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☆ Cops on Brazil's campaign trail call for backup as violence spikes
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-27 | by ( Gabriel Stargardter | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +10 min

They asked the top Federal Police officers in each state to reinforce Lula campaign events with bulletproof cars, tactical teams, drones and intelligence reports. Some of them have responded by stockpiling guns and lashing out at leftists during a tense campaign marred by high-profile cases of violence. Ten years of troubles have resulted in stark political polarization - embodied by Lula and Bolsonaro - that has become increasingly menacing on the campaign trail. BOLSONARO STRONGHOLDSThe Federal Police have also sought to open two other criminal probes over threats to Lula, according to the source. Lula has just 27% support in Santa Catarina, against 49% for Bolsonaro, according to the latest survey by pollster Ipec.

☆ Fires in Brazil's Amazon surge in September, worst month since 2010
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( Gabriel Araujo | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Smoke from a fire rises into the air as trees burn amongst vegetation in the Brazil's Amazon rainforest, in Apui, Amazonas state, Brazil, September 5, 2021. REUTERS/Bruno Kelly/File PhotoSAO PAULO, Sept 26 (Reuters) - Fires in Brazil's Amazon rainforest have surged in September, already making it the worst month in more than a decade, government data showed on Monday, after a jump in deforestation during an election year. Destruction of Brazil's rainforest often picks up in election years, when law enforcement typically ebbs and loggers race ahead with plans ahead of a possible shift in conservation policy. "Fires are not a natural phenomenon in the Amazon rainforest. Data also showed that 1,661 square kilometers (641 square miles) were cleared in the Amazon last month, an 81% increase from the same period in 2021.

A man runs past banners with photos of presidential candidates, Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro, Ciro Gomes and former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil September 1, 2022. With just days to go until the first-round vote on Oct. 2, Lula is ahead in the polls against President Jair Bolsonaro, a far-right populist who has sought to discredit Brazil's electronic voting system. Critics fear Bolsonaro may follow the example of former U.S. President Donald Trump and refuse to accept an electoral defeat. A third source said many European countries are also planning for swift recognition of Brazil's election results. One of the sources said that in the meeting with Koneff, Lula thanked the United States for having expressed faith in Brazil's voting system.

A man runs past banners with photos of presidential candidates, Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro, Ciro Gomes and former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil September 1, 2022. Faced with that and the likely return of a left-wing government in next month's election, some investors have moved to the sidelines. Despite this year's chaotic news flow, Petrobras has so far vindicated the bulls in the local market. "Petrobras shares are really cheap," said one Sao Paulo fund manager with about 20 billion reais ($3.9 billion) under management. Like many interviewed for this article, he requested anonymity to talk frankly about the state firm amid a heated election.

☆ Brazil central bank holds interest rates after 12 straight increases
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-21 | by ( Marcela Ayres | Fergal Smith | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BRASILIA, Sept 21 (Reuters) - Brazil's central bank on Wednesday decided to keep interest rates unchanged, pausing an aggressive monetary tightening cycle even as policymakers in the United States and other major economies are still racing to catch up with inflation. The bank's rate-setting committee, known as Copom, decided by a vote of 7-to-2 to leave its benchmark Selic interest at 13.75% after 12 consecutive increases. read moreBrazil's central bank decided to stop hiking rates after consumer prices registered their second straight monthly drop in August, helped by tax cuts on fuel and energy. read moreEconomists are already debating when Brazil's interest rates might start falling again – including Economy Minister Paulo Guedes himself, who predicted rate cuts in early 2023. However, central bank directors have taken a harsher tone in recent public comments, stressing it is too early to start discussing lower rates as the battle with inflation is not done.

☆ Bolsonaro's gun laws arm Brazil's brazen bank thieves
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-21 | by ( Gabriel Stargardter | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +10 min

In July, Reuters reported that Brazil's Federal Police disapproved of Bolsonaro's gun policies, arguing they would put more weapons in the hands of criminals. Of all the weapons now available to Brazil's gun fans, the T4 has emerged as the weapon of choice for its gangsters. A common tactic used by gangs - as seen in the case of Huijsman's T4 - is to steal weapons from CAC permit-holders' homes. On Oct. 31, 2021, Minas Gerais military police and Brazil's Federal Highway Police carried out two raids against alleged bank robbers hiding out near Varginha, killing 26 of them. Marques, the gun expert, said Huijsmans' rifle wouldn't be the last legally acquired firearm to turn up at a crime scene.

☆ Brazil's Bolsonaro calls for 'immediate cease fire' in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterBrazil's President Jair Bolsonaro addresses the 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly at U.N. Headquarters in New York City, U.S., September 20, 2022. REUTERS/Brendan McdermidSept 20 (Reuters) - Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on Tuesday called for an immediate cease fire in Ukraine, while criticizing sanctions against Russia over the invasion, as he addressed the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Bolsonaro said Brazil does not see unilateral sanctions as the best way to handle the conflict, adding that a solution would only be reached through dialogue and negotiations. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Gabriel Araujo in Sao Paulo Editing by Brad HaynesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Paraguassu is one of the record number of Black candidates running for state and federal office in October 2022 elections. REUTERS/Amanda PerobelliSALVADOR, Brazil, Sept 20 (Reuters) - For the first time in its 132-year history, the Brazilian census now underway includes a question counting members of the "quilombo" communities founded by runaway slaves. Quilombo residents now hope that a proper count of their numbers and more elected voices will open the door to improved social services and guarantees of rights for people and places long left off official maps. Bolsonaro was fined 50,000 reais ($10,000) in 2017 for insulting quilombo residents, saying that "they do nothing" and are "not even good for procreating." On Ilha de Mare, quilombo residents have for generations survived on the hard work of artisanal fishermen and fisherwomen.

☆ Brazilian ex-bank leader Meirelles says no talk of joining Lula but door open
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-19 | by ( Marcela Ayres | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Brazil's then-Secretary of Finance and Planning Henrique Meirelles is seen during a news conference in Sao Paulo Brazil February 21, 2019. REUTERS/Amanda Perobelli/File PhotoBRASILIA, Sept 19 (Reuters) - Former Brazilian central bank chief Henrique Meirelles, who served under former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, said on Monday he had not discussed joining the government if the leftist leader wins a third term in October's election. "There's nothing (on the table)," he told Reuters after endorsing Lula at a campaign event, while emphasizing his strong relations with him. The ringing endorsement from Meirelles contributed to a strong day for Brazilian markets, traders said, with the currency gaining 1.8% and the benchmark stock index rising 2.3%. Brazil's longest-serving central bank governor (2003-2010), Meirelles is remembered for his role managing the 2008 financial crisis and raising interest rates aggressively to fight inflation.

☆ Explainer: What is driving tensions ahead of Brazil's presidential election?
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-19 | by ( Anthony Boadle | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro gestures during a military parade to celebrate the bicentennial independence of Brazil, in Brasilia, Brazil September 7, 2022. ELECTRONIC VOTINGBrazil adopted electronic voting machines in 1996 to end widespread fraud involving paper ballots. THIN PAPER TRAILStill, some election experts say the lack of a paper record for each vote does limit opportunities to conduct audits if the election is contested. Voters punch their choices into electronic voting machines at 477,000 voting stations across Brazil. Last year, Congress voted down Bolsonaro's proposal to reintroduce a paper record for each vote cast.

Demonstrators take part in a protest for democracy and free elections and against Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro, at Paulista Avenue in Sao Paulo, Brazil, August 11, 2022. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register"One thing is certain about this election: President Bolsonaro will only accept one result – victory. When pressed in interviews, Bolsonaro says he will respect the election result as long as voting is "clean and transparent," without defining any criteria. Demonstrators cited the big crowds as evidence that opinion polls are skewed and electoral fraud is Lula's only hope. The Brazilian president has warned that the aftermath of Brazil's election this year could be worse than the fallout from that contested U.S. vote.

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