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In The News

Exclusive – Lula’s Letter From Jail: Brazil Needs Me More Than Ever

Brazil’s imprisoned former president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, writes an impassioned plea published by Le Monde, alongside a call by European leaders to Brazilian authorities to let Lula run for president in October.

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In The News

Will Lula’s Downfall Kill Social Democracy in Brazil?

Lula da Silva needed the backing of big business interests to continue in politics, and his recent conviction shows they may have turned their back on his social-democratic model.

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blog

Hacking The Whole Wide World

Russian daily Kommersant reports today that more athletes’ medical files from the World Anti-Doping Agency have been leaked, including three-time Tour de France champion Chris Froome and two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova. With tensions rising between Russia and the West, such an information security breach — whether about alleged banned substances in sports or gossipy […]

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Geopolitics Ideas

Ideology Over Interests, Why Latin American Leftists Broke With Brazil

The withdrawal of the ambassadors of Bolivia, Ecuador and Venezuela from Brazil to protest Dilma Rousseff’s ouster is a good example of partisan zeal harming the national interest.

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Geopolitics Ideas

The Brazilian Sexism That Ensured Dilma’s Impeachment

A clearer picture is emerging of the socio-political profile of those who recently voted to oust Dilma Rousseff from the Brazilian presidency: right-wing males with a penchant for more “traditional,” submissive women.

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blog

Dilma Or No Dilma

All signs say this is the end of the line for Dilma Rousseff. Both O Globo and Folha de S. Paulo, two of Brazil’s main newspapers, report that she will lose today’s vote in the Senate and will be impeached. Many are hoping the decision, which arguably has more to do with Dilma’s perceived ability […]

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blog

London Mayor, Aleppo Truce, End Of “Bin Laden” Bills

WHAT A MUSLIM MAYOR COULD MEAN FOR LONDON It’s Super Thursday in the UK, with voters in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland choosing their next parliaments. But it’s the British capital, which is set to replace maverick Boris Johnson as mayor, that has eyeballs from around the world. Frontrunner Sadiq Khan, if elected, would be […]

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blog

It’s Trump, Water Scarcity, Yogurt Dreams

TRUMP TRIUMPHS, CRUZ QUITS The improbable and, in the view of some prominent Republicans, unacceptable, has come to pass: It will be Trump. The Washington Post reports that short of some unforeseen twist, the controversial real estate tycoon Donald Trump will become the GOP’s presidential nominee after a landslide victory in Indiana yesterday pushed his […]

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Geopolitics

Evo Morales Ups Ante As Other Latin American Leftists Fade

Bolivia’s president lost a referendum earlier this year that could have kept him in power beyond 2019. The long-serving leader may try to seek reelection regardless.

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blog

Japan Quake, UK Terror Arrests, 360 Videos

CLINTON-SANDERS DEBATE GETS FEISTY The gloves came off Thursday night in Brooklyn as Democratic presidential rivals Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders faced off in the last debate before New York’s crucial primary on Tuesday. Dan Balz of The Washington Post notes that the nature of the Democratic campaign now poses risks to whomever wins the […]

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blog

Assad’s Future, Brazil Protests, Bollywood Anniversary

SYRIA PEACE TALKS IN GENEVA Syrian opposition negotiator Mohamad Alloush said during the Geneva Syria peace talks Saturday that Syria’s political transition could only start once Bashar al-Assad was no longer president. “We consider that the transitional period starts with the fall of Bashar al-Assad or his death,” The Jerusalem Post quoted him as saying. […]

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Economy Geopolitics Ideas

Brazilian Lessons For Argentina, Cut Deficits Or Face Doom

Fiscal deficits cannot be ignored or maintained through creative financing mechanisms, given their potential to turn into long-term debt able to sink entire economic programs.

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Economy

Wake Up Brazil, This Is A Once-In-A-Generation Recession

-Editorial- SAO PAULO — We Brazilians have rarely faced an economic downturn of this magnitude. From April 2014 to September 2015, the country’s GDP contracted by 5.8%, and there are no signs that a turnaround is forthcoming. We haven’t seen anything like it since the “lost decade” that began in the early 1980s or, before […]

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blog

Dilma Detested, VW Posts Losses, In Defense Of Bratwurst

U.S. TO STEP UP ANTI-ISIS FIGHT The United States may soon dramatically escalate its military campaign against ISIS in Iraq and Syria. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said at a Senate hearing yesterday that the new policy could include more “strikes from the air or direct action on the ground,” The Washington Post reports. The recommendations […]

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blog

China Market Dive, Korean Tensions Ease, 3-D Printed Beak

CHINA MARKETS CONTINUE DIVE The Chinese stock market continued to crumble today, with the Shanghai Composite index closing down 7.6% at 2,964.97 points. Japan also saw more sharp falls with Tokyo’s Nikkei index falling 4%, Reuters reports. TYPHOON GONI HITS JAPAN Photo: Yuan Jing/Xinhua/ZUMA Typhoon Goni has made landfall on Japan’s main island of Kyushu, […]

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Geopolitics Migrant Lives

Brazilians In The U.S., A Quiet Latin American Diaspora

The number of Brazilians living and working in the United States is growing fast, yet neither government has taken the steps necessary to mobilize this community.

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blog

Cyclone Trashes Vanuatu, Dilma Under Fire, Ibrahimovic Disses France

CYCLONE LEAVES 150,000 HOMELESS Photo: Luo Xiangfeng/Xinhua/ZUMAA tearful Vanuatu President Baldwin Lonsdale urged the world to send humanitarian help immediately to the South Pacific archipelago after cyclone Pam devastated the country over the weekend. “The humanitarian need is immediate,,” he said. According to aid agencies, up to 150,000 people could be left homeless in the […]

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Economy Geopolitics Ideas

Why Latin America Is Looking So Grim Again

Scandals and stagnation, crime and curbs on democracy are spreading across the region. Are things about to take a sharp turn back to the bad old days?

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Society

Venezuela: From 21st Century Socialism To Plain Old Fascism

Hampered by plummeting oil prices and fading public support, President Nicolas Maduro and his crafty sidekick, Assembly leader Diosdado Cabello, are trying to provoke an opposition outburst. Last week’s arrest of Caracas Mayor Antonio Ledezma was a c

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blog

Extra! New Petrobras Corruption Allegations Hit Brazil’s Ruling Party

The fallout from the Petrobras scandal continues to consume Brazil. A former head of the energy giant has alleged that the governing Workers’ Party had received between $150 and $200 million in kickbacks from 90 of the biggest contracts Petrobras signed with major companies from 2003 until 2013, O Globo reports Friday. According to the […]

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Geopolitics Ideas

Will Election Send Brazil Back Into The U.S. Fold?

What is at stake in Brazil’s Oct. 5 presidential election? If Dilma Rousseff winds up losing, we could see a return to clientelism and realignment with the U.S.

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Ideas

Hey BRICS, We’ve Got A P.R. Problem

Media in emerging economies must start to challenge the dominant voice of the Western press, argues Xinhua News Agency chief Li Congjun in a guest column for America Economía.

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Economy Society

Havana Nostalgia: Why Cuba Is Banking On A Brand New Harbor

The capital’s unique harbor has driven Cuba’s economy for centuries. But with Brazil’s help, the building of a new commerical port of Mariel marks a turning point in the island’s history.

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Geopolitics

Latin American Women Power: Bachelet Makes It A Presidential Trio

With Sunday’s election of Michelle Bachelet in Chile, three of Latin America’s most pivotal countries are now led by women. There is symbolic unity, but very different types of leaders.

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Geopolitics

Hong Kong Arrests, India-Russia Nuclear Deal, Superbugs

Thursday, December 11, 2014 HONG KONG POLICE ARRESTS PROTESTERSBailiffs and police officers began a planned clearing operation of Hong Kong’s main protest site this morning, where the Occupy Central movement started more than two months ago. According to the South China Morning Post, dozens of protesters have been arrested, including radical lawmaker “Long Hair” Leung […]

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Geopolitics Ideas

In Praise Of Nationalism: The Only Defense Against U.S. Imperialism

A Brazilian viewpoint in the wake of the Edward Snowden revelations on widespread NSA surveillance.

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Geopolitics

U.S. And Russia Team Up, More Ebola In Texas, Barack O’Bama

Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2014 U.S. AND RUSSIA TO TEAM UP AGAINST ISIS The United States and Russia have agreed to share more intelligence on ISIS, as part of a renewed cooperation on global security and counter-terrorism efforts, Secretary of State John Kerry said after he met with the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Paris […]

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Geopolitics

Ceasefire Hope In Gaza And Ukraine, Electric Sheepdogs

Wednesday, August 27, 2014 UN DENOUNCES ISIS AND SYRIAN GOVERNMENT ACTIONS In a report following months of investigation in Syria, the United Nations said there were “reasonable grounds” to believe that Syrian government forces had used chlorine gas, a chemical agent, eight times on civilian areas in April. The UN also denounced crimes committed by […]

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Geopolitics Ideas

Two Continents, One Refrain: What Binds Protest Movements in Brazil and Turkey

–OpEd– There are many similarities between the protests around Gezi Park in Turkey and those of the Free Pass Movement in Brazil. In both cases, initial demonstrations were small with specific objectives: to save the park and to obtain free public transport, respectively. And discontent in both countries reached a critical mass amid widespread perception […]

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