Brazil
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Brazil's Lula asks Trump to lift tariffs and sanctions in first formal talks
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva asked US President Donald Trump to remove punitive tariffs on Brazilian goods and sanctions on officials, in the first formal discussion between the leaders following months of tension.
Telefónica's mass redundancy plan signals deepening Latin American retreat
Spanish telco giant Telefónica SA is preparing to unveil a sweeping redundancy programme affecting more than 6,000 workers before year-end, marking the telecommunications company's most extensive workforce reduction in recent memory.
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Brazil's Tarcísio de Freitas wavers on presidential run, scrambling right-wing rivals
São Paulo governor Tarcísio de Freitas' apparent retreat from presidential ambitions has upended Brazil's 2026 race, alarming President Lula's leftist allies while breathing new life into alternative rightwing candidates.
LONG READ: Trade is the glue that holds Global Emerging Markets Institutions together
The world order is changing. The emerging markets are coming of age and they are setting up a raft of largely non-Western Global Emerging Markets Institutions (GEMIs) to coordinate their lives. Trade is the glue that binds them together.
LONG READ: The GEMIs, the Global Emerging Markets' interlocking institutions
The international order is breaking up as the Global Emerging Markets build a raft of new non-Western interlocking international institutions to run their vision of a new multipolar world order.
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EU presses ahead with December signing of divisive Mercosur deal
The European Commission is gearing up to sign its contentious trade agreement with South American bloc Mercosur on December 5 in Brazil, possibly sealing the fate of an accord that has languished in negotiations for more than a quarter-century.
Ukraine's receipt of Israeli missiles part of Israel's greater geopolitical plot
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that his country received a Patriot air defence system from Israel
Washington's commerce chief targets Brazil for trade concessions despite US surplus
US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has listed Brazil among multiple countries needing commercial relationships "fixed" to benefit the US, despite Washington running a trade surplus with Latin America's largest economy.
Brazil’s right-wing fractures as 2026 election takes shape amid judicial tensions
Brazil's conservative opposition faces mounting internal divisions and legal pressures as it gears up for the 2026 presidential contest, with São Paulo Governor Tarcísio de Freitas signalling retreat from national ambitions.
LATAM BLOG: Friends till the end? Trump's costly loyalty to Latin America's strongmen
Trump bails out Argentina with $20bn while slapping 50% tariffs on Brazil to protest Bolsonaro's coup conviction. His ideology-driven policy risks pushing both nations toward China—exactly what Washington hoped to prevent.
Emerging market Tiger Cities power global growth prospects
Cities across the developing world are set to be among the fastest-growing urban economies in the next quarter century, according to Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025.
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TikTok pitches $10bn data centre investment to Brazil's Lula
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva held talks with TikTok chief executive Shou Zi Chew on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly to discuss a proposed $10.3bn data centre investment in Ceará state.
Spain pushes for swift EU-Mercosur deal ratification as December signing looms
Spain has intensified calls for the swift ratification of the EU-Mercosur trade agreement, with Agriculture Minister Luis Planas declaring that "not a minute should be wasted" on a deal that could be signed as early as December.
US sanctions Brazilian judge’s wife as diplomatic row grows over Bolsonaro conviction
The US has imposed sanctions on Viviane Barci de Moraes, wife of Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, ratcheting up diplomatic tensions following former president Jair Bolsonaro's conviction for coup plotting.
Brazilian lawmakers face street anger over Bolsonaro amnesty fast-track
Tens of thousands of Brazilians demonstrated across the country on September 21 in opposition to congressional moves that could shield lawmakers from prosecution and grant amnesty to convicted far-right former president Jair Bolsonaro.
China rejects US "bullying" over Latin American partnerships
China has once again rejected American efforts to pressure Latin American nations into reducing ties with Beijing, with a foreign ministry spokesperson asserting the region's right to choose its own development partners independently.
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Latin America's development gains under threat as one in four live in poverty, UN report finds
UNDP warns of stagnation and rising vulnerability across the region amid "overlapping crises".
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COMMENT: How Brazil's judiciary stood up to authoritarian threat
The prosecution of former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro and seven co-conspirators marks the coming of age of Brazilian democracy.
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Brazil dismisses US trade concerns over Bolsonaro conviction
Brazilian officials have downplayed suggestions that former president Jair Bolsonaro's conviction would complicate trade negotiations with the US, while President Lula challenged the US' characterisation of the trial as a "witch hunt".
Extreme poverty falling steadily – OWID
To track progress towards ending extreme poverty, the United Nations relies on World Bank estimates of the number of people living below a poverty threshold called the “International Poverty Line” (IPL), Our World in Data (OWID) reports.