⚡ China's power play in Brazil

Exclusive: State Grid’s next move in Brazil. Bolsonaro’s ex-defense minister arrested for meddling in coup probe. The Brazilian town trying to hold on to asbestos

✝️ To whom does Christ belong?

Rio’s iconic Christ the Redeemer statue is at the center of a battle for control between Church and State

🔥 Botafogo set 2024 alight

After heartbreak in 2023, Botafogo roared back this year to win the league and Libertadores double — thanks to a new-look (and expensive) squad.

🪞 Maduro’s Syrian mirror, Bukele’s gold rush

The fall of Syria’s Assad is a bad omen for Maduro in Venezuela. And Bukele wants to end a historic gold mining ban in El Salvador

⚠️ Violence takes over the Amazon

How crime is taking over the rainforest. At the end of his tenure as House speaker, Arthur Lira steamrollers opponents

🌊 Dirty water

After biologists found an exotic Asian plant species in nearby mangroves, the Port of Santos tried to up its inspection demands to curb ballast water risks. But the country’s regulatory agency suspended the initiative

🏥 Morbid markets

Investors get excited as Lula goes back under the knife. The Central Bank’s aggressive rate hike. And a conservative presidential hopeful is convicted of electoral transgressions

💊 The bitter pill may be losing its effect

The Central Bank’s last policy decision of the year. New popularity poll. Senate passes energy transition bill

Explaining Brazil #319: Delaying the EUDR?

The EU had approved a law demanding that products exported to the bloc would have to prove they are deforestation-free. After much adaptation and preparation, the implementation of that law has been delayed for an extra year, benefiting Brazilian commodity exporters

Progress, challenges, and uncertainty in Brazil’s bid to regulate digital platforms

🧠 Lula undergoes emergency head surgery

Lula rushed to the hospital. Fresh inflation data. The new tax reform draft. A new currency “normal”

Tech Roundup: Brazil’s best cities for entrepreneurs