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☆ Deep in the Amazon, scientists race to find unknown bat viruses
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

Some scientific studies have found that deforestation causes stress in bats, and stressed bats carry more viruses and shed more germs in their saliva, urine and feces. It spiked following the highway’s construction, making the Amazon in the early 1980s a rallying cry for the global environmental movement. When examining spillover risk, scientists use the number of bat species in a given area as a key variable. When humans encroach on their habitat, and bat species commingle, the viral cocktail intensifies. “Odds of it being documented are very slim,” said Caio Graco Zeppelini, an ecologist and bat researcher at the Federal University of Bahia.

☆ Brazil environment agency rejects Petrobras' request to drill at Amazon
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BRASILIA, May 17 (Reuters) - The Brazilian environmental protection agency Ibama said on Wednesday it had rejected a request from state-run oil company Petrobras (PETR4.SA) to drill a well at the mouth of the Amazon river. The much-awaited decision follows a technical recommendation by the agency's experts to reject the proposal. A technical report from Ibama had previously advised against the request, citing discrepancies in environmental studies, inadequate measures for communicating with indigenous communities, and insufficiencies in Petrobras' plan to safeguard the region's wildlife. Petrobras had several opportunities to solve controversial points of its project, but it was still presenting "worrying inconsistencies" for the operation in a new exploratory frontier of "high socio-environmental vulnerability," Ibama said in a statement. Petrobras did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

☆ Analysis: Jet-setting Lula risks losing focus on Brazil issues, allies say
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Lisandra Paraguassu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

BRASILIA, May 17 (Reuters) - Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's focus on foreign policy and a relentless schedule of trips abroad risks distracting him from tackling thorny domestic issues, two senior allies of the leftist president told Reuters. But so far, less than six months into his third term, he has made twice as many foreign trips as he did at the start of his first presidency in 2003. By comparison, fellow leftist President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador of Mexico, who skipped the coronation, has made five foreign trips since taking office in 2018. "You have to focus on decisive issues," the aide said, citing a need for higher economic growth and job creation. Marco Feliciano, a pro-Bolsonaro lawmaker in the lower house, said "international trips are part of the presidential agenda, but not at the beginning of the government ...

☆ Brazil's Bolsonaro denies tampering of his vaccination records
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BRASILIA, May 16 (Reuters) - Brazilian ex-President Jair Bolsonaro rejected on Tuesday accusations of tampering with his COVID-19 vaccination records, a document reviewed by Reuters showed, as local authorities investigate the former far-right leader and some of his allies. In three-hour testimony to the Brazil's federal police, Bolsonaro said was he unaware of false information being included on his vaccination card. Supreme Court documents have shown federal police found evidence of tampering with Bolsonaro's vaccine records in his last weeks as president in late December, before he flew to the United States, where most foreign visitors must be vaccinated. According to transcripts of the former president's testimony, Bolsonaro denied having knowledge of or ordering false information to be inserted into this vaccination records. According to Bolsonaro, Cid may have committed fraud without his knowledge.

☆ What’s a President to Do When a Nation’s Capital Is Sinking? Move It.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Hannah Beech | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +38 min

A new capital city for a place with such disparities and diversity presents both a challenge and a chance for reinvention. Moving the Seat of Power From Java to Borneo Detail area Malaysia Nusantara Borneo Java Sea Indonesia Jakarta Java Indian Ocean Detail area Malaysia Nusantara Borneo Java Sea Indonesia Jakarta Java Indian Ocean Indonesia’s new capital, Nusantara, will be about 800 miles from the current capital, Jakarta. It cannot be overnight, it’s not like Aladdin comes with his genie,” said Bambang Susantono, the head of the Nusantara Capital City Authority. We have to prove that this will be a self-propelling city.” — Bambang Susantono, head of the Nusantara Capital City AuthorityCritics of I.K.N. Indonesia’s capital city faces sinking land and rising seas.

BRASILIA, May 16 (Reuters) - Brazil's Finance Ministry is preparing a new set of initiatives to increase tax revenue, including a review of deductions and exemptions for income tax on individuals, according to three sources familiar with the matter. Previous administrations have tried - and failed - to restrict income tax deductions, which allow taxpayers to use proof of certain expenses, such as medical and educational costs, to reduce their tax bills. The government estimates it is set to lose 51.1 billion reais ($10.2 billion) from exemptions, along with 31.3 billion reais from deductions in its 2024 budget bill. The finance ministry's revenue chief Robinson Barreirinhas said last month that the government was working on additional revenue measures to be announced in the second half of this year. He mentioned "very solid and consistent" studies regarding the potential to boost annual revenue by 155 billion reais as a result of combined efforts.

☆ A California-based woman bought 3 abandoned houses in a Sicilian village for $3.30, cashing in on Italy's desperation to repopulate its fast-emptying ghost towns
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Amanda Goh | Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Rubia Daniels flew to the town of Mussomeli in Sicily after hearing about its cheap homes. Many Italian towns have introduced similar schemes in an attempt to repopulate rural Italy. Rubia Daniels standing in front of one of her Mussomeli properties Rubia Daniels. Rubia Daniels. She currently splits her time between San Francisco and Mussomeli and spends at least a month in the Italian village each time.

☆ Brazil Supreme Court justice orders investigation into Google, Telegram execs
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BRASILIA, May 12 (Reuters) - Brazil's Supreme Court on Friday ordered an investigation into executives at social messaging service Telegram and Alphabet Inc's (GOOGL.O) Google who are in charge of a campaign criticizing a proposed internet regulation bill. They later removed the posts following orders from the Supreme Court. In his request, Lira said tech companies have used "all sorts of tricks in a sordid campaign of disinformation, manipulation and intimidation, taking advantage of their hegemonic position in the market." Google declined to comment on the matter, while Telegram did not respond to a request for comment. Reporting by Ricardo Brito; Writing by Peter Frontini; Editing by Jonathan OatisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Brazil's Haddad backs longer-term target for inflation, no talk of goal change
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BRASILIA, May 5 (Reuters) - Brazilian Finance Minister Fernando Haddad said on Friday that he favored taking a long-term view of inflation and that the central bank could begin cutting interest rates. He added, however, that the government could not pre-empt any decision on changing the inflation targets set by the National Monetary Council consisting of himself, the planning minister, and the central bank governor. "I think continuous inflation targeting is much better than looking at the calendar year," Haddad said in an interview with CBN radio. The central bank, meanwhile, has suggested the discussion may have raised inflation expectations, requiring interest rates to remain at 13.75%, the highest they have been in the current cycle. Haddad reiterated criticism of the central bank, saying the bank could already begin cutting rates.

BRASILIA/BUENOS AIRES, May 4 (Reuters) - Argentina is seeking new easing of targets in its $44 billion deal with the International Monetary Fund and faster payouts, and is pushing to get key IMF members the United States and Brazil to support it, government officials said. It has ramped up pressure on Argentina and the IMF to revamp the debt program, the largest extended to any country worldwide. The ministry official said backing from the United States and Brazil was key for the IMF talks, and was "positive" about it given the countries' broader support for Argentina's economy. The U.S. Treasury and White House did not comment on record about potential support for Argentina's talks with the IMF. Argentina would need to reach a technical deal with IMF staff before any agreement went to the board for approval.

☆ Brazilian Police Search Home of Ex-President Bolsonaro in Vaccine Probe
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Luciana Magalhaes | Samantha Pearson | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Jair Bolsonaro denied wrongdoing, telling reporters in Brasília on Wednesday that he didn’t try to pretend he was vaccinated against Covid-19. Photo: Eraldo Peres/Associated PressSÃO PAULO—Brazil’s federal police raided the home of former President Jair Bolsonaro in Brasília on Wednesday as part of a probe into allegations that he faked Covid-19 vaccination records for himself and family members to travel to the U.S., according to a person close to the investigation. The police said it issued 16 search warrants and 6 arrest warrants in Brasília and Rio de Janeiro as part of an investigation into the alleged “insertion of false Covid-19 vaccination data” into government databases in 2021 and 2022. The data was allegedly used to fake vaccination certificates to deceive authorities in Brazil and the U.S.

☆ Brazil police raid Bolsonaro's home as part of Covid vaccine probe
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Federal police officers stand guard near the house of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, during a search operation at his home, in Brasilia, Brazil May 3, 2023. Brazil's federal police on Wednesday raided former President Jair Bolsonaro's home in Brasilia as part of a probe into a group suspected of adding false vaccine data into the government's Covid-19 database, two sources familiar with the matter said. Two of Bolsonaro's closest aides, Mauro Cid and Max Guilherme, have been arrested in the same operation, the sources added. Federal police earlier in the day said in a statement they were serving 16 search and seizure warrants and six preventive arrest warrants in Brasilia and Rio de Janeiro as part of the operation, but did not disclose the names of those targeted.

☆ Brazil’s Police Raid Bolsonaro Home in Fake Vaccine Cards Case
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Flávia Milhorance | Ana Ionova | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

RIO DE JANEIRO — The Brazilian police raided the home of former President Jair Bolsonaro on Wednesday and seized his cellphone as part of a sweeping investigation into forged Covid-19 vaccination records that may have allowed him and his top aides to gain entry into the United States. The authorities searched more than a dozen homes in Rio de Janeiro and Brasília, arresting six people, including one of Mr. Bolsonaro’s closest aides and two of his security guards, who are suspected of tampering with a government vaccination database and issuing falsified records. The forged vaccine cards may have allowed Mr. Bolsonaro and his aides to sidestep U.S. travel restrictions put in place at the height of the coronavirus pandemic, investigators said. False vaccine certificates may have been issued for Mr. Bolsonaro, his 12-year-old daughter, Laura, and other top officials in his administration, according to the Brazilian authorities. The police said the vaccination records were forged between November 2021 and December 2022.

☆ Brazilian police raid former President Bolsonaro’s home, arrest former aide: CNN Brasil
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Duarte Mendonca | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Brazilian Federal Police arrested one of former President Jair Bolsonaro’s closest aides and two others, in connection to the investigation of a gang that allegedly falsified data on Covid-19 vaccination cards, according to CNN affiliate CNN Brasil. Sixteen search and seizure warrants and six arrest warrants were also served, police said in a statement. Cars of Brazilian federal police are seen in front of the house of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on May 3, 2023. Ueslei Marcelino/ReutersFormer Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro leaves his home following a search operation in Brasilia on May 3, 2023. A statement from Brazilian police says they are analyzing material seized during the searches and interviewing people they say might have information related to their investigation.

[1/2] Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro leaves his home following a search operation, in Brasilia, Brazil, May 3, 2023. REUTERS/Adriano MachadoBRASILIA, May 3 (Reuters) - Brazilian police on Wednesday raided former President Jair Bolsonaro's home and seized his cell phone as part of an investigation into his COVID-19 vaccination records. The investigation may answer questions about how Bolsonaro, a strident coronavirus skeptic who vowed never to get a COVID vaccine, was registered as vaccinated in health records made public in February. Bolsonaro confirmed the raid on his home in Brasilia to journalists and reiterated that he had never taken a COVID vaccine. Police said they were investigating "false data" allegedly added to a national COVID-19 database between November 2021 and December 2022, when Bolsonaro was president.

☆ Brazil working on payment solution for exports to Argentina, says minister
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BRASILIA, May 2 (Reuters) - Brazilian Finance Minister Fernando Haddad said on Tuesday that the country is working on a solution to ensure that Brazilian exporters are paid for sales to Argentina, which is currently facing a severe economic crisis and a shortage of U.S. dollars. Argentina is Brazil's third largest trading partner after China and the United States. "We are trying to find a mediated solution," he said, adding that it "necessarily" involves the granting of collaterals by Argentina, which are being currently studied. Haddad will take part in a meeting between Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Argentine Alberto Fernandez later on Tuesday. Brazil also decided to recently simplify procedures of the local currency payment system (SML), an infrastructure that brings together the central banks of Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay.

Companies would also have to pay content providers and copyrights on material posted on their sites. The Brazilian proposal is shaping up to be one of the world's strongest legislations on social media, comparable to the European Union's Digital Services Act enacted last year. They also say it will endanger free posting services for users while allowing censorship as practiced in authoritarian societies. Brazil's Justice Minister Flavio Dino has asked the consumer protection authority to investigate whether the companies engaged in "abusive practices" in campaigning against the bill. The bill was fast tracked in the lower house after a series of fatal attacks in schools which social media allegedly encouraged, and new articles added to the bill have not been debated in Congressional committees before going to the vote.

☆ Brazil government to tax income from financial investments obtained abroad
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BRASILIA, May 1 (Reuters) - Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's government published an executive order aimed at increasing revenue by taxing the capital income from financial investments obtained abroad by individuals who reside in Brazil. Income earned from Jan. 1, 2024, will be considered for that purpose, said the text of the measure published on Sunday night that takes effect immediately. According to the text, income obtained abroad from financial investments will be taxed upon the sale or maturity of assets, while profits and dividends from controlled entities will be taxed on Dec. 31 of each year. Income up to 6,000 reais ($1,203) will be tax exempt, while income above that but below 50,000 reais will be taxed at 15%. The Finance Ministry said the measure had the potential to collect around 3.2 billion reais ($641 million) in 2023, close to 3.6 billion reais in 2024 and 6.7 billion reais in 2025.

☆ Brazil police shoot dead 4 illegal gold miners on Yanomami reservation
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] A helicopter of the Brazilian Environmental Agency (IBAMA) is seen near Uraricoera river during an operation at illegal mining in the Yanomami indigenous land, Roraima state, Brazil, February 11, 2023. REUTERS/Amanda Perobelli/File PhotoBRASILIA, May 1 (Reuters) - Brazilian police and environmental protection agents were ambushed by illegal gold miners on the Yanomami Indigenous reservation in the Amazon on Monday and four miners were shot dead in the exchange of gunfire, a government statement said. The Environment Ministry said their team was attacked when they moved in to dismantle a wildcat mining camp run by an organized crime gang. Brazilian authorities are keen to show that they mean business in their efforts to remove the remainder of the wildcat miners on the reservation following the fatal shooting of a Yanomami man. Gold miners killed one man and seriously injured two others in an attack on Saturday in the Yanomami territory, where authorities have been evicting illegal miners who invaded Brazil's largest indigenous reservation, the size of Portugal.

☆ Bolsonaro steals show at Brazil's biggest farm fair
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Lais Morais | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Brazil's former President Jair Bolsonaro attends the Agrishow fair, in Ribeirao Preto, Brazil, May 1, 2023. REUTERS/Carla CarnielRIBERAO PRETO, Brazil, May 1 (Reuters) - Former right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro stole the show on Monday at Brazil's largest agribusiness fair where he was acclaimed by supporters from the country's strong farm sector. Bolsonaro criticized the decision by Lula to recognize new Indigenous reservations, a constant complaint by farmers in Brazil's expanding agricultural frontier. The deep-pocketed and powerful farm sector were major supporters of Bolsonaro's 2018 election. Bolsonaro faces legal risks that could ban him from running in the 2026 election.

☆ Brazil's Lula pledges new minimum wage policy, expanded tax exemption
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BRASILIA, April 30 (Reuters) - Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva pledged on Sunday to introduce a new policy of real increases in the minimum wage and announced plans to raise the income tax exemption for lower-income earners. Lula said the government would present a bill to Congress to make the annual minimum wage adjustment above inflation a permanent rule. At present, workers earning above 4,664.68 reais per month are already subject to the highest income tax rate. In his speech, Lula officially announced that starting May 1, the income tax exemption will extend to individuals earning up to 2,640 reais per month, and the minimum wage will rise from 1,302 reais to 1,320 reais. Both measures were widely anticipated by government officials, with the Finance Ministry estimating that the increase in the minimum wage would cost about 5 billion reais this year and the rise in income tax exemption another 3.2 billion reais.

☆ Brazil to step up removal of indigenous land invaders after Yanomami killing
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] People who were working in illegal mining sit in the trunk of a car to travel to the city as they arrive at Porto do Arame after leaving the Yanomami indigenous land, in Alto Alegre, Roraima state, Brazil, February 12, 2023. REUTERS/Amanda PerobelliBRASILIA, April 30 (Reuters) - Brazil will increase efforts to remove the remainder of wildcat miners from indigenous lands following a shooting attack by invaders that killed a Yanomami indigenous person and left two others seriously injured, the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples said on Sunday. An inter-ministerial delegation is en route to Roraima state to "further reinforce actions to remove criminals," the ministry said on Twitter. Since President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva took office in January, its administration has announced actions to remove thousands of illegal miners from the country's largest indigenous reservation in northern Brazil. Lula's government declared a medical emergency for the Yanomamis earlier this year and pledged zero tolerance for mining on indigenous reservation land protected by Brazil's Constitution.

☆ Petrobras awaits government OK to drill at mouth of Amazon River
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BRASILIA, April 29 (Reuters) - Brazilian state-run oil firm Petrobras (PETR4.SA) said on Saturday that it is awaiting the government's stance on its request to drill a well at the mouth of the Amazon River Basin, following a technical recommendation by the country's environmental agency to reject the proposal. "We're technically ready, waiting for the official position on our drilling campaign in the region," he added. But a technical report from Brazil's environmental agency Ibama has advised against the request, citing discrepancies in environmental studies, inadequate measures for communicating with indigenous communities, and insufficiencies in Petrobras' plan to safeguard the region's wildlife. The technical report will serve as the basis for the environmental agency's ultimate determination on whether or not to authorize activities in the area. Reporting by Marta Nogueira, Writing by Marcela Ayres; Editing by Andrea RicciOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Brazil court lifts Telegram suspension for not complying with order on neo-Nazi groups
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BRASILIA, April 29 (Reuters) - Brazil's second instance appeals court lifted on Saturday the suspension of the encrypted messaging app Telegram, imposed earlier this week for its noncompliance in sharing information about extremist and neo-Nazi groups using the platform. However, the judge upheld the imposition of a daily fine of one million reais ($200,553) on the company for failing to provide the requested data. The federal police requested the suspension order after Telegram failed to comply with a previous court decision to handover data about two neo-Nazi groups on the app accused of inciting violence in schools. Telegram brands itself as a messaging app focused on speed and privacy and says its special secret chats use end-to-end encryption not stored on its servers. ($1 = 4.9862 reais)Reporting by Rodrigo Viga Gaier, Writing by Marcela Ayres; Editing by Sandra MalerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

IRACEMAPOLIS, Brazil, April 28 (Reuters) - Brazil's ability to produce and sell hybrid cars that can run on 100% ethanol is a huge asset for its auto industry as global economies push for decarbonization to tackle climate change, Vice President Geraldo Alckmin told Reuters. Alckmin on Thursday attended the opening of a factory by Chinese carmaker Great Wall Motor Co Ltd (601633.SS) that will produce hybrid cars, including a flex-fuel pickup called Poer. Brazil has one of the world's largest ethanol industries, and most cars in the country can run on 100% biofuel made from sugarcane or corn. He highlighted the export opportunities hybrid cars manufactured in Brazil can bring for the country as it pushes for re-industrialization, a process in which he sees the auto industry playing a key role. "It is very important because it is an industry of cutting-edge technology, with semiconductors and the whole decarbonization area," said the vice president.

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