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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.
Presidents Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Xi Jinping after a signing ceremony and a joint press conference, in Beijing in May, 2025. 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

Brazil

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

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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China exports

Why China sees Brazil as ‘last untapped blue ocean market’ for investment boom

Chinese investment in Brazil is soaring as firms eye the vast potential growth in South America’s ‘blue ocean market’.

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Illustration: Brian Wang
TikTok

TikTok to invest more than US$37 billion in Brazil data centre

China is Brazil’s top trading partner and is seeking to expand economic and political ties across the region amid tensions with the US.

China-Latin America relations

Trump seizes on China ‘ban’ in Brazil soy trade, but data shows US gains small

China halted imports of soybeans from five Brazil-based exporters after pesticide-treated wheat was found mixed into cargo bound for Beijing.

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China manufacturing

Factory of factories: China’s manufacturers join wave of overseas expansions

With many of their clients moving or building sites abroad, China’s factory owners are following suit, seizing a ‘last chance’ for new revenues.

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Illustration: Henry Wong
Climate change

Opinion | How Cop30 laid bare the new geopolitics of climate action

Fractures, even among the Global South, show the energy transition is not just a technical challenge but a deeply political negotiation.

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Illustration: Craig Stephens
Diplomacy

Opinion | Why next year’s G20 could be make or break for global development

As the US prepares to chair the G20, it faces a strategic choice: engage or revert to a narrower agenda.

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Americas and the Caribbean

Brazil’s Bolsonaro begins 27-year prison sentence for coup attempt

Top court closes the case against Brazil’s far-right former president, who was convicted of plotting a coup after his 2022 election defeat.

Brazil

Brazil’s top court upholds jailing of Bolsonaro after ‘attempt to flee’

Top court panel unanimously rules the former president should remain arrested after admitting he broke his ankle monitor.

Former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro at his residence in Brasilia on September 3. Photo: AFP
Venezuela

Several international airlines cancel flights to Venezuela after US warning

Flights cancelled following an FAA warning of a ‘potential risk’ amid a major buildup of American forces in the region.

A US Navy F/A-18F Super Hornet being launched from the USS Gerald R. Ford in the Caribbean Sea on November 18. Photo: US Navy via Reuters
Brazil

Brazil’s Bolsonaro blames ‘hallucinations’ for violating ankle monitor

Supreme Court justice ordered ex-president’s arrest after the monitor violation, following his 27-year sentence for attempting a coup.

Americas and the Caribbean

Brazil’s Bolsonaro’s arrested amid escape plot fears

Supreme Court Justice orders arrest, confirming Bolsonaro showed intent to ‘break his ankle monitor’ in clear attempt to escape and flee Brazil.

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