The head of Brazil’s Petrobras is stepping down after a fight over dividends, sending shares of the state-controlled oil and gas giant tumbling RIO DE JANEIRO -- The head of Brazil’s state-controlled oil and gas giant Petrobras has stepped down, the company said Wednesday, following months of tensions with the federal government. Petrobras opted not to pay extraordinary dividends to its shareholders earlier this year, souring relations between Petrobras CEO Jean Paul Prates and Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, head of the ruling leftist Workers' Party. Lula had defended that move, calling the market a “voracious dinosaur” after Petrobras' shares plunged following the decision regarding dividends. The company’s shares fell by as much as 9% after the announcement of Prates’ departure, before paring losses. They were down by 7% by Wednesday afternoon. Local newspaper O Globo reported that Lula himself informed Prates of his dismissal. Prates, a former senator for the Workers' Party, will be replaced by engineer and former director of Brazil’s oil and gas regulator ANP, Magda Chambriard. Petrobras appointed the executive director of corporate affairs, Clarice Coppetti, as interim president. Brazil's federal government has a controlling stake in Petrobras, while private investors also hold shares. That often creates a clash of interests between the government and minority shareholders. “Magda Chambriard appears to have a more nationalist vision, that is, of Petrobras serving national interests more than those of shareholders,” said Rafael Schiozer, a finance professor at the Getulio Vargas Foundation, a university and think tank. Prates “had a more pro-market vision — he was more concerned with the company’s value creation,” Schiozer added. Chief Financial Officer Sergio Caetano Leite will also step down from his role. Petrobras appointed the current finance executive manager, Carlos Alberto Rechelo Neto, as interim, until the [election](https://abcnews.go.com/alerts/Elections) of a new chief financial officer by the board of directors.

10 hours ago By Leonardo Rocha and Jaroslav Lukiv, BBC News Getty Images Javier Milei The President of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, has cancelled a visit to the southern state of Santa Catarina because his Argentine counterpart is there this weekend. Javier Milei is expected to meet Brazil's former President Jair Bolsonaro at a gathering of conservative leaders. Lula recently demanded an apology from Mr Milei, who had described him as corrupt, a communist and a dinosaur. Mr Milei said he "had no regrets". The leaders of South America's two biggest economies have never talked face to face. Mr Milei, a right-wing economist and former television personality, is expected to attend a meeting of the Conservative Political Action Conference in Santa Catarina. At the gathering, he plans to meet Mr Bolsonaro, whom Lula defeated in the 2022 Brazilian presidential election. Mr Milei is an outspoken critic of leftist governments in the region. During his successful election campaign last year, he accused Lula of being corrupt. The current Brazilian president once spent a year and a half in prison for corruption but the charges were dismissed on appeal. After his release he was allowed to run for office again. Last week, Lula demanded an apology from Mr Milei but the Argentine leader ruled that out, saying: "I haven't done anything wrong." The main concern among diplomats and businessmen is that the row between the leaders of the two neighbouring countries will have a major impact on bilateral relations. Brazilian news website UOL said Mr Milei was putting the future of the South American trade bloc Mercosur at risk.  EPA Brazil's President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva [Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva](/news/topics/ce73e161xjet)

Brazil’s former president [Jair Bolsonaro](https://www.theguardian.com/world/jair-bolsonaro) faces possible charges for money laundering, embezzlement and criminal association in connection with undeclared diamonds the far-right leader received from Saudi Arabia during his time in office, local media has reported. [Brazil](https://www.theguardian.com/world/brazil)’s supreme court has yet to receive the police report with the indictment. Once it does, the country’s prosecutor-general, Paulo Gonet, will analyze the document and decide whether to file charges and force Bolsonaro to stand trial. This is Bolsonaro’s second indictment since leaving office, [following another in May](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/mar/19/bolsonaro-brazil-covid-indictment) for allegedly falsifying his Covid vaccination certificate. But this indictment dramatically raises the legal threats facing the divisive ex-leader that are applauded by his opponents but denounced as political persecution by his supporters. Bolsonaro did not immediately comment, but he and his lawyers have previously denied any wrongdoing in both those cases, as well as other investigations into the former president. One is probing his possible involvement in inciting an uprising in the capital, Brasília, on 8 January 2023 that sought to oust his successor from power. Last year, federal police accused Bolsonaro of attempting to sneak in diamond jewelry reportedly worth $3m and selling two luxury watches. Police said in August that Bolsonaro received cash from the nearly $70,000 sale of two luxury watches he received as gifts from [Saudi Arabia](https://www.theguardian.com/world/saudiarabia). Brazil requires its citizens arriving by plane from abroad to declare goods worth more than $1,000 and, for any amount above that exemption, pay a tax equal to 50% of their value. The jewelry would have been exempt from tax had it been a gift from Saudi Arabia to [Brazil](https://www.theguardian.com/world/brazil), but not to Bolsonaro to keep for himself. Rather, it would have been added to the presidential collection. The investigation showed that Mauro Cid, Bolsonaro’s former aide-de-camp who allegedly falsified his Covid records, in June 2022 sold a Rolex watch and a Patek Philippe watch to a store in the US for a total of $68,000. They were gifted by Saudi Arabia’s government in 2019. [Cid later signed a plea bargain with authorities and confirmed the allegations](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/sep/15/bolsonaro-aide-tells-police-he-sold-luxury-foreign-gifts-for-ex-president-report). Flávio Bolsonaro, the former president’s eldest son and a sitting senator, said on X after Thursday’s indictment that the prosecution of his father was “blatant and shameless”. In addition to Bolsonaro, police indicted 10 others, according to reports. The 69-year-old former army captain started his political career as a staunch advocate of Brazil’s military dictatorship, and was a lawmaker for nearly three decades. When he ran for the presidency for the first time, in 2018, he was widely dismissed as an outsider and too radically conservative. But he surprised analysts with a decisive victory, in no small part due to his self-portrayal as an upstanding citizen in the years following a sprawling corruption probe that ensnared hundreds of politicians and executives. Last year, Brazil’s top electoral court ruled that Bolsonaro abused his presidential powers during his 2022 re-election bid, which rendered him ineligible for any elections until 2030. The case focused on a meeting during which Bolsonaro used government staffers, the state television channel and the presidential palace in Brasília to tell foreign ambassadors that the country’s electronic voting system was rigged. Bolsonaro is expected to meet the Argentinian president, [Javier Milei](https://www.theguardian.com/world/javier-milei), this weekend at a conservative conference in Balneario Camboriu, in Brazil’s south.

51 minutes ago By Robert Plummer, BBC News Getty Images Lula's Brazil is keen to promote the Brics, but it is dwarfed by Xi Jinping's China It's been more than a year-and-a-half since Brazil's Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva returned to the country's presidency, back from the political dead after his conviction on corruption charges was dramatically annulled. In that time, President Lula's comeback has given renewed force to one of the world's most unlikely economic alliances - the Brics, a grouping that unites Brazil with Russia, India, China and South Africa. In his previous time as president from 2003 to 2010, Lula was instrumental in efforts to weld the Brics into a geopolitical entity, and an emerging counterweight to the West. Now the bloc has momentum on its side once again. It's come to be known as Brics Plus, after the original members agreed at a watershed summit in Johannesburg in August last year [to admit a handful of new joiners,](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-66525474) including Saudi Arabia and Iran. Not bad for a grouping that was originally willed into being by sheer high-concept financial whimsy, [the brainchild](https://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/fandd/2021/06/jim-oneill-revisits-brics-emerging-markets.htm) of economist Jim O'Neill, who saw it more as an investment opportunity than a new gang of nations. "When the Brics were invented, it was pretty much an asset class," says Monica de Bolle, senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics in Washington. "But it caught on in Brazil, because it directly spoke to Lula's aspirations in foreign policy." At the Johannesburg meeting, Lula was particularly bullish about the group's long-term economic prospects. “We have already surpassed the G7 and account for 32% of global GDP in purchasing power parity," he said. "Projections indicate that emerging and developing markets will be those that will show the highest growth rate in the coming years," he went on. "This shows that the dynamism of the economy is in the global south and the Brics is its driving force.” But that is disingenuous on Lula's part, to say the least. As has been pointed out by the originator of the Bric acronym, who now rejoices in the title of Baron O'Neill of Gatley, all the economic growth in the group has actually come from Xi Jinping's China and Narendra Modi's India. "None of the other Brics has performed anywhere near as well as those two," he said [in an article written](https://www.chathamhouse.org/2023/08/does-expanded-brics-mean-anything) in reaction to the bloc's expansion. "Brazil and Russia account for around the same share of global GDP as they did in 2001, and South Africa is not even the largest economy in Africa \[Nigeria has surpassed it\]." As he also points out, China "dominates the Brics by being twice the size of all the others combined", in much the same way that the US dominates the G7. So what does slow-growth Brazil gain from being dragged along in China's economic slipstream? Rodrigo Zeidan, a Brazilian economist based at China's New York University Shanghai, tells the BBC that Brazil and China alike see the Brics as a "hedge" in terms of global alliances, rather than as a top priority. "The Brics right now, for Brazil, cost almost nothing," he says. "So if the benefits are not high, it's fine. They are neither a big benefit nor a hindrance." Since China is its biggest trading partner, Brazil is comfortable maintaining close relations with Beijing, even if the Brics grouping provides it with some "strange bedfellows", as Mr Zeidan puts it. Lula has certainly maintained [an ambiguous position on Russia's war in Ukraine](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-65307553), but that is more due to Brazil's traditional neutrality in foreign policy than to a wish to support a fellow Brics nation. For Monica de Bolle at the Peterson Institute, herself a Brazilian economist, President Lula showed "a lot of naivety" in committing to the Brics because of his belief in furthering relations among the big so-called global south nations. As a result, Brazil has now acquired "a China dependency" that could harm it in other foreign policy relations, she says. "If you are in the US, you know that the US stance on China is not going to change \[whoever wins the presidential election in November\]," she adds. "In either case, it's moving in the direction of greater anti-China sentiment. At some point, that's going to create additional reactions from China, which could put Brazil in a very difficult position, because it's perceived as being aligned with China." AFP The New Development Bank has provided money for rebuilding after floods in southern Brazil One tangible gain for Brazil from the alliance comes in the shape of the New Development Bank (NDB), a multilateral lender founded by the Brics and described by Lula as "a milestone in effective collaboration between emerging economies". It is currently headed by Brazilian ex-President Dilma Rousseff. She was President Lula's political protegee, and succeeded him in 2011. But her time in office came to a chaotic end when she was impeached in 2016 for breaking budgetary laws. The NDB has not only returned her to public life, but since the bank's headquarters are in Shanghai, it makes her key to maintaining links between Brazil and China. "Dilma is definitely huge in terms of political image. Having Dilma here in Shanghai is very important for strengthening Brazil-China relations," says Mr Zeidan. Brazil has also benefited directly from NDB money. In June, Ms Rousseff and Brazilian Vice-President Geraldo Alckmin signed a loan deal worth more than $1.1bn (£880m) to help pay for reconstruction after [widespread floods in the state of Rio Grande do Sul](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-68968987). Regarding the NDB and Russia, the bank put all transactions involving the country on hold in March 2022, shortly after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. And the NDB has complied with international sanctions against Russia. But Russia is due to take over the rotating presidency of the bank in mid-2025 and there is some uncertainty over what will happen then. In the meantime, Ms Rousseff is not averse to attending financial gatherings in Russia, and shaking hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has praised her work at the helm of the NDB. AFP Dilma Rousseff and Vladimir Putin in St Petersburg, June 2024 President Lula is a passionate advocate of the Brics as a means of reforming global governance and giving a greater voice to the developing world. He has criticised the "paralysis" of global institutions, while praising the expansion of the Brics as strengthening the fight for more diverse perspectives. But other observers retort that the Brics are themselves paralysed by their own internal contradictions, with Russia at war in Ukraine, while China and India have their own mutual squabbles. Ultimately, says Ms de Bolle in Washington, the Brics are "a heterogeneous group of countries that have nothing in common, apart from the fact that they are big". "The Brics have no clear agenda that has any real weight," agrees Mr Zeidan in Shanghai. "Right now, China doesn't ask much of Brazil. However, anything that China asks, Brazil does. "It's fine to be part of the Brics when the stakes are low. But what if the stakes rise?" In other words, the effect of the Brics, on Brazil and on the world, may be minor for now. But if China decides to become more assertive, that could change rapidly - and Brazil could be faced with some uncomfortable choices. [Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva](/news/topics/ce73e161xjet)

Getty Images X, formerly known as Twitter, has closed its office in Brazil over a censorship row. The social media platform said a Brazilian Supreme Court judge, Alexandre de Moraes, threatened its legal representative in Brazil with arrest if it did not comply with his "censorship orders". Brazil's Supreme Court has not commented. People in Brazil are still able to use X, billionaire Elon Musk's platform said on Saturday. Mr Moraes had ordered X accounts he has accused of spreading disinformation - many supporters of the former right-wing president Jair Bolsanaro - must be blocked while they are under investigation. After X owner Musk criticised Mr Moraes, the judge ordered 100,000 reais ($19,774; £15,670) fines a day for any account that X reactivated, and stressed the possible liability of the company's legal representatives in Brazil if this were to happen. He also put [Mr Musk under investigation for charges](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cv2ygp5pdqlo) including the obstruction of justice. Getty Images X said in a statement that Brazilian staff had no responsibility or control over whether content is blocked but Mr Moraes has chosen to threaten staff in Brazil rather than respect the law. "As a result, to protect the safety of our staff, we have made the decision to close our operation in Brazil, effective immediately," X said. "The responsibility lies solely with Alexandre de Moraes. "His actions are incompatible with democratic government." Musk posted on X that there was "no question that Moraes needs to leave". He added that the decision to close the office in Brazil was "difficult", but if the company agreed to Mr Moraes' "demands, there was no way we could explain our actions without being ashamed". Mr Moraes is disliked by fans of the former president Mr Bolsonaro. During his presidency, he ordered investigations into some of the president’s allies. [ Brazil Supreme Court judge opens inquiry into Musk -------------------------------------------------- ](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cv2ygp5pdqlo)

Members of Brazil’s supreme court have unanimously voted to uphold the ban on X, after Elon Musk’s refusal to comply with local laws led to [the social network being blocked in one of its biggest markets.](https://www.theguardian.com/technology/article/2024/aug/31/x-offline-brazil-elon-musk) On Monday, five of the court’s justices were asked to consider Friday’s decision to temporarily banish X from [Brazil](https://www.theguardian.com/world/brazil), where the platform has more than 21 million users. By lunchtime all five had voted in favour of the ban. Casting his vote in favour of X’s continued suspension, Flávio Dino said the company’s decision to “deliberately” ignore a court order to name a legal representative in Brazil suggested it “considered itself above the rule of law”. Such behaviour risked turning X into an “outlaw”, Dino added, indicating that he could revisit his decision in the future if the company corrected its “illegal conduct”. “Economic power and the size of one’s bank account do not produce some strange immunity from jurisdiction,” Dino argued, warning of the risks of “private autocrats” being allowed to lay down the laws of social networks. Judge Cristiano Zanin also backed the ban, citing how X had “systematically” flouted supreme court orders, first to block accounts that were allegedly spreading disinformation and then to name a local representative. “The repeated noncompliance with supreme court decisions is extremely serious for any citizen or legal entity, be they public or private. No one can seek to perform their activities in Brazil without complying with the laws and the federal constitution,” Zanin argued. A third justice, Cármen Lúcia Antunes Rocha, said she supported the suspension as a result of X’s “aggressive and bellicose infringement of Brazilian legislation”. At stake was whether a foreign company could be allowed to behave “however it wished, without rules or legal limits” in Brazil, Rocha added. Earlier, justice Alexandre de Moraes – [who ordered last week’s ban](https://www.theguardian.com/technology/article/2024/aug/30/elon-musk-x-could-face-ban-in-brazil-after-failure-to-appoint-legal-representative) – reiterated his belief that the “immediate, complete and total” suspension of X across the whole of Brazil was necessary. Dino, Zanin and Rocha all agreed with perhaps the most contentious part of Moraes’s earlier ruling: the prohibition of the use of “technological subterfuge” such as virtual private networks (VPNs) to bypass the blocking of X. Using such technology to access X in Brazil is now punishable with a fine of 50,000 reais (£6,760) a day. Musk has increased his attacks on Brazil’s supreme court and leftwing government since last week’s ruling, which he has denounced as part of a woke authoritarian crusade to silence conservative voices and curb free speech. On Sunday, Musk’s satellite internet subsidiary Starlink reportedly told Brazil’s country’s telecommunications regulator, Anatel, it would not obey the court’s order to block X in the South American country. Simultaneously, Musk has used his X account to vilify Moraes as a “fake judge”, “the dictator of Brazil” and “Brazil’s Voldemort”. “He can block this platform in Brazil, but he can’t stop the whole world from knowing his illegal, shameful & hypocritical deeds,” Musk tweeted on Saturday as the ban came into force and millions of Brazilians found themselves shut out of X, formerly known as Twitter. Musk, who has aligned himself with the far-right movement of Brazil’s former president [Jair Bolsonaro](https://www.theguardian.com/world/jair-bolsonaro), as well as his US ally Donald Trump, has also turned his fire on the government of leftwing President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. “The current Brazilian administration likes to wear the cloak of a free democracy, while crushing the people under its boot,” tweeted Musk, who visited Bolsonaro in Brazil during the final year of his 2019-2023 presidency and received a military decoration for distinguished services to the country. That medal was given to the tech billionaire by Bolsonaro’s then defence minister, Paulo Sérgio Nogueira, who is being investigated by federal police over the suspected conspiracy to stop Lula taking power after he won Brazil’s 2022 election. That alleged plot culminated in the 8 January 2023 far-right riots in Brasília, which Moraes has accused X and other social networks of helping cause by spreading hate speech and anti-democratic sentiment. Bolsonaro and several close allies will be formally charged by federal police over the alleged coup attempt in the coming weeks, the broadsheet O Globo reported on Sunday. The former president denies wrongdoing and on Monday hit out at the ban on X, where he has 13 million followers. Bolsonaro attributed the ban to the “inexplicable desire of some members of the government and the judiciary to control public debate and silence dissenting voices”. Senior members of Lula’s administration have rejected attempts by Musk and Bolsonaro to paint the standoff as an attack on free speech. “It’s simply about following the rules … nobody is above the law,” vice-president Geraldo Alckmin told the Folha de São Paulo newspaper. Alckmin compared the case to the recent arrest of Telegram CEO Pavel Durov in France, “a country with a huge democratic tradition”. Experts believe the showdown between Musk and Brazil’s supreme court will escalate before it cools. If Starlink follows through on its reported vow to ignore the X ban, it is likely to face similar sanctions itself for ignoring a supreme court order. That could have a big impact in the Brazilian Amazon, where Starlink antennae have spread rapidly since being made available in September 2022, bringing high-speed internet connection to far-flung regions. By the end of 2023 Starlink antennae were being used in more than 90% of the Amazon’s municipalities, [according to BBC Brasil](https://www.bbc.com/portuguese/articles/cv2edkw84zmo).

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has cancelled a trip to Russia after injuring his head in an accident at home on Saturday. The 78-year-old was scheduled to travel on Sunday afternoon for the Brics summit - a grouping of major developing countries including Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. A top hospital in capital Brasília said it advised the president to avoid long-haul flights temporarily. He will now participate in the meetings via video link instead. In a statement, the Sírio-Libanês Hospital in Brasília said the president was advised against long-distance travel, but is able to continue other activities as normal. It added that Lula suffered a laceration to the back of his head and is being monitored by doctors. The president's office said he will take part in the summit virtually from Brasília and will continue his other work. His office did not disclose any details about his injury. Citing doctors at the hospital, local media said the president was sent home on Saturday after receiving five stitches. He then returned to the hospital on Sunday morning for a follow-up and was later sent home, local media said. Lula was set to travel at 17:00 local time (20:00 GMT) on Sunday for what would have been his first face-to-face meeting with President Vladimir Putin this year. On Friday, Putin announced that he will not attend the G20 summit in Brazil next month. He said his arrival might "disrupt" the conference and insisted the International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant for his arrest was not a factor. Last year, Putin [skipped the previous Brics summit in South Africa](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-66247067) after the ICC issued a warrant for his arrest. If Putin left Russian soil, he would have been subject to the arrest warrant. As ICC signatories, South Africa and Brazil would have been expected to help in Putin's arrest. The Brics grouping is seen by some as an alternative to the G7 group of advanced economies. The forum was founded 15 years ago by major emerging markets Brazil, Russia, India, China, and has since expanded to include South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates. This year's summit will take place in the Russian city of Kazan from Tuesday to Thursday.

Argentina has ordered the arrest of 61 Brazilian citizens for participating in the [2023 storming of government buildings](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jan/18/brazil-mob-attack-military-police-reform) in Brasília by supporters of the far-right former president Jair Bolsonaro, an Argentine source said on Saturday. Two people have been arrested so far who face prison sentences in Brazil, a judicial source in [Argentina](https://www.theguardian.com/world/argentina) told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity because the person was not authorised to speak publicly. Argentina received an extradition request from Brazil’s judicial authorities last month. During the incident on 8 January 2023, a week after the leftist president [Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva](https://www.theguardian.com/world/luiz-inacio-lula-da-silva) took office, several thousand Bolsonaro supporters invaded and ransacked the Congress building, the presidential palace and the supreme court. Some [rioters fled to Argentina](https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/jun/13/brazil-bolsonaro-rioters), hoping to find refuge under the government of the rightwing president Javier Milei. Federal police officials in Brazil said in June they believed between 50 and 100 Bolsonaro supporters charged with vandalism and insurrection had entered Argentina to avoid legal consequences. Many had convictions from the Brazil supreme court carrying heavy sentences. Bolsonaro’s former vice-president, Hamilton Mourão, said at the time that those who fled to Argentina did not believe they would get a fair trial in Brazil. The Brasília riots resembled the 6 January 2021 attack on the US Capitol by supporters of the then president Donald Trump, who since has been elected to a second term. Brazilian authorities arrested about 3,000 people after the riots and about half are still in jail. Political violence flared up again last week after an attempted bomb attack on the Brazil supreme court, in a reminder of the ransacking of the building by Bolsonaro supporters last year. The incident has hardened consensus in Congress against a proposal to offer amnesty to participants in the 2023 attacks.

Brazil's first lady has sworn at billionaire Elon Musk at an event ahead of the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro. While advocating for tougher social media regulation on a panel about disinformation, Janja Lula da Silva appeared to be startled by a loud noise, joking, "I think it's Elon Musk." "I'm not afraid of you," she went on to say, then swore at the billionaire, who owns Tesla and social media platform X. Musk, who was picked to lead the Department of Government Efficiency in incoming US President Donald Trump's administration, has a complicated relationship with Brazil and its left-wing government. X was briefly banned there this year. He reposted a video of the incident, captioned "lol". In another post, Musk added two laughing emojis and wrote: "They are going to lose the next election", apparently referring to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's Workers Party. Earlier this year, Brazil's Supreme Court ordered a nationwide ban on X, after it failed to name a legal representative in the country and suspend accounts for allegedly spreading disinformation. The [ban was lifted after the platform paid a $5.1m (£3.8m) fine](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c5y06vzk3yjo) more than a month later. But Musk is also an ally of Brazil's former far-right President Jair Bolsonaro, who was found guilty of discrediting the electoral system after losing in 2022. Despite the [eight-year ban stopping him from running in an election](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-66070923), he has declared his intent to run again in the next elections, to be held in 2026. Bolsonaro, who reposted a screenshot of the video and Musk's response, said, "We now have another diplomatic problem." Leaders of the G20 nations will be meeting for the summit, which starts on Monday.

The president of [Brazil](https://www.theguardian.com/world/brazil), [Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva](https://www.theguardian.com/world/luiz-inacio-lula-da-silva), has opened the G20 meeting in Rio de Janeiro with the launch of an alliance to combat hunger, which he described as the “ultimate symbol of our collective tragedy”. Brazil holds the rotating presidency of the group and is hosting the meeting this Monday and Tuesday, attended by all but two – Russia and Saudi Arabia – of the 19 member countries. [In his speech](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pltXdeRXjGA&t=2s), Lula recalled attending the first G20 meeting in the US in 2008: “Sixteen years later, I regret to say that the world is worse,” he said. [ No-show Joe: G20 leaders take group photo without Biden ](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/nov/18/joe-biden-g20-photo) In a litany of the world’s current troubles, the leftwing leader included the highest number of armed conflicts since the second world war, the largest recorded displacement of people, extreme weather phenomena, and deepening social, racial and gender inequalities. But Lula said the “scourge that shames humanity” was hunger and poverty, with 733 million undernourished people worldwide, according to figures from the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization. “In a world that produces nearly 6bn tonnes of food every year, this is unacceptable,” he said, addressing leaders including Joe Biden, China’s Xi Jinping, the UK’s Keir Starmer and France’s Emmanuel Macron. “It is the task of those gathered around this table to address this shameful scourge that dishonours humanity. For this reason, we have made the launch of a Global Alliance Against [Hunger](https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/hunger) and Poverty the central goal of Brazil’s G20 presidency,” said Lula. Eighty-one countries have backed the plan, but initially it seemed that only 18 of the 19 G20 members had signed up. [Argentina](https://www.theguardian.com/world/argentina), whose far-right president, Javier Milei, has previously described Lula as a communist, did not initially back the plan but later came around after negotiations. Earlier, Lula had welcomed all the leaders at the Museum of Modern Art, where the summit is being held. It was the first time Lula and Milei had met face to face, and the coldness of their handshake drew attention. [](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/nov/18/g20-brazil-lula-hunger-alliance#img-2) Argentina’s President Javier Milei (top) walks behind his Brazilian counterpart, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, at the G20 summit. Photograph: António Lacerda/EPA The Argentinian leader was accompanied by his sister, Karina, [who is considered a key figure in his government](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/dec/31/karina-javier-milei-argentina-president-power), and the Brazilian was joined by his wife, Janja da Silva. The four posed for an official photo with Lula but there was none of the whispered conversation that marked Lula’s meetings with other leaders. Since his election, the Argentinian president has visited Brazil, but has not held any meetings with Lula. In contrast, he recently participated in a CPAC event where [he praised and posed for photos](https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/internacional/en/world/2024/07/milei-spares-lula-and-delivers-a-speech-criticizing-socialism-in-brazil.shtml) with the former far-right president Jair Bolsonaro. In addition to joining the alliance late, [Argentina has opposed ideas championed by Brazil](https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/mundo/2024/11/brasil-nao-cede-a-argentina-e-mantem-genero-e-taxacao-de-super-ricos-em-texto-do-g20.shtml) as the rotating president of the G20 on issues such as taxation of the super-rich, for example. Last week, Argentina was the only country to vote against a non-binding UN resolution condemning violence against women. Iran, North Korea and Russia abstained. The [Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty](https://endhungerandpoverty.org/) has a total of 148 signatories, including 82 countries, 26 international organisations, 9 financial institutions, and 31 philanthropic foundations and non-governmental organisations. “May this summit be marked by the courage to act,” said Lula.

RIO DE JANEIRO -- Brazil pushed for concerted action to alleviate hunger Monday as it hosted a summit of the Group of 20 leading economies amid global uncertainty over two major wars and incoming U.S. President-elect Donald Trump. Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva welcomed foreign leaders to Rio de Janeiro’s modern art museum Monday morning and delivered an opening address that focused on fighting food insecurity. “It is for those of us here, around this table, to face the undelayable task of ending this stain that shames humanity,” Lula told his colleagues. “That will be our biggest legacy.” Heightened global tensions and uncertainty about an incoming Trump administration ahead of the summit already had tempered expectations for a strongly worded statement addressing the [conflicts in the Middle East](https://apnews.com/hub/middle-east) and [between Russia and Ukraine](https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine). Further dimming prospects of consensus, Argentina’s negotiators challenged some of the draft language. That has left experts anticipating a final document focused on social issues like the eradication of hunger — one of Brazil’s priorities. “Launching the global alliance (against hunger) was Brazil’s main objective. That was the main point, it was Brazil’s first priority. But other priorities have fallen by the wayside without achieving concrete results, which frustrates Brazil a little,” said Paulo Velasco, an international relations professor at the State University of Rio de Janeiro. “It will be difficult to have detailed criticism against Russia or Israel regarding the two wars that could impede consensual support, which is definitely not what Brazil wants.” After [Lula](https://apnews.com/hub/luiz-inacio-lula-da-silva)[thwarted far-right former President Jair Bolsonaro](https://apnews.com/article/jair-bolsonaro-religion-caribbean-voting-ed2130a095ca42ff1be324a3dea9f355) 's reelection bid in 2022, there was some excitement in the international community at the prospect of the leftist leader and savvy diplomat hosting the G20. Bolsonaro had little interest in international summits, let foreign policy be guided by ideology and clashed with several leaders, [including French President Emmanuel Macron](https://apnews.com/general-news-6da58b3ca8ea476985a470762855fee6). Lula took office and [often quoted a catchphrase: “Brazil is back."](https://apnews.com/article/brazil-lula-un-general-assembly-global-south-fafdca8216d5fe43e4be72ab85135501) Under Lula, Brazil has reverted to its decades-old principle of nonalignment to carve out [a policy that best safeguards its interests](https://apnews.com/article/brazil-lula-foreign-policy-us-venezuela-iran-2ca10d070df6177a33e909c20acbe030) in an increasingly multipolar world, even as his administration's foreign policy has at times raised eyebrows. For the first time ever, Argentina has signed the G20 declaration while dissociating itself from certain aspects, its presidency said in a statement posted to X. Its objections related to limiting freedom of expression on social media; infringement on national sovereignty by institutions of global governance; and greater state intervention to fight hunger, its statement said. One official from Brazil and one from another G20 nation say Argentine negotiators most vehemently opposed a clause calling for a global tax on the superrich — which they had previously accepted, in July — and another promoting gender equality. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to speak publicly. Last month, Argentina alone opposed a declaration of the G20 working group on female empowerment, preventing consensus. While Lula received heads of state Monday with smiles and warm embraces, he and Argentina's right-wing President Javier Milei stood at arms' length while briefly shaking hands. Milei is an avid Trump supporter. [Trump’s win in the U.S. presidential election](https://apnews.com/article/election-day-trump-harris-white-house-83c8e246ab97f5b97be45cdc156af4e2) earlier this month and the imminent return of an “America First” doctrine may also hamper the diplomatic spirit needed for broad agreement on divisive issues, analysts said. Ambassador Mauricio Lyrio, Brazil’s key negotiator at G20, told reporters earlier this month that Lula's launch of a [global alliance against hunger and poverty](https://apnews.com/article/brazil-g20-hunger-poverty-71b77cecdb7d84b9fe4a1b9dff99d51b) on Monday is just as important as the final statement. As of Monday, 82 nations had signed on to the plan, Brazil’s government said. It is also backed by organizations including the Rockefeller Foundation and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. A demonstration Sunday on Rio’s Copacabana beach featured 733 empty plates spread across the sand to represent the 733 million people who went hungry in 2023, according to United Nations data, and calling on leaders to take action. “Brazil wanted a global deal to fight poverty, a project to finance green transition and some consensus over a global tax for the superrich. Only the first one has survived,” according to Thomas Traumann, a former government minister and a political consultant based in Rio. Be that as it may, Lula reiterated his call for a tax on billionaires at the start of leaders’ afternoon session. "Taxation of 2% on the total assets of superrich individuals could generate funds of about $250 billion per year to be invested in facing up to social and environmental challenges all over the world,” Lula said. U.S. President Joe Biden attended the summit after a stop in Lima for the [Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum](https://apnews.com/article/peru-apec-biden-xi-lima-china-fc2ac014b2f7314bfa1a53351b0bc3a7). He also traveled over the weekend to Manaus, a city in Brazil's Amazon rainforest. It was the first time a sitting American president set foot in the Amazon. The [White House](https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2024/11/17/fact-sheet-president-biden-marks-historic-climate-legacy-with-trip-to-brazils-amazon-rainforest/) announced Sunday a $50 million contribution to the [Amazon Fund](https://apnews.com/article/brazil-united-kingdom-amazon-fund-donation-0842cb11c9c2c166bcd765a552f16451), the most significant international cooperation effort to preserve the rainforest, after a prior $50 million. Biden’s administration announced plans last year to give $500 million. [White House officials have](https://apnews.com/article/biden-trump-apec-g20-latin-america-peru-8b317fc2c4f161a60f1a17d52eac3f0a) said Biden also would use the summits to press allies to not lose sight of finding an end to the wars in Lebanon and Gaza and to keep up support for Ukraine as it tries to fend off [Russia’s invasion](https://apnews.com/hub/ukraine). Looming large on Monday was news of Biden's decision to ease restrictions on [Ukraine’s](https://apnews.com/article/biden-ukraine-long-range-weapons-russia-52d424158182de2044ecc8bfcf011f9c) use of longer-range U.S. missiles to allow that country’s military to strike more deeply inside [Russia.](https://apnews.com/article/ukraine-russia-missiles-war-nato-zelenskyy-b8039dcdd5b5f03415acd757fbead8e6) During the summit, Biden pointed to his soon-to-end administration’s efforts on global hunger and poverty. He urged counterparts to redouble efforts to ease those ills, as well as to resolve wars in Sudan, Gaza and Ukraine. “The United States strongly supports Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. Everyone around this table in my view should, as well,” Biden said. Biden had intended to be part of the G20's group photo, a set piece at most international summits, but it occurred earlier than scheduled, according to a senior administration official, who was not authorized to comment publicly. He missed it, along with Italy’s Giorgia Meloni and Canada's Justin Trudeau, the current and next leaders of the G7 group. Any commitments Biden makes at the G20 may be overturned by the next White House administration. Trump’s election may also cause some countries to look toward China as a [more reliable partner](https://apnews.com/article/biden-xi-usa-china-apec-peru-504111bb2837ceae5fba1543a70d48c4). U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer [met with China's Xi Jinping on Monday](https://apnews.com/article/uk-china-starmer-xi-g20-brazil-b1314c8aabf33db8fbf8e2af58d54ac9), the first meeting between British and Chinese leaders since 2018, seeking to repair relations with Beijing. Russian President Vladimir Putin is the summit’s most notable absentee. The [International Criminal Court has issued a warrant](https://apnews.com/article/icc-putin-war-crimes-ukraine-9857eb68d827340394960eccf0589253) that obliges member states to arrest him. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov attended the meeting. In a plaza a few blocks away, hundreds of demonstrators gathered to denounce the killings in Gaza, some beating drums and chanting “Long live the fight of the Palestinian people!” Among them were two rabbis who traveled from New York. Israel isn’t a G20 member. “We are trying to get the message to the G20, to the leaders of the world,” said Rabbi Yisroel Dovid Weiss, from the Neturei Karta International movement. “It is so critical. We are witnessing the mass murder of people and it is being perpetuated in the name of my religion, of Judaism. We cannot be silent, we dare not be silent.” \_\_\_ Aamer Madhani in Rio de Janeiro, Gabriela Sá Pessoa in Sao Paulo and Jill Lawless in London contributed to this report.

 RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil — Brazil's federal police say the former right-wing president, Jair Bolsonaro, attempted to launch [a coup in 2022](https://www.npr.org/2023/01/08/1147761999/pro-bolsonaro-protesters-storm-brazils-congress) to stay in office following his relection defeat. The police indicted 36 other people, as part of what they say was a criminal conspiracy working to keep Bolsonaro in power, after he lost the 2022 election to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Among the dozens allegedly part of the conspiracy are Bolsonaro's former defense minister, who was also his vice-presidential running mate, and a number of former close aides. The Federal Police report called the coup an attempt to "violently dismantle the constitutional state". The nearly 900-page report now goes to Brazil's Supreme Court to be referred to the attorney general who will decide whether to go ahead and try the former president.  The police were investigating events that preceded the riots in the capital Brasília on January 8 2023, when shortly after Bolsonaro's left wing rival took office, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters stormed the presidential palace, the Supreme Court and congress. On Tuesday, officials arrested four members of the military, including a top aide to Bolsonaro who they said colluded to assassinate then President-elect Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, his vice-presidential pick and a Supreme Court Justice. The plan was to spark a federal emergency that would allow Bolsonaro to declare a "state of siege" and stay in power as a caretaker government. Former Bolsonaro administration officials also accused of involvement in the alleged plot, include Defense Minister Walter Braga Netto, ex-National Security Adviser Augusto Heleno, the head of Bolsonaro's party, Valdemar Costa Neto and the former Justice Minister Anderson Torres. [In a post on X](https://x.com/jairbolsonaro/status/1859674801419452478), Bolsonaro said his lawyers would have to look more closely at the indicment. If convicted of attempting a coup and criminal association, the former president could face years in prison. Bolsonaro has denied all charges and says he is being politically persecuted.

MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay -- The [European Union](https://apnews.com/hub/european-union) reached a blockbuster free trade agreement Friday with Brazil, Argentina and the three other South American nations in the Mercosur trade alliance, capping a quarter-century of on-off negotiations even as France vowed to derail the [contentious accord](https://apnews.com/article/china-caribbean-global-trade-brazil-business-893c82f0f11c179c77c999ded4c835d7). Provided it is ratified, the accord would create one of the world's largest free trade zones, covering a market of 780 million people that represents nearly a quarter of global gross domestic product. The accord's proponents in Brussels say it would save businesses some $4.26 billion in duties each year, slashing red tape and removing tariffs on products like Italian wine, Argentine steak, Brazilian oranges and German Volkswagens. Its critics in France, the Netherlands and other countries with big dairy and beef industries say the pact would subject local farmers to unfair competition and [cause environmental damage](https://apnews.com/general-news-e460c9026562cad2221aa54314588bfe). From Uruguay, the host of the Mercosur summit, [European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen](https://apnews.com/article/eu-mercosur-trade-agreement-farmers-uruguay-ca2ce61cf88b76a328d43c22bb85e00d) hailed the deal as a “truly historic milestone" at a time when global protectionism is on the rise. “I know that strong winds are blowing in the opposite direction, toward isolation and fragmentation, but this agreement is our clear response,” von der Leyen said, an apparent reference to U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's vows to protect American workers and goods. Under pressure from his country's powerful and vocal farming lobby, French President Emmanuel Macron said Friday the deal remained “unacceptable” as it stands and stressed that governments have not yet seen “the final outcome” of negotiations. “The agreement has neither been signed nor ratified. This is not the end of the story,” Macron's office said, adding that France demands additional safeguards for farmers and commitments to sustainable development and health controls. For France to block the deal, it would need the support of three or more other EU member states representing at least 35% of the bloc's population. The French government, which has been rallying countries to oppose the pact, named Austria, Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands and Poland as other wary states that share French concerns about the deal. To take effect, the pact must also be endorsed by the European Parliament. In remarks aimed at her “fellow Europeans,” and perhaps in particular French skeptics, von der Leyen promised the accord would boost 60,000 businesses through [lower tariffs](https://apnews.com/article/eu-mercosur-trade-deal-france-2068d8a70f8378fbd3235460231a8138), streamlined customs procedures and preferential access to raw materials otherwise supplied by China. “This will create huge business opportunities,” von der Leyen said. She then turned to address European farmers who fear that an influx of cheap food imports will jeopardize their livelihoods. South American countries do not have to adhere to the same standards for animal treatment and pesticide use. “We have heard you, listened to your concerns, and we are acting on them,” von der Leyen said. Outrage over environmental rules, rising costs and unregulated imports [has unleashed massive farmers’ protests across the continent](https://apnews.com/article/europe-farmers-protests-eu-climate-elections-b6232dc455575f0dc941657fab528390) over the past year. Leaders on both sides of the Atlantic who long have pushed for the deal praised the announcement Friday, welcoming the results as a boon for export industries. It marks the first major trade agreement for Mercosur, which is comprised of Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay and, newly, Bolivia. The bloc had previously only managed to conclude free-trade deals with Egypt, Israel and Singapore. “An important obstacle to the agreement has been overcome,” said Chancellor Olaf Scholz of Germany, where the nation's vaunted car industry is poised to profit. From Spain, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez called the agreement “an unprecedented economic bridge." At the Mercosur summit in Uruguay’s capital of Montevideo, [Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva](https://apnews.com/article/brazil-g20-rio-de-janeiro-wars-trump-12f7a09b8f79229509de52c92c0a074c) praised “a modern and balanced text which recognizes Mercosur’s environmental credentials." “We are securing new markets for our exports and strengthening investment flows,” he said. The Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency said it expects the pact to boost the nation's Europe-bound exports by $7 billion. Libertarian [President Javier Milei of Argentina](https://apnews.com/article/election-milei-massa-runoff-6a171de948a034bd43c853f6d3f50f5c) described the accord as aligning with his free market principles. Argentines are excited about selling more beef and agricultural products in the EU. The deal is the product of 25 years of [painstaking negotiations](https://apnews.com/article/eu-brazil-mercosur-trade-summit-pollution-climate-893bc74d9c8d11807a1ea7bef0c4db15), dating back to a Mercosur summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1999. Talks collapsed [over differences in economic priorities](https://apnews.com/article/eu-latin-america-mercosur-summit-trade-719b9daaca0cbae2a9a801a4154b501f), regulatory standards and agricultural policies. The rise of protectionist tendencies also repeatedly [upended hopes.](https://apnews.com/article/brazil-mercosur-eu-free-trade-5ed064566d6a708ea378c39c4c89139b) Momentum picked up in 2016, as former President Trump imposed harsh tariffs on Europe. At the same time, market-friendly governments came to power in South America's biggest economies, Brazil and Argentina, which had been closed for years. [In June 2019, negotiators announced](https://apnews.com/article/753d5dc2de8942baa809201d49871fdc) a deal that included provisions for tariff reductions and commitments to environmental standards. But it was never implemented. In Brazil, the region's economic powerhouse, right-wing former [President Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil,](https://apnews.com/hub/jair-bolsonaro) presided over [record levels of deforestation in the Amazon](https://apnews.com/article/climate-jair-bolsonaro-new-york-city-deforestation-and-environment-3d22fd36946c3b6aeda628eeacb89ab4), prompting EU governments to [demand tougher sustainability criteria](https://apnews.com/general-news-e460c9026562cad2221aa54314588bfe). In Argentina, a new left-wing protectionist government [opposed the deal.](https://apnews.com/article/argentina-eu-mercosur-brazil-paraguay-7448623940e803b314ccd021f22ad7da) But things picked up as the region's politics shifted again in 2023. Brazil's President Lula rode to power on [pledges to rein in illegal logging](https://apnews.com/article/brazil-amazon-deforestation-lula-climate-change-2fe225f71a8f484e8d365ea641acd65e), soothing [concerns that the pact could accelerate deforestation](https://apnews.com/article/brazil-amazon-deforestation-lula-wildfires-4a8e25c3dee73ccd942677c192cf3e42). Argentina's Milei is working to open the nation's notoriously closed and crisis-stricken economy. But if past EU trade agreements are any indication, ratification could take years. "We celebrate it, but it's still far from reality,” Milei said of the accord. In 2016, the EU and Canada signed a pact, known as the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, or CETA, but the approval process is still lumbering along. Germany’s parliament only signed off on that pact two years ago, and the [French Senate rejected it in March this year](https://apnews.com/article/france-canada-trade-deal-d245382b5d5e627a537a60f19e09060b). “Anyone with any memory is skeptical," said Brian Winter, a vice president of the New York-based Council of the Americas. “They have trotted out leaders and declared victory and celebrated, and yet there always seems to be a hitch.” \_\_\_ DeBre reported from Buenos Aires, Argentina. Associated Press writers Mauricio Savarese in São Paulo, David Biller in Rio de Janeiro, Lorne cook in Brussels and Sylvie Corbet in Paris contributed to this report.

Brazil’s real has fallen to its weakest level against the dollar since the currency was introduced in 1994, undercut by investors’ frustration with President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's efforts to rein in government spending SAO PAULO -- SAO PAULO (AP) — [Brazil’s](https://apnews.com/hub/brazil) real on Wednesday fell to its weakest level against the dollar since the currency was introduced in 1994, undercut by investors' frustration with President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's efforts to rein in government spending. A bill backed by Lula that aims to slash 70-billion-real ($11 billion) in government spending is being debated in Brazil's lower house of Congress. But some market players have said it is insufficient to shore up Brazil’s finances. The real shed 2.8% of its value against the U.S. dollar Wednesday, depreciating to 6.26 per dollar. It’s the weakest the currency has been in nominal terms since its adoption in an economy with a history of boom-and-bust cycles and bouts of high inflation. This year, it has lost nearly 23% of its value against the U.S. currency. Brazil's lower house late Tuesday passed some less-divisive elements of the bill, but key parts — such as restrictions to increases in the minimum wage — have yet to be taken up for a vote. The Senate also needs to vote on what the lower house approves, and Congress adjourns Friday. Brazil's central bank has repeatedly intervened in local currency markets to stem the real's slide but so far has largely failed to stop the bleeding. Economists say the currency's weakness, which will increase costs of Brazilian imports, could trigger inflation as soon as January. “The government sent a package that is seen as insufficient, and it will be watered down in Congress. It also comes with a measure to increase spending through income tax,” analyst Mario Sérgio Lima, from Medley Advisors, told The Associated Press. “The real at 6 per dollar looks acceptable, but nearing 6.30 looks like an exaggeration.” Lula, who is [recovering from surgery to stop a brain bleed](https://apnews.com/article/brazil-lula-surgery-628cff2dc0c07ccaf003093c4c5e7218), told TV Globo on Sunday that his administration is fiscally responsible and downplayed concerns in the financial markets. “It is not the market that needs to be worried about government spending. It is our administration. If I don't rein in spending, if I spend more than I have, it is the poor people who will pay for it,” the Brazilian president said. Brazil's Economy Minister Fernando Haddad said the real's steep depreciation does not reflect the realities of the country's economy, noting that inflation and unemployment figures are improving. “Some are talking about speculation, including respectable journalists,” Haddad told journalists in Brazil's capital, Brasilia, without providing more details. “Our currency floats and at this moment, when some things are pending (in Congress), there's an atmosphere of uncertainty that makes the currency float. But I believe it will find its ground."

Jair Bolsonaro has had a rough couple of years: [election losses](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/30/world/americas/lula-election-results-brazil-bolsonaro.html), [criminal cases](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/08/world/americas/brazil-police-raid-bolsonaro-attempted-coup-investigation.html), [questionable embassy sleepovers](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/25/world/americas/jair-bolsonaro-hungary-video.html). So when he finally received a piece of good news last week — an invitation to President-elect Donald J. Trump’s inauguration — it lifted his spirits. “I’m feeling like a kid again with Trump’s invite. I’m fired up. I’m not even taking Viagra anymore,” the former Brazilian president said in an interview on Tuesday, employing his trademark sophomoric humor. “Trump’s gesture is something to be proud of, right? Who’s Trump? The most important guy in the world.” But reality has a way of spoiling plans. Brazil’s Supreme Court has confiscated Mr. Bolsonaro’s passport as part of an investigation into [whether he tried to stage a coup](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/08/world/americas/brazil-police-raid-bolsonaro-attempted-coup-investigation.html) after losing re-election in 2022. To attend Monday’s inauguration, Mr. Bolsonaro has had to request permission from a Supreme Court justice who is [also his political nemesis](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/22/world/americas/brazil-alexandre-de-moraes.html). On Wednesday, Brazil’s attorney general recommended that his request be rejected. Mr. Bolsonaro admitted he would likely be watching from home. A mural of Mr. Bolsonaro at the headquarters of his party, Partido Liberal.Credit...Victor Moriyama for The New York Times That likely split screen — Mr. Trump returning to the world’s most powerful job while Mr. Bolsonaro stays home on court orders — would encapsulate the two political doppelgängers’ starkly divergent paths since they were voted out of office and then claimed fraud. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and [log into](https://myaccount.nytimes.com/auth/login?response_type=cookie&client_id=vi&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2025%2F01%2F16%2Fworld%2Famericas%2Fjair-bolsonaro-brazil-trump-us.html&asset=opttrunc) your Times account, or [subscribe](https://www.nytimes.com/subscription?campaignId=89WYR&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2025%2F01%2F16%2Fworld%2Famericas%2Fjair-bolsonaro-brazil-trump-us.html) for all of The Times. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. Already a subscriber? [Log in](https://myaccount.nytimes.com/auth/login?response_type=cookie&client_id=vi&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2025%2F01%2F16%2Fworld%2Famericas%2Fjair-bolsonaro-brazil-trump-us.html&asset=opttrunc). Want all of The Times? [Subscribe](https://www.nytimes.com/subscription?campaignId=89WYR&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2025%2F01%2F16%2Fworld%2Famericas%2Fjair-bolsonaro-brazil-trump-us.html).

Brazil has announced the top team for the [next UN climate summit](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/oct/16/lula-and-petro-have-chance-of-lifetime-to-save-amazon-can-they-unite-idealism-realpolitik-to-pull-it-off-cop16-aoe), which will be hosted in Belém this November, bypassing the country’s environment minister, Marina Silva, in favour of a veteran diplomat for the crucial role of president of the talks. The experienced climate negotiator and secretary for climate, energy and environment, André Aranha Corrêa do Lago, will preside over the Cop30 summit, which is expected to draw scores of world leaders to Brazil – though not Donald Trump, who soon after his inauguration on Monday [ordered the US’s withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jan/20/trump-executive-order-paris-climate-agreement). Ana Toni, a [respected Brazilian economist and the government’s climate change secretary](https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/jul/28/brazil-radical-plan-tax-global-super-rich-tackle-climate-crisis), will take on the role of executive director of the summit. Cop30 is set to be one of the most consequential climate summits, as countries must agree fresh targets under the Paris agreement to cut their greenhouse gas emissions in line with the aim of limiting global temperature rises to 1.5C above preindustrial levels. [](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jan/21/brazil-appoints-veteran-diplomat-as-cop30-president-for-november-summit#img-2) Marina Silva will continue in her role as environment minister. Photograph: Rafiq Maqbool/AP This will be difficult – not only is the US withdrawing from the Paris treaty, but many countries are falling behind on their carbon cutting targets, and even more have targets that are much too weak to limit emissions to what scientists say are safe. Last year was the first in which temperatures were consistently above 1.5C. This does not mean the end of the Paris agreement, as that will be judged after years or decades, but shows that hopes of avoiding the worst ravages of climate breakdown are rapidly fading. Civil society groups welcomed Brazil’s moves. The Observatório do Clima, a Brazilian green group, said in a statement: “Corrêa do Lago possesses both the skills and the respect of the international community – qualities he will need to tackle a challenging agenda at a time when global warming has exceeded the Paris agreement’s limits and geopolitics are increasingly hostile to climate action and international cooperation.” Natalie Unterstell, president of the Instituto Talanoa, said: “Cop30 cannot be just another conference – it must be a turning point. Corrêa do Lago brings a rare blend of diplomatic expertise and vision to push the Paris agreement from paper to reality. His leadership will be critical to turning global ambition into actionable, measurable outcomes.” [](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jan/21/brazil-appoints-veteran-diplomat-as-cop30-president-for-november-summit#img-3) Brazil’s president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, right, shakes hands with André Aranha Corrêa do Lago after naming him president of UN climate summit Cop30. Photograph: Sérgio Lima/AFP/Getty Images Toya Manchineri, of the Coordination of Indigenous Organisations of the Brazilian Amazon (COIAB), said: “\[The appointment of Corrêa do Lago\] represents a positive effort but still does not guarantee what we truly expect: the centrality of Indigenous peoples in climate discussions.” The success of climate Cops – annual “conference of the parties” to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, the 1992 parent treaty to 2015’s Paris agreement – relies heavily on the expertise of the presidency. Azerbaijan, which held the presidency for the previous Cop, which took place last November, was privately [criticised by many developed and developing countries for its handling of Cop29](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/nov/26/how-late-deal-left-a-sense-of-dissatisfaction-and-betrayal-at-cop29-baku), including a failure to push countries to reconfirm a commitment to “transition away from fossil fuels”. One observer said: “The Cop can only be as good as the host country’s presidency, as we all could see last year.” There are still questions from some over how much personal interest Brazil’s president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, will take in the talks. Cop30 is scheduled to take place in Belém, a city near the mouth of the [Amazon](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/dec/03/exclusive-protection-deal-for-amazon-rainforest-in-peril-as-big-business-turns-up-heat) river. But participants are increasingly concerned about the lack of facilities in the city, despite its emblematic situation in the rainforest state of Pará. Silva will continue in her role as environment minister.

Jair Bolsonaro, Brazil’s former president, was charged on Tuesday with overseeing a vast scheme to hold on to power after losing the 2022 election, including one plot to annul the vote, disband courts and empower the military, and another to assassinate the nation’s president-elect. The accusations, laid out in a 272-page indictment, suggest that Brazil came strikingly close to plunging back into, in effect, a military dictatorship nearly four decades into its modern democracy. Attorney General Paulo Gonet Branco indicted Mr. Bolsonaro and 33 other people, including a former spy chief, defense minister and national security adviser, accusing them of a series of crimes against Brazil’s democracy. The charges essentially adopted [recommendations from Brazil’s federal police](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/21/world/americas/bolsonaro-coup-brazil-election-charges.html) made in November. The case will now go before Brazil’s Supreme Court, which will decide whether to order Mr. Bolsonaro’s arrest and have him face trial. If convicted, he could face 12 to 40 years in prison, according to the indictment, though political analysts expect any sentence to be shorter. In a statement, Mr. Bolsonaro, 69, called the indictment “the weaponization of the justice system” and compared himself to President Trump, a political ally he often emulates. The accusations are “nothing more than a desperate attempt to criminalize my political movement, silence millions of Brazilians and rig the next election before a single vote is cast,” Mr. Bolsonaro said, adding that he had handed over power peacefully. “This is the same failed strategy that was used against President Trump.” Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and [log into](https://myaccount.nytimes.com/auth/login?response_type=cookie&client_id=vi&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2025%2F02%2F18%2Fworld%2Famericas%2Fbrazil-bolsonaro-coup-charges.html&asset=opttrunc) your Times account, or [subscribe](https://www.nytimes.com/subscription?campaignId=89WYR&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2025%2F02%2F18%2Fworld%2Famericas%2Fbrazil-bolsonaro-coup-charges.html) for all of The Times. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. Already a subscriber? [Log in](https://myaccount.nytimes.com/auth/login?response_type=cookie&client_id=vi&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2025%2F02%2F18%2Fworld%2Famericas%2Fbrazil-bolsonaro-coup-charges.html&asset=opttrunc). Want all of The Times? [Subscribe](https://www.nytimes.com/subscription?campaignId=89WYR&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2025%2F02%2F18%2Fworld%2Famericas%2Fbrazil-bolsonaro-coup-charges.html).

Brazilian democrats have celebrated the strength of their country’s judiciary and institutions after the former president [Jair Bolsonaro](https://www.theguardian.com/world/jair-bolsonaro) was left [facing political oblivion and jail time](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/feb/19/jair-bolsonaro-charged-alleged-brazil-coup) for allegedly plotting a coup, in stark contrast to the US’s failure to bring Donald Trump to justice for his anti-democratic acts. “In [Brazil](https://www.theguardian.com/world/brazil) coup-mongers go to jail. In the US they get back into the White House,” said Marcelo Freixo, a leading leftwing politician on Wednesday after the attorney general formally accused Bolsonaro of engineering a sprawling conspiracy to cling to power following his defeat in the 2022 election. For his alleged crimes – which include participation in an attempted coup d’état, an armed criminal association and a violent attempt to abolish the rule of law – Bolsonaro could face a prison sentence of over 40 years. Trump meanwhile is beginning his second term as president after managing to shirk responsibility for his alleged offenses, including inciting the January 2021 attacks in Washington DC. “In the US Trump encouraged an attempted coup through the storming of the Capitol and emerged unpunished. In [Brazil](https://www.theguardian.com/world/brazil) Bolsonaro led an attempted coup and he is going to jail,” said Freixo hailing the South American country as “a more serious democracy than the US”. Freixo was far from alone in voicing those sentiments as Brazilians absorbed the shocking details in the attorney general’s 272-page indictment, which laid bare just how close one of the world’s largest democracies came to suffering a violent military rupture after Bolsonaro lost its last presidential election to his leftwing rival [Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva](https://www.theguardian.com/world/luiz-inacio-lula-da-silva) in 2022. Desperate to cling to power, Bolsonaro allegedly presided over an intricate two-year authoritarian conspiracy, which involved using social media to spread disinformation about Brazil’s supreme court and election voting system, sowing chaos on the country’s streets, and using that turmoil as a justification for a military intervention. The most sinister element of the alleged plot involved the “neutralization” of public figures considered foes of Bolsonaro’s political movement, with the use of guns and poison. The targets allegedly included the supreme court judge Alexandre de Moraes and Brazil’s current president, Lula. Bolsonaro had even allegedly prepared an address he planned to make to the nation after carrying out his power grab. In it, the far-right populist planned to quote the Italian theologian and philosopher St Thomas Aquinas’s ideas about resisting “unjust laws”, seemingly as a way of validating his illegal actions. Bolsonaro has rejected the attorney general’s accusations, with his lawyers voicing “astonishment and anger” over the charges. His politician son, Carlos Bolsonaro, compared the claims in the indictment to a “sack of dung”. In a statement, Bolsonaro alleged Brazil’s justice system had been “weaponized” against him in an effort to criminalize his movement and silence millions of Brazilian supporters. “This is the same failed strategy that was used against President Trump,” he said of his most important international ally. But progressive Brazilians hailed how, unlike in the US, Brazil’s police and judiciary seemed to be successfully holding those who allegedly conspired against Brazil’s young democracy to account. “Here in Brazil the institutions did their job defending democracy,” Freixo said. “We’ve always been told that North American institutions are really strong – but the institutions that showed themselves to be truly strong were the Brazilian ones, which did not allow a coup to take place.” A former Brazilian secretary of justice, the lawyer Augusto de Arruda Botelho, said: “For any person who calls themselves a democrat, this is a historic moment in Brazil. This is a moment where we say: ‘There are limits.’” “Political and ideological and party political divergences are healthy … in any democracy. But there are limits. And Bolsonaro and Bolsonarismo went way beyond this limit,” Botelho added. “The limit is the law. They broke the law when they tried to stage a coup d’état and they are now being prosecuted for this.” Conrado Hübner Mendes, a constitutional law professor at the University of São Paulo, said he believed there was “more than enough evidence” for Bolsonaro to be found guilty at trial. Mendes believed a criminal conviction, combined with the fact that Bolsonaro has already been barred from seeking elected office until 2030, “should put an end to his political career”. However, Mendes doubted it would deal a fatal blow to “the political criminality Bolsonaro helped build and which remains strong” in Brazil, in the form of the ex-president’s hard-right successors. Botelho said it was hard to predict the future of Bolsonaro, who is only likely to be arrested once the legal process has fully played out, something that could take months. “It hurts him politically,” he said. “But in a way it also boosts his supporters,” who would try to paint their leader as the victim of political persecution.

Vanessa Buschschlüter BBC News Reuters Justices on Brazil's top court are debating whether former President Jair Bolsonaro should stand trial for allegedly attempting to stage a coup against the current President, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. A five-member panel of the Supreme Court will weigh up evidence presented by the chief prosecutor, who accuses Bolsonaro of leading a plot to prevent his rival Lula from taking office after the latter won the 2022 election. Bolsonaro, 70, says he is the victim of "political persecution" aimed at preventing him from running again for president in 2026. The judges are expected to decide before the end of Wednesday whether there is enough evidence for the case to go to trial. [Bolsonaro is already barred from running for public office until 2030](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-66070923) for falsely claiming that Brazil's voting system was vulnerable to fraud, but he has declared his intention to fight that ban so he can run for a second term in 2026. Bolsonaro, a former army captain and admirer of US President Donald Trump, governed Brazil from January 2019 to December 2022. He narrowly lost a presidential election run-off in October 2022 to his left-wing rival, Lula. Bolsonaro never publicly acknowledged his defeat. Many of his supporters spent weeks camping outside army barracks in an attempt to convince the military to prevent Lula from being sworn in as president as scheduled on 1 January 2023. A week after Lula's inauguration, on 8 January 2023, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters stormed government buildings in the capital, Brasilia, in what federal investigators say was an attempted coup. Parts of the buildings were ransacked and police arrested 1,500 people. Bolsonaro was in the United States at the time and has always denied any links to the rioters. A federal police investigation into the riots and the events leading up to them was launched. The investigators said they had found evidence that there was "a criminal organisation" which had "acted in a coordinated manner" to keep then-President Bolsonaro in power. Their 884-page report, which was unsealed in November 2024, alleged that "then-President Jair Messias Bolsonaro planned, acted and was directly and effectively aware of the actions of the criminal organisation aiming to launch a coup d'etat and eliminate the democratic rule of law". [Brazil's Attorney-General, Paulo Gonet, went even further in his report published last month](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwydxnxnxpgo), in which he accused Bolsonaro of not just being aware but of leading the criminal organisation that he says sought to overthrow Lula. According to Gonet's report, the alleged plot included a plan to poison Lula and shoot dead Alexandre de Moraes - one of the five Supreme Court justices now tasked with deciding whether the case should proceed to trial. The five-member panel will now have to determine if there is enough evidence to put Bolsonaro and seven others accused of being his co-conspirators on trial. Bolsonaro has denied any wrongdoing all along and on Monday he again maintained he was innocent. Speaking on a radio podcast, the ex-president said that he was "not at all worried about the accusations" and that he had "good lawyers" representing him. [Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva](/news/topics/ce73e161xjet)

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has stressed the importance of free trade and multilateralism and decried threats against democracy as he and Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba agreed to step up ties across the board ByMARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press TOKYO -- Brazilian President [Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva](https://apnews.com/hub/luiz-inacio-lula-da-silva) stressed the importance of free trade and multilateralism and decried threats against democracy as he and [Japan](https://apnews.com/hub/brazil) 's Prime Minister [Shigeru Ishiba](https://apnews.com/hub/shigeru-ishiba) agreed Wednesday to step up ties across the board. The two leaders are expected to sign an action plan for the next five years to bolster their cooperation in a wide range of areas from security to economy and trade to climate change. Lula said now is a perfect time to reactivate their strategic partnership when democracy and multilateralism are threatened, protectionism is rising in a number of countries and there is something of a “cold war” between the United States and China. Lula said it was extremely important for [Brazil](https://apnews.com/hub/brazil) and Japan to reconfirm that democracy is the most important form of government and to ensure the importance of multilateralism and free trade. Brazil, the second largest steel exporter to the United States after Canada, and Japan, the sixth largest, both face 25% duty as the U.S. President [Donald Trump](https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump) steps up his [tariff threats.](https://apnews.com/article/trump-tariffs-aluminum-steel-e5a6295577275045db3484b71c979bfb) Ishiba emphasized Brazil's growing global presence as the ninth economic power that shares Japan's principles and values. Lula on Tuesday met with Emperor [Naruhito](https://apnews.com/hub/naruhito) and attended a state banquet at the State Guest House. 

Vanessa Buschschlüter BBC News EPA Ex-President Bolsonaro flew to Brasilia for the Supreme Court decision Brazil's former President Jair Bolsonaro will stand trial for allegedly attempting to stage a coup against current president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, after a ruling from the country's top court. The Supreme Court's five-member panel voted unanimously in favour of the trial going ahead. It could start as early as this year, and if found guilty Bolsonaro, 70, could face years in prison. Speaking after the court's decision, Bolsonaro told a press conference the charges against him were "grave and baseless". He has always denied trying to block Lula's inauguration. "It seems they have something personal against me," he added in a post on X, referring to the judges. Bolsonaro says he is the victim of "political persecution" aimed at preventing him from running again for president in 2026. The panel was tasked with determining whether there was enough evidence to put Bolsonaro on trial. The first to cast his vote on Wednesday was the judge heading the panel, Alexandre de Moraes. He recommended that Bolsonaro, as well as seven other former government officials described by the attorney-general as "co-conspirators", stand trial over the events which led up to the storming of government buildings by his supporters on 8 January 2023, a week after Lula's inauguration. The seven men accused of being co-conspirators are: * Alexandre Ramagem, former spy chief * Adm Almir Garnier Santos, former navy commander * Anderson Torres, former security minister * Gen Augusto Heleno, former minister for institutional security * Mauro Cid, Bolsonaro's former assistant * Gen Walter Braga Netto, former defence minister * Gen Paulo Sérgio Nogueira de Oliveira former defence minister Bolsonaro, a former army captain and admirer of US President Donald Trump, governed Brazil from January 2019 to December 2022. He narrowly lost a presidential election run-off in October 2022 to his left-wing rival, Lula. Bolsonaro never publicly acknowledged his defeat. Many of his supporters spent weeks camping outside army barracks in an attempt to convince the military to prevent Lula from being sworn in as president as scheduled on 1 January 2023. A week after Lula's inauguration, on 8 January 2023, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters stormed government buildings in the capital, Brasilia, in what federal investigators say was an attempted coup. Parts of the buildings were ransacked and police arrested 1,500 people. Bolsonaro was in the United States at the time and has always denied any links to the rioters. A federal police investigation into the riots and the events leading up to them was launched. The investigators said they had found evidence that there was "a criminal organisation" which had "acted in a coordinated manner" to keep then-President Bolsonaro in power. Their 884-page report, which was unsealed in November 2024, alleged that "then-President Jair Messias Bolsonaro planned, acted and was directly and effectively aware of the actions of the criminal organisation aiming to launch a coup d'etat and eliminate the democratic rule of law". Brazil's Attorney-General, Paulo Gonet, went even further in his report published last month, in which he accused Bolsonaro of not just being aware but of leading the criminal organisation that he says sought to overthrow Lula. According to Gonet's report, the alleged plot included a plan to poison Lula and shoot dead Alexandre de Moraes - the Supreme Court justice who headed the panel which has now decided that the case should proceed to trial. Bolsonaro has always denied the allegations which he says are politically motivated and designed to stop him from running for president again. While he is already barred from running for public office until 2030 for falsely claiming that Brazil's voting system was vulnerable to fraud, he had declared his intention to fight that ban so he could run for a second term in 2026. However, Wednesday's decision by the Supreme Court has placed a very high hurdle in his way to a possible candidacy.

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has swiped at U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to raise tariffs on a wide range of products TOKYO -- Brazilian President [Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva](https://apnews.com/hub/luiz-inacio-lula-da-silva) swiped Thursday at U.S. President [Donald Trump's](https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump) decision to raise U.S. tariffs on a wide range of products, saying Trump should consider the potential harm to the American and global economies. Lula made the comments while wrapping up a 4-day visit to Japan, where Trump's decision Wednesday to order [25% tariffs](https://apnews.com/live/donald-trump-news-updates-3-26-2025) on all car imports came as a severe blow given the country's status as a major auto exporter and American ally. The U.S. is the biggest destination for Japanese car exports. “I am very concerned about the behavior of the American government,” Lula said. “I am concerned because free trade is being harmed and I am concerned because multilateralism is weakened,” Lula said through an interpreter. Lula said he foresees no positive outcome from Trump's policy of raising tariffs given that they will raise prices for American consumers, adding to inflation and leading to higher interest rates that might stifle economic growth. He added that Trump is president only of the United States, not the world, and that “this protectionism does not help any country in the world.” Japanese Prime Minister [Shigeru Ishiba](https://apnews.com/hub/shigeru-ishiba) reiterated he wants Japan to be exempt from such tariffs. He and Lula agreed to step up [partnerships](https://apnews.com/article/japan-brazil-ishiba-lula-trade-democracy-97f3c78c220595b6cf1b2029cb4e6692) between Japan and Brazil in the areas of the economy, trade and security. As Trump’s tariff threats have triggered tensions and vows of retaliation from Canada, Mexico, China and Europe, Japan has been working to firm up ties with other countries. Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said Trump's decision on auto tariffs was “extremely regrettable.” Japan strongly has “strongly urged" it be exempt. Brazil is the top steel exporter to the United States. Lula said it was considering filing complaints to the World Trade Organization and might impose reciprocal tariffs. But Brazil is not near the top of Trump's list for trade retaliation since the U.S., its second-largest trading partner, exports more than it imports from there. The U.S. trade surplus with Brazil was $7.4 billion in 2024, nearly a 32% increase over a year earlier. Brazil's top exports to the U.S. were petroleum and iron and steel. Its biggest imports from the U.S. were crude and refined oil, gas turbines, aircraft, chemical and machinery.