Daniel Vorcaro’s web of connections

🎙️ Podcast: Banco Master and the Supreme Court

Just after a historic trial, justices have pulled the court into the swirling scandal involving Banco Master. Now the Chief Justice's push for ethical standards is being put to the test

🕸️ Six Degrees of Banco Master

Since the Banco Master case first broke, we warned that it wouldn’t be long before it reached high-profile politicians. It has now.

✈️ Coming to America

What Lula and Trump discussed on Monday. Alleged conflict of interest in Brazil’s top courts. The Banco Master web extends to former Lula cabinet ministers.

🎙️ Podcast: How the Mercosur-EU deal impacts Brazilian firms beyond exports

From lowering regulatory and corruption risks, to fostering foreign direct investment and production chain integration, key advances are at stake

🏔️ Davos no-show

Brazil’s president gives Davos a miss, again. Yet another delay to the EU-Mercosur deal. A bidding imbroglio at the Port of Santos.

🇪🇺 EU agreement is a big deal for Brazil

How the EU-Mercosur deal will affect economies on either side of the Atlantic. Lula savors his inflation victory. “The Secret Agent” makes Golden Globes history.

🇪🇺 Failure loop

Thursday’s last-minute Italian reversal resulted in yet another delay to the trade deal between the two blocs, with January cited as the new deadline.

🦟 Humans on the menu

Why climate change is likely to make humans more susceptible to mosquito bites, and the diseases these insects carry.

⛈️ Revolutionizing Brazil’s weather forecasts

While the weather in parts of the country is naturally harder to predict, aging and obsolete technology led to subpar forecasting in Brazil. Thanks to a new supercomputer, that may be about to change.

⚖️ Belo Monte: a river divided

The massive Belo Monte hydroelectric plant is the site of a battle between national energy demands and local ways of life.

😦 Microplastics in the rainforest?

Microplastics appear to be everywhere these days, but a recent finding from Brazilian researchers found these tiny particles in a remote protected area of the Amazon forest.

🌎 The North remembers

Though it covers nearly half of Brazil’s territory and is home to the major urban centers of Manaus and Belém, the North region is sorely underrepresented in football.

⚾ Brazil hits a home run

Long a niche practice confined mainly to Japanese immigrant communities, baseball in Brazil has matured into an all-inclusive sport, and is reaping the rewards.

⚠️ A football giant on the edge

A recent cup win left fans smiling, but Corinthians are in a catastrophic financial position, with no obvious way out for the giant São Paulo club.

⚽ A turning point for women’s football

A new report highlights the consistent growth of the women’s game in Brazil, but there are structural bottlenecks that are still holding the sport back.

👑 Brazil’s political dynasties

Brazilian politics has always been a family business. But the Bolsonaros have taken that to another level.

🤖 Chatbots and the ballot box

Brazilian experts have been worried about the effects of AI on voters for some time now. In 2026, their fears could materialize.

🗳️ Mind the gap

The voter divide between men and women has also reached Brazil, with potential impacts on October's election. Analysts discuss what is driving this process.

🫵 Big Stick energy

Trump’s so-called “Don-roe Doctrine” is not just a repetition of the past, with Venezuela marking the arrival of US big-stick diplomacy in South America.

🪖 Untouchables no more

Bolsonaro and co-conspirators begin serving their prison sentences as the coup trial ends. The Lula government has fallen out with Congress, again. Projections for Black Friday leave retailers giddy.

🦶 Bolsonaro arrested after violating ankle monitor

Jair Bolsonaro was arrested after trying to remove his ankle monitor. Brazil celebrates more US tariff cuts. Final COP30 decision viewed as a dud.

⌛ Bolsonaro’s final countdown

Bolsonaro submits last appeal before coup conviction becomes final. More questions around a major data center project in Brazil’s Northeast. MBRF’s major halal meat deal.

⚖️ Another coup trial

The next wave of coup trials. Brazil experiences a brief power outage. In Brasília, Lula’s next Supreme Court pick is the hot topic.