Latest news with #LuizInacioLuladaSilva
The Sun
18 hours ago
- Politics
- The Sun
Brazil's Lula condemns US visa curbs as arbitrary, defends sovereignty
BRASILIA: Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has strongly criticized the United States for imposing visa restrictions on Brazilian officials, labeling the move as 'arbitrary' and 'baseless.' In a statement released on Saturday, Lula emphasized that such actions undermine fundamental principles of respect and sovereignty between nations. 'I am certain that no form of intimidation or threat, from anyone, will compromise the most important mission of Brazil's powers and institutions, which is to permanently defend and uphold the democratic rule of law,' he said. The Brazilian leader's remarks come amid rising diplomatic tensions between the two countries. Lula's statement reaffirmed Brazil's commitment to judicial independence and democratic governance, rejecting external pressures that could influence domestic legal processes. The visa restrictions, imposed by the US, have not been publicly detailed, but Lula's response signals a firm stance against perceived interference. - Reuters
Euronews
2 days ago
- Politics
- Euronews
Brazil passes controversial bill that weakens environmental law
A bill to overhaul environmental regulations in Brazil was passed by the country's lower house Thursday, drawing criticism from the environmental minister who floated the possibility of a presidential veto. With the bill already passed by the Senate in May, it now goes to President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who casts himself as an environmental defender and later this year will preside over the first UN climate talks, known as COP30, to take place in the Amazon. Lula can sanction the project, veto it in its entirety or veto only certain aspects. But he has not publicly commented on what action he might take. If signed by Lula, the sweeping legislation will weaken federal agencies' environmental licensing powers. Among other measures, it speeds up review for projects deemed priorities by the federal government, reducing the approval process from three bureaucratic steps to one. It also eliminates reviews for upgrades to existing highways, which could clear the way to pave the whole of a highway that runs about 900 kilometres through the western part of the Amazon. Environmentalists argue that the project will lead to the mass clearing of a pristine area of rainforest. The bill's approval is a victory for supporters who argued Brazil's current regulations need to be simplified, but a blow for environmental experts and green activists, who refer to it as the 'devastation bill.' The bill passed with a strong majority, 267 votes to 116. 'The worst piece of legislation' After the bill passed, Environment Minister Marina Silva told local press that the bill undermined environmental legislation and that the federal government would still seek alternatives, including the possibility of a presidential veto. A campaign in the lead up to the vote said the bill could lead to a regression in pollution control risking health issues, increase water contamination and scarcity, increase deforestation and undermine protected areas. At the heart of concerns is the proposal to install a self-declaration process for environmental licensing, which Suely Araújo, the public policy coordinator at the Climate Observatory network of NGOs, said would cover around 90 per cent of total projects in Brazil. Companies would 'file a description online, press a button, and the license will be issued,' she said, calling the proposal 'by far the worst piece of legislation' ever from an environmental standpoint. Last week, more than 300 nonprofits, including Greenpeace and WWF Brazil, signed a petition expressing their 'deep concern' regarding the bill, which they say 'represents a huge institutional setback for Brazil and the collapse of over 40 years of development of national environmental legislation.'
Euronews
2 days ago
- Politics
- Euronews
Brazil's passes controversial bill that weakens environmental law
A bill to overhaul environmental regulations in Brazil was passed by the country's lower house Thursday, drawing criticism from the environmental minister who floated the possibility of a presidential veto. With the bill already passed by the Senate in May, it now goes to President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who casts himself as an environmental defender and later this year will preside over the first UN climate talks, known as COP30, to take place in the Amazon. Lula can sanction the project, veto it in its entirety or veto only certain aspects. But he has not publicly commented on what action he might take. If signed by Lula, the sweeping legislation will weaken federal agencies' environmental licensing powers. Among other measures, it speeds up review for projects deemed priorities by the federal government, reducing the approval process from three bureaucratic steps to one. It also eliminates reviews for upgrades to existing highways, which could clear the way to pave the whole of a highway that runs about 900 kilometres through the western part of the Amazon. Environmentalists argue that the project will lead to the mass clearing of a pristine area of rainforest. The bill's approval is a victory for supporters who argued Brazil's current regulations need to be simplified, but a blow for environmental experts and green activists, who refer to it as the 'devastation bill.' The bill passed with a strong majority, 267 votes to 116. 'The worst piece of legislation' After the bill passed, Environment Minister Marina Silva told local press that the bill undermined environmental legislation and that the federal government would still seek alternatives, including the possibility of a presidential veto. A campaign in the lead up to the vote said the bill could lead to a regression in pollution control risking health issues, increase water contamination and scarcity, increase deforestation and undermine protected areas. At the heart of concerns is the proposal to install a self-declaration process for environmental licensing, which Suely Araújo, the public policy coordinator at the Climate Observatory network of NGOs, said would cover around 90 per cent of total projects in Brazil. Companies would 'file a description online, press a button, and the license will be issued,' she said, calling the proposal 'by far the worst piece of legislation' ever from an environmental standpoint. Last week, more than 300 nonprofits, including Greenpeace and WWF Brazil, signed a petition expressing their 'deep concern' regarding the bill, which they say 'represents a huge institutional setback for Brazil and the collapse of over 40 years of development of national environmental legislation.'
IOL News
2 days ago
- Business
- IOL News
BRICS: Economic Power, Soft Power or Both?
India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi (L) and Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva attend a plenary session of the BRICS summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on July 7, 2025. BRICS leaders at a summit on Sunday took aim at US President Donald Trump's "indiscriminate" import tariffs and recent Israeli-US strikes on Iran. Image: AFP BRICS, more recently, BRICS+ is playing an increasingly prominent role on the global stage through both its economic strength and growing diplomatic influence. Representing nearly half the world's population and a substantial portion of global GDP and trade, the group has demonstrated clear economic power. At the same time, its efforts to promote multilateralism, cultural exchange, and peaceful conflict resolution reflect a deliberate use of soft power. Its core focus areas—political cooperation, financial development, and people-to-people engagement—showcase a blend of hard and soft influence. From launching the New Development Bank to encouraging trade in local currencies and hosting youth and academic forums, BRICS is a formidable force in a shifting global order. BRICS upholds three main pillars: (1) political and security; (2) economic and financial; and (3) cultural and people to people cooperation. Regarding pillar (1) the grouping addresses global security issues and aims to improve global governance through the promotion of multilateralism. For example: BRICS foreign ministers convene routinely on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly. Their cooperation also extends to areas such as counter-terrorism, cybersecurity, and broader security issues. (2) It enhances trade, investment, financial stability, and promotes sustainable development. For example, Finance ministers from BRICS countries hold frequent meetings, often in parallel with gatherings of the G20 and the IMF/World Bank. Their joint efforts focus on boosting trade among member states, improving the resilience of supply chains, and enhancing financial collaboration in areas like digital innovation and sustainable finance. (3) The grouping intentionally cultivates cultural exchange, academic collaboration, and the overall strengthening of people-to-people connections. For example, BRICS hosts a range of activities and programmes, such as scholarly forums, cultural celebrations, and youth exchange initiatives. If this makes the reader think that the grouping is just a talkshop, recent developments have proven the opposite. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading BRICS is seen as an economic power due to its aforementioned global standings in terms of GDP and resources. It is supported by the world's second-largest economy, China, and others like India; Brazil; and Russia. The grouping holds 24% of total global exchanges in international trade. This allows it to have a formidable global economic influence. It owns approximately 72% of the globe's reserves of rare earth metals; 43.6% of global oil production; 36% of the world's natural gas production; and 78.2% of the global production of mineral coal. It has, through its economic and financial pillar emphasised intra-BRICS trade and equitable global economic development, where BRICS+ countries are provided increased sovereignty regarding its conduct, particularly in trade. The grouping has established its own bank, known today as the New Development Bank (NDB), discussed in 2014 and established officially in 2015, showed the core BRICS member countries pool finances to form the bank. This allowed for countries to be given loans with fairer loan terms that does not impede on a countries economic sovereignty. This issue was brought to the BRICS Summit in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, where this 'fairer' financial model was discussed as a major step in global transformation regarding multilateral financial institutions like the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF). The NDB, however, has to think carefully if it wants to be increasingly efficient in this 'fairer' model as it is still institutionally tied to the US dollar and concomitant US sanctions against other BRICS members. In the spheres of finance and currency at the BRICS summit, there was a realistic atmosphere seeing the replacement of the United States (US) dollar with a coordinated system, not dominated but shared by many currencies as an unrealistic endeavour in the near future. Here it is important to note that the grouping does not wish to destroy the US dollar but rather create a fairer global financial system. The grouping is thus of the opinion that BRICS countries should increase trade in their own currencies as a mitigating force regarding US dollar dominance. In alignment with BRICS' mission to address global issues and insecurity through the promotion of multilateralism, BRICS has signed the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) agreement, where it pledged no formal alliance with any major power bloc. The grouping believes in a non-violent approach to conflict through dialogue. This, however, does not mean that the grouping will be mum to wrongs committed by one country/countries toward another. The BRICS summit received global attention, particularly when calling out the US for its attack and Iran–during its confrontation with Israel–arguably exacerbating conflict within the region–Iran attacked the US base in Qatar soon after. In the Russia and Ukraine conflict, the grouping has continued to facilitate a peaceful settlement of conflict between the two countries. BRICS is neither solely an economic powerhouse nor purely a soft power bloc; it is a strategic blend of both. Its significant share of global GDP, abundant natural resources, and strong presence in international trade demonstrate clear economic strength. At the same time, its emphasis on multilateralism, cultural exchange, and peaceful conflict resolution reflects a conscious use of soft power. Through its three interconnected pillars: political and security cooperation; economic and financial collaboration; and people-to-people engagement, BRICS promotes a global model based on fairness, sovereignty, and inclusive development. Whether through the NDB's efforts to increase trade in local currencies, or cultural and academic initiatives, BRICS is using economic leverage to build credibility while advancing soft power to influence global norms and foster cooperation. By: Cole Jackson Lead Associate Chinese & South American Specialist * MORE ARTICLES ON OUR WEBSITE ** Follow @brics_daily on X/Twitter & @brics_daily on Instagram for daily BRICS+ updates
Focus Malaysia
2 days ago
- Politics
- Focus Malaysia
Trump's letter about tariffs was a unacceptable blackmail : Brazil's Lula
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said that he would not take orders from a 'gringo,' responding to US President Donald Trump's letter slapping Brazil with 50% tariffs. In a letter last week, Trump attributed the tariffs, set to start in August, to Brazil's treatment of former President Jair Bolsonaro and to alleged unfair trade practices by Brazil against US companies. Main image: Britannica
