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Latin America Weekly

🇺🇸🇻🇪 U.S.-Venezuela rapprochement, abortion laws, Colombian elections

Mar 09, 2022 14:52 9 min read

Hello, and welcome to the Latin America Weekly newsletter! In this issue: Venezuela and the U.S. enjoy a rare moment of rapprochement. An update to abortive rights in Latin America. Colombia’s election season kicks off. Costa Rica legalizes medical marijuana.

Russian conflict warms U.S.-Venezuelan relations

Venezuela Anti-Maduro demonstrators in Caracas stage a protest against the invasion of Ukraine by Russia. Photo: Agustin Garcia/Alamy Live News
Anti-Maduro demonstrators in Caracas stage a protest against the invasion...
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Power

Assange brother thanks Lula for support to WikiLeaks co-founder

The Assange family spoke before the Brazilian Congress, asking for support against the possible extradition of the WikiLeaks co-founder to the U.S.

9 hours ago • Cedê Silva
roe v wade abortion
Power

Bolsonaro official signed amicus brief against Roe v. Wade

An official in the Brazilian Human Rights Ministry signed a brief that helped the U.S. Supreme Court overturn Roe v. Wade, in yet more evidence of Bolsonarism's involvement in American culture wars

5 days ago • Cedê Silva
There were 35 sexual harassment complaints filed by workers in the Justice Ministry, more than in any other department in federal government. Photo: R.M. Nunes/Shutterstock
Power

Sexual harassment complaints within Brazil’s government at over one per day

Most reported victims are female, white, and aged between 20 and 39 years

6 days ago • Amanda Audi
Security Council Considers Situation in Guinea-Bissau
Power

What to expect from Brazil’s UN Security Council presidency

Over the course of July, Brazil will head the UN's top body. Brasília correspondent Cedê Silva investigated the country's priorities

6 days ago • Cedê Silva
President Jair Bolsonaro supported the 2018 truckers strike, but has done the impossible for a new such movement to happen during his administration. Photo: Alan Santos/PR
Power

How Bolsonaro tries to pander to truckers

Truckers are both vital to the Brazilian economy and a key support base for Jair Bolsonaro. The president has spared no expense to keep them happy, a challenging task as diesel prices soar

1 week ago • Cedê Silva
G20 inflation OECD
Insider

Brazil has the fourth-highest G20 inflation according to the OECD

11 hours ago • Ana Ferraz
Brazilian federal health regulator Anvisa on Wednesday voted to keep the country's ban on e-cigarettes, in force since 2009.
Insider

Brazilian regulators keep e-cigarette ban

13 hours ago • Cedê Silva
trips brazil pandemic
Insider

Brazilians traveled 41 percent less during the pandemic

13 hours ago • Ana Ferraz
car sales brazil
Insider

Car sales in Brazil drop sharply during the first semester

2 days ago • Ana Ferraz
Central Bank workers end strike
Insider

Central Bank workers end strike after three months

2 days ago • Ana Ferraz
Justice Minister Anderson Torres. Photo: Fabio Rodrigues-Pozzebom/ABr
Coronavirus

Brazilian Justice minister tests positive for Covid

2 days ago • TBR Newsroom
wear masks again cases soar
Coronavirus

States ask Brazilians to wear masks again, as cases soar

6 days ago • Lucas Berti
Coronavac vaccine
Coronavirus

CoronaVac vaccines will no longer be produced in Brazil

1 week ago • Lucas Berti
booster pfizer
Coronavirus

Pfizer files for approval of boosters for children aged 5 to 11

2 weeks ago • TBR Newsroom
Brazilians have stopped taking preventive measures against Covid. Photo: F. de Jesus/Shutterstock
Coronavirus

Data issues mask new Covid rise in Brazil

1 month ago • TBR Newsroom
electoral A ruling limits how much parties can spend on political advertising in 2022. Photo: Joa Souza/Shutterstock
2022 Race

Electoral courts sets campaign spending caps for 2022

6 days ago • Lucas Berti
Marina Silva is one of Brazil's most respected environmentalists. Photo: Marcello Casal Jr./ABr
2022 Race

Former Brazilian Environment Minister Marina Silva to run for House seat

7 days ago • TBR Newsroom
bolsonaro running mate braga netto
2022 Race

Bolsonaro promises former Defense Minister as running mate

1 week ago • TBR Newsroom
New Datafolha polls shows stability in presidential race
2022 Race

New Datafolha polls shows stability in presidential race

2 weeks ago • Cedê Silva
electoral Former Infrastructure Minister Tarcísio Gomes de Freitas. Photo: Marcelo Camargo/ABr
2022 Race

São Paulo electoral court benefits former Bolsonaro minister

2 weeks ago • TBR Newsroom
industry naval
Business

Despite recent positive numbers, Brazilian industry still ailing

The ebbing of the pandemic has brought higher prices, which reduced consumption. But there are deeper problems preventing the sector from getting back on its feet

2 days ago • Ana Ferraz
Brazil braces for offshore wind boom
Business

Brazil braces for offshore wind boom

Regulatory advances mean Brazil is getting closer to exploiting its offshore wind potential. But the sector is not currently being developed in line with socio-environmental sustainability, civil society advocates say

3 days ago • Constance Malleret
oi telecom
Business

Brazil’s Oi telecom: to the brink of bankruptcy and back

After six years of court-supervised recovery, Oi, Brazil’s fourth-largest telecom, may now emerge with much lower debt

4 days ago • Fabiane Ziolla Menezes
debt brazil
Business

Market roundup: Brazil’s debt costs continue to balloon

High inflation and the world’s steepest monetary tightening process have increased pressure on Brazil’s public debt

5 days ago • Ana Ferraz
Bank account ownership grew more in Latin America than any other global region
Business

Bank account ownership grew more in Latin America than in any other global region

Brazil experienced double-digit bank account ownership growth since 2017. Global Findex, a World Bank report produced with Gallup every three years, surveyed over 125,000 adults in 123 economies

7 days ago • Fabiane Ziolla Menezes
facebook whistleblower fake news
Tech

Facebook whistleblower supports Brazil’s ‘Fake News bill’

Big Tech has spent big bucks to lobby against the so-called "Fake News bill." But a whistleblower lauded aspects of the bill

18 hours ago • Cedê Silva
ifood app
Tech

Tech roundup: iFood’s post-boom pivot

Brazil's massive food delivery app has cut hirings and is shifting focus after the pandemic-led delivery boom

3 days ago • Ana Ferraz
Tech Roundup data protection
Tech

Tech Roundup: Government fails to set an example on data protection

The Brazilian government has been lackadaisical in adopting data protection protocols in government agencies

2 weeks ago • Ana Ferraz
Latin American research is in Google and Microsoft servers. That is a problem
Tech

Latin American research is in Google and Microsoft servers. That is a problem

With the pandemic, education institutions moved online en masse and started using ostensibly free systems provided by big tech companies. But not enough questions are being asked about data protection

1 month ago • Amanda Audi
access to information law
Tech

Tech Roundup: Ten years of the Access to Information Law

Experts warn that Bolsonaro is chipping away and the effectiveness of the Access to Information Law, a crucial piece of Brazil's transparency structure

2 months ago • Ana Ferraz
copacabana President Jair Bolsonaro during a visit to Cruz das Almas, in Bahia, to promote the Auxílio Brasil cash-transfer program. Photo: Max Haack/Futura Press/Folhapress
Podcast

Explaining Brazil #205: Bolsonaro is throwing money at his problems

The Brazilian president wants to sidestep election laws to jack up spending ahead of the election. Columnist Beatriz Rey warns of the risks of giving him such powers

19 hours ago • Gustavo Ribeiro
bolsonaro Opposition senators file a request to investigate the Education Ministry. Photo: Geraldo Magela/SF
Podcast

Explaining Brazil #204: A second swing at Bolsonaro

The opposition failed to remove Bolsonaro from office with last year's Covid hearings. They want a new congressional investigation to hurt him at the ballot box

1 week ago • Euan Marshall
The president v. Petrobras
Podcast

Explaining Brazil #203: The president v. Petrobras

While the price of gas isn't exactly the best metric to understand the economy at large, the ubiquity of fuel and its direct impact on people's monthly budgets make it an easy shorthand for the broader economic scenario — especially when prices are going up

2 weeks ago • Euan Marshall
Dom Phillips Bruno Pereira
Podcast

Explaining Brazil #202: Where are Dom and Bruno?

It has been 11 days since journalist Dom Phillips and indigenous expert Bruno Pereira were reported missing. The police are yet to find the two

3 weeks ago • Gustavo Ribeiro
summit biden bolsonaro
Podcast

Explaining Brazil #201: Is the Monroe doctrine dead?

A deflated Summit of the Americas won't bring many noteworthy resolutions, though it will be interesting to see what transpires from a bilateral meeting between Presidents Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil and Joe Biden of the U.S.

4 weeks ago • Caroline Coutinho
A cell door at a former São Paulo prison used to house political prisoners during the Brazilian dictatorship. The facility has become a memorial. Photo: Alf Ribeiro/Shutterstock
Society

Case of torture during dictatorship reaches Inter-American Court of Human Rights

"If I had returned to Brazil, I would have died," says Denise Crispim, who was tortured and exiled by Brazil's military dictatorship. She hopes for justice and reparations

2 days ago • Lucas Berti
Indigenous people hold a poster asking for justice for Dom Phillips and Bruno Pereira, who were murdered earlier this month in a remote Amazon region. Photo: Bruno Rocha/Agência Enquadrar/Folhapress
Society

Data corroborates fears about growing lawlessness in the Brazilian Amazon

Brazil saw its overall murder rate decrease in 2021, but figures saw significant spikes in the Amazon region, highlighting an ongoing trend of violence in Brazil's North

1 week ago • Constance Malleret
peter lund lagoa santa
Society

The (Danish) father of Brazilian paleontology

Peter Lund spent the majority of his life living in Brazil, helping lay the foundations for paleontology and archeology in the country. He also discovered the remains of the oldest hominid in Latin America

3 weeks ago • Renato Alves
VALE DO JAVARI dom phillips bruno pereira
Society

How Brazil’s far-right tries to muffle discussions about the Dom Phillips-Bruno Pereira murder

Far-right netizens are pushing online content about the legend of a long-lost Amazon civilization as a way of drowning out news of the murders of Dom Phillips and Bruno Pereira, which have reflected negatively on the Bolsonaro government

3 weeks ago • Amanda Audi
vale do javari Search parties at the riverside community of São Rafael, where Dom Phillips and Bruno Pereira were last seen. Photo: Pedro Ladeira/Folhapress
Society

Exclusive: Brazilian government ignored warnings about “imminent dangers” at Vale do Javari

Journalist Dom Phillips and indigenous expert Bruno Pereira went missing ten days ago in the Vale do Javari reserve. The government was warned about the lawlessness in the region at least four times

3 weeks ago • Amanda Audi
A fisherman slices the fin off of a shark at a beach in Manta, Ecuador. Photo: Guillermo Granja/Reuters
Environment

Unknowingly, Brazilians are big consumers of shark meat. That is a problem

Lax labeling means that Brazilians often don’t realize that widely consumed dogfish is actually shark or ray meat. A campaign is trying to change that and raise awareness around conservation issues

2 weeks ago • Constance Malleret
amazon Protests pay homage to Dom Phillips and Bruno Pereira in Cuiabá, Mato Grosso. Journalists and activists fear that the outrage about the murders will wane, and the danger they face will continue. Photo: Francisco Alves/Fotoarena/Folhapress
Environment

The future of Amazon journalism after British reporter’s brutal murder

The murders of Dom Phillips and Bruno Pereira in a remote area of the western Amazon have drawn attention to the criminal dynamics at play in the rainforest and highlight the challenges and risks of carrying out reporting there

2 weeks ago • Euan Marshall
satellite The main hydropower dam in the Belo Monte complex, in Altamira, Pará. Photo: Lalo de Almeida/Folhapress
Environment

The Belo Monte Dam is killing the Amazon’s ‘house of God’

Satellites over the Amazon capture the choking of the ‘house of God’ by the Belo Monte Dam – they can help find solutions, too

4 weeks ago • Pritam Das, Faisal Hossain, Hörður Bragi Helgason and Shahzaib Khan
The meandering Javari River, which forms the western boundary of the Vale do Javari indigenous reserve.
Environment

The tensions within the Amazon’s Vale do Javari reserve

A journalist and an on-leave government official have disappeared in a massive reserve coveted by wildcat miners, illegal fishermen, and drug gangs

4 weeks ago • Euan Marshall
View of two hikers climbing up Tronador hill and glacier Castaño Overo in the Andes mountains in Patagonia Argentina. Photo: Gonzalo de Miceu/Shutterstock
Environment

The Andes are melting, and what are we doing about it?

The imperious Andes region is home to 10 percent of the world's population, but melting glaciers could dramatically transform the area forever

1 month ago • Lucas Berti
Olive ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea) in Nuquí, Colombia. Guillermo Ossa
Latin America

Colombia “really close” to protecting one-third of its marine zones

Outgoing President Duque said the country would meet UN commitments ahead of time. Critics say his administration was less than sustainable

4 days ago • Lucas Berti
Argentinian Alberto Fernández and Economy Minister Martín Guzmán. Photo: Esteban Osorio/Pacific Press/Alamy
Latin America

Fernández’s post-IMF-deal economic plans are already teetering

Argentina had to close its doors to imports this week to meet foreign currency accumulation requirements

5 days ago • Ignacio Portes
Managua, Nicaragua Nicaraguan Army soldiers prepare to take part in a military parade in Russian tanks to mark the 42nd anniversary of the founding of the National Army on Bolivar Chavez Avenue in Managua, Nicaragua. Credit: Inti Ocon/dpa/Alamy Live News
Latin America

Nicaragua becomes a proxy battleground for Russia-U.S. tensions

The renewal of a decree allowing Russian — and American — armed forces to conduct exercises on Nicaraguan soil has drawn a harsh response from the White House, and more sanctions

1 week ago • Lucas Berti and Euan Marshall
Codelco's copper-smelting plant. Photo: Felipe Fredes Fernandez/Shutterstock
Latin America

Chile’s copper plant closure sets up clash between environmental and economic concerns

Miners and truckers go on strike after President Gabriel Boric announces the shutdown of a copper-smelting plant, following decades of concerns over pollution

2 weeks ago • Ignacio Portes
Part of the limestone mining by Vulcan Materials in Calica, in Quintana Roo state, Mexico. The government ordered a halt to Vulcan Materials, a producer of gravel and crushed stone, citing environmental concerns. Photo: Paola Chiomante/Reuters via Alamy
Latin America

Mexico’s AMLO willing to sue U.S. company over limestone extraction

Vulcan Materials has been operating in the eastern state of Quintana Roo for decades, but AMLO complains that its mining activities are leading to an "ecological disaster" in the famous tourist region

2 weeks ago • Lucas Berti
Bolsonaro desperation democratic safeguards
Opinion

Bolsonaro’s desperation presents a major risk for Brazilian democratic safeguards

Trailing in the polls, Jair Bolsonaro is sparing no expense — quite literally — in his re-election bid. His maneuvers are damaging to Brazilian representative institutions and democratic accountability

6 days ago • Beatriz Rey
corruption "Bolsonaro stole from the education budget," reads a poster on iconic Paulista Avenue in São Paulo. Photo: Renato S. Cerqueira/Futura Press/Folhapress
Opinion

Latest scandal forces Bolsonaro into unfamiliar territory

The president was hoping to use corruption as kryptonite against former President Lula. But he may be throwing stones in a glass house

7 days ago • Gustavo Ribeiro
BRICS leaders have an informal talk during the 2019 G20 meeting in Osaka, Japan. Photo: Alan Santos/PR
Opinion

How BRICS can boost cooperation in renewable energy

As the BRICS summit begins against a tense global backdrop, energy could be one area for advances, write Plataforma CIPÓ analysts

2 weeks ago • Renata Albuquerque Ribeiro and Adriana Abdenur
capitol bolsonaro coup
Opinion

Coup or no coup, the damage to Brazil is done

The U.S hearings into the January 6 Capitol riot have offered Brazil a window of opportunity to address its own democratic risks with the 2022 election approaching. Whether it will heed the warnings or not is another matter

3 weeks ago • Filipe Campante
Former UN Secretary-General Boutros-Ghali makes a statement during a Rio-92 roundtable. He is sided by former Brazilian President Fernando Collor. Photo: Michos Tzovaras/UN Photo
Opinion

Thirty years after Rio-92, Brazil loses environmental protagonism

Rio-92 propelled Brazil to the forefront of the global environmental agenda. But the country has lost its clout due to recent mismanagement

4 weeks ago • Andre Pagliarini
travel industry
Tourism

War in Ukraine slowing down long-awaited recovery of Brazil’s travel industry

High oil prices, a still-unfavorable exchange rate, and inflation that bites into consumers’ discretionary spending mean the sector still faces a hard post-Covid road ahead

3 months ago • Ana Ferraz
gay tourism Farme de Amoedo Street, in Ipanema. Photo: Lazyllama/Shutterstock
Tourism

Brazil is an emerging gay tourism hotspot, but the government doesn’t want to know

Actions to promote gay tourism in the country have been actively ignored since Jair Bolsonaro came to power, despite Brazil having some of the world's best LGBTQ+-friendly spots

4 months ago • Amanda Audi
Marshal looking for survivors in Petrópolis
Tourism

Petrópolis disaster leaves a scar on Brazil’s historical landmarks

With hundreds dead and much physical destruction, evidence emerges of authorities’ negligence in preparing prevention and mitigation strategies

5 months ago • Renato Alves and Ana Ferraz
tourism canyon The Lake of Furnas, in Capitólio, Minas Gerais. Photo: Ricardo Benichio/Folhapress
Tourism

Idyllic canyon region tries to keep tourism alive after deadly disaster

A deadly cliff collapse in Capitólio has left tourists scared to return, and locals afraid they will lose their revenue

5 months ago • Renato Alves
flights brazil omicron
Tourism

While Brazil dithers on vaccine requirements, flights keep arriving

The government has clashed against regulators over vaccine mandates. Meanwhile, dozens of flights arrived in Brazil from Omicron hotbeds

6 months ago • Janaína Camelo
visa remote work
Guide to Brazil

Brazil creates a visa for foreign “digital nomads”

The country follows in the footsteps of dozens of nations around the world, offering temporary residence to people working remotely for foreign countries. Justice Ministry officials say it will attract foreign capital and boost tourism

5 months ago • Iure Pontes Vieira
october 12 People light candles to celebrate the day of Our Lady of Aparecida. Photo taken on Oct. 12, 2016. Photo: Nelson Antoine/Shutterstock
Guide to Brazil

October 12: a celebration of Brazil’s patron saint

According to legend, fishermen were inundated with fish to catch soon after finding an image of a black Virgin Mary. Since then, Our Lady of Aparecida has become Brazil's most popular and important saints

9 months ago • Euan Marshall
Rio's Christ the Redeemer. Photo: Ricardo Cohen/Shutterstock
Guide to Brazil

The story of Christ the Redeemer, 90 years old

Brazil's most popular tourist attraction, the story of how Christ the Redeemer came about is a fascinating one. This week's Rio celebrates the statue's 90th anniversary

9 months ago • Renato Alves
brazilian inquisition
Guide to Brazil

The lesser-known story of the Brazilian Inquisition

After terrorizing much of Spain and Portugal, the inquisition spread to many of these countries' colonies in Africa, Asia, and the Americas — including to Brazil

9 months ago • Renato Alves
Paulo Mendes da rocha
Guide to Brazil

Paulo Mendes da Rocha leaves behind incomparable legacy in Brazilian architecture

Among the most influential modernists in Brazilian history, Paulo Mendes da Rocha designed many of São Paulo's most famous tourist attractions and left a legacy of devoted followers

1 year ago • Renato Alves

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