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BRASILIA, Jan 11 (Reuters) - The leader of far-right former President Jair Bolsonaro's political party said on Wednesday that any member identified in videos taking part in the ransacking of government buildings on Sunday would be immediately expelled from the party. Valdemar Costa Neto, president of the right-wing Liberal Party, said his party, the largest in Brazil's Congress, condemned the rampage on Sunday in which Bolsonaro supporters vandalized the Supreme Court, Congress and presidential palace. While the PL party has recognized the election result, Bolsonaro has suggested without any evidence that the election was stolen by manipulating Brazil's electronic voting system. Bolsonaro, whose nationalist populism sharply polarized Brazil's electorate during his four-year term, has been named honorary president of the PL. He and his wife Michelle Bolsonaro will have offices at party headquarters with paid salaries.

The government of leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva bolstered security measures nationwide as flyers appeared on pro-Bolsonaro social media calling for mass demonstrations in Brazilian cities to "retake power." Ricardo Cappelli, the federal official in charge of public security in the capital since Sunday, said all security forces had been mobilized to prevent protests and that there would be no repeat of rioting. So far, 727 of the over 1,500 involved in Sunday's riots have been imprisoned. The Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld Moraes's arrest warrant for Anderson Torres, Bolsonaro's former justice minister who oversaw public security in Brasilia during Sunday's riots. The former president, whom Lula has blamed for inflaming the protests, did not mention Sunday's riots.

[1/2] A Brazilian flag is seen through broken glass following the anti-democratic riots, at Planalto Palace, in Brasilia, Brazil, January 10, 2023. What many banks point to is the assumed risk premium already built in to Brazilian real interest rates. But beyond Brazilian markets, the wide global markets calm surrounding the weekend events was equally curious. After all, Brazil is the 12th largest economy in the world and one of the biggest food and raw materials exporters. Among the 10 biggest risks it lists by likelihood is emerging markets political risks that threaten political institutions.

It was totally avoidable.”Now, Bolsonaro is in Orlando, where he has supporters among the state's growing number of Brazilian Americans. After Bolsonaro's loss, unfounded claims of election fraud, reminiscent of those in the U.S., began to surface in Brazil. Bannon had said prior to the Brazilian election that Bolsonaro would lose only if “the machines” steal the election. Leading to the presidential elections in Brazil, Trump allies exported many of the former president's campaign strategies to the Latin American country. After Bolsonaro's October loss, tens of thousands of supporters began camping outside military facilities throughout Brazil to protest his loss.

☆ Brazil must 'combat terrorism,' top court justice says after capital riots
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

BRASILIA, Jan 10 (Reuters) - Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said on Tuesday the country must firmly combat "terrorism" and "anti-democratic people attempting a coup" after supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro stormed Brasilia earlier this week. "Democracy will prevail and Brazilian institutions will not bend," said Moraes, who leads a probe into anti-democratic protests that has already yielded several arrests. Reporting by Ricardo Brito; Editing by Steven GrattanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Brazil's Supreme Court orders arrest of Bolsonaro's ex-justice minister, source says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

BRASILIA, Jan 10 (Reuters) - Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes has ordered the arrest of former Justice Minister Anderson Torres, who served under former President Jair Bolsonaro and who was in charge of public security in Brasilia during Sunday's invasion of government buildings, a source told Reuters on Tuesday. Torres, who was removed from office on Sunday, is currently in the United States, raising questions about his next move. The Supreme Court said it could not confirm the arrest warrant. Reporting by Ricardo Brito; Editing by Leslie AdlerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

[1/2] Supporters of Brazil's former President Jair Bolsonaro are pictured through broken glass as they hold a demonstration against President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, in Brasilia, Brazil, January 8, 2023. REUTERS/Adriano MachadoMEXICO CITY/SAO PAULO, Jan 9 (Reuters) - Brazilian assets may be hit by fresh volatility on Monday after supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro stormed key government buildings, echoing the U.S. Jan. 6 insurrection of 2021, analysts said. Ricardo Lacerda, founder and CEO of Brazilian investment bank BR Partners (BRBI11.SA), said he expects markets to react with volatility in the short term, especially on Monday, given the higher institutional risk. But Komura expects the markets to recover by the end of the week considering a strong institutional reaction against the rioters. While large sections of the Brazilian banking industry has tended to back Bolsonaro given his free market credentials relative to Lula's Workers' Party, the sector's main industry association roundly condemned Sunday's violence.

☆ Bolsonaro's Florida stay puts ball in Biden's court after Brasilia riots
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( Gabriel Stargardter | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/5] Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro gestures, as he meets supporters at the Alvorada Palace, in Brasilia, Brazil, December 12, 2022. REUTERS/Adriano MachadoRIO DE JANEIRO, Jan 9 (Reuters) - The United States has a Jair Bolsonaro problem. But Bolsonaro left behind a violent movement of election-denying supporters, who on Sunday stormed Brazil's presidential palace, Congress and Supreme Court. "The United States should not be a refuge for this authoritarian who has inspired domestic terrorism in Brazil. Former Panamanian President Martinelli was extradited from the United States back to Panama in 2018, three years after Panama's Supreme Court issued its arrest warrant.

☆ Biden makes first trip as president to U.S.-Mexico border as administration imposes restrictions
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-08 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Summer-Concepcion-Byline-Jm.Jpg | Summer Concepcion | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

President Joe Biden traveled to El Paso, Texas, on Sunday to assess enforcement operations at the U.S.-Mexico border — his first trip to the border since taking office — just days after his administration announced new restrictions on asylum seekers amid record numbers of migrants attempting to cross into the U.S. President Joe Biden speaks with Customs and Border Protection police on the Bridge of the Americas border crossing with Mexico in El Paso, Texas, on Sunday. Jim Watson / AFP - Getty ImagesDuring his visit to El Paso, Biden assessed enforcement operations at the Bridge of the Americas Port of Entry — the busiest port in El Paso, which recently received $600 million through the bipartisan infrastructure law. Greg Abbott, who handed the president a letter demanding he take further enforcement actions at the border. After his visit, Biden will travel to Mexico City later on Sunday to attend the North American Leaders' Summit.

☆ Cuba spy Ana Belen Montes released after 20 years behind bars
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Jan 6 (Reuters) - Ana Belen Montes, one of the highest-ranking U.S. officials ever proven to have spied for Cuba, has been released from prison early, the U.S. Bureau of Prisons confirmed Friday, after she spent more than two decades behind bars. A U.S. citizen of Puerto Rican descent, Montes began working for the DIA in 1985 and rapidly climbed its ranks to become the agency's top Cuba analyst. She was accused of supplying the identity of four U.S. spies to Cuba, as well as other classified information. Montes was arrested on Sept. 21, 2001, shortly before the United States invaded Afghanistan. At her sentencing a year later, Montes argued that she had obeyed her conscience and that U.S. policy to Cuba was cruel and unfair.

Bolsonaro, a far-right nationalist, left Brazil for Florida on Friday after losing to leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in Brazil's most fraught vote in a generation. Bolsonaro's U.S. trip insulates him from any immediate legal jeopardy in Brazil, where he is under investigation in at least four criminal probes. Under Brazil's constitution, a sitting president can only be arrested if he is convicted by the Supreme Court. From September, Lula will be able to install his own prosecutor general, who has the power to charge Bolsonaro if his cases remain with the Supreme Court. Bolsonaro also faces 12 requests for investigation at the Superior Electoral Court (TSE) for baseless claims Brazil's electoral system is liable to fraud, as well as alleged abuses of power for granting economic benefits to win votes.

☆ Incoming Petrobras CEO Prates rules out fuel price interventions
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Jan 4 (Reuters) - The incoming chief executive of Brazil's oil company Petrobras (PETR4.SA) said on Wednesday there will be no interventions in fuel prices, and shares of the state-run firm rose. Jean Paul Prates, handpicked by President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva to lead the company, told journalists he does not intend to unlink Petrobras' fuel prices from those of international markets, but "will unlink them from import parity." Without forcing, without imposing a tariff, with absolutely no direct intervention in the market," Prates explained. His remarks, which echoed comments he made after his appointment as CEO, boosted Petrobras' share price, said Reach Capital's investment head, Ricardo Campos. Reporting by Marta Nogueira and Paula Arend Laier; Writing by Peter Frontini; Editing by David GregorioOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Brazil markets fall after Lula takes office vowing to end poverty
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-02 | by ( Anthony Boadle | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/2] Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, his wife Rosangela "Janja" da Silva and Chief Raoni walk through the ramp of the Planalto Palace after Lula's swearing-in ceremony, in Brasilia, Brazil, January 1, 2023. Lula narrowly defeated far-right former President Jair Bolsonaro in October, swinging South America's largest nation back on a left-wing track. Lula spent his first day in office meeting with more than a dozen heads of state who attended his inauguration. In his swearing-in speech to Congress, Lula said he was not seeking revenge, but any crimes committed under Bolsonaro would be held accountable with due legal process. ($1 = 5.3458 reais)Reporting by Anthony Boadle and Gabriel Araujo in Brasilia Editing by Matthew LewisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Brazil markets tumble on Lula's first full day in office
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-02 | by ( Anthony Boadle | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Haddad, who is seeking to dispel market fears that he might not maintain fiscal discipline, took office on Monday, pledging to control spending. "The policies remind us of Dilma Rousseff's government rather than Lula's," Gracia said, referring to Lula's handpicked successor, who was impeached while in office. Allies said Lula's newfound social conscience was the result of his 580 days in prison, Reuters reported on Sunday. Lula kicks off his third presidential term after persuading Congress to pass a one-year, 170 billion-reais increased social spending package, in line with his campaign promises. Lula spent his first day in office meeting with more than a dozen heads of state who attended his inauguration.

☆ Final farewell: From Sidney Poitier to Pope Emeritus Benedict a look back at the influential figures who died in 2022
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-01 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +55 min

Other world leaders who died in 2022 include former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, who died in August. The final days of 2022 saw the loss of some exceptionally notable figures, including Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. Here is a roll call of some influential figures who died in 2022 (cause of death cited for younger people, if available):___JANUARY___Dan Reeves, 77. A Cuban-born artist whose radiant color palette and geometric paintings were overlooked for decades before the art world took notice. A prolific character actor best known for playing villains and tough guys in “The Manchurian Candidate,” “Ocean’s Eleven” and other films.

☆ 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.

☆ Brazil's Bolsonaro says no justification for attempted 'terrorist act' in capital
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro attends an inauguration ceremony for new judges of Brazil's Superior Court of Justice in Brasilia, Brazil December 6, 2022. REUTERS/Adriano Machado/File PhotoBRASILIA, Dec 30 (Reuters) - Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said on Friday there was no justification for what he called an attempted "terrorist act" after police foiled a man's plan to set off an explosive device in Brasilia last week in protest against his election defeat. The outgoing far-right leader, however, tried to distance himself from George Washington de Oliveira Sousa, who was arrested for the bomb plot and told police that Bolsonaro's call to arms inspired him to get an arsenal of guns and explosives. "The man had ideas that are not shared by any citizen, but now they classify him as a 'Bolsonarista'," the president complained in a social media broadcast before leaving office. Reporting by Ricardo Brito and Gabriel Araujo; Editing by Chizu NomiyamaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Last year, the nation’s largest LGBTQ advocacy organization, the Human Rights Campaign, labeled 2021 the “worst year” for LGBTQ rights in modern U.S. history, citing a record number of anti-LGBTQ bills introduced in state legislatures across the country. “The LGBTQ+ community is really under siege right now,” said Ricardo Martinez, CEO of LGBTQ advocacy group Equality Texas. One bill that was successfully implemented, and gained national headlines for months, was Florida’s Parental Rights in Education law, or what critics have dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill. The word “grooming” has long been associated with mischaracterizing LGBTQ people, particularly gay men and transgender women, as child sex abusers. Those losses came after some conservative groups ramped up misleading or inflammatory campaign ads targeting transgender rights.

☆ Brazil's haunting graveyard of ships risks environmental disaster, warns activist group
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( Pilar Olivares | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Brazil's navy said the 200-meter-long (660-ft.) Sao Luiz, a rust-spattered bulk carrier built in 1994, had been anchored in the bay for more than six years awaiting legal proceedings before it crashed into Latin America's longest over-water bridge. The Sao Luiz is one of dozens of ships left to rust on the iconic but heavily polluted bay, once home to vast mangroves and thriving marine life. Fernando Pinto Lima, a 62-year-old former fisherman in the bay, told Reuters he used to be able to quickly catch 50 to 100 kilograms of fish. Following the Sao Luiz crash, local media reported that authorities were studying how to remove the ghost ships. ($1 = 5.2186 reais)Reporting by Pilar Olivares; Writing by Sarah Morland; Editing by Bradley PerrettOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

[1/5] Federal prison officers take position in front of federal police headquarters during an action by Federal Police and agents of the Civil Police of Brasilia, to serve arrests and seizure warrants issued by the Federal Supreme Court in Brasilia, Brazil, Brazil December 29, 2022. REUTERS/Adriano MachadoBRASILIA, Dec 29 (Reuters) - Brazilian police said they arrested four people and carried out nationwide raids on Thursday in investigations into an alleged coup attempt during riots by supporters of defeated far-right President Jair Bolsonaro. Brazilian authorities, led by the Supreme Court, have been cracking down on a small but committed minority of Bolsonaro supporters who refuse to acknowledge leftist President-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's election victory and are calling for a military coup. The federal police said on Thursday they were serving 32 search and arrest warrants in eight states under Supreme Court orders. Two arrest warrants were served in the northwestern state of Rondonia, one in Rio de Janeiro and one in Brasilia, Mazzotti said in a press conference.

☆ Analysis: Argentina's Vaca Muerta shale boom is running out of road
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( Eliana Raszewski | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

[1/4] Workers stand next to a drilling rig in Vaca Muerta shale oil and gas drilling, in the Patagonian province of Neuquen, Argentina November 3, 2022. It holds the world's second-largest shale gas reserves and the fourth-largest shale oil deposits. Reuters Graphics'ABOUT TO COLLAPSE'On the ground in the key Vaca Muerta shale town of Anelo the signs of strain are clear. Local and regional demand is not enough," said Ricardo Markous, president of Tecpetrol, which operates the huge Fortin de Piedra field in Vaca Muerta. There are currently around eight active fracking crews in Vaca Muerta compared to nearly 280 in the United States, Rystad said.

☆ Brazil police investigate suspected bomb threat ahead of inauguration
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/8] A member of the security forces works following a suspected bomb threat in the city's hotel section, close to where President-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is staying before his Jan. 1 inauguration, according to the federal district's security department, in Brasilia, Brazil, December 27, 2022. REUTERS/Adriano MachadoBRASILIA, Dec 27 (Reuters) - Police in Brazil's capital, Brasilia, were investigating a suspected bomb threat in the city's hotel section, close to where President-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was staying before his Jan. 1 inauguration, the federal district's security department said on Tuesday. A Reuters witness said sirens and helicopters could be heard from the hotel where Lula was staying. Brasilia's military police said a backpack had been found and the bomb squad had been called out of precaution. Reporting by Ricardo Brito and Lisandra Paraguassu; Editing by Leslie Adler and Alistair BellOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ 5 of the wildest experiments tardigrades have survived in the name of science
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( Paola Rosa-Aquino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Water bears can go years without food or water and endure extreme radiation and temperatures. When the water bears returned to Earth, the scientists discovered that 68% survived. A thawed tardigrade survived being frozen for 3 decadesIn 2016, scientists at Japan's National Institute of Polar Research examined tardigrades retrieved from a frozen moss sample collected in Antarctica in 1983. Still, in a 2020 study, researchers found that long-term exposure to high temperatures, even in their hibernated state, can kill tardigrades in only a day. Tardigrades survived being shot out of a high-speed gunSome scientists believe that tardigrades may be capable of spreading life to different planets.

☆ El Salvador's Congress approves pension system reforms
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SAN SALVADOR, Dec 20 (Reuters) - El Salvador's Congress on Tuesday approved reforms to increase pensions and create a state entity to supervise the retirement income system, despite criticism from experts who argued the measures were insufficient. El Salvador's population is 6.7 million. Congress also endorsed the creation of the Salvadoran Pension Institute, a state entity that will oversee the pension system and private funds. The changes, approved by the congress with a pro-government majority, will take effect in January 2023 for all workers affiliated with the pension system. The pension system in El Salvador has operated privately since 1998.

EL PASO, Texas — The state of Texas deployed the National Guard to El Paso on Monday, a few hours before the Supreme Court paused attempts to lift a law that allows for migrants to be quickly expelled from the country. "We are seeing breaking news that Title 42 may not be lifted. The Covid-era law that has been governing the border since March 2020, known as Title 42, was set to expire Wednesday. Late Monday, Chief Justice John Roberts placed a temporary hold on a lower court ruling to end use of Title 42. The news about the possible ending of Title 42 was being passed among migrants, he said.

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