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☆ Lula's Approval Ratings Inch up Ahead of Brazil's Local Elections -Poll
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-23 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

Those who consider Lula's administration as bad or terrible increased marginally to 27.9% from 27.2 four months ago, it showed. The rating of the leftist president's performance edged up to 55.2% from 54.9% in September, while disapproval also rose slightly to 39.6 from 39.0%, the MDA poll commissioned by the transport sector lobby CNT. Lula gets his best approval ratings among lower-income Brazilians and in poorer northeastern Brazil, his political bastion. He does badly among higher income groups and evangelical Christian voters, MDA said. MDA polled 2,002 people in person between Jan. 18-21 and the poll has a margin of error of 2.2 percentage points.

Persons: Luiz Inacio Lula da, Lula, Marcelo Souza, Anthony Boadle, Steven Grattan, Susan Fenton Organizations: Reuters, pollster MDA, MDA, CNT, Christian Locations: BRASILIA, Brazil

☆ Brazil's Senate Leader Pacheco Says Government to Revoke Payroll Tax Proposal
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-19 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

(Reuters) - Brazilian Senate leader Rodrigo Pacheco said on Friday the government would revoke a proposal it made to phase out the extension of payroll tax exemptions for various labor sectors, yielding to the will of the lawmakers on the matter. Speaking at a Lide Group event in Switzerland, Pacheco said that payroll tax exemption for 17 sectors of the economy until 2027 would remain. "The exemption will stand, and there is a commitment from the federal government to...revoke this provisional measure in the part that concerns the payroll exemption," Pacheco said during a panel session at the event in Zurich. Lawmakers voted to extend payroll tax exemptions for 17 labor sectors until 2027, with an impact of 12 billion reais ($2.44 billion) that had not yet been incorporated into the 2024 budget. The government package, which met with immediate political opposition, proposed reducing and gradually phasing out these benefits.

Persons: Rodrigo Pacheco, Pacheco, we've, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Eduardo Simões, Steven Grattan, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: Reuters, Lawmakers Locations: Switzerland, Zurich

Political Cartoons View All 253 Images"Very soon Oxfam predicts that we will have a trillionaire within a decade. With Brazil hosting this year's Group of 20 summit of leading industrial and developing nations, Lawson said it was a “good time for Oxfam to raise awareness” about inequalities. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has put issues that concern the developing world at the heart of the G20 agenda. To calculate the top five richest billionaires, Oxfam used figures from Forbes as of November 2023. For the bottom 60% of the global population, Oxfam used figures from the UBS Global Wealth Report 2023 and from the Credit Suisse Global Wealth Databook 2019.

Persons: — Tesla, Elon Musk, Bernard Arnault, Jeff Bezos, Larry Ellison, Warren Buffett, ”, Amitabh Behar, John D, Musk, Lawson, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Forbes, ___ Pylas Organizations: Oxfam, Amazon, Oracle, Rockefeller of Standard Oil, Forbes, Brazil, UBS Global, Credit Suisse Global Wealth Locations: DAVOS, Switzerland, Swiss, Davos, Saudi Arabia, Ukraine, London

☆ Brazil reinforces border with Venezuela and Guyana over Esequibo tensions
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BRASILIA, Dec 5 (Reuters) - Brazil's military is reinforcing its northern border due to rising tensions between its neighbors Venezuela and Guyana over Venezuela's claim to the Esequibo region, the Ministry of Defense said on Tuesday. Venezuela reactivated its claim over the Esequibo in recent years after the discovery of offshore oil and gas. In Sunday's referendum, Venezuelan voters rejected the jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice over their country's territorial dispute with Guyana and supported the creation of a new Venezuelan state in the potentially oil-rich Esequibo region. Brazil did not ask Venezuela to cancel the vote, but President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's government is expected to criticize the stepped up Venezuelan campaign for the Esequibo. An international tribunal in Paris in 1899 settled the issue, but Venezuela says the ruling was rigged.

Persons: Gisela Padovan, Nicolas Maduro's, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's, Ricardo Brito, Rodrigo Viga Gaier, Anthony Boadle, Bill Berkrot Organizations: Ministry of Defense, Mechanized Cavalry Regiment, Reuters, International Court of Justice, Thomson Locations: BRASILIA, Venezuela, Guyana, Boa Vista, Roraima, Ireland, America, Caribbean, Venezuelan, Brazil, British, Paris, Brasilia, Rio de Janeiro

☆ Lula in Berlin for First Brazil-Germany Talks in Eight Years
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-03 | by ( Dec. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

He is expected to have dinner on Sunday with fellow leftist, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, before the consultations on Monday. Scholz was the first foreign leader to visit Lula in Brazil, just weeks after his inauguration. The German Chancellor has been on a quest since taking office in late 2021 to improve ties with the Global South. Scholz will be hoping to avoid a scenario like in January when his visit to Brazil was overshadowed by differences over Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Lula last month said Israel was "committing terrorism" against Palestinians "by not taking into account that children are not at war, that women are not at war".

Persons: Andreas Rinke, Sarah Marsh BERLIN, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Lula, Jair Bolsonaro, Olaf Scholz, Scholz, Lukas Koehler, Israel, Sarah Marsh, Toby Chopra Organizations: Global, European Union, Mercosur, Brazil, EU, Free Democrats, U.S, Latin America, German Locations: Berlin, America, Brazil, Germany, China, South, Argentina, Scholz's, Ukraine, Israel

REUTERS/Thaier Al Sudani/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsDec 3 (Reuters) - Brazil will never join the OPEC+ group of oil-producing nations as a full member and instead only seeks to participate as an observer, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on Sunday. Lula's remarks to reporters at the U.N. COP28 climate summit in Dubai clarified his statements a day earlier that Brazil would "participate" in OPEC+. "Brazil should join OPEC+, it could be an observer," Lula said on Sunday. "Brazil will never be a full member of OPEC, because we don't want to be. Petrobras will continue to do what it needs to do to help Brazil grow, but will expand beyond just oil to all energy, Lula added.

Persons: Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Al Sudani, Lula's, Lula, Jake Spring, Will Dunham Organizations: United Nations, Change, United Arab Emirates, REUTERS, OPEC, Petrobras, PETR4, São Paulo, Thomson Locations: Dubai, United Arab, Brazil, OPEC, Africa, Latin America, Berlin, São

Persons: Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Ueslei Marcelino, Lula, Jair Bolsonaro, Olaf Scholz, Scholz, Lukas Koehler, Israel, Andreas Rinke, Sarah Marsh, Toby Chopra Organizations: Central Bank, REUTERS, Rights, Global, European Union, Mercosur, Brazil, EU, Free Democrats, U.S, Latin America, German, Thomson Locations: Brasilia, Brazil, Berlin, America, Germany, China, South, Argentina, Scholz's, Ukraine, Israel

Finally Souza, an innkeeper and community leader in Bela Vista do Jaraqui, said he rallied two dozen neighbors to drill a 60-meter well in the heart of the world's largest freshwater basin. With rivers forming the backbone of transportation across the Amazon region, the drought has disrupted access to food and medicine in dozens of cities. The Amazon, the world's largest rainforest, is regarded by scientists as a bulwark against climate change because its dense vegetation absorbs carbon and emits oxygen. The five researchers predicting a 2026 recovery said the effects of the drought could endure even longer if El Nino is prolonged. That would release huge amounts of carbon dioxide, contributing to climate change and wiping out a wealth of plant and animal species found only in the Amazon.

Persons: Bruno Kelly, Raimundo Leite de Souza, Souza, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Michael Coe, we're, El Nino, Coe, El, Philip Fearnside, Henrique Barbosa, Eduardo Taveira, Taveira, Paulo Brando, Brando, Barbosa, Brad Haynes, Jake Spring, Ana Mano, Andre Romani, Suzanne Goldenberg Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Rio, cobras, United, Reuters, Research Center, National Institute of, Research, University of Maryland, Honda, LG, Positivo, GIANTS, Yale University, Sao Paulo, Thomson Locations: Tefe, Amazonas, Brazil, Rights MANAUS, caimans, Bela Vista, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, Venezuela, Colombia, United Nations, U.S, South America, South, Pacific, North America, El Nino, University, Baltimore, Western Europe, Brazil's Amazonas, Manaus, Itacoatiara, Madeira Rivers, Sao Paulo, Sao

☆ Lula says Brazil's participation in OPEC+ is to stop oil producers using fossil fuels
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Thaier Al Sudani/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSAO PAULO, Dec 2 (Reuters) - Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on Saturday that Brazil's participation in the OPEC+ group of oil-producing countries is to convince nations to transition away from the use of fossil fuels. Brazil indicated on Thursday that it was on the brink of joining OPEC+, a group of 23 oil-producing countries. "We will lead oil-producing countries to accelerate the energy transition. Under the leadership of President Lula we want to use oil revenues to finance clean and renewable energy," he said. But Brazil is not expected to cap oil output as part of OPEC+, three sources told Reuters in a report published on Thursday.

Persons: Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Al Sudani, Lula, Alexandre Silveira, Silveira, Ricardo Brito, Steven Grattan, Matthew Lewis Organizations: United Nations, Change, United Arab Emirates, REUTERS, SAO PAULO, OPEC, Petrobras, PETR4, Reuters, Paulo, Thomson Locations: Dubai, United Arab, OPEC, Brazil, Africa, Latin America, South America

☆ What are leaders saying at the UN climate summit?
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

President of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan walks with Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, alongside other world leaders and delegates, at Dubai's Expo City ahead of the World Climate Action Summit during the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates,... Acquire Licensing Rights Read moreDUBAI, Dec 2 (Reuters) - World leaders addressed the COP28 summit on Saturday, where their countries' delegations are assessing progress towards meeting global climate goals. Because for every dollar that we spend before disaster, we can save $7 in damage, and indeed loss of lives. Leaders who deny climate science, delay climate action and spread misinformation. Corporations that greenwash climate inaction and lobby for billions of dollars in fossil fuel subsidies. ___For daily comprehensive coverage on COP28 in your inbox, sign up for the Reuters Sustainable Switch newsletter here.

Persons: United Arab Emirates Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, OLAF SCHOLZ, there's, POPE FRANCIS, State Cardinal Pietro Parolin, KAMALA HARRIS, William James, Elizabeth Piper, Nandita Bose Organizations: United, United Nations, Change, Vatican, State, Reuters, Thomson Locations: United Arab Emirates, Dubai, DUBAI, BARBADOS

U.S Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks during the Transforming Food Systems in the Face of Climate Change event on the sidelines of the COP28 climate summit at Dubai Expo, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates December 1, 2023. SAUL LOEB/Pool via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsSummary COP 'side deals' have boomed in recent yearsVoluntary climate pledges yield mixed resultsSome have led to tougher CO2-cutting policiesDUBAI, Dec 2 (Reuters) - While the world's climate diplomats huddle over draft decisions to be made at the end of this year's U.N. climate summit, governments at COP28 are firing off a flurry of new promises for action. Among the expected pledges at COP28 are a goal to triple renewable energy capacity and initiatives on methane and coal power. These voluntary side deals have proliferated in recent years, even as global temperatures and greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise. "They go much further than what you can do multilaterally," said Marc Vanheukelen, a former EU official who led the bloc's work on an international methane emissions pledge launched at the COP26 climate summit in 2021.

Persons: Antony Blinken, SAUL LOEB, Marc Vanheukelen, Jonathan Banks, Laurie van der, OCI, It's, Erin Matson, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Matson, Kate Abnett, Tommy Wilkes, Katy Daigle, Jon Boyle Organizations: Food Systems, United Arab Emirates, REUTERS Acquire, EU, Global, Air Task Force, Reuters, Bank, U.S, Change, WWF, Rainforest Alliance, Climate, Thomson Locations: Dubai, United Arab, DUBAI, COP28, Glasgow, U.S, Nigeria, Canada, The U.S, China, Russia, COP26, Britain, France, United States, Italy, Germany, Brazil

☆ Lula Says Brazil's Participation in OPEC+ Is to Stop Oil Producers Using Fossil Fuels
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-02 | by ( Dec. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on Saturday that Brazil's participation in the OPEC+ group of oil-producing countries is to convince nations to transition away from the use of fossil fuels. Brazil indicated on Thursday that it was on the brink of joining OPEC+, a group of 23 oil-producing countries. "We will lead oil-producing countries to accelerate the energy transition. Under the leadership of President Lula we want to use oil revenues to finance clean and renewable energy," he said. But Brazil is not expected to cap oil output as part of OPEC+, three sources told Reuters in a report published on Thursday.

Persons: Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Lula, Alexandre Silveira, Silveira, Ricardo Brito, Steven Grattan, Matthew Lewis Organizations: SAO PAULO, Reuters, OPEC, Petrobras Locations: OPEC, Brazil, Dubai, Africa, Latin America, South America, Sao Paulo

☆ Rift Over Fossil Fuels to Dominate COP28
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Stacy Meichtry | Matthew Dalton | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Leaders from the United Arab Emirates, the host of COP28, on the opening day of the summit in Dubai. Photo: Hollie Adams/Bloomberg NewsDUBAI—World leaders gathered for climate talks in this oil-rich corner of the globe amid sharp divisions over how quickly governments need to wean their economies off fossil fuels to prevent the planet from blowing past the Paris accord’s temperature targets. Vice President Kamala Harris was expected to join Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva , French President Emmanuel Macron and a host of leaders from across the Gulf region Friday at the start of a two-day summit to kick off the United Nations’ annual climate talks, known as COP28.

Persons: Hollie Adams, Kamala Harris, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Emmanuel Macron Organizations: United Arab Emirates, Bloomberg News DUBAI —, Brazilian, United Nations Locations: Dubai, Paris, Gulf

☆ Brazil to join OPEC+ but won't cap oil output, Petrobras CEO says
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Rodrigo Viga Gaier | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Jean Paul Prates, CEO of Brazil's state-run oil company Petrobras, speaks during a news conference at the Petrobras headquarters in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil March 2, 2023. "We would never be part of an organization that imposes (production) quotas to Brazil, Petrobras is a publicly-traded company and we cannot have quotas." Brazil's energy minister said on Thursday the country was eager to join OPEC+ after a full technical analysis. Brazil is the largest oil producer in South America, at 4.6 million barrels per day of oil and gas, of which 3.7 million bpd are crude. Prates, who in October received OPEC Secretary General Haitham Al Ghais in Brazil, noted OPEC+ was a group that includes countries with no voting rights and to which production caps are not imposed, which would be the case of Brazil.

Persons: Jean Paul Prates, Pilar Olivares, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's, Haitham Al, Brazil's, Prates, Rodrigo Viga Gaier, Gabriel Araujo, Steven Grattan Organizations: Petrobras, REUTERS, DE, PETR4, Reuters, OPEC, Thomson Locations: Brazil's, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, DE JANEIRO, OPEC, American, South America, Haitham Al Ghais

☆ COP28 Lines up New Climate Pledges - but Do They Work?
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Dec. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +5 min

By Kate AbnettDUBAI (Reuters) - While the world's climate diplomats huddle over draft decisions to be made at the end of this year's U.N. climate summit, governments at COP28 are firing off a flurry of new promises for action. Among the expected pledges at COP28 are a goal to triple renewable energy capacity and initiatives on methane and coal power. These voluntary side deals have proliferated in recent years, even as global temperatures and greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise. Unlike official summit decisions, which must be passed by consensus among the nearly 200 countries, voluntary pledges can be made quickly, and boldly, without the worry of one party objecting. "They go much further than what you can do multilaterally," said Marc Vanheukelen, a former EU official who led the bloc's work on an international methane emissions pledge launched at the COP26 climate summit in 2021.

Persons: Kate Abnett DUBAI, Marc Vanheukelen, Jonathan Banks, Laurie van der, OCI, It's, Erin Matson, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Matson, Kate Abnett, Tommy Wilkes, Katy Daigle, Jon Boyle Organizations: Reuters, EU, Global, Air Task Force, Bank, U.S, Change, WWF, Rainforest Alliance, Climate Locations: COP28, Glasgow, U.S, Nigeria, Canada, The U.S, China, Russia, COP26, Britain, France, United States, Italy, Germany, Brazil

☆ King Charles says world heading for ‘dangerous uncharted territory’ as climate crisis deepens
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Laura Paddison | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —King Charles III told world leaders Friday that the warning signs of the climate crisis are being ignored and that the world is heading for “dangerous uncharted territory,” with devastating consequences for lives and livelihoods. The King called for a series of measures, including a ramp-up of public and private finance, to tackle the climate crisis and rapidly increase renewable energy. The King did not attend last year’s COP27 summit in Egypt, after the then UK Prime Minister, Liz Truss advised him against going. CNN understood at the time that, the monarch and government jointly agreed that the climate summit wasn’t the right occasion for the King’s first trip overseas as sovereign. The US announced a commitment of $17.5 million, which some experts and advocacy groups said was “embarrassing.”World leaders including India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Brazil’s President Lula Da Silva, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Prime Minister of Barbados Mia Mottley are due to address delegates later.

Persons: King Charles III, King, ”, won’t, Liz Truss, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, “, Narendra Modi, Lula Da Silva, Rishi Sunak, Barbados Mia Mottley, CNN’s Lauren Said, Moorhouse, Angela Dewan, Ella Nilsen Organizations: CNN, UAE, CNN’s Royal, United Arab, US, India’s, Brazil’s, UK Locations: Dubai, Pakistan, Bangladesh, East Africa, Egypt, UAE, United Arab Emirates, Germany, Barbados

☆ What are they saying at the U.N. climate summit?
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Here are the latest comments:KENYA PRESIDENT WILLIAM RUTO:"The long standing adversarial dynamic between global north and global south proves practically counterproductive. Climate change does not respect artificial distinctions, traditional boundaries or old antagonisms. "We must resolve that every country shall fulfil the climate targets it is setting for itself and the commitments it is making." U.N. SECRETARY-GENERAL ANTONIO GUTERRES:"We cannot save a burning planet with a fire hose of fossil fuels... The 1.5-degree limit is only possible if we ultimately stop burning all fossil fuels.

Persons: United Arab Emirates Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Antonio Guterres, Britain's King Charles, WILLIAM RUTO, NARENDRA MODI, LUIZ INACIO LULA DA SILVA, KING CHARLES III, GENERAL ANTONIO GUTERRES, William James, Elizabeth Piper, Katy Daigle, Richard Valdmanis Organizations: United, United Nations, Change, United Arab Emirates, KING, GENERAL, Reuters, Thomson Locations: United Arab Emirates, Dubai, United Arab, DUBAI, KENYA, Gaza

☆ UN chief says ending fossil fuel use is only way to save burning planet
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

"We cannot save a burning planet with a fire hose of fossil fuels," Guterres said in a speech to the COP28 summit in Dubai. "The 1.5-degree limit is only possible if we ultimately stop burning all fossil fuels. He urged fossil fuel companies to invest in a transition to renewable energy sources and told governments to help by forcing that change - including through the use of windfall taxes on industry profits. "I urge governments to help industry make the right choice – by regulating, legislating, putting a fair price on carbon, ending fossil fuel subsidies, and adopting a windfall tax on profits," he said. Reporting by William James, editing by Elizabeth PiperOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Lalla Hasna, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Antonio Guterres, Simon Stiell, Guterres, William James, Elizabeth Piper Organizations: United Nations, Thomson Locations: DUBAI, Dubai

☆ Brazil set to join the influential OPEC+ oil producers' alliance
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Ruxandra Iordache | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Brazil will join the influential OPEC+ oil coalition that unites some of the biggest crude-producing nations in the world, according to Brazilian Energy Minister Alexandre Silveira. The announcement was made during a postponed OPEC+ meeting to discuss oil output strategy over 2024, amid languishing prices weighed by fragile demand recovery in China, geopolitical risks and uncertainty over supplies from U.S.-sanctioned OPEC members Iran and Venezuela. In footage shared from the meeting, Silveira said that President Lula da Silva had approved his country's membership, starting next year. "I would like to conclude my words by informing you that the honorable President Lula confirmed our entry into the OPEC+ cooperation charter from January 2024," he said. "Brazil received an invitation to join OPEC+.

Persons: Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Alexandre Silveira, Silveira, Lula da Silva, Lula Organizations: Brazilian Energy, OPEC, Mines and Energy, United Arab Locations: Brazil, OPEC, China, U.S, Iran, Venezuela, Saudi Arabia, Russia, United Arab Emirates, Brasilia, Correction

☆ Bolivia gets green light for full Mercosur membership
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Lucinda Elliott | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SAO PAULO, Nov 29 (Reuters) - Bolivia is set to become a full member of the South American Mercosur trade bloc following a decision on Tuesday by the Brazilian Senate to approve the country's admission. The vote on the accession of Bolivia to Mercosur is expected to be formally concluded during a regional summit on Dec. 7 in Rio de Janeiro. "Thank you to the senators for completing this process and congratulations to President Arce and Bolivia for joining us in Mercosur," Lula said on social media. Prospects for finally concluding the trade agreement with the EU gained traction following the election of ultra-liberal Javier Milei, a staunch critic of Mercosur, as president of Argentina. Bolivia was one of the worst offenders of primary forest clearances last year, behind only Brazil and the Democratic Republic of Congo, according to Global Forest Watch that monitors deforestation rates.

Persons: Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Arce, Lula, Luis Arce, Javier Milei, Milei, Lucinda Elliott, Mark Porter Organizations: SAO PAULO, South American Mercosur, Brazilian Senate, Bolivia, Senators, European Union, EU, Mercosur, Democratic, Global Forest Watch, Thomson Locations: Bolivia, Brazilian, Mercosur, Rio de Janeiro, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, Brazil, Democratic Republic of Congo

☆ Bolivia Gets Green Light for Full Mercosur Membership
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Lucinda ElliottSAO PAULO (Reuters) - Bolivia is set to become a full member of the South American Mercosur trade bloc following a decision on Tuesday by the Brazilian Senate to approve the country's admission. The vote on the accession of Bolivia to Mercosur is expected to be formally concluded during a regional summit on Dec. 7 in Rio de Janeiro. "Thank you to the senators for completing this process and congratulations to President Arce and Bolivia for joining us in Mercosur," Lula said on social media. Prospects for finally concluding the trade agreement with the EU gained traction following the election of ultra-liberal Javier Milei, a staunch critic of Mercosur, as president of Argentina. Bolivia was one of the worst offenders of primary forest clearances last year, behind only Brazil and the Democratic Republic of Congo, according to Global Forest Watch that monitors deforestation rates.

Persons: Lucinda Elliott, Luis Inacio Lula da Silva, Arce, Lula, Javier Milei, Milei, Mark Porter Organizations: Lucinda Elliott SAO PAULO, Reuters, South American Mercosur, Brazilian Senate, European Union, EU, Mercosur, Democratic, Global Forest Watch Locations: Bolivia, Brazilian, Mercosur, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, Democratic Republic of Congo

[1/2] People watch drones creating a 3-D display outside the United Nations Headquarters calling attention to the Amazon rainforest and climate change in New York U.S., September 15, 2023. The analysis by the nonprofit Amazon Conservation's MAAP forest monitoring program offers a first look at 2023 deforestation across the nine Amazon countries. That estimate is likely low as there are some holes in the data, Finer said. Brazil's Lula has led a push among its Amazonian neighbors and other rainforest countries to get rich nations to pay for woodland conservation. While the country is battling massive wildfires, many of them are not in the Amazon, Finer said.

Persons: Eduardo Munoz, Matt, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Jair Bolsonaro, Carlos Nobre, Nobre, Brazil's Lula, Gustavo Petro, Jake Spring, David Gregorio Our Organizations: United Nations Headquarters, New York U.S, REUTERS, SAO PAULO, Reuters, United, University of Sao, Amazon, NASA, Union, Democratic, Watch, Thomson Locations: New York, Brazil, Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, United Nations, Jan, Puerto Rico, University of Sao Paulo, Amazon, Guyana, Suriname, Venezuela, COLOMBIA, PERU Brazil, Democratic Republic of Congo

☆ Argentina's Milei invites Brazil's Lula to inauguration, travels to US
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Last week Milei, who travels to the United States on Sunday, had already softened his tone with China's communist leadership, thanking President Xi Jinping for a letter congratulating him. "I hope that our mutual time as presidents will be a stage for fruitful work and the construction of ties that consolidate the role Argentina and Brazil can and must fulfill in the concert of nations," Milei told Lula. The letter was delivered by his top foreign policy adviser, Diana Mondino, to Brazil's Foreign Relations Minister Mauro Vieira at a meeting in Brasilia. The new Argentine leader is closer politically and personally to former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and has invited him to his inauguration. Milei meanwhile was set to travel to the U.S. on Sunday, a spokesperson told Reuters, noting he would attend a religious ceremony in New York and have meetings in Washington.

Persons: Javier Milei, Brazil's, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Milei, Lula, Xi Jinping, Diana Mondino, Mauro Vieira, Jair Bolsonaro, Bolsonaro, Mondino, Vieira, Karina, Kristalina Georgieva, Gabriel Araujo, Lisandra, Jorge Otaola, David Gregorio, Stephen Coates Organizations: SAO PAULO, Foreign, Argentine, White, U.S . Treasury, International Monetary Fund, dollarizing, IMF, Thomson Locations: BRASILIA, BUENOS AIRES, Argentine, Brazil, United States, China, Argentina, Brasilia, Mercosur, New York, Washington, dollarizing Argentina, U.S, Sao Paulo, Buenos Aires

☆ Brazil highlights poverty, climate change as G20 priorities
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Brazil takes over the G20 presidency from India on Dec.1 and will hold the 2024 summit in Rio de Janeiro in November next year. "It is not possible for the Bretton Woods institutions, World Bank, IMF, and many other financial institutions to continue functioning as if nothing were happening in the world, as if everything had been resolved," he said. He complained the institutions often lend money to countries to pay off their debt, without any meaningful change. G20 foreign ministers will meet in Rio de Janeiro on Feb. 21-22 and finance ministers will gather in Sao Paulo over Feb. 28-29. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi hosted a virtual summit of G20 nations on Wednesday to review progress on policy goals set at the annual G20 summit in New Delhi in September.

Persons: Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Ueslei Marcelino, Lula, Narendra Modi, Lisandra Paraguassu, Deepa Babington Organizations: Central Bank, REUTERS, Rights, United Nations, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, Security, Bretton Woods, IMF, Indian, Thomson Locations: Brasilia, Brazil, Rights BRASILIA, India, Rio de Janeiro, United, Sao Paulo, New Delhi

☆ Soccer clashes, Taylor Swift fan death tarnish Rio de Janeiro ahead of G20
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( Gabriel Stargardter | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

TV images showed Rio state cops beating Argentina fans with truncheons as chairs rained down upon them. On Wednesday, the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) and Rio's state military police traded blame over arrangements for the mixed seating section of Brazil and Argentina fans where the trouble erupted. Rio's policing of high-profile soccer matches was already under scrutiny after the Copa Libertadores final this month. In October, three doctors enjoying a late-night beer along one of Rio's beaches were brutally murdered after being confused for rival gangsters. A few days later, militias set fire to dozens of Rio buses after police killed one of their bosses in an operation.

Persons: Ricardo Moraes, Taylor, Nilton Santos, Daniel Scioli, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Gabriel Stargardter, Aurora Ellis Organizations: Soccer, Estadio Maracana, REUTERS, DE, Police, year's, Olympic Games, Nilton, Argentina, Brazilian Football Confederation, CBF, Copa Libertadores, Boca Juniors, Fluminense, Thomson Locations: Brazil, Argentina, Rio de Janeiro, DE JANEIRO, Maracana, Rio, Copacabana, India, Rio's

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