Brazil lawmaker Eduardo Bolsonaro warns of more US sanctions, maybe tariffs
FILE PHOTO: Brazilian lawmaker Eduardo Bolsonaro sits down with Reuters to discuss his efforts to put U.S. pressure on Brazil to halt the trial of his father, right-wing former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, in Washington, D.C., U.S., August 14, 2025. REUTERS/Jessica Koscielniak/File photo
WASHINGTON - Brazilian Congressman Eduardo Bolsonaro, the son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, told Reuters on Thursday that he expects additional U.S. sanctions against Brazilian officials and possibly more tariffs due to a legal crackdown on his father.
In an interview at the Reuters bureau in Washington after meetings with senior U.S. officials, the lawmaker said he saw no way for Brazil to negotiate a lower U.S. tariff on its exports without concessions from the Brazilian Supreme Court.
"The Supreme Court justices have to understand they've lost power," he said. "There is no scenario where the Supreme Court emerges victorious from this whole imbroglio. They're in conflict with the greatest economic power in the world."
The younger Bolsonaro's advocacy in Washington has put him at the center of bilateral tensions after U.S. President Donald Trump slapped a 50% tariff on Brazilian goods and financial sanctions on the Brazilian judge overseeing prosecution of the elder Bolsonaro, demanding an end to a "witch hunt" against the former president.
"I think he's an honest man... This is really a political execution that they're trying to do with Bolsonaro," Trump told reporters on Thursday.
Jair Bolsonaro is currently on trial before Brazil's top court over an alleged plot to overturn the 2022 election that he lost. He denies any wrongdoing.
Eduardo Bolsonaro described the U.S. tariffs on Brazilian beef, coffee, fish, footwear and other goods as "bitter medicine" aimed at curbing what he called an out-of-check legal offensive against his father.
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"I've told everyone trying to approach this only through the lens of trade: it won't work. There needs to be a signal first to the U.S. that we're resolving our institutional crisis," he said.
The U.S. State Department ratcheted up pressure on Wednesday, moving to revoke and restrict visas on government officials and their family members from countries including Brazil due to their ties with an exchange program involving Cuban doctors.
Eduardo Bolsonaro said he expects those restrictions will soon hit Health Minister Alexandre Padilha and probably leftist ex-President Dilma Rousseff for their roles in the program.
Rousseff was the chief of staff and successor to current President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva when his second term ended in 2010. Representatives for Padilha and Rousseff did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Lula has dismissed Trump's demands as an affront to national sovereignty and said he has refused to "humiliate" himself with a call to the White House. In a Reuters interview last week, he called Eduardo Bolsonaro and his father "traitors" for courting Trump's intervention.
Brazil's top court is investigating both Bolsonaros over their appeals to Trump. Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes has increased pressure on the former president, putting him under house arrest and forbidding contact with his son in the U.S. or foreign officials.
In Thursday's interview in Washington, Eduardo Bolsonaro said he expected a U.S. response to that crackdown, including sanctions against Viviane Barci de Moraes, a high-powered Brazilian attorney married to Justice Moraes.
Bolsonaro also said he could see more tariffs on Brazilian goods on the way.
"I could expect more tariffs, because Brazilian authorities have not changed their behaviors," he said.
The Brazilian lawmaker, who moved in March to the United States in an effort to garner Trump's support for his father, said he had been advocating for sanctions targeting Moraes and his family, with tariffs as a "last resort."
He said immediate U.S. sanctions against other Supreme Court justices seemed unlikely, given the focus on isolating Moraes, whom he called a "gangster," a "psychopath" and a "mafioso."
The Supreme Court did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Moraes has described his rulings, which have been upheld by the wider court, as a defense of Brazilian democracy under constitutional law.
In an interview with Reuters last month, Jair Bolsonaro said he expected his son to seek U.S. citizenship to avoid returning to Brazil.
The younger Bolsonaro declined to comment on the details of his immigration status, but said he and his family had permission to stay in the United States "for a good while," and left the door open to seeking asylum and eventually citizenship. REUTERS
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Straits Times
29 minutes ago
- Straits Times
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Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox By 2100, Singapore's sea level is projected to rise by up to 1.15m. That is more than 70 years away, but the Republic is starting to take action today to protect its coastlines. Singapore is a maritime hub and critical infrastructure also dots the country's coastline. SINGAPORE – In one of the most climate-threatened corners of the planet lies a small island nation, its shores being eaten away by rising sea levels. Home to some 10,000 people, Tuvalu – located between Hawaii and Australia – is dealing with sea-level rise by building seawalls and reclaiming land. But it is also moving its people elsewhere. More than 80 per cent of its population has applied to move to Australia under a landmark climate visa designed to help people escape rising sea levels, reported France 24 in July. As a small island nation, Singapore is also not spared from sea-level rise. But the concept of managed retreat, where people are moved away from the coast so the sea is allowed to swallow up land, is unimaginable for Singapore, home to over six million people. Critical infrastructure also dots the country's coastline – from an expanding airport to power plants, military bases and reservoirs. These are things that Singapore, a city that has to accommodate the needs of an entire country, cannot afford to relinquish to the sea. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Ong Beng Seng fined $30k in case linked to ex-minister Iswaran after judge cites judicial mercy Singapore Why was Ong Beng Seng fined instead of jailed? 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The flooding event was due to a confluence of factors – a high tide, heavy rain and a storm surge, when storms offshore cause tides to go up higher than usual. A car passing through a flooded low-lying section of Mountbatten Road connecting Jalan Seaview on Jan 10. PHOTO: ST FILE Assistant Professor Elisa Ang from the Singapore Institute of Technology's (SIT) engineering cluster, said storm surges have brought abnormal sea levels as high as 0.75m to the country in 1999. When mean sea levels are higher due to melting ice sheets, such 'triple whammy' flooding events could become more common. Associate Professor Tay Zhi Yung from the same SIT cluster said: 'Storm surges can temporarily raise sea levels significantly, pushing seawater inland. When this is combined with high tides or heavy rainfall causing flash floods, (the) drainage systems might overflow causing these low-lying zones to face a compounded threat of inundation.' Climate change first shot to the top of the national agenda in 2019, when then Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said in his National Day Rally speech – considered one of the most important political speeches of the year – that Singapore's coastal defences were as existential for the country as its armed forces. Climate change defences should be treated like the Singapore Armed Forces – with utmost seriousness, said Mr Lee then. 'These are life and death matters. Everything else must bend at the knee to safeguard the existence of our island nation,' he said. Since then, Singapore has moved to act on climate change on multiple fronts. Coastal protection and tackling flooding have been a large pillar of the country's efforts. These include widening drains, building underground tanks to hold stormwater, and studying the sea level risks faced by each corner of the coastline. 'Coastal protection works require careful planning and are a significant undertaking,' said Ms Hazel Khoo, director of the coastal protection department at national water agency PUB. 'We need to take into consideration several factors, such as the effectiveness of measures, existing and potential land uses, environmental impact and cost. Trade-offs are therefore inevitable,' she said. Reclaiming land offshore to protect the East Coast area, for example, can impact the marine environment. A costly endeavour In August, the small island nation of Nauru in the Pacific Ocean sold its first passports as part of a programme to fund climate action, including retreating from rising sea levels. Each applicant has to contribute US$105,000 (S$135,500) to the fund to be eligible for Nauru citizenship. Coastal protection efforts can be costly. Singapore has estimated that coastal protection efforts could cost $100 billion over the next 100 years, due to significant construction works. To protect the East Coast, it is looking to reclaim around 800ha of land offshore – about twice the size of Marina Bay – with a new reservoir in between. PUB has also since 2023 been studying the feasibility of installing large barriers to protect the south-western coastline – including Jurong Island, Pasir Panjang Terminal and Tuas shipyards – from extreme events like storm surges. But as flood risk expert Matthijs Bos puts it: 'Luckily enough, Singapore is a very wealthy country, and that gives it the capacity to adapt.' The Coastal and Flood Protection Fund, established in 2020, is one way Singapore will fund long-term investments in coastal protection, said Ms Khoo. To date, the authorities have dipped into the $10 billion pot for drainage projects including the Syed Alwi Pumping Station, Alkaff Lake and upgrading works at a section of Bukit Timah Canal. Ms Khoo added: 'This is in addition to long-term borrowing via Singa bonds, and the use of past reserves to fund land reclamation.' Singa bonds are government securities used to finance long-term infrastructure. Ms Khoo said that the high costs of coastal protection works mean that Singapore would need to stage its coastal protection planning and construction in phases, to ensure a sustainable pace. Singapore has divided its coastline into eight sections to determine the most suitable ways to protect each stretch. There are four ongoing site-specific studies, she said, with plans to commence two new studies at Singapore's south-west coast and Sentosa by 2026. The first study commenced in the city-east coast stretch of Singapore's coastline in 2021, and Long Island is expected to protect much of the stretch. Ms Khoo said PUB will be sharing the proposed coastal protection scheme for the two ends of the stretch – the Greater Southern Waterfront and Changi – at the first coastal protection exhibition to be held at VivoCity from Aug 28 to 31. Mr James Lam, Surbana Jurong's executive director for coastal engineering, said the studies for different sites will also help the country decide on the best and most cost-effective solutions for each stretch, given their differing characteristics and tolerance to floods. The global urban and infrastructure consulting firm has been appointed to study two of the eight sections – Jurong Island and the north-west coast, which runs from Tuas Checkpoint to Lim Chu Kang jetty. Its Jurong Island study is done together with consulting firm Jacobs. 'The north-west is more natural and less built up. The measures we are considering will likely blend with the ecosystems. 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Straits Times
29 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Using nature, multi-use structures among solutions being studied to protect Singapore coastlines
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox With a coastline that stretches over 300km, there is no one-size-fits-all solution for coastal protection in Singapore. SINGAPORE – With a coastline that stretches over 300km, there is no one-size-fits-all solution for coastal protection in Singapore. Currently, about 70 to 80 per cent of the country's coastline is covered by seawalls and stone embankments. But these just serve to prevent waves from eroding the shores. Research is under way to develop the most effective solutions against rising sea levels for the different parts of Singapore. National water agency PUB said Singapore's coastal protection challenges require innovative solutions that go beyond conventional approaches. 'As a small island nation with limited land, we need to develop solutions that are not only cost-effective but also multifunctional to maximise land use,' said PUB, which was appointed as the country's coastal protection agency in 2020. In 2023, the Coastal Protection and Flood Resilience Institute (CFI) Singapore was set up to bring together expertise from various universities, research institutes and industry players to advance knowledge and create innovative solutions for coastal protection and flood management. There are now 17 research projects under the institute, which are funded by PUB's $125 million Coastal Protection and Flood Management Research Programme. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Ong Beng Seng fined $30k in case linked to ex-minister Iswaran after judge cites judicial mercy Singapore Why was Ong Beng Seng fined instead of jailed? 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They also act as a carbon sink, as their water-logged soils allow these habitats to soak up more planet-warming carbon dioxide from the atmosphere than land-based forests. At CFI Singapore, some projects are dedicated to the research of solutions that combine nature and hard structures – so-called hybrid solutions. For example, a three-year project by NUS Faculty of Science Associate Professor Peter Todd looks into identifying optimal combinations of 'green' solutions such as mangroves and corals and 'grey' solutions like seawalls and breakwaters, and the feasibility of their integration for Singapore. 'A concrete sea wall provides little in the way of ecosystem services and does not contribute very much to the natural marine environment,' said Prof Todd. NUS marine biologist Huang Danwei said natural ecosystems such as mangroves and seagrass can help to dissipate wave energy and lower the impact of storm surges and coastal erosion, especially with the increase in frequency of extreme weather events. Nature-based solutions are also more cost-effective and adaptive than hard engineering solutions, said Professor Huang. This is because they are naturally regenerating and provide a slew of other ecosystem services, generally without the need for much man-made interference or enhancements, he added. Ecosystem services include their ability to improve water quality and support populations of marine life, among others. 'These solutions are more cost-effective than hard coastal protection in the long run. It is very costly to try to out-engineer nature all the time,' Prof Huang said. The National Environment Agency told ST it is looking into the possible use of mangroves as a nature-based solution to protect Semakau Landfill against coastal erosion and sea-level rise. Predicting extreme weather Developing the most optimal coastal protection solutions requires an understanding of how bad flooding could get. Seven of CFI's projects are dedicated to coastal science and predicting extreme events. In one of the projects, Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) researchers are building a model that can predict storm surges within five days, so that residents and businesses can take emergency measures. These measures could include staying indoors, moving vehicles to higher ground and installing barriers to prevent losses caused by coastal flooding. Storm surges are higher-than-usual tides caused by offshore storms. Areas in Singapore that are most at risk from storm surges are likely to be the East Coast and Jurong Island, said Associate Professor Tay Zhi Yung from SIT's engineering cluster. Current-wave and storm-surge models near Singapore's coasts are based on physics and mathematical equations. SIT's model integrates machine learning with existing weather data, such as wind forecasts, to improve the accuracy of storm-surge predictions. 'A data-driven model can provide much faster predictions when compared with physics-based models,' said the project's lead, Associate Professor Victor Wang of SIT's engineering cluster. The four-year project is currently 1½ years in, and the team is looking to incorporate other elements like sustained wind speed and rainfall to improve the model. The other related projects are looking at predicting intense rain and other extreme coastal events more accurately. 'The eventual goal is to develop reliable early warning and operation response for coastal-related flooding occurrences,' said Prof Wang. Separately, since 2021, PUB has been building a $13.4 million model that can simulate and evaluate inland and coastal floods in tandem, based on the latest climate projections. When high tide happens to coincide with an intense deluge, coastal flooding worsens. This coastal-inland flood model is currently being validated and undergoing pilot testing, said Ms Hazel Khoo, director of the coastal protection department at national water agency PUB. Flexible, multi-use options Singapore is also looking at flexible structures that can help it tackle sea-level rise across a range of different scenarios. This could include, for example, flexible seawalls with adjustable heights or modular units that can be added to seawalls. Existing structures used for coastal protection typically do not allow provisions for subsequent add-ons or modifications to adapt to rising sea levels. Researchers are now studying whether a flexible seawall with adjustable heights can also support a concrete structure that allows for multi-function uses, such as a road or a park. PHOTO: PUB But innovative engineering solutions can be deployed to better utilise land. They can also be adapted to future requirements and have multiple uses beyond protecting against sea-level rise. Flood risk expert Matthijs Bos – who works at global engineering consultancy Haskoning – said Singapore could take reference from a sea-facing boulevard in The Hague, Netherlands, which doubles as a recreational spot on good weather days. The popular Scheveningen Boulevard sits on top of a hidden sea wall – replacing a former sand dune ridge – and in front of it lies a widened beach that was topped up with sand. The nourished beach acts as a buffer to weaken waves, and the sea wall prevents the boulevard from flooding during storm events. Mr Bos envisions the future Long Island having a similar concept. 'For the outer edge facing the sea of Long Island, they will make sure it's not only a coastal protection but maybe a nice recreational area to go to. It could be a new waterfront,' he said. Researchers are also studying whether a flexible seawall with adjustable heights can support a concrete structure that allows for multi-function uses, such as a road or a park. The flexible seawall can also be used to separate water bodies to form a coastal reservoir that can be used as a water catchment area to reduce inland flooding and for freshwater storage. Nanyang Technological University's (NTU) Professor Chu Jian, the project's principal investigator, said the flexible seawall will also be more cost-effective as less material is needed to build it. 'If you integrate it for other uses, the overall cost will be much cheaper as it also provides infrastructure,' he said. The three-year project, which started in November 2023, mainly focuses on the design and modelling of the wall. Another project under Prof Chu, who is also the chair of the NTU School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, involves lining the shoreline with tube-like barriers made of natural materials. Each barrier resembles a number of sandbags, but its outer covering is made of plant fibre such as jute. The barrier is filled with a mixture of sand, soya bean powder and calcium ions that will be cemented together to form an erosion-resistant 'rock' after the barrier has been placed. Over a few years, as seawater seeps into the beams, the natural fibres will decompose. But ions from the water will react with the material inside the barrier to make it sturdier. These bundles will not only shield the beach from strong waves but also allow sand and soil to slowly accumulate and raise the shores, turning the beachfront into a natural sea wall of sorts, to catch up with higher sea levels. Such barriers made with environmentally friendly materials are suited for coastlines with fragile ecosystems such as mangroves and intertidal habitats. 'You cannot use concrete walls everywhere,' said Prof Chu, adding that they restrict nature from thriving. Prof Chu hopes to conduct pilot tests for these tube-like barriers in Singapore soon. Existing coastal protection structures can also be retrofitted with innovative solutions such as adding modular, watertight units on top of seawalls. PUB is working with Delta Marine Consultants to explore the use of modular blocks known as XblocPlus – a single layer concrete armour unit placed in a regular pattern along the shoreline – on Singapore's coastlines. It is a flexible and scalable design that minimises land take, as well as has the potential to be integrated with urban developments or natural habitats. The firm is looking forward to potentially test-bed and pilot these blocks here. While the aim is to protect every corner of our coastline from flood waters, there might be a situation where some parts of the island – more remote and with lower footfall – may be left to flood once in a while, suggested Mr Bos and Mr James Lam, Surbana Jurong's executive director for coastal engineering. These floodable areas could be coastal parks, nature spots and beach areas. Mr Lam said: 'Certain places could tolerate flooding for a few hours before it subsides. If it's a parkland, you just have to close it for a few hours… It doesn't mean that you have to stop every centimetre of flooding. You cannot protect everything.'
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
US stocks mostly lower after mixed data
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Traders working on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, in New York City, on Aug 15. NEW YORK - Wall Street stocks finished mostly lower on Aug 15 with chip companies under pressure as markets digested mixed US economic data. US retail sales climbed 0.5 per cent in July to US$726.3 billion (S$930 billion) from June, in line with analyst expectations and a solid performance after numerous tariff announcements by President Donald Trump. But the Federal Reserve's index for industrial production edged down in July, while the University of Michigan's consumer sentiment survey fell for the first time in four months. The Dow Jones Industrial Average eked out a 0.1 per cent gain at 44,946.12, after earlier hitting an intraday all-time high. But the broad-based S&P 500 dropped 0.3 per cent to 6,449.80, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index slid 0.4 per cent to 21,622.57. Mr Steve Sosnick, of Interactive Brokers, said the Aug 15 reports amounted to a 'difficult combination' of data that the market took in stride. 'When the news is good, (stocks) react really positively,' he said. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Ong Beng Seng fined $30k in case linked to ex-minister Iswaran after judge cites judicial mercy Singapore Why was Ong Beng Seng fined instead of jailed? Key points from the case Singapore ICA to review Ong Beng Seng's PR status after he is fined for abetting obstruction of justice Singapore Drug trafficker gets death sentence commuted after President Tharman grants clemency Asia Former China envoy to Singapore Sun Haiyan reappears after reported questioning Life Founder of Singapore Symphony Orchestra Choo Hoey dies at 90 Singapore Hawkers at Bukit Canberra Hawker Centre will not need to provide free meals under new contracts 'And when the news isn't good, they just go down a little.' Several semiconductor companies traded lower following a disappointing outlook from Applied Materials, which tumbled 14.1 per cent as it warned of lower revenues in the current quarter while it navigates 'near-term uncertainties' in economic conditions. Mr Trump also announced plans to set tariffs on semiconductors in the coming weeks. Lam Research, KLA and Micron Technology all finished sharply lower. But UnitedHealth Group surged 12 per cent after Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway disclosed an equity stake in the insurer, which has been beset with government investigations into its billing practices. AFP
