Johannesburg, Beijing, BRICS, Africa, São Paulo, Indonesia, Iran, Venezuela, Saudi Arabia, New Delhi

☆ NASA chief offers Brazil satellite imaging to help stop Amazon deforestation
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson attends a news conference, after meeting with Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (not pictured), at the Planalto Palace in Brasilia, Brazil July 24, 2023. REUTERS/Adriano MachadoBRASILIA, July 25 (Reuters) - NASA Administrator Bill Nelson visited Brazilian space research center INPE on Wednesday and proposed extending satellite partnerships with the United States to help monitor and prevent destruction of the Amazon rainforest. Nelson said NASA will have a satellite in January that can even render images of what is happening below the forest canopy. "I thanked the president for his continuous effort to save the Amazon rainforest," he told reporters after the meeting. Earlier on Tuesday, Nelson visited Brazilian plane maker Embraer (EMBR3.SA) in Sao Jose dos Campos and toured the production line for its narrow-body commercial E-Jets.

Persons: Bill Nelson, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Adriano Machado BRASILIA, Nelson, Sao Jose dos Campos, Luciana Santos, Anthony Boadle, Brad Haynes, Bill Berkrot Organizations: REUTERS, NASA, INPE, Embraer, EMBR3, Jets, Thomson Locations: Brasilia, Brazil, United States, India, Sao Jose, INPE, China, U.S, Brazilian, American, Argentina, Colombia

The decree fulfills a campaign promise by Lula, who criticized looser gun controls under Bolsonaro, arguing they were responsible for a wave of political violence during last year's election. The country has nearly 800,000 registered gun owners, up from 117,467 in 2018 when Bolsonaro was elected, according to the 2023 Brazilian Yearbook of Public Security. Lula's decree rolled back firearms access for that group. Lula's decree also closes a loophole that allowed many gun owners to go out in public with loaded weapons if they claimed to be going to a gun club. Gun owners who bought their weapons during the previous administration will not be forced to give them up, but the decree envisages a buyback program starting this year.

Persons: Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Jair Bolsonaro, Lula, Bolsonaro, Lula's, Lisandra, Gabriel Stargardter, Brad Haynes, David Holmes, Richard Chang Organizations: of Public Security, Brazilian Armed Forces, CAC, Gun, Thomson Locations: BRASILIA, Brazil, Brasilia, Rio de Janeiro

☆ Sao Paulo governor turns heads on Brazil's right after Bolsonaro election ban
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( Ricardo Brito | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Although the governor and his closest advisers insist he is focused on serving Sao Paulo state, many of Brazil's seasoned conservative power brokers are already calling the pro-business moderate a natural candidate for the presidency in three years. It also helped shore up three-quarters support among Sao Paulo lawmakers for the reform as it cleared one chamber of Congress. He is pushing to privatize the port of Santos on the Sao Paulo coast, a bid blocked for now by the federal government. And he has vowed to revive efforts to privatize state water utility Sabesp (SBSP3.SA), while Lula has decried recent privatizations under Bolsonaro. "He has to finish his mission in Sao Paulo with a second term," said one close aide, asking not to be named as he was not authorized to speak about the governor's plans.

Persons: Tarcisio de Freitas, Jair Bolsonaro, Freitas, Bolsonaro, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's, Marcos Pereira, of God, Arthur Lira, Ciro Nogueira, Bolsonaro's, Antonio Queiroz, Dilma Rousseff, Lula, Queiroz, Ricardo Brito, Anthony Boadle, Brad Haynes, Paul Simao Organizations: Paulo, Republicans, Universal Church of, Liberal Party, ARMY, Workers Party, Sao, Thomson Locations: BRASILIA, Sao Paulo, of, Brazilian, Santos

BRASILIA, July 18 (Reuters) - Brazil's government is considering changes to the taxation of closed-end funds and shareholder payouts in order to shore up revenue in next year's budget, said three senior economic officials with direct knowledge of the matter. The government signaled on Tuesday it would propose a comprehensive income tax reform only after the Senate has passed a consumption tax reform that cleared the lower house of Congress this month. A more complex and structural reform, involving income tax exemptions, taxation of profits and dividends and reductions to payroll taxes, would be presented after the consumption tax reform clears the Senate, the sources said. "When the budget bill is sent, revenue measures to meet the targets must also be sent, and some of these measures will already appear in the proposal," said one of the sources. Closed-end funds offer favorable investment opportunities to wealthier Brazilians by taxing earnings only when they are distributed to investors.

Persons: Marcela Ayres, Bernardo Caram, Brad Haynes, Matthew Lewis, Richard Chang Organizations: Finance Ministry, Finance, Senate, Thomson Locations: BRASILIA, Brasilia

SAO PAULO, July 18 (Reuters) - An alternative investment vehicle controlled by French insurer AXA (AXAF.PA) said on Tuesday it will inject $49 million into reforestation projects in Brazil led by local startup Mombak. Mombak, which is also backed by Bain Capital, will lead projects to reforest over 10,000 hectares of degraded pastureland, generating up to 6 million carbon credits. "We are building the largest carbon removal projects in the world," Mombak co-founder Peter Fernandez said in an interview. "The single largest opportunity that humanity has to do reforestation is in Brazil." "We would like to significantly scale up our deployment in Brazil and other Amazon basin countries."

Persons: Mombak, Peter Fernandez, Fernandez, Adam Gibbon, Gabriel Araujo, Brad Haynes, Josie Kao Organizations: SAO PAULO, AXA, AXA IM Alts, Bain Capital, Greenpeace, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Brazil

☆ Brazilian union sues JBS over alleged exploitation of chicken workers
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Ana Mano | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Their shifts lasted up to 14 hours including the journey to and from the hen houses, said union leader Sergio Bolzan in a telephone interview. JBS is a primary defendant and four outsourcing companies are co-defendants in the suit, documents show. The suit claims workers did not get enough rest time, were not fully paid upon dismissal and did not get extra pay for performing hazardous work. Bolzan said evidence of alleged exploitation surfaced in April when he paid a surprise visit to where some catchers were being housed to document the conditions. Bolzan shared his concerns with labor prosecutors, who confirmed preliminary investigations into the matter, including whether catchers were employed "off the books."

Persons: Sergio Bolzan, JBS, Bolzan, Ana Mano, Brad Haynes, Mark Potter Organizations: SAO PAULO, JBS SA, Thomson Locations: Sidrolandia, Mato Grosso, Sul

☆ Brazil building collapse leaves five dead, eight still missing
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SAO PAULO, July 7 (Reuters) - A building collapsed on Friday in Brazil's northeastern state of Pernambuco, leaving at least five dead and eight others missing, civil defense authorities said. [1/5]Rescue workers look for victims among debris of a building collapse in Recife, Pernambuco state, Brazil July 7, 2023. REUTERS/Anderson StevensThe Pernambuco government said on social media that eight teams had been dispatched to the site after civil defense learned of the collapse at 6:35 a.m. (0935 GMT). Recife, a coastal city of some 1.5 million people, has been grappling with heavy rains in recent days. Reporting by Gabriel Araujo; Editing by Brad Haynes, Mark Porter and Sandra MalerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Anderson Stevens, Gabriel Araujo, Brad Haynes, Mark Porter, Sandra Maler Organizations: SAO PAULO, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Brazil's, Pernambuco, Janga, Recife, Brazil

☆ Bolsonaro clings to his political future as electoral court case begins
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The outlook appears bleak for Bolsonaro, a career politician who was until recently Brazil's most powerful man. Tarcisio Vieira, Bolsonaro's lawyer, told Reuters this week that his polarizing client faces an "unfavorable" climate from the country's media and the political and judicial classes. In an opening speech, Vieira said the case against Bolsonaro was "doomed to failure." If the TSE rules against Bolsonaro, the 68-year-old could find himself unable to run for public office until 2030. Much of Brazil appears eager to move on from the fire and brimstone of the Bolsonaro years.

Persons: Jair, Salgado, Diego Vara, Jair Bolsonaro's, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Bolsonaro's, Tarcisio Vieira, Vieira, Bolsonaro, Lula, Tarcisio Freitas, Romeu Zema, Gabriel Stargardter, Brad Haynes, Chizu, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: Electoral, REUTERS, Diego Vara RIO, Reuters, Bolsonaro, Sao Paulo, Thomson Locations: Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, JANEIRO, Brasilia, Jan, Minas Gerais

Santander and Goldman Sachs were the latest to upgrade their recommendations on the oil company to "Buy". They announced the change late on Tuesday, citing an attractive valuation and limited impacts from recent changes to key company policies. That followed similar calls earlier this month by Morgan Stanley and JPMorgan, which upgraded Petrobras to "Overweight" mentioning less disruptive policy changes than initially expected and lower risk perceptions, respectively. Analysts now await an announcement on the firm's dividend policy by July, but they do not foresee a major shift. "We believe the company's financial vigor and the government's fiscal needs make the case for limited changes," said Santander analysts, who raised their rating to "Outperform".

Persons: Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Goldman, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's, Gabriel Araujo, Brad Haynes, Emma Rumney, Sharon Singleton Organizations: SAO PAULO, Petrobras, PETR4, Santander, JPMorgan, Thomson Locations: Brazil

☆ Brazil police find plans for military coup on Bolsonaro aide's phone, Veja reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Cid is currently under arrest as part of a probe into the alleged falsification of Bolsonaro's COVID-19 vaccination card. According to Veja, the three-page document provided a roadmap for how to block Lula's inauguration, using the military as a "moderating force." The document calls for the nomination of an "intervener" with power over the armed forces and all of Brazil's federal public security agencies. Offending justices in the Supreme Court and the federal electoral court would be investigated, removed and replaced. Reporting by Gabriel Stargardter Additional reporting by Ricardo Brito Editing by Brad Haynes and David GregorioOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Jair Bolsonaro, Veja, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Anderson Torres, Lula, Colonel Mauro Cid, Cid, Bolsonaro's, Bernardo Fenelon, Gabriel Stargardter, Ricardo Brito, Brad Haynes, David Gregorio Our Organizations: RIO DE, Federal Police, Force, Thomson Locations: RIO DE JANEIRO

☆ Brazil lifts 2023 growth outlook thanks to booming farm sector
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Marcela Ayres | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

BRASILIA, June 1 (Reuters) - Brazil's economy rebounded more than expected in the first quarter, powered by a booming farm sector and paving the way for a rosier annual outlook despite a drag from high interest rates. Gross domestic product (GDP) expanded by 1.9% in the three months through March after a revised 0.1% drop in the prior quarter, data from government statistics agency IBGE showed on Thursday. The Brazilian real strengthened 0.5% against the U.S. dollar and the benchmark Bovespa stock index (.BVSP) rose 0.6%. Goldman Sachs adjusted its 2023 GDP growth forecast to 2.6% from 1.75% after the first-quarter data, citing the additional help of net exports and inventory accumulation. XP economists indicated an upward revision of their current 1.4% growth outlook, forecasting market expectations to keep rising to the range of 2.0% to 2.5%.

Persons: Simone Tebet, Goldman Sachs, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Lucas Toro, Toro Investimentos, Roberto Campos Neto, Marcela Ayres, Bernardo Caram, Brad Haynes, Steven Grattan, Sriraj Organizations: Gross, IBGE, U.S ., Finance Ministry, Thomson Locations: BRASILIA, Brazilian

[1/2] Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva meets with Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro (not pictured) before a summit with presidents of South America to discuss the re-launching of the regional cooperation bloc UNASUR, in Brasilia, Brazil, May 29, 2023. "We won't decide anything at tomorrow's meeting, it is just about discussing possibilities," Lula told a news conference on Monday with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, on his first visit to Brazil in eight years. Lula said the leaders did not have to recreate a new Unasur but could come up with a different sort of organization. Maduro is hoping the South American countries will unite in calling on the United States to lift its sanctions against Venezuela, which he and Lula assailed at their news conference. "The aim of this initiative is to unite all the countries of the region once again," she told reporters on Friday.

The approval, by 283 votes to 155, comes after Indigenous groups blocked a highway and burned tires to protest the measures earlier on Tuesday. Outside Sao Paulo, Brazil's largest city, demonstrators blocked a major motorway with flaming tires and used bows and arrows to confront police, who dispersed them with tear gas. Indigenous groups from across the country planned a week of protests outside Congress in the capital Brasilia. Lula legally recognized six Indigenous territories last month. Reporting by Anthony Boadle in Brasilia and Leonardo Benassatto in Sao Paulo; Editing by Brad Haynes, Cynthia Osterman and Lincoln FeastOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Bill, Marco, Amanda Perobelli, Jair Bolsonaro, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Bolsonaro, Lula, Anthony Boadle, Leonardo Benassatto, Brad Haynes, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: SAO PAULO, REUTERS, Supreme, Sao Paulo, Thomson Locations: BRASILIA, SAO, Sao Paulo, Brazil's, Brasilia, Guarani, Brazil, Sao, Lincoln

[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.

The remarks brought a strong retort from Washington, where a White House spokesman accused Lula of "parroting Russian and Chinese propaganda." Lula is a pragmatic politician," one of the diplomats told Reuters, requesting anonymity to discuss the sensitive matter. Lula has suggested Ukraine needs to make concessions to end the war and Russia could return recently invaded territory but keep Crimea. The European Union has also rejected Lula's suggestion that both Ukraine and Russia are to blame for the war. Earlier this year, Lula turned down a reported German request to supply artillery ammunition to Ukraine.

Speaking at a lunch with Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, Lula said a group of neutral nations must come together to help broker peace between Russia and Ukraine. A White House spokesman accused Lula of "parroting Russian and Chinese propaganda without looking at the facts." Lula has pitched himself as a peace broker to end the war, which began when Russia invaded the neighboring country in February 2022. The European Union has also rejected Lula's suggestion that both Ukraine and Russia are to blame for the war. Among Western nations so far, only French President Emmanuel Macron has welcomed Lula's peace initiative.

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