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“Bolsonaro ran on a very Trump-like ticket,” Todd Landman, professor of political science at the University of Nottingham in England, told NBC News. He also raised doubts about the integrity of the electoral process well in advance.”After his defeat to Lula in October, Bolsonaro didn’t explicitly concede. NBC News reached out to the White House for comment on congressional Democrats’ demands for Biden to remove Bolsonaro. Bolsonaro’s visa status was not immediately clear. Unlike the Jan. 6, 2021, attack at the U.S. Capitol, very few officials were in the buildings at the time of Sunday’s attacks, and Bolsonaro’s supporters faced little opposition.

[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.

☆ Jair Bolsonaro Supporters Storm Brazil’s Congress Buildings
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( Samantha Pearson | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

SÃO PAULO—Thousands of protesters supporting Brazil’s former President Jair Bolsonaro stormed Congress buildings and those of the country’s Supreme Court in the capital Brasília Sunday, many calling for military intervention to remove Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva , the leftist leader who took office last week. Television images showed protesters breaking windows inside Congress and swarming up the ramp at the entrance to the presidential palace, many dressed in Brazil’s green and yellow national colors, as riot police arrived on the scene.

☆ Petrobras reinforces security at refineries after threats - sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( Sabrina Valle | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Jan 8 (Reuters) - Petroleo Brasileiro SA (PETR4.SA) stepped up security at its refineries in a precautionary measure after threats against assets, including Brazil's biggest fuel plant, two company officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity. The threats were detected by Petrobras' intelligence unit monitoring social media communications of supporters of Brazil's far-right former President Jair Bolsonaro, the two people said. The state-controlled company said on Sunday night all its assets and refineries were operating normally. The threats to Petrobras targeted assets such as refineries in Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Parana states, the people said. Brazil's Mines and Energy Minister, Alexandre Silveira, said Brazil's fuel supply would run normally, as would the country's refineries.

☆ Brazil investigates who led anti-democratic riots in capital
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( Anthony Boadle | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes also ordered social media platforms Facebook, Twitter and TikTok to block coup-mongering propaganda. Tens of thousands of anti-democratic demonstrators on Sunday invaded the Supreme Court, Congress and the presidential palace and smashed windows, overturned furniture, destroyed art works and stole the country's original 1988 Constitution. The assault raised questions among Lula's allies about how public security forces in the capital were so unprepared and easily overwhelmed by rioters who had announced their plans days ahead on social media. Bolsonaro faces legal risks from several investigations before the Supreme Court in Brazil and his future in the United States, where he traveled on a visa issued only to sitting presidents, is in question. "The United States should not be a refuge for this authoritarian who has inspired domestic terrorism in Brazil.

☆ Brazil's Bolsonaro hospitalized in the U.S. with abdominal pain - report
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

SAO PAULO, Jan 9 (Reuters) - Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro was admitted to a hospital in Orlando, Florida, with "abdominal pain," newspaper O Globo reported on Monday, a day after some of his hardcore supporters stormed the capital city of Brasilia. Bolsonaro has been hospitalized multiple times in recent years with gut blockages after being stabbed while campaigning for the presidency in 2018. He traveled to the United States two days before Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva took the office of president. Reporting by Gabriel Araujo; Editing by Mark PorterOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Brazil's currency, stock futures down after Bolsonaro supporters storm capital
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

SAO PAULO, Jan 9 (Reuters) - Brazil's currency on Monday weakened roughly 1% against the dollar in early spot trading after supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro stormed the country's capital a day earlier. Future contracts for the Bovespa benchmark stock index were down more than 1%, with the Sao Paulo stock market set to open at 10 a.m. (1300 GMT). (.BVSP)"Considering the enormous coverage the event got and the surprise we all had, markets should react negatively, but this should be short term," economists at JPMorgan said in a research note. "As day-to day government work resumes, attention should go back to the macro issues that have been top of mind." Reporting by Luana Maria Benedito, Paula Arend Laier and Gabriel Araujo Editing by Brad HaynesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Bolsonaro supporters invade Brazil presidential palace, Congress, Supreme Court
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-08 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Supporters of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro take part in a protest to ask for federal intervention outside the Army headquarters in Brasilia, on November 2, 2022. Supporters of Brazil's far-right former President Jair Bolsonaro on Sunday invaded the country's Congress, presidential palace and Supreme Court, in a grim echo of the U.S. Capitol invasion two years ago by fans of former President Donald Trump. Television images showed protesters breaking into the Supreme Court and Congress, chanting slogans and smashing furniture. The Supreme Court was ransacked by the occupiers, according to social media images that showed protesters shattering the windows of the modernist building. "Violence has no place in a democracy," Douglas Koneff, the U.S. chargé d'affaires in Brasilia, wrote on Twitter.

☆ Two bodies found in undercarriage of Avianca airplane in Bogota
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BOGOTA, Jan 7 (Reuters) - The bodies of two young men, who were possibly from the Dominican Republic, were found in the undercarriage of an Avianca (AVT_p.CN) airplane during maintenance in Colombian capital Bogota, the airline and the attorney general's office of Colombia said on Saturday. "At its arrival to the El Dorado airport in Bogota, personnel from the airline discovered the bodies of two people who flew irregularly (stowaways) in the undercarriage of the airplane," Avianca said in a statement, adding the discovery was made on Friday evening. "The technical investigation body of the attorney general's office is carrying out urgent actions to identify the nationality and origin of the bodies aged between 15 and 20, Afro-descendent, which were found inside the airplane," the attorney general's office said in a statement. The plane was last given regular maintenance on Dec. 27, the attorney general's office added, and has since traveled to Bogota, Guarulhos, near Sao Paulo, Brazil, and Santiago. Reporting by Lizbeth Diaz and Julia Symmes Cobb in Bogota Editing by Matthew LewisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

JOSH BRECHEEN - FLIPPEDThe Oklahoman freshman went for McCarthy on Friday afternoon, saying a deal "will allow conservatives to rein in out-of-control spending." ANDREW CLYDE - FLIPPEDClyde of Georgia is a member of the hard-right House Freedom Caucus, which is driving opposition to McCarthy. He moved to support McCarthy on Friday. ANDY BIGGS - OPPOSEDThe Arizona lawyer ran against McCarthy in the first round of voting for speaker. MATT ROSENDALE - OPPOSEDThe lone congressman from Montana has remained opposed to McCarthy, voting repeatedly for fellow Republican Kevin Hern instead.

WASHINGTON, Jan 6 (Reuters) - Republican Kevin McCarthy's perilous quest to become speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives entered the fourth day on Friday, with a scale of congressional dysfunction not seen since before the U.S. Civil War. This week's 11 failed votes marked the highest number of ballots for the speakership since the late 1850s. But the holdouts want a deal that would make it easier to oust the speaker and give them greater influence within the House Republican caucus and on congressional committees. Some Republicans believed the agreement under discussion might give McCarthy as many as 10 additional votes. Some of McCarthy's opponents showed no sign of yielding.

REUTERS/Jonathan ErnstWASHINGTON, Jan 5 (Reuters) - About 20 hardline Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives have voted against California Republican Kevin McCarthy in his bid to become the next Speaker of the House in successive rounds of voting this week. That has stopped the House from starting their work and exposed the sharp rifts that have developed within the Republican party. Here are some of McCarthy's most prominent opponents:SCOTT PERRYPerry is the chair of the House Freedom Caucus, the furthest right ideological grouping in the House and the home of almost all McCarthy opponents. Boebert is one of the top fundraisers among House Republicans and brought in more than $7 million for her reelection bid, to eke out one of the closest wins of the November midterms. Like others who voted against McCarthy, he was a prominent opponent of measures designed to stop the spread of COVID-19.

☆ Fact Check-FIFA is not displaying Pele’s feet in its museum
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

FIFA is neither planning to keep, nor display, the feet of legendary soccer player Pele in its Swiss museum, contrary to a claim made online. The governing body of world soccer told Reuters that the claim is completely false. “FIFA will keep Pele’s feet in the museum. A spokesperson for FIFA told Reuters via email that the claim is completely false. A spokesperson for FIFA told Reuters that the claim is not true.

Congressman-elect George Santos of New York, looking to the side, attended the opening session of the 118th Congress in the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday. Embattled Rep.-elect George Santos (R, N.Y.) spent his first day in Congress dodging reporters and voting in the contentious race for speaker, while Brazilian authorities said they intended to reopen a criminal investigation into allegations that he committed check fraud there in 2008. Mr. Santos, a 34-year-old who won a narrow victory for Republicans in a district of Long Island usually dominated by the Democrats, has faced scrutiny in recent weeks after admitting that he had lied to voters about his work and education history.

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.

[1/5] U.S. President Donald Trump speaks as he and House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy arrive for dinner at Trump's golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida, U.S., January 14, 2018. They ignored him, voting three more times against McCarthy after three such votes on Tuesday, and instead backing second-term Representative Byron Donalds. "That's because Trump's relationship with the party is increasingly becoming less about Trump the man, and more about the forces Trump has unleashed on the party." His allies have privately contacted offices of several House Republicans who voted against McCarthy, including the office of Donalds himself, according to two people with knowledge of the matter. Some in the party blame Trump for the weaker-than-expected performance in the November midterm elections that gave them a narrow 222-212 majority in the House, amplifying the power of hardliners representing less than 10% of House Republicans.

It was the first time in 100 years that the House has not elected a speaker on its first day. McCarthy has refused to give up against the hardliners, who make up less than one-tenth of the House Republican conference. Supporters of McCarthy, who has served as House Republican leader since 2019, accuse some hardliners of conducting a "Never Kevin" campaign aimed solely at stopping him. He may not want it right now, but George Washington did not want to be president," Representative Lauren Boebert told Fox News. Some Republicans warned that continued obstruction could lead them to work with Democrats to elect a moderate Republican as speaker.

☆ Criticism of Lula's economic plans mounts as Brazil markets tank
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( Gabriel Araujo | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Haddad, a former mayor of Sao Paulo, took office vowing to restore public accounts and with the challenge of presenting a credible fiscal framework after Congress passed a giant Lula social spending package. Markets reacted badly to Haddad's first days in office, especially after Lula ordered a budget-busting extension to a fuel tax exemption which Haddad had publicly opposed. "Haddad learned on his first day in office that he will be a decorative figure, a sort of task worker for President Lula," the conservative daily said in an editorial. On Tuesday, markets were further rattled by remarks by Lula's social security and labour ministers. That was compounded when he said Lula's government would need to review the investor-friendly pension reform approved by Bolsonaro's administration.

☆ Brazil's VP says development bank should be strengthened to leverage the economy
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Asked whether this would involve changing the so-called TLP rate, charged by BNDES to lenders, he said only "it is important to create conditions to reduce the interest rate." It replaced the former TJLP rate, which was set by the government below the country's Selic base rate, to subsidize corporate loans. In his inaugural speech, Alckmin said his ministry will have BNDES under its wing, stressing it was essential to strengthen the bank's role to leverage the economy. According to Alckmin, BNDES should act "as a dynamizer of the industry competitiveness and exports, especially those of higher added value." That contrasts with former President Jair Bolsonaro, who centralized policy formulation and decision-making into a single Economy Ministry.

☆ Brazil to Reopen Fraud Case Against George Santos
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( Luciana Magalhaes | Samantha Pearson | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Congressman-elect George Santos of New York, looking to the side, attended the opening session of the 118th Congress in the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday. SÃO PAULO—Brazilian authorities said they intend to reopen a criminal investigation into Rep.-elect George Santos of New York over charges that he committed check fraud in 2008 in Brazil—a case that had been suspended because police had been unable to find him. Mr. Santos, a 34-year-old Republican who takes his seat in Congress on Tuesday, has faced criticism in recent weeks from Democrats and prosecutors after admitting that he had lied to voters about his work and education history.

☆ Brazil’s New President Reverses His Predecessor’s Loosened Gun Laws
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( Samantha Pearson | Luciana Magalhaes | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

A shooting club in São Paulo. Many Brazilians say they should be allowed to possess firearms in the face of violence by heavily-armed criminal gangs. BRASÍLIA—In his first hours as Brazil’s new president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva issued sweeping changes to tighten the country’s firearms laws and reverse looser rules imposed by his predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro , that prompted a million new gun registrations since 2019. A presidential decree, which took effect Monday, suspends new registrations of guns for hunting and sport as the leftist government works to rewrite the country’s 20-year-old gun laws. The decree forbids owners from transporting loaded weapons, suspends new applications for gun clubs and reduces the number of firearms permitted per individual from six to three.

☆ Brazil's Petrobras CEO resigns as ministry chooses his successor -sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Petrobras did not immediately comment on the resignation. Andrade had been handpicked by former right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro after three of his predecessors left following clashes with Bolsonaro over Petrobras' fuel pricing policy. Prates will need final approval as a board member and subsequently as CEO from the firm's current board of directors. Andrade's term had been set to expire in April, but Reuters reported late last year that he had decided to resign earlier. Reporting by Carolina Pulice, Peter Frontini and Marta Nogueira; Editing by Mark Porter, Bradley Perrett and Richard ChangOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

The sugar and ethanol (S&E) industry, as well as international sugar traders, were widely expecting the resumption of federal taxes on gasoline and ethanol, as indicated by Finance Minister Fernando Haddad last week. "In our perspective, this measure might have negative effects on the S&E sector, as it maintains the ethanol prices below the market's forecast, while the expectation was for an increase in ethanol prices in the beginning of 2023," said Citi Research. Sugar and ethanol industry group Unica said the new administration had become "an accomplice" to the attack on the environment begun under the former administration, adding that the measure contradicts Lula's speech at the COP 27 U.N. climate meeting in November. The group said that the tax exemption was unconstitutional, since the law requires the federal government to give a tax incentive to biofuels. Mauricio Muruci, an analyst with Safras & Mercado, said fuel distributors were actively buying ethanol late last year before the expected tax return.

☆ 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.

☆ 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.

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