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Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva

Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva
The latest news and top stories on Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Brazil’s president. A former metalworker and prominent trade unionist, he co-founded the Workers’ Party and previously served as president from 2003-2011, overseeing significant poverty reduction and economic growth. Re-elected in 2022, his current tenure focuses on advocating new development models and strengthening cooperation across the Global South. He champions the New Development Bank’s role in emerging economies, pushing for reforms in traditional financial institutions and a more multipolar international system.
Brazil’s former President Jair Bolsonaro attends a rally in Sao Paulo in June 2025. Photo: AFP
Americas and the Caribbean

Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro in ICU with pneumonia

The ex-president, who is serving a 27-year sentence for an attempted coup, was moved from prison to a hospital in Brasilia.

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Americas and the Caribbean

Trump offers Latin American leaders US missile strikes to hit drug cartels

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Brazil

Supporters of ex-president Bolsonaro rally across Brazil against Lula

India

India’s AI superpower dream: flush with cash, short on capacity

India’s AI ambitions could add half a trillion dollars to its economy or deepen inequality if cannot train up its workforce fast enough.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi poses with global tech leaders at the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi on February 19. Photo: India’s Press Information Bureau/Reuters
South Korea

South Korea’s Lee uses AI to honour shared factory worker past with Brazil’s Lula

The gesture accompanied Lula’s state visit to Seoul, where the two leaders agreed to strengthen bilateral ties.

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Brics

Why Brics can’t do away with US dollar even as currency cooperation rises

Brazil says there has been no proposal or talks within Brics to create a common currency across the bloc.

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India

India and Brazil set sights on US$30 billion trade milestone by 2030

The two founding Brics members are deepening links on rare earths, innovation and AI to diversify growth beyond the West.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi hold a press conference after a meeting in New Delhi on Saturday. Photo: EPA
India

India, Brazil sign rare earths deal to build ‘resilient supply chains’

With China holding a near-monopoly on rare earths production, India and other countries are seeking alternative sources.

India

India AI summit aims to shift focus from model races to scaled reality

The event offers emerging economies a chance to reframe AI as public infrastructure and work together to put it into public services.

US-China relations

US seeks fair China competition, looks to realign Latin America ties

Scott Bessent says Washington wants to reduce security risks without decoupling from Beijing as it steps up engagement across Latin America.

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Scott Bessent has outlined Washington’s approach to managing economic risks with China while expanding engagement in Latin America. Photo: Getty Images
China-Latin America relations

Brazil scraps EV tariff break for Chinese carmaker BYD amid pressure from rivals

US, European and Japanese manufacturers combined to lobby for an end to favourable rules for Chinese kit imports.

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BYD controls more than 74 per cent of Brazil’s electric car segment. Photo: AFP
China-Latin America relations

Xi, Lula stress UN’s value in call as US actions unsettle regional diplomacy

China reaffirms commitment to international law, negotiated diplomacy in region, while Brazil eases visa requirements for Chinese nationals.

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European Union

South American bloc and EU sign long-awaited FTA amid Trump’s tariffs

The deal creates one of the world’s largest free trade areas after 25 years of tricky negotiations.

Brazil

Brazil’s Bolsonaro sent to prison with roomier cell, more perks

Ex-president moved to a detention complex five times the size of his current room, with a kitchen and a private outdoor area.

Brazil’s former president Jair Bolsonaro at his home last year. Photo: AP
US-China relations

Brazil-China trade hits record US$171 billion in 2025 as US tariffs prompt pivot

The US is a distant second in trade volume with Brazil as Beijing helps soften the impact of Washington’s levies.

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A herd of cattle is seen at a farm in Sao Felix do Xingu, Para state, Brazil, in June last year. Total trade volume between Brazil and China rose 8.2 per cent year on year in 2025. Photo: AFP
Asean

Opinion | Why US ops in Venezuela have shaken Asia-Pacific’s middle powers

Middle powers fear a return to ‘rules of the jungle’ geopolitics as rival powers carve out spheres of influence.

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US-Venezuela conflict

How the US raid in Venezuela has triggered Brazilian fury and a Chinese opening

Latin America’s largest economy seeks ‘delicate balance’ between Trump’s ambitions and boosting ties with Beijing, its top trading partner.

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Donald Trump

Trump says Colombia’s Petro to visit US, in U-turn from threats to diplomacy

Just days ago, Trump had issued a warning to the South American leader for criticising the US attack that removed Venezuela’s Maduro.

US President Donald Trump (right) spoke with Colombian President Gustavo Petro over the phone on Wednesday. Photos: AFP
Americas and the Caribbean

Brazil’s Lula vetoes law cutting Bolsonaro’s 27-year jail sentence

Congress has the last word, however, and can in turn reject the president’s veto.

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Americas and the Caribbean

Brazil’s Bolsonaro has brain injury after falling and hitting head in prison

The ex-president had a ‘crisis’ while sleeping in his cell, his wife said in a social media post.

War and conflict

Opinion | US attack on Venezuela tests moral clarity of the post-war world order

Amid Washington’s use of force, there is a sense that global affairs are drifting towards a modernised version of the law of the jungle.

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Illustration: Craig Stephens
China-Latin America relations

Venezuela crisis underscores China’s challenges in Latin America

Washington making an example of Maduro as a ‘warning shot’ would create a ‘chilling effect’ across Latin America, observer says.

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Government supporters gather in Caracas on January 3 after US strikes on Venezuela and the capture of its leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife. Photo: Reuters
Americas and the Caribbean

Bolsonaro’s house arrest bid fails, as Brazil court rejects health claims

Brazil’s Supreme Court rejected the former president’s request, citing no health decline, so the ex-leader remains in prison.

Brazil

Brazil’s former president Bolsonaro has surgery to treat hiccups, wife says

Bolsonaro, 70, had been hospitalised on Wednesday for hernia surgery. In September, he was jailed for 27 years for ‍plotting a coup.

Americas and the Caribbean

Brazil’s Bolsonaro backs son’s presidential bid, undergoes hernia surgery

The former president, who is serving a 27-year sentence for plotting a coup, was allowed to leave prison for the operation.

Former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro leaves the DF Star hospital in Brasilia on September 14. Photo: AFP
China-Latin America relations

Brazil weighs visa-free entry for Chinese tourists and business travellers

Brazil saw nearly 80 per cent growth in Chinese tourists in 2024 and would join only two neighbours offering visa-free entry.

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If confirmed, the visa waiver would simplify travel for Chinese visitors to Brazil and could accelerate arrivals to destinations such as Iguazu Falls. Photo: Handout
Americas and the Caribbean

Brazil’s Lula vows to veto bill slashing Bolsonaro’s 27-year prison term

The proposed law could see the ex-president spend just over two years behind bars for an attempted coup.

Americas and the Caribbean

Brazil’s Congress passes bill to cut Bolsonaro’s 27-year prison sentence

If successful, the legislation could see Brazil’s former president serve a little over two years in prison for coup plot.

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