News of brazil

Cities in Brazil tighten restrictions amid record Covid surge

Today 13:53 Brazil's Health Ministry has recorded an average of more than 1,300 Covid-19 fatalities per day over the past week, the worst yet for the hard-hit country of 212 million people.

ECONOMIC INDICATORS

Brazil ends new 'lost decade' with GDP drop of 4.1% in 2020

Yesterdat 10:26 The economy of Argentina's giant neighbour registered a 4.1% contraction in 2020, according to official data.

Bloomberg

MercadoLibre to invest record US$1.8 billion in Brazil

01-03-2021 22:01 Latin American e-commerce powerhouse MercadoLibre Inc. is more than doubling its Brazilian investment this year, planning to deploy in 2021 the same amount it spent in the past four years combined.

MERCOSUR BLOC

Brazil again pushes for loosening of Mercosur trade deal rules

27-02-2021 08:21 Bolsonaro set to visit Buenos Aires for trade bloc’s next summit; Brazilian foreign minister accuses ‘interest groups’ using the environment as ‘pretext’ to block ratification of EU-Mercosur deal.

TRANS RIGHTS

Brazil trans twins undergo gender confirmation surgery together

24-02-2021 11:14 Growing up as identical twins, Mayla and Sofia always did everything together, and their decision to undergo sex reassignment surgery is no exception. Now, they have made the transition they long dreamed of together, in what their doctor calls a first.

Global pandemic

Vaccine delays threaten economies hardest hit by pandemic

23-02-2021 12:24 Latin America and the Caribbean, the region where the coronavirus caused the worst economic destruction and more than a quarter of the world’s deaths, is now falling victim to a slow inoculation campaign.

BRAZILIAN FIRM

Oil giant Petrobras sheds US$19 billion in value over two days

22-02-2021 20:45 A sell-off in Brazil’s state-controlled oil firm Petrobras picked up on Monday after a group of analysts downgraded the stock within 24 hours, following Jair Bolsonaro's decision to replace the company’s chief executive officer.

BLOOMBERG – ANALYSIS

Bolsonaro calls for more changes after general goes to Petrobras

21-02-2021 08:25 Brazil leader says that more changes are underway after naming a former general to head Petrobras. Experts say Bolsonaro has chosen "economic populism."

WOMEN’S FOOTBALL

Covid-ravaged Argentina slump to defeat in SheBelieves Cup

20-02-2021 07:19 Albiceleste women’s side loses 4-1 to Brazil in opener. Preparations for the game were rocked just hours before kick off after four players tested positive for Covid-19.

BRAZIL UNDER BOLSONARO

Bolsonaro further relaxes gun laws in Brazil

16-02-2021 14:49 Four decrees, issued late Friday, increase the number of firearms Brazilians can own from four to six – or up to 60, for those who practice recreational sport shooting – and authorise them to carry up to two guns in public.

Coronavirus Pandemic

Vaccine shortage forces Rio to suspend Covid jabs

15-02-2021 16:44 Brazilian city Rio de Janeiro is forced to suspend its vaccination programme due to shortages, fuelling further frustrations with President Jair Bolsonaro's government.

Coronavirus Pandemic

New coronavirus strains enters Argentina from Brazil

09-02-2021 17:19 Argentina has detected two new coronavirus variants brought into the country by passengers arriving from Brazil, announced Health Minister Ginés González García has revealed.

Lava Jato

Brazil's watershed 'Lava Jato' graft probe ends with a whimper

08-02-2021 15:20 One of the biggest corruption investigations in history wraps up after falling into scandal itself.

Brazil

Brazil's Vale to pay $7bn in damages for deadly 2019 dam collapse

05-02-2021 13:28 The Brazilian company responsible for the 2019 collapse of a mining waste dam killed 270 people has agreed to compensate victims and their families and fund socio-economic programs and repair projects in the local area, but victims say the amount should have been higher.

by Jordi Miro, AFP

EU-MERCOSUR DEAL

France says won't ratify Mercosur trade deal in 'current form'

04-02-2021 17:01 France says it will not ratify trade deal between the European Union and the Mercosur bloc "in its current form."

BRAZILIAN POLITICS

Brazil Congress elects Bolsonaro allies as new leaders

02-02-2021 08:56 Brazil's Congress on Monday elected two allies of President Jair Bolsonaro to head the Senate and lower house, an important victory for the far-right leader as he seeks to re-galvanise his re-election efforts for 2022.

INTERVIEW: PERIODISMO PURO

Marcela Losardo: 'Alberto Fernández has been preparing all his life for this job'

30-01-2021 07:46 Throughout the last 40 years, nobody has spent more time close to the president than his Justice Minister Marcela Losardo, his chief confidante.

by Jorge Fontevecchia

Global Pandemic

In Brazil's Manaus, young people step up as Covid bites

28-01-2021 15:14 As the northern Brazilian city of Manaus battles soaring Covid-19 cases and a new variant of the virus, young volunteers offer a helping hand. One group distributes essential items, while a young woman connects patients with family members.

Coronavirus Pandemic

Argentina to reduce flights to and from Brazil, Mexico, Europe, US

27-01-2021 14:57 National aviation officials instruct airlines to reduce number of flights to Brazil, Mexico, the US and a handful European countries by between 30% and 50%.

Valeria Pacheco, AFP

Brazil's late and rocky start on vaccinations fuels public ire

25-01-2021 08:26 Brazil's newly launched vaccination campaign against Covid-19 has gotten off to a late and rocky start – as the country is hammered by a second wave of the disease, it is already close to running out of vaccine, syringes and other vital equipment.

Brazil

Bolsonaro’s son ordered by courts to pay damages to journalist

22-01-2021 14:53 A court of justice ordered the son of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro to pay damages to a journalist after claiming she had "tried to seduce" a source to obtain compromising information about his Father.

BIDEN INAUGURATION

Bolsonaro extends olive branch to Biden on inauguration

21-01-2021 11:48 Bolsonaro was one of last world leaders to recognse Biden’s victory, and amplified Donald Trump's allegations that last year's US election had been rigged.

Global pandemic

Desperate search for oxygen in Brazil's crisis-hit Manaus

20-01-2021 08:20 Under an overwhelming heat, dozens of people have been waiting for 12 hours to fill oxygen tanks and try to save the lives of their loved ones in Manaus, a Brazilian city plunged into chaos by the explosion of Covid-19 cases.

GLOBAL PANDEMIC

Global Covid-19 death toll passes two million

16-01-2021 07:37 The global death toll from Covid-19 passed two million on Friday, with the WHO urging mass vaccinations.

BLOOMBERG

Bolsonaro government’s message to Biden: Trumpism lives on in Brazil

16-01-2021 04:04 Brazil's Foreign Minister Ernesto Araujo wants Joe Biden to know that it’s not about to reverse course in response to the change of US leadership.

Ángel Cabrera

Brazil arrests Ángel Cabrera, fugitive golfer accused of abuse

15-01-2021 14:19 Ángel Cabrera, wanted by Interpol on domestic violence charges, was arrested in Rio de Janeiro Thursday, and will be extradited to Argentina to stand trial.

Global pandemic

UK to ban South American, Portugal arrivals over Brazil virus strain

14-01-2021 15:47 Britain bans all arrivals from South America, Panama, Cape Verde and Portugal over fears of importing a new coronavirus variant from Brazil.

COPA LIBERTADORES

Santos beat Boca to secure all-Brazil Copa Libertadores final

13-01-2021 23:40 Santos defeated Boca Juniors 3-0 to set up an all-Brazilian Copa Libertadores final after a one-sided semi-final victory in São Paulo on Wednesday.

BRAZIL UNDER BOLSONARO

Brazil's Bolsonaro increasingly isolated as Trump departs

13-01-2021 23:32 When Jair Bolsonaro took office in January 2019 he nurtured relationships with other like-minded, far-right governments, but as the political tide turns he now finds himself and his country increasingly isolated.

COPA LIBERTADORES

Palmeiras into Libertadores final after VAR thwarts River

13-01-2021 10:19 River dominate semi-final second leg at a empty Allianz Parque stadium in São Paulo, but are twice denied a legendary comeback by controversial VAR decisions.

AUTO-MANUFACTURER

Ford to close factories, end manufacturing in Brazil

11-01-2021 18:13 Carmaker Ford said Monday it would close its factories in Brazil this year as the impacts of the coronavirus epidemic hammered sales in Latin America.

COPA LIBERTADORES

Boca, Santos play out tense Copa Libertadores stalemate

06-01-2021 23:16 Xenieze and Santos out a tense 0-0 draw at an empty Bombonera stadium in their Copa Libertadores semi-final first leg tie.

BLOOMBERG

Corn up to US$5 a bushel and soybeans spike

06-01-2021 14:50 Maize climbed to US$5 a bushel and soybeans rallied for a sixth day, driving both crops to fresh six-year highs, as farmer protests and dry weather pose threat to supplies.

ECONOMY

Ship line-up swells as soy crushers extend strike

26-12-2020 10:31 Soybean crushers at export plants agreed to extend a strike over wages during the Christmas season.

RECORD-BREAKER

Messi passes Pelé as top scorer at a single club

22-12-2020 23:03 Lionel Messi beat Pelé's record of goals for a single club when he scored his 644th for Barcelona on Tuesday.

Coronavirus pandemic

Bolsonaro backs vaccine campaign despite personal opposition

17-12-2020 14:48 Brazil is negotiating the purchase of 350 million doses of coronavirus vaccines for 2021, including 210 million of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine that is largely made in Brazil by the Fiocruz institute, and 70 million of Pfizer's vaccine.

ECLAC Projection

UN slashes LatAm economic slowdown projection

16-12-2020 16:06 Executive secretary of the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean Alicia Bárcena predicts the region will experience growth of 3.7 percent in 2021.

Mercosur

'Distrust' of Brazil stalls EU-Mercosur trade deal

13-12-2020 19:45 Concerns over Amazon deforestation under Bolsonaro are delaying the ratification of a two-decades long negotiated trade deal between the European Union and Mercosur.

OBITUARY

Former Albiceleste coach Alejandro Sabella dies from cancer aged 66

09-12-2020 09:53 Former national team coach Alejandro Sabella has died at the age of 66 from cancer, local media said on Tuesday.

FOREIGN POLICY

Argentina: between Jair Bolsonaro, Joe Biden and Xi Jinping

05-12-2020 10:12 Following its dialogue with Brasilia and Washington, the Alberto Fernández administration needs to define a clear strategy with its main trade partners.

by Leandro Dario

Global pandemic

Poverty-stricken Brazilians fear looming end of Covid-19 emergency cash

02-12-2020 14:58 More than 67 million low-income workers receive Covid-19 relief payments in Brazil, which are set to expire at the end of the year. Many of them are fearing what lies ahead.

LATIN AMERICA

UN: Foreign direct investment in Latin America to fall by up to 55%

02-12-2020 13:39 Foreign direct investment in Latin America will fall by up to 55% in 2020, the UN's regional economic commission said Wednesday.

DIPLOMACY

President vows to improve ties with Brazil in call with Bolsonaro

30-11-2020 22:24 Almost a year after he first took office, President Alberto Fernández has finally spoken to Brazil leader Jair Bolsonaro.

RACE, FASHION & CULTURE

Black models increasingly visible on Brazil's catwalks

24-11-2020 08:36 Afro-Brazilian models Shirley Pitta and Gloria Maria Fonseca Siqueira had dreamed of the runway since they were girls, but in a Brazilian fashion world much whiter than the country itself, it remained a far-away fantasy until recently. In a sign of changing times in Brazil and elsewhere, the pair saw their dreams come true at this year's São Paulo Fashion Week.

EU-MERCOSUR DEAL

Without environmental guarantees, EU-Mercosur trade deal faces uncertain future

23-11-2020 15:51 Historic free-trade agreement between the European Union and the Mercosur regional bloc, announced more than a year ago after more than two decades of negotiations, stuck in limbo due to environmental concerns.

Bloomberg

Coronavirus roars back in Brazil as infections top six million

22-11-2020 08:28 Last week, Brazil reported almost 68,000 new Covid-19 cases in a single day, an all-time high that eclipses the previous record by more than 20% and rivals the numbers seen in the United States, whose population is 50% bigger.

Budding bromance?

Bolsonaro beams as Putin praises his 'masculinity'

18-11-2020 18:33 Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro was left beaming Wednesday after his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin praised his "masculinity" in a speech, triggering a flood of jokes online about a budding "bromance."

BLOOMBERG - OPINION

Brazil’s Bolsonaro is Trump’s biggest orphan

09-11-2020 17:54 Bolsonaro is now Trump’s most prominent orphan in the Americas, and his politics by tantrum may ring hollow absent the hemisphere’s alpha provocateur.

by Mac Margolis