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☆ Brazil's Lula cuts losses after setbacks on environment and Indigenous front
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Maria Carolina Marcello | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

On Wednesday, the minority Lula government faces another key vote in the chamber that will reduce the powers of the ministries of the environment and of Indigenous affairs. Lula called an emergency cabinet meeting to discuss the dilemma, and called the speaker of the lower house, Arthur Lira, whom he plans to meet as well, to ensure the measure passes. INDIGENOUS ENVIRONMENTAL SETBACKThe law passed on Tuesday would set a cut-off date for recognizing Indigenous land claims, establishing that they had to be occupied before Brazil's current Constitution was enacted in 1988. Brazil's 1 million Indigenous peoples are guaranteed by the Constitution the right to live on ancestral lands. After the bill passed, the minister of Indigenous peoples, Sonia Guajajara, said that the deputies who backed it would be "responsible for approving a bill that explicitly attacks the lives of Indigenous peoples in Brazil."

Persons: Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Lula, Arthur Lira, Jair Bolsonaro, Bolsonaro, Sonia Guajajara, Lisandra Paraguassu, Ricardo Brito, Maria Carolina Marcello, Anthony Boadle, Matthew Lewis Organizations: Lawmakers, Liberal Party, Thomson Locations: BRASILIA, Congress, Sao Paulo, Brazil's, Brazil, Brasilia

☆ Brazil police accuse agency bosses of misconduct in Amazon murder case
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BRASILIA, May 19 (Reuters) - Brazil's federal police recommended misconduct charges be filed on Friday against two ex-officials of Indigenous agency Funai in the case of a journalist and a native expert murdered last June in the Amazon rainforest. The police said the two former officials failed to act on information ahead of the murders of British reporter Dom Phillips and Indigenous expert Bruno Pereira. Reuters was not immediately able to locate the two former Funai officials, or their lawyers, to request comment. The valley is a remote jungle area on the Peruvian border with Brazil that is home to the world's largest number of isolated Indigenous communities, as well as cocaine-smuggling gangs and illegal hunting and fishing rackets. Reporting by Maria Carolina Marcello; Writing by Carolina Pulice; Editing by David Alire Garcia and Rosalba O'BrienOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ A 'Saturday Night Live' actor breaks down how TikTok has influenced the show's approach to hiring and content
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Shriya Bhattacharya | Sydney Bradley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

He landed the gig through a personal connection but said TikTok has greatly influenced hiring since. He breaks down how the short-video app has influenced the show's filming style and talent. If Madray were trying to land a spot on "SNL" today, though, he might have taken a different route. Now, "SNL" uses the app to spot talent like Marcello Hernandez, who blew up on TikTok and became a regular cast member on the show. Recently, he said, the show has been experimenting with shooting content vertically so it can fit the frame of a TikTok video.

☆ As comedy views surge on TikTok, comedians say the app has broken the traditional power balance and opened up 'so many more ways' to be working comedians
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Shriya Bhattacharya | Sydney Bradley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

Before TikTok, comedians often bet on auditions or personal connections to break into the industry. Today, with 417,000 followers, Rahma is carving out a new space for unscripted comedy on the app. Insider spoke with 20 entertainment and TikTok insiders, including a dozen comedians, about how TikTok has impacted the comedy industry. TikTok comedians are bypassing traditional industry gatekeepersComedian Kyle Gordon was "flailing" before TikTok. Five comedians said they felt traditional late-night shows and comedy TV were losing some of their cultural impact as TikTok encroaches.

☆ Comedians say TikTok has broken the power of traditional gatekeepers and brought greater control and financial stability to their careers
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-12 | by ( Shriya Bhattacharya | Sydney Bradley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

☆ When the Circus Came to a Ghost Town
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Debra Kamin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

No HurryGypsy Wood, an Australian burlesque dancer who performs in OPM, arrived at the February dinner party in her red convertible with her dog Marcello. Like many of Spiegelworld’s artists, circus life was handed down to her by her parents, who were traveling performers in her hometown Adelaide, Australia. Gypsy is her given name — “I wouldn’t have chosen this as my stage name. “Circus life is like being on a bus trip that you can’t get off. But you can’t leave, and there are like three coffee shops so you see everyone all the time.

☆ Lula says will invite Xi to Brazil as China trip approaches
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BRASILIA, April 10 (Reuters) - Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on Monday he would invite his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping to Brazil, speaking on the eve of his departure the Asian country in a bid to tighten relations between the two countries. "I am going to invite Xi Jinping to come to Brazil, for a bilateral meeting, to get to know Brazil, to show him the projects that we have of interest for Chinese investment," he said in an interview to state-owned broadcasting company EBC, adding he is planning to "consolidate" the relationship with China. "What we want is for the Chinese to make investments to generate new jobs and generate new productive assets in Brazil," Lula added. Lula's trip to China, Brazil's top trading partner, was initially scheduled for March, but was postponed after he was diagnosed with a mild pneumonia. He will meet Xi as well as Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang next Friday.

☆ Brazil's Bolsonaro says he will not lead opposition, but will work with his party
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

BRASILIA, March 29 (Reuters) - Brazil's former President Jair Bolsonaro said on Wednesday he will not lead the opposition to President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, but will collaborate with his political party, the conservative Liberal Party. "I will not lead any opposition. I will help my party as a person with experience," he said. Bolsonaro added he plans to travel across Brazil in an effort to help his party in local elections next year. Reporting by Maria Carolina Marcello; Editing by Sarah Morland and Brendan O'BoyleOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ In Paraguay, calls for change test Colorado Party's political machine
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( Daniela Desantis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

ASUNCION, March 28 (Reuters) - Paraguay's ruling Colorado Party - a conservative political machine that has dominated government in Asuncion for some eight decades - could be facing a major challenge at the ballot box next month. Many voters say they feel it is time for something new. Pena may also be impacted by a U.S.-led graft probe into Horacio Cartes, a former Colorado president who led the country from 2013 to 2018. However, the Colorado party retains a powerful election campaign machine and supporter base that goes back generations. Adelina Caceres, director of a public school in the town of Guarambare, on the outskirts of the capital, said she supported the Colorado party mainly because "her grandfather had been Colorado," and despite being often frustrated by them.

☆ Italy's Treasury sets up new department for state-run companies
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

ROME, March 16 (Reuters) - Italy approved on Thursday a decree to create a new department at the economy ministry in charge of managing state-controlling companies such as energy groups Enel (ENEI.MI) and Eni . Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti announced the scheme in January as part of efforts to tighten the government's grip on key companies dealing with some of the most delicate corporate issues facing Italy. Under the scheme, the influential Treasury department within the ministry, led by veteran economist Riccardo Barbieri, will continue to supervise public debt management, macroeconomic policies, European and international relations as well as financial regulation. The newly created "economic department" will have its own director general and will handle the decision-making process regarding state-controlled firms, public assets and public guarantees on banking loans. Rome is expected to decide on the chairperson and CEO positions of these firms by the end of next week, government sources said.

☆ Brazil's vaccine-skeptic Bolsonaro got the shot, document indicates
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BRASILIA, Feb 17 (Reuters) - A health ministry record indicates that former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, a vocal skeptic of COVID-19 vaccines who vowed to never get the jab, may have received one in 2021, the country's comptroller general's office said on Friday. The office said it was examining a vaccine card provided by the health ministry recording the far-right former president's vaccination, though in a statement it cautioned that the card could have been altered. It said it had sought information about Bolsonaro's vaccination record from the health ministry following last month's inauguration of new leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. "The record exists, that's as much as we know," comptroller general's office head Vinicius Carvalho said during an interview with CNN Brazil. Reporting by Maria Carolina Marcello; Writing by Brendan O'Boyle; Editing by Will DunhamOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Biden and Lula project unity on democratic values and climate change
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( Andrea Shalal | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Brazil "self-marginalized itself for four years" under the former president, Lula said at the White House, without mentioning Bolsonaro by name. His world, Lula said, had "started and ended with fake news in the morning, afternoon, at night," prompting Biden to laugh and interject, "sounds familiar." Lula said the two leaders could also work together to combat inequality and climate change. Lula's visit to the White House followed a meeting with Senator Bernie Sanders and other lawmakers from Biden's Democratic Party. At the White House, Lula said the Amazon rainforest had been "invaded" under the previous administration, adding that he was committed to reaching zero deforestation by 2030.

☆ Ronaldo's Saudi switch another symbol of Chinese decline
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-29 | by ( Michael Church | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The Portuguese striker's Saudi Arabia switch following the cancellation of his Manchester United contract has highlighted a shift within Asian football that started before the COVID-19 pandemic and which continues to have a significant impact. With money pouring into clubs often owned by debt-fuelled property developers, the Chinese Super League (CSL) had been enticing an increasing number of leading players and coaches to the country since early last decade. The downturn in Chinese football has spared few. Two-time Asian champions Guangzhou FC, once Chinese football's dominant force, went into decline after their owners, developers China Evergrande, were forced to limit funding after the government restricted borrowing. With attention now squarely focused on the oil-funded riches on offer in a newly assertive Saudi Arabia, Chinese football's lustre has all but disappeared.

☆ Bolsonaro's ex-justice minister arrested in Brazilian capital
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BRASILIA, Jan 14 (Reuters) - Brazil's former Justice Minister Anderson Torres, who was in charge of public security in Brasilia during the invasion of government buildings a week ago, was arrested in Brasilia on Saturday on suspicion of "omission" and "connivance". Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes ordered Torres' arrest on Tuesday. According to Anderson Torres, the document was "leaked out of context" after being seized when he was not at his residence, and was probably part of a pile of papers for disposal. "Everything would be taken to be shredded in due course," the former minister said in a post on Twitter on Thursday. Justice Minister Flavio Dino had given Torres until Monday to return, after which he said he would have started extradition procedures.

Pacheco's office and the U.S. embassy in Brasilia did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Separately, a group of 74 federal lawmakers in the United States and Brazil released a joint statement on Wednesday condemning the political violence in Brasilia and Washington that came two years and two days apart. The statement, signed mainly by progressive lawmakers in both countries, was articulated by the Washington Brazil Office, a group promoting bilateral dialogue in defense of human rights and sustainable development. "It is no secret that ultra-right agitators in Brazil and the United States are coordinating efforts," they wrote, citing ties between associates of Trump and Bolsonaro. The Jan. 6 committee's final report, released last month, said Trump should face criminal charges for inciting the deadly riot.

☆ Lula returns to office in a troubled, divided Brazil
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-01 | by ( Anthony Boadle | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The ceremony in Congress begins at 3 p.m. (1800GMT), after which Lula will go the Planalto palace to don the presidential sash before a crowd of 30,000 supporters, while some 300,000 are expected to gather to celebrate on Brasilia's esplanade. Now, he faces the daunting challenge of improving Brazil's stagnant economy while also uniting a country that has become painfully polarized under Bolsonaro. His supporters have protested for two months that the election was stolen and called for a military coup to stop Lula returning to office in a climate of vandalism and violence. Organizers said delegations from 50 nations and 19 heads of state and governments, including the king of Spain, have confirmed their attendance. Reporting by Maria Carolina Marcello, Ricardo Brito, Lissandra Paraguassu and Anthony Boadle; Editing by Daniel WallisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Lasers revealed 5 ancient civilizations that were hiding in plain sight
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-01 | by ( Paola Rosa-Aquino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Archeologists beam lasers from the sky to unearth ancient settlements hiding in plain sight. State-of-the-art laser technology is transforming archaeology by creating 3D renderings of ruins. A hidden 2,000-year-old Mayan civilization in northern GuatemalaResearchers found a 2,000-year-old Mayan civilization in northern Guatemala using LiDAR. 61,000 previously unknown structures hidden under the dense Guatemalan jungleLiDAR laser technology found ancient cities with more than 60,000 structures in Guatemala. An overgrown ancient civilization buried in the Bolivian AmazonA LiDAR image of an ancient Amazonian urban network in what is now Bolivia.

But Jean Paul Prates, nominated on Friday to be chief executive, has been advocating for higher investments in renewables. "Petrobras is a company for the long run and cannot just keep exploring sub-salt oil and paying dividends," Prates said in a press conference this month. Prates, a senator for the past four years, will become the first politician to hold a high-ranking office at Petrobras in several years. Petrobras, Prates and the transition team's press officer did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Prates has defended higher Petrobras investments in the refining sector as a way to secure Brazil's fuel supply.

The complaint was met with skepticism by election authorities and other political figures who have recognized Lula's victory. The head of Brazil's Senate, Rodrigo Pacheco, said the election result was "unquestionable," while the center-right Brazilian Social Democratic Party (PSDB) called Bolsonaro's challenge "senseless." When the PSDB challenged the result of the 2014 presidential election, the investigation took one year and no irregularities were found. Vice President Hamilton Mourao, on a trip to Portugal, acknowledged on Wednesday that Bolsonaro's challenge was unlikely to succeed but said Brazil's electoral process needed more "transparency." Analyst Andre Cesar at Hold Legislativa consultancy said, however, that the challenge would provide ammunition for an ongoing protest movement of Bolsonaro's hardcore supporters.

[1/2] Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro gives a press statement at the Alvorada Palace in Brasilia, Brazil, November 1, 2022. Bolsonaro's claim seems unlikely to get far, as Lula's victory has been ratified by the TSE and acknowledged by Brazil's leading politicians and international allies. Bolsonaro's right-wing electoral coalition, which filed the complaint, said its audit of the vote count had found "signs of irreparable... malfunction" in older voting machines. "There were signs of serious failures that generate uncertainties and make it impossible to validate the results generated" in several older models of the voting machines, Bolsonaro allies said in their complaint. Brazil's currency deepened losses after news of the electoral complaint, losing 1.5% against the U.S. dollar in afternoon trading.

Demonstrations erupted on Sunday in support of Bolsonaro after he was narrowly defeated by Lula, who previously governed from 2003 to 2010. Carvalho asked Brazil's federal police to open an official probe on 70-year-old Piquet to "clarify the facts". He said that Piquet, as a public figure, should have been aware that his remarks had the power to reach hundreds of thousands of people. One of Lula's closest allies, Senator Humberto Costa, stated earlier this week he was filing a complaint against Piquet with the public prosecutor's office following his comments. His latest remarks come just days ahead of the Brazilian Grand Prix, which is set to begin in Sao Paulo on Nov. 13.

☆ Brazil votes in heated Bolsonaro vs. Lula presidential runoff
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-30 | by ( Anthony Boadle | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Bolsonaro has vowed to consolidate a sharp conservative turn in Brazilian politics after a presidency marred by the pandemic. Lula promises more social and environmental responsibility, recalling the rising prosperity of his 2003-2010 presidency, before corruption scandals tarred his Workers Party. Several polls showed the race between them tightening in the final week, with Bolsonaro eroding a slight lead for Lula. Bolsonaro outperformed opinion polls in the first round of voting on Oct. 2 among a field of 11 candidates. POST-ELECTION CONCERNSBrazil's electoral authorities are preparing for a narrow result, which Bolsonaro may contest if he loses.

☆ Brazil's top court set to rule in favor of Amazon Fund revival
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BRASILIA, Oct 27 (Reuters) - Brazil's Supreme Court is set to demand that the government reactivate a billion-dollar international fund aimed at protecting the Amazon rainforest as the nation faces rampant deforestation, according to a court statement on Thursday. A majority of the top court's justices decided that the government must take steps within 60 days to reactivate the Amazon Fund, frozen in 2019 when the President Jair Bolsonaro's administration decided to change its governance structure. Norway paid $1.2 billion into the fund between 2008 and 2018, resources that were intended to finance sustainability projects and help reduce deforestation in the world's largest rainforest. The fund was frozen after Bolsonaro took office in 2019 and weakened environmental protection measures in the Amazon, arguing that commercial farming and mining were needed in the region to reduce poverty. Reporting by Maria Carolina Marcello; Editing by Kenneth MaxwellOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Brazil's Bolsonaro to appeal to top court ahead of Sunday's election runoff
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( Anthony Boadle | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

This further raised concerns about disruptions before or after Sunday's vote pitting Bolsonaro against former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. In its ruling on Wednesday, the TSE asked Brazil's top public prosecutor to investigate the possible intention of the Bolsonaro camp to disrupt the election in its final days. Now he has claimed fraud involving campaign radio spots, adding to expectations that he will contest the result if he loses to Lula. Neither the Defense Ministry nor the Army replied to a request for confirmation that the military commanders met with Bolsonaro on Wednesday night. O Globo newspaper reported two weeks ago that Bolsonaro had ordered the military not to publish that finding.

☆ 'What are they hiding?': Group sues Biden and National Archives over JFK assassination records
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-19 | by ( Marc Caputo | Marc Caputo Is A Senior National Political Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +8 min

The country's largest online source of JFK assassination records is suing President Joe Biden and the National Archives to force the federal government to release all remaining documents related to the most mysterious murder of a U.S. president nearly 60 years ago. “This is about our history and our right to know it,” said Morley, the author of the JFK Facts blog. The National Archives and Records Administration, the agency in charge of the JFK documents, also said it’s complying with the law and the procedures Biden outlined. JFK assassination historian David Talbot, a Trump critic, said he sees an irony in the two cases. Uscinski said he’s hesitant to draw a direct line between lack of trust in the government and the refusal to release the JFK records, but he argued the feds essentially have themselves to blame.

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