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☆ Facebook approved ads promoting violence in wake of Brazil riots, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Martin Coulter | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Ueslei MarcelinoLONDON, Jan 19 (Reuters) - Facebook approved a series of online ads promoting violence in Brazil, days after protesters ransacked government buildings, according to a new report. However, four days after the uprising, human rights organisation Global Witness found Facebook was still allowing ads containing death threats and other calls to violence on its platform. Using fake accounts, the group submitted 16 bogus ads to run on the platform, 14 of which were approved for publication. Global Witness said it withdrew the ads from Facebook before any other users could see them. “In the aftermath of the violence in Brasilia, Facebook said they were ‘actively monitoring’ the situation and removing content in violation of their policies.

☆ Brazil presents charges against Jan. 8 pro-Bolsonaro riot participants
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

BRASILIA, Brazil — The office of Brazil’s prosecutor-general has presented its first charges against some of the thousands of people who authorities say stormed government buildings in an effort to overturn former President Jair Bolsonaro’s loss in the October election. More than a thousand people were arrested on the day of the Jan. 8 riot, which bore strong similarities to the Jan. 6, 2021, riots at the U.S. Congress by mobs who wanted to overturn former President Donald Trump’s loss in November’s election. “The ultimate objective of the attack ... was the installation of an alternative government regime.”Supporters of Brazil's former President Jair Bolsonaro rifle through papers on a desk after storming the Planalto Palace in Brasilia on Jan. 8. Eraldo Peres / APThe attackers were not charged with terrorism because under Brazilian law such a charge must involve xenophobia or prejudice based on race, ethnicity or religion. The prosecutor-general’s office sent its charges to the Supreme Court after the Senate’s president, Rodrigo Pacheco, last week provided a list of people accused of rampaging through Congress.

☆ Brazil's Lula says intelligence services failed ahead of Brasilia riots
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Ricardo Brito | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

BRASILIA, Jan 18 (Reuters) - Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on Wednesday his intelligence services had failed on Jan. 8, when Brasilia buildings were stormed by supporters of far-right former President Jair Bolsonaro. "We made an elementary mistake: my intelligence did not exist (that day)," Lula told TV channel GloboNews in an interview. "We have Army intelligence, Air Force intelligence, ABIN (Brazil's Intelligence Agency); none of them warned me." The Brazilian insurrection resembled the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol by supporters of former President Donald Trump. The Brazilian president said he was also set to meet German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Brazil later this month, as Reuters first reported last month.

☆ Brazil's Lula removes soldiers from guarding presidential residence
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BRASILIA, Jan 17 (Reuters) - Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has removed 40 troops guarding the presidential residence after expressing distrust in the military for failing to act against demonstrators that ransacked government buildings on Jan. 8. Most of the troops guarding the Alvorada palace, as the presidential residence is called, are from the army, but some are also members of the Navy, Air Force and a militarized police force. The president's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on who would replace the troops guarding the residence. Several thousand Bolsonaro supporters stormed the Congress, the Planalto presidential palace and the Supreme Court seeking to overturn the result of the October election narrowly won by Lula. There were many people from the armed forces who were complicit," Lula told journalists.

☆ Turmoil and Protests Shake Latin America as Region Sours on Democracy
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( Ryan Dube | Juan Forero | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

LIMA, Peru—This country has had six presidents in five years, the latest taking power last month and igniting protests that have cost 42 lives and paralyzed many of Peru’s highland cities. In Mexico, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has taken measures that undermine the country’s independent electoral agency, while thousands of supporters of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro , many of them who said his opponent had rigged the October presidential election, last week ransacked the country’s presidential palace, the Congress and the Supreme Court.

[1/5] 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. Launched in November 2020 and run by Brazil's central bank, Pix is free of charge for individuals, allowing them to instantly transfer money to others via online banking apps. Since its launch, over 133 million Brazilians and almost 12 million companies have made or received Pix transfers, according to the central bank. INVESTIGATIVE TRAILPolice, money-laundering experts and central bank officials said Pix donations will be central to investigators' efforts to uncover who orchestrated the insurrection. Pix transfers are covered by bank secrecy laws, and police can only access a suspect's transaction history with judicial authorization.

☆ Former Bolsonaro Minister Arrested in Probe Over Brazil Riots
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-14 | by ( Patricia Kowsmann | Luciana Magalhaes | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

BRASÍLIA—The Brazilian official in charge of the capital’s security at the time of Sunday’s riots surrendered to police Saturday morning as judicial authorities investigate what they say are a web of suspects intent on overthrowing President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva . Anderson Torres, who previously was justice minister under the right-wing government of former President Jair Bolsonaro , arrived in Brasília shortly after 7 a.m. from the U.S., where he had been on vacation since last week.

☆ Top Brazilian court authorizes investigation into whether Bolsonaro incited riot
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-14 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

RIO DE JANEIRO — A Brazilian Supreme Court justice on Friday authorized an investigation of whether former president Jair Bolsonaro incited the Jan. 8 riot in the nation’s capital, as part of a broader crackdown to hold responsible parties to account. The video claimed Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva wasn’t voted into office, but rather was chosen by the Supreme Court and Brazil’s electoral authority. Security forces arrest supporters of Brazilian former President Jair Bolsonaro after retaking control of Planalto Presidential Palace in Brasilia, Brazil, on Jan. 8. Dino told reporters Friday morning that no connection has yet been established between the capital riot and Bolsonaro. The federal district’s former governor and former military police chief are also targets of the Supreme Court investigation made public Friday.

☆ Brazil’s Supreme Court Authorizes Probe of Former President Bolsonaro Over Riots
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-14 | by ( Luciana Magalhaes | Samantha Pearson | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro used the example of the U.S. Capitol attack to argue for getting rid of Brazil’s electronic voting system. BRASÍLIA—Brazil’s Supreme Court authorized Friday an investigation into former President Jair Bolsonaro over accusations he incited last weekend’s riots by asserting the election that removed him from office was rigged. Before the Oct. 30 vote won by leftist candidateLuiz Inácio Lula da Silva , Mr. Bolsonaro, a conservative, warned about the potential for voter fraud and some of his supporters say they don’t believe Mr. da Silva is the country’s legitimate president. Mr. Bolsonaro hasn’t conceded defeat.

☆ Brazilian Prosecutors Call for Probe of Former President Bolsonaro Over Riots
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-14 | by ( Luciana Magalhaes | Samantha Pearson | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro used the example of the U.S. Capitol attack to argue for getting rid of Brazil’s electronic voting system. BRASÍLIA—Brazilian prosecutors on Friday accused former President Jair Bolsonaro of inciting last weekend’s riots by asserting the election that removed him from office was rigged, and asked the country’s Supreme Court to authorize an investigation of him. Before the Oct. 30 vote won by leftist candidateLuiz Inácio Lula da Silva , Mr. Bolsonaro, a conservative, warned about the potential for voter fraud and some of his supporters say they don’t believe Mr. da Silva is the country’s legitimate president. Mr. Bolsonaro hasn’t conceded defeat.

☆ 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.

☆ Brazil top court to investigate Bolsonaro role in Brasilia riots
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-14 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Security forces operate as supporters of Brazil's former President Jair Bolsonaro demonstrate against President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, outside Brazil’s National Congress in Brasilia, Brazil, January 8, 2023. Brazil's Supreme Court agreed on Friday to open an investigation into former President Jair Bolsonaro for allegedly encouraging anti-democratic protests that ended in the storming of government buildings by his supporters in Brasilia. The Supreme Court had already ordered the arrest of Bolsonaro's former justice minister, Anderson Torres, for allowing the protests to take place in the Brazilian capital after he assumed responsibility for Brasilia's public security. Torres, who like Bolsonaro is in Florida, has said he plans to return to Brazil to turn himself in. Bolsonaro said on social media he will move forward his return to Brazil.

☆ Timeline: How Bolsonaro Supporters Came to Storm Brazil’s Congress
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( Wall Street Journal | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

New York City Nurses Return to Work After Three-Day Strike Nurses from two New York City hospitals returned to work on Thursday after a three-day strike. Both the New York State Nurses Association and hospitals confirmed tentative agreements were made. Photo: Ziyu Julian Zhu/Zuma Press

☆ Brazil should work with other countries to curb illegal gold trade, says mining lobby
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

RIO DE JANEIRO, Jan 13 (Reuters) - Brazil's mining lobby group asked the country's foreign ministry to work with other governments to improve tactics used to combat the illegal gold trade, it said on Friday. "The trade of illegal gold feeds a criminal alliance in Brazil, which is responsible for part of the devastation we see in the Amazon rainforest, something the world is watching," said Raul Jungmann, president of the Ibram trade association, in a statement. Ibram represents mining giants such as Vale (VALE3.SA), Rio Tinto (RIO.AX), BHP as well as gold miners such as South Africa's AngloGold Ashanti (ANGJ.J) and Canada's Yamana Gold <YRI.TO. The lobby group called for the ministry to work with countries that buy illegally mined Brazilian gold, such as Switzerland, to "reduce the space" for illicit operators. It has pledged to stop deforestation in the Amazon, a vital biome whose health is considered vital in the fight against climate change.

☆ Brazil's prosecutors asks Supreme Court to investigate Bolsonaro's role in Brasilia riots
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Jan 13 (Reuters) - Brazilian federal prosecutors on Friday asked the Supreme Court to investigate the role of former President Jair Bolsonaro in the anti-democratic acts that resulted in the storming of government buildings by his supporters in Brasilia last Sunday. Reporting by Ricardo Brito Editing by Chris ReeseOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ 'Sabotage' likely culprit for Brazil's Eletrobras towers collapse, sources say
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

RIO DE JANEIRO, Jan 13 (Reuters) - The collapse of two transmission towers operated by Brazilian power company Eletrobras (ELET6.SA) happened after someone cut the cables used to secure the towers, three sources with knowledge of the matter said on Friday. On one of the towers, "cut wires were found, in a sign of vandalism," said a second source. A third tower operated by power transmission company Evoltz had also collapsed on Monday. Another tower operated by transmission firm Taesa (TAEE11.SA) suffered a vandalism attempt on Thursday. However, the tower was not knocked down and there was no interruption in power transmission, Taesa said.

☆ Brazil has made no request to U.S. about Bolsonaro, Torres -minister
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The Brazilian Supreme Court has ordered the arrest of the former minister, Anderson Torres, who has said he would turn himself in but is now in Florida, as is Bolsonaro. Dozens of U.S. Congress members asked the United States to revoke Bolsonaro's visa after his supporters stormed Brasilia earlier this month. New Justice Minister Flavio Dino told a news conference he would wait until next week to re-evaluate Torres' case, indicating that an effort to request his extradition could happen if the former minister does not turn himself in. The arrest warrant against Torres was issued by Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, after the storming of public buildings in Brasilia last Sunday. The former justice minister, who says he is vacationing in Orlando, claimed that the reported document was likely among others in a stack being thrown out and was "leaked" in his absence to create a "false narrative."

☆ Brazil ‘mega-protest’ fizzles amid authorities’ concern
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

BRASILIA, Brazil — Skittish Brazilian authorities on Wednesday spared no effort to boost security in the face of a social media flyer promoting a “mega-protest to retake power” in two dozen cities. On Brasilia’s esplanade surrounded by federal government buildings, authorities had designated an area for protest and stationed police and national guard troops. Just one couple showed, dressed in the same Brazil soccer jerseys that thousands of rioters wore four days earlier. Citing the call to protest, a Supreme Court justice ordered local authorities in cities across Brazil to prevent protesters from blocking roads or occupying public spaces and buildings. Justice Minister Flávio Dino told local press this week that authorities have identified some of the protest’s financiers.

☆ Brazil Gives Local Officials More Power to Thwart Protests
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Luciana Magalhaes | Patricia Kowsmann | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

BRASÍLIA—The Supreme Court on Wednesday extended the powers of local authorities in Brazil to control antigovernment protests, as authorities braced for further turmoil around the country after Sunday’s attacks in the capital. The decision came as prosecutors requested a freeze on the assets of the country’s right-wing former president, Jair Bolsonaro . His successor, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva , has accused Mr. Bolsonaro of inspiring his supporters to riot in the capital on Sunday. Mr. Bolsonaro hasn’t conceded defeat in the Oct. 30 presidential election, in which Mr. da Silva won 50.9% of the vote.

☆ Brazil police find draft decree in ex-minister's house to revert election -source
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Ricardo Brito | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

My conscience is clear regarding my actions as minister," Torres wrote. Analysts said the measures proposed in the document would amount to an unconstitutional conspiracy to meddle in the election. A lawyer for the former justice minister, Demostenes Torres told Reuters he was not aware of the document, but noted that it was "impossible" to change the election result. The document was ready for presidential signature, the source told Reuters, requesting anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation. He briefly posted a video this week on social media suggesting Lula had in fact lost the election.

☆ Brazil's Lula predicts policies in place within 100 days, reassures markets
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BRASILIA, Jan 12 (Reuters) - Brazil's leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on Thursday that he plans to have policies ready within 100 days so the country "runs at normal speed" again and told financial markets they should not worry about his Workers Party government. Addressing Sunday's storming of government building in Brasilia by supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro, Lula told reporters that "what happened was a huge warning, we won the election but fanatic Bolsonaro supporters are very dangerous." Supporters of right-wing Bolsonaro ransacked Brazil's Congress, Supreme Court and presidential palace on Sunday, calling for a military coup to overturn the October election won by Lula. "If I had to fire a minister every time they made a mistake, the turnaround would be enormous," Lula said. The 77-year-old President also said that markets should not worry about his Workers Party government.

☆ Revoke Bolsonaro's visa, 41 U.S. Democrats urge Biden administration
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Patricia Zengerle | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

They sent a letter calling on the administration to support democracy and the rule of law in Brazil. State Department and White House officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the letter. The State Department has said repeatedly its policy is not to discuss specific visa cases. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday that Washington had not received any specific requests from Brazil over Bolsonaro. Bolsonaro has said on social media that he would return to Brazil earlier than planned for medical reasons.

[1/2] Security forces operate as supporters of Brazil's former President Jair Bolsonaro demonstrate against President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, outside Brazil’s National Congress in Brasilia, Brazil, January 8, 2023. The battalion of troops assigned to guard the presidential palace did not respond either until rioters had entered and trashed the palace, according to a Reuters witness. Four on-duty staffers from the National Security Adviser's office (GSI) were quickly overwhelmed inside the presidential palace and their office ransacked. Presidential Chief of Staff Rui Costa said the government now faces the challenge of undertaking a "decontamination" of the security forces and holding those responsible accountable. "This excessive participation of the military and military police in politics is progressively leading to ideological contamination of the forces," Costa said.

☆ Brazilian authorities brace for possible repeat of uprising
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

It was unclear how large or violent such demonstrations might shape up to be, but skittish authorities took no chances. Citing the call to action on social media, a Supreme Court justice ordered local authorities in cities across Brazil to prevent protesters from blocking roads or occupying public spaces and buildings. A police officer carries away part of a vandalized sculpture Tuesday at the Supreme Court building in Brasília. Carl De Souza / AFP - Getty ImagesJustice Minister Flávio Dino told local press this week that authorities have identified some of the protest’s financiers. In November, the Supreme Court froze 43 bank accounts of people accused of having financed roadblocks that disrupted highway traffic in the wake of Lula’s victory.

☆ Fact Check-Video clip of crowd at Brazil’s National Congress pre-dates January 2023 attack on government buildings
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A video clip showing throngs of people in front of the National Congress in Brasilia was not filmed on Jan. 8, 2023, when supporters of Brazil’s former president Jair Bolsonaro stormed the country’s Congress, presidential palace and Supreme Court. The video clip pre-dates the protest on Jan. 8. A reverse image search reveals that the clip was uploaded to Twitter in September 2022 (here), archived (archive.is/wip/92qqJ). The clip was filmed in the capital, Brasilia, along Esplanada dos Ministérios, geolocated (archive.is/ZtF31). The video clip has been online since at least September 2022.

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