Isabela holds a degree in law and a master's in social sciences. She covers politics, the justice system and public policy.
Brazil Daily
Dec 19, 2025
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17 min read
Raids in Congress over embezzlement cases. Another delay for the EU-Mercosur deal. Calls for a code of conduct for Supreme Court justices.
Podcast
Dec 18, 2025
4 min read
A series of decisions made Brazil’s Congress look like a machine of political retaliation. But what paved the way for this situation, and how can the country move beyond it?
Guide to Brazil
Dec 14, 2025
10 min read
Acclaimed by critics, the Brazilian period thriller ‘The Secret Agent’ shows that where the rule of law collapses, authoritarianism seeps into social relationships at every level.
Dec 10, 2025
5 min read
Brazil's special secretary for state transformation discusses the reform proposals coming from the lower house, and the Lula administration's approach.
Dec 7, 2025
9 min read
Under the 1988 Constitution, the Supreme Court has the final say on whether a law is constitutional — but even this model’s defenders have spent a century debating its boundaries.
Nov 30, 2025
13 min read
Ashamed after the military dictatorship, Brazil’s self-proclaimed right wing came out into the open just over a decade ago. Now, its most popular leader is behind bars.
COP30
+1
Nov 27, 2025
Carlos Nobre, head of the Planetary Science Pavilion at COP30 in the Amazon, talks to us about the conference’s results, the climate emergency we are living through, and what Brazil can still do.
14 min read
Rounding off our COP30 coverage, this week’s Brazil Climate newsletter invited more guest contributors to give their first-hand takes on the UN conference in Belém.
Nov 26, 2025
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.
Mercosur-EU
+2
Nov 24, 2025
19 min read
Jair Bolsonaro was arrested after trying to remove his ankle monitor. Brazil celebrates more US tariff cuts. Final COP30 decision viewed as a dud.
Nov 23, 2025
11 min read
The indigenous coordination seen at the COP30 is the result of a process that began in the 1970s — always driven by traditional communities’ fight for land rights.
Nov 19, 2025
15 min read
The Central Bank liquidates Banco Master, whose owner is arrested. A new Mexican player in Brazil’s airport sector. A decisive day for COP30 as Brazil seeks to push through first decisions.
Nov 17, 2025
Five years ago, Brazil launched a public digital payment infrastructure — and its impact on the financial market and society has been immense.
Nov 16, 2025
In 1992, Brazil hosted the United Nations conference that set the foundation for today’s entire global climate agenda. Now, COP30 aims to implement what has been agreed upon since then.
Nov 13, 2025
Major climate sticking points still being left off the agenda at COP30. What can Mamdani teach the Brazilian left? A tight Senate vote sends Lula a warning.
Nov 11, 2025
After lawmakers repeatedly dodged court rulings on budget transparency, the Supreme Court now wants the public to know how to track congressional grants.
16 min read
COP30 scores early agenda victory. The end of Brazilian telecom firm Oi. At the Museum of Tomorrow, visions of the future.
Nov 9, 2025
The Brazilian government is seeking a stronger role for civilian agencies along the country’s vast border strip.
Nov 6, 2025
18 min read
An argument in favor of changing Brazil’s inflation target. Bolsonaro closer to serving his sentence. Reforming Brazil’s civil service is no easy task.
Nov 2, 2025
12 min read
The Amazon is no longer just a transit area for organized crime. Gangs have embedded themselves in the region’s social fabric, exerting tight control over local communities.
Oct 23, 2025
On the eve of COP30, participants are beginning to roll out their flagship initiatives to be unveiled at the conference — in finance, governance and livestock traceability.
Oct 19, 2025
Brazil has aimed to grow its tourism figures. As visitor numbers soar, questions about the quality of this tourism boom are growing louder.
Oct 16, 2025
Justice Luís Roberto Barroso is retiring. We unpack how factors such as trust, political ties, and electoral considerations may guide President Lula’s next choice for the court.
Oct 14, 2025
3 min read
President Lula’s popularity has risen. We examine how this might impact the political landscape ahead of the next presidential election.
Oct 12, 2025
Many Brazilians embraced Portugal’s anti-immigration agenda. Now, they may face stricter border controls.
