Brazil

BRASILIA, Jan 2 (Reuters) - Brazil's new finance minister, Fernando Haddad, said on Monday he would propose a new fiscal anchor in the first half of this year as leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's team works to "restore" public accounts.

"We are not here for adventures," he said, seeking to calm market jitters over the return of Lula.

A former mayor of Sao Paulo, Haddad took office with the challenge of presenting a credible fiscal framework after Congress passed a package increasing Brazil's spending cap to ramp up social expenditures.

BRASILIA, Jan. 1 (Xinhua) -- Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of the Workers' Party (PT) was sworn in as president of Brazil for a four-year term on Sunday.

The inauguration of Lula da Silva and his Vice President Geraldo Alckmin took place at 3:00 p.m. local time (1800 GMT) during a plenary session of the Chamber of Deputies in Brasilia.

This is Lula da Silva's third presidential term and his return to power comes after having spent more than a year in prison between 2018 and 2019, due to a controversial sentence that was later annulled by the Supreme Court.

BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) — Brazil’s Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was sworn in as president on Sunday, and in his first address expressed optimism about plans to rebuild while pledging that members of outgoing Jair Bolsonaro’s administration will be held to account.

Lula is assuming office for the third time after thwarting far-right incumbent Bolsonaro’s reelection bid. His return to power marks the culmination of a political comeback that is thrilling supporters and enraging opponents in a fiercely polarized nation.

BRASILIA, Jan 1 (Reuters) - Leftist leader Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will be sworn in as president of Brazil on Sunday under tightened security in the Brazilian capital following threats of violence by supporters of his far-right predecessor Jair Bolsonaro.

The ceremony in Congress begins at 3 p.m. (1800 GMT), after which Lula will go the Planalto palace to don the presidential sash before a crowd of 30,000 supporters, while some 300,000 are expected to gather to celebrate on Brasilia's esplanade.

SAO PAULO, Dec 31 (NNN-AGENCIA BRASIL) — At least seven people have been killed in one week in the Brazilian state of São Paulo due to heavy rains, Agencia Brasil reported Friday. Five of the victims belonged to the same family in the city of Araraquara.

The heavy rains that hit the state of São Paulo during this week caused the death of seven people between Tuesday and Thursday, according to the state’s Civil Defense authorities.

BRASILIA, Dec 30 (Reuters) - Outgoing Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro landed in Florida on Friday, after delivering a teary message to his supporters less than two days before his fierce leftist rival Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is set to take office.

An official Brazilian plane landed in Orlando, Florida late on Friday, flight tracking website FlightAware showed. Although Bolsonaro's destination has not been officially confirmed, his security staff were already in place in Florida.

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Brazil’s President-elect Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva announced Thursday that Sônia Guajajara will head up a new Ministry of Indigenous Peoples, with a mandate to oversee policies ranging from land demarcation to health care.

Guajajara was elected to Congress in October. She is widely known as the leader of the main umbrella group for Brazil’s many Indigenous tribes and is a member of the Amazon Guajajara. This year she made Time Magazine’s annual list of the world’s 100 most influential people.

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — With Pelé’s death, Brazilians have lost a piece of their hearts.

On Rio de Janeiro’s Ipanema beach, the news broke when Paulo Vinicius was playing soccer with his 9-year-old nephew.

“Pelé represents the best of Brazil: its people, its working class,” said Vinicius, 38, a physical-education instructor. “Pelé gives a sense of identity to the Brazilian people.”

GUANABARA BAY, Dec 29 (Reuters) - On a stormy evening in mid-November, a huge, abandoned cargo ship broke free of its moorings and slowly floated into the massive concrete bridge that carries cars across Brazil's Guanabara Bay to Rio de Janeiro.

Brazil's navy said the 200-meter-long (660-ft.) Sao Luiz, a rust-spattered bulk carrier built in 1994, had been anchored in the bay for more than six years awaiting legal proceedings before it crashed into Latin America's longest over-water bridge. The navy said it was investigating.

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) —

Brazil´s President-elect Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva announced Thursday that Amazon activist Marina Silva will be the country´s next minister of environment. The announcement indicates the new administration will prioritize cracking down on illegal deforestation in the forest even if it means running afoul of powerful agribusiness interests.