allthebrazilianpolitics

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Brazil upholds ban on e-cigarette sales

The board of directors for the Brazilian Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) voted unanimously on April 19 to maintain a ban on the sale of electronic cigarettes, known as e-cigarettes, vaporizers or “vapes.”

Manufacturing, selling, importing and advertising vapes has been banned in the country since 2009, but even so, e-cigarettes are easily found in small shops and online stores across Brazil. And consumption, especially among young people, is on the rise. 

According to a survey by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), a federal government agency that gathers population data, 16.8% of students aged 13 to 17 said they had tried vaping at least once in their lives.

Also, data from Covitel, which carries out surveys related to health matters, reveal that 4 million people have already used electronic cigarettes in Brazil, even though sales have not been authorized for 15 years.

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All but two São Paulo districts facing dengue epidemic

Having already recorded more than 1,600 deaths from dengue fever in the first three and a half months of 2024, Brazil’s epidemic of the mosquito-transmitted disease has reached previously unprecedented levels. And in the country’s biggest city, São Paulo, home to more than 12 million people, all but two districts are officially facing dengue epidemics.

Epidemics are officially recorded when there are more than 300 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. In São Paulo’s 96 adminstrative districts, only two still find themselves below that threshold: the wealthy areas of Moema and Jardim Paulista.

Conversely, the district of Vila Jaguara, to the northwest of the city center, has recorded more than 9,650 dengue cases per 100,000 residents.

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Couple in Brazil Planted More Than 2M Trees in 20 Years To Recreate Forest?

In 1998, photographer Sebastião Salgado and his wife Lélia embarked on a remarkable journey to revive the ecosystem in a part of Brazil.

In 2019, an aerial view captured the lush greenery of Instituto Terra's tree nursery, nestled in Aimorés, Brazil. This land, once devastated by erosion and deforestation from cattle farming, now stood as a testament to the power of reforestation efforts.

Tributes to the tree nursery garnered widespread attention on social media platforms such as Facebook and Reddit, where posts claimed that a Brazilian couple planted 2 million trees to recreate the forest.

The claim that this couple planted more than 2 million trees over a 20-year period — albeit with help reportedly from local students, hired workers, donations from multinational corporations, plus financial support from the government — holds true.

In 1998, award-winning photographer and photojournalist Sebastião Salgado and his wife, Lélia Deluiz Wanick Salgado, founded Instituto Terra, a federally recognized nature preserve and nonprofit organization, thus embarking on a remarkable journey to revive the ecosystem.

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Economic growth in 2024 likely to beat expectations, Lula believes

Investment should not be seen as spending, the president argued

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said on Tuesday morning (Apr. 23) that the economy is likely to grow more than experts have predicted so far.

“The economy in 2024 will grow more than all the economic analysts have said so far, all of them. And it will grow because things are happening in Brazil.”

During a breakfast with journalists at the Planalto presidential palace in Brasília, he invited the press to study what has been happening in the country over the last 14 months under his administration.

“You’ll notice that never before in Brazil’s history have so many social inclusion policies been put into practice—some of which we had already implemented but disappeared and are now coming back,” he declared.

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Elon Musk Is Trying to Break Another Democracy

X’s chief troll is inciting a “censorship” moral panic in Brazil, undermining the democratically elected government’s efforts to squash far-right extremism.

Jair Bolsonaro, the former president of Brazil who is barred from seeking public office until 2030, held a grievance-laden rally Sunday in Rio de Janeiro. Against the alluring backdrop of Copacabana Beach, and before thousands of supporters clad in the national colors of yellow and green, he decried his opponents while celebrating one man in particular: 

Now they accuse the richest man in the world, a man who was born in South Africa, who was naturalized as an American, who owns a platform whose aim is to make the whole world free, which is X, our old Twitter. A man who really seeks to preserve liberty for all of us, a man who had the courage to show, with some evidence, more will surely follow, where our democracy is headed, how much freedom we’ve already lost. I now respectfully ask for a round of applause for Elon Musk. 

Almost overnight, Musk, the graceless tech overlord and self-proclaimed free speech absolutist (who is anything but), has become a heroic figure among the reactionary right of Latin America’s largest nation. One rally-goer told The Guardian that Musk “is supporting Brazil against this shameless bloody dictatorship that we have in this country,” and another insisted that “Elon Musk has been an essential guy for us. God has used this man to expose the dictatorship that has taken hold in Brazil to the whole word. He is a crucial tool.” A bolsonarista member of Congress told the crowd that “Elon Musk is definitely watching what is happening here right now.”

There’s no doubt about that, as Musk’s X timeline shows—but he’s doing much more than simply watching. After years of overtures from the Brazilian right, Musk earlier this month finally plunged headlong into the country’s raging politics in a way that may sound familiar to Americans: Portraying himself as politically agnostic, and interested only in defending free speech, he is in fact taking the side of authoritarian, antidemocratic forces whose claims about government-sponsored censorship are a disingenuous rhetorical cover for attacking the rule of law.

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Criminals break into Brazil's government payments system

The Brazilian Federal Police are investigating an intrusion on the government’s payment system Siafi, newspaper Folha de S.Paulo revealed on Monday. 

The Brazilian Report confirmed with the press office of the Federal Police that an investigation is underway — but its details remain sealed. The Finance Ministry and Brazil’s intelligence agency Abin did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Siafi serves as the main tool for recording, monitoring, and controlling budgetary, financial, and asset payments made by the government. Finance Minister Fernando Haddad told reporters that he was told there was an “authentication problem” and that the fraud was kept secret even from members of the cabinet. 

According to several reports, the criminals who broke into Siafi used the system to siphon public money into unknown bank accounts. Mr. Haddad said he could not give an estimate of how much money was stolen.

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In Brazil, hopes to use AI to save wildlife from roadkill fate

In Brazil, where about 16 wild animals become roadkill every second, a computer scientist has come up with a futuristic solution to this everyday problem: using AI to alert drivers to their presence.

Direct strikes on the vast South American country's extensive road network are the top threat to numerous species, forced to live in ever-closer proximity with humans.

According to the Brazilian Center for Road Ecology (CBEE), some 475 million vertebrate animals die on the road every year—mostly smaller species such as capybaras, armadillos and possums.

"It is the biggest direct impact on wildlife today in Brazil," CBEE coordinator Alex Bager told AFP.

Shocked by the carnage in the world's most biodiverse country, computer science student Gabriel Souto Ferrante sprung into action.

The 25-year-old started by identifying the five medium- and large-sized species most likely to fall victim to traffic accidents: the puma, the giant anteater, the tapir, the maned wolf and the jaguarundi, a type of wild cat.

Souto, who is pursuing a master's degree at the University of Sao Paulo (USP), then created a database with thousands of images of these animals, and trained an AI model to recognize them in real time.

Numerous tests followed, and were successful, according to the results of his efforts recently published in the journal Scientific Reports.

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Brazil introduces import quotas on 11 types of steel products

The Brazilian government has decided to introduce a system of import quotas for 11 types of steel products. Supplies exceeding the quota will be subject to a 25% duty. The country is thus strengthening the protection of local steelmakers amid an influx of cheap steel from abroad, Reuters reports.

According to the decision of the state foreign trade authority Gecex/Camex, the 25% increase in import tariffs will be effective for 12 months for such products as rolled steel and pipes. Currently, import duties on these products range from 9% to 12.6%.

The higher tariff will be levied on products whose imports increased by more than 30% compared to the 2020-2022 average.

Brazilian steelmakers have long called on the government to impose higher import duties, noting that cheaper steel from Russia and China has flooded the market, forcing local companies to idle capacity.

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Deforestation in Indigenous Brazilian Amazon lands sees greatest plunge since 2018

Deforestation identified in Indigenous Lands located in the Brazilian Amazon has seen a 42% decrease between August 2023 and March 2024, dropping from 125km² of devastation to 73km². This marks the lowest level of destruction detected in the region since 2018.

The data was released on Wednesday (17) by the Institute of Man and the Environment of the Amazon (Imazon), which monitors and analyzes the main human activities causing degradation in the Amazon using satellite imagery and information databases.

According to the report, the Apyterewa Indigenous land, located in the state of Pará, underwent a successful disintrusion process after spending four consecutive years as the indigenous reserve most affected by illegal deforestation in the Amazon. Now, following security forces’ actions to remove land invaders and prevent environmental crimes, researchers say that Apyterewa Land has not appeared on the list of most deforested areas for four months.

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Details on the hacking charges against Brazil's Carla Zambelli

Far-right Congresswoman Carla Zambelli quarterbacked the hacking of the Judicial branch’s computer systems conducted by notorious hacker Walter Delgatti, according to charges filed by Prosecutor General Paulo Gonet on Monday.

The case is sealed, but Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes unsealed the charges on Tuesday. Both the congresswoman and the hacker were charged with hacking and fraud — both of which are aggravated because they conspired together.

According to the petition, Mr. Delgatti, under Ms. Zambelli’s guidance, hacked computer devices used by the Judicial branch “at least in the period between August 2022 and January 2023 (…) with the aim of tampering with information.”

Mr. Delgatti, who was arrested in August 2023, admitted to the Federal Police his responsibility for issuing a fraudulent arrest warrant against Justice Moraes with the justice’s own signature. He also said that Ms. Zambelli instructed him to hack Justice Moraes’ phone and email should he fail to hack an electronic voting machine. 

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Brazil: IBAMA changes the way TCFA is calculated

The Brazilian Institute of the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA) established a new way of calculating the Environmental Control and Inspection Fee (TCFA) and, as of the first quarter of 2024, the economic size to be declared by subsidiaries will be the economic size of the parent company and the subsidiary jointly, considering the annual gross income of the legal entity as a whole for the basis for calculating this fee. The legal deadline for payment of the first installment of the TCFA was 5 April.

For a better understanding of the changes applied by IBAMA and the impacts on taxpayers, we provide below details on the concept of the TCFA and how IBAMA previously applied the tax.

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Why IBM employees in Brazil are suing to be classified as tech workers

Unions in two Brazilian states are suing IBM in an effort to be recognized as tech employees, giving them access to better wages, benefits, and profit participation.

IBM is registered as a sales company in Brazil, making its employees ineligible for benefits granted to tech workers.

Workers in the state of Minas Gerais won a lawsuit against the company to be recognized as IT employees.

Galvanized by the successful lawsuit, workers in another state are following suit, opening the possibility for a flood of legal action against IBM.

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In a Letter to the Three Powers, Brazilian Indigenous People Relate Temporal Landmark to Violence

Document read at Acampamento Terra Livre demands effective measures to ensure protection and strengthening of rights

On the first day of ATL (Free Land Camp) 2024, this Monday (22), Indigenous movements drafted a letter addressed to the three Powers, demanding urgent measures to ensure the protection and strengthening of the rights of native peoples, mainly concerning territory demarcation. The ATL is the largest mobilization of indigenous peoples in the country.

Throughout the program, which runs until Friday (26) in Brasília, the organization expects to gather an audience of over 10,000 people. This year, President Lula was not invited to attend the event amid dissatisfaction with the management of indigenous agendas in his government.

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Brazil among the best countries for FDI

The Chicago-based consultancy Kearney has just released its FDI Confidence Index for 2024, with the U.S. taking the top ranking for the 12th consecutive time. 

The study is an annual survey of global investors and executives from companies in 30 countries with annual revenue exceeding USD 500 million, classifying markets likely to attract the most foreign direct investment in the next three years. 

This year, 88 percent of those surveyed — 6 percent up from 2023 — said they plan to increase their FDI in the next three years, but they will do so mostly in developed markets, representing 17 of the 25 markets in the index. “Results suggest investor optimism is high and has the potential to grow even more in the next three years, but key risks related to geopolitical tensions and a restrictive regulatory environment loom large,” writes the consultancy.

The good news is that, despite the growing geopolitical tension, 84 percent of respondents say they plan to keep or seek new investments in emerging markets, up three percentage points from last year. 

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Food insecurity is significant among inhabitants of the region affected by the Belo Monte dam in Brazil

The social and environmental impact of the Belo Monte dam and hydroelectric power plant in Pará state, Brazil, has been called a “disaster” by researchers, environmentalists and several media outlets. The damage has again been highlighted recently in an inspection report issued by the Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA), an agency of the Ministry for the Environment and Climate Change. The inspectors detected silting and erosion of the Xingu River, obstacles to river navigation, a significant increase in tree mortality, and the impossibility of reproduction for several fish species, as well as disruptions to the way of life of Indigenous and river-dwelling communities.

A new study conducted with FAPESP’s support focuses specifically on food insecurity in Altamira, which is the city with the largest population in the region and has been dramatically affected by the construction of Belo Monte. Because of the megaproject, Altamira became a hub for the distribution of goods, services and the logistics essential to the construction process, with a significant impact on its population. 

Construction took place between 2011 and 2015, causing the city’s population to grow without adequate planning to assure the provision of services to residents and migrants looking for work. The shock made Altamira one of Brazil’s most violent cities. Although its population has declined since the dam was completed, the 2022 census recorded 126,279 inhabitants, 27.46% more than in 2010, when the previous census was conducted. This growth rate compares with 6.46% for Brazil’s total population growth in the same period.

The study, published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, shows that 61% of Altamira’s households experienced some level of food insecurity and malnutrition in 2022, when the data was collected. 

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Musk vs. Brazil Supreme Court: five things to know

X owner Elon Musk is under investigation in Brazil after he accused a Supreme Court judge of censoring social networks, calling him a "dictator" and vowing to disobey rulings blocking users found to be spreading disinformation.

Musk went on the attack at the weekend against Moraes, who has waged a crusade against disinformation -- especially attempts by far-right supporters of ex-president Jair Bolsonaro to discredit the electoral system ahead of Brazil's 2022 elections.

Moraes has "betrayed the constitution" and "should resign or be impeached," the Tesla and SpaceX boss wrote on X, the former Twitter, threatening to defy court orders blocking users.

The flare-up came after US journalist and activist Michael Shellenberger last week accused Moraes of a "sweeping crackdown on free speech," in a report based on the "Twitter Files," a cache of internal documents Musk released in 2022 after buying the company.

Shellenberger said the files showed Moraes "sought to censor... sitting members of Brazil's Congress" and "weaponize Twitter's content moderation policies against supporters of then-president @jairbolsonaro."

Bolsonaro narrowly lost the 2022 elections to veteran leftist Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

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I’m back!

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