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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.
Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira meets Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing on Monday. Photo: Xinhua
China-Latin America relations

China urges Brazil to jointly repel ‘external challenges’ as ties deepen

Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira meets Wang Yi and Han Zheng as Brazil seeks key stable fertiliser supply amid US-Iran conflict.

Brazil

US targeting of drug gangs seen as attempt to shake up Brazil’s election

Brazil

US labels major Brazilian crime groups as terrorist organisations

Brazil

Jailed banker ties roil Flavio Bolsonaro’s Brazil presidential hopes

Bolsonaro’s poll numbers take a hit from scandal over disgraced banker Daniel Vorcaro’s US$24 million film funding pledge.

Brazilian Senator Flavio Bolsonaro. Photo: AFP
China-Latin America relations

Lula won’t sideline China on rare earths, tells Trump refining stays in Brazil

In a three-hour White House meeting on Thursday, Brazil’s president pitched his country’s minerals to all comers.

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China-Latin America relations

China pours US$6.1b into Brazil, making it Beijing’s top global investment

Chinese miners, carmakers and tech firms are fanned out across 20 states, putting a dent in Washington’s own push throughout the region.

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Jair Bolsonaro

Brazil’s Congress forces early release for jailed Bolsonaro in blow to Lula

Lawmakers override presidential veto to reduce 27-year sentence, signalling a shift in power five months before elections.

Brazil’s Congress ⁠has overturned President ⁠Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s veto on a bill ​sharply reducing former president Jair Bolsonaro’s prison sentence. Photo: AFP
Climate change

Tropical forest loss still 11 football fields a minute – or Denmark per year

Researchers warn that fires fuelled by climate change are a dangerous new normal and could reverse gains made in tackling deforestation.

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Spain

Spain signs deals with Brazil as Sanchez builds anti-Trump bloc

The Spanish leader is hosting heads of state and government in a bid to counter the US president and revive the political left.

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United States

Lula blasts Trump’s fear-based rule, calls for ‘great maturity’

‘Trump has no right to wake up in the morning and threaten a country,’ Brazil’s president says.

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A woman walks next to an anti-US mural on a street in Tehran, Iran, on Sunday. Photo: WANA via Reuters
China’s private sector

Chinese firms drawn to Brazil as they seek anchor for Latin America expansion

Chinese brands like Mixue, BYD, and Geely are surging into Brazil, leveraging strong trade ties and local strategies for growth.

Chinese ice cream and beverage chain Mixue opened its first Brazilian store in Sao Paulo, on April 11, 2026. Photo: Reuters
United States

Former Brazil spy chief arrested by ICE in Florida

The fugitive ex-intelligence head, convicted of plotting a coup with Jair Bolsonaro, was arrested for a minor traffic ‌violation and then referred to ICE.

China-Latin America relations

Cattle prices rocket as Brazil set to exhaust Chinese beef quota by May

As Beijing tariff nears, Brazil’s exporters are rapidly reaching their quota for China, forcing South American industry to seek new buyers.

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China-Latin America relations

Brazil blacklists China EV giant BYD for its slave labour conditions

Government officials said staff were working excessively long hours while being kept in degrading circumstances in their accommodation.

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BYD’s electric vehicle factory’s construction site in Camaçari, Brazil, in December 2024. Photo: Reuters
Brazil

Brazil court grants house arrest for jailed Bolsonaro due to ill health

Judge authorises an initial 90-day medical reprieve for the former president following his hospitalisation.

Brazil’s former president Jair Bolsonaro at his residence last year. 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

The US president launched a 17-nation ‘counter cartel’ coalition at his ‘Shield of the Americas’ summit.

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Brazil

Supporters of ex-president Bolsonaro rally across Brazil against Lula

Protesters in Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Brasilia voiced their opposition to the current president, who faces a tough re-election bid.

Supporters of former president Jair Bolsonaro take part in a protest against President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in Sao Paulo, Brazil on Sunday. Photo: AP
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.

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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Brics leaders meet at their 2025 summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Photo: AFP
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.

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