TOPIC

/ location

Brazil

The latest news, analysis and opinion on Brazil. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.

Capital

Brasília

Head of State

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva

Head of Government

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva

Brazil’s Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (left) vetoed a bill to reduce Jair Bolsonaro’s coup sentence on the third anniversary of the January 8 insurrection. Photo: AFP

Americas and the Caribbean

Brazil’s Lula vetoes law cutting Bolsonaro’s 27-year jail sentence

Congress has the last word, however, and can in turn reject the president’s veto.

9 Jan 2026 - 1:23AMvideocam

Americas and the Caribbean

Brazil’s Bolsonaro has brain injury after falling and hitting head in prison

7 Jan 2026 - 2:49AM

War and conflict

Opinion | US attack on Venezuela tests moral clarity of the post-war world order

5 Jan 2026 - 8:30PMvideocam

China-Latin America relations

Venezuela crisis underscores China’s challenges in Latin America

Washington making an example of Maduro as a ‘warning shot’ would create a ‘chilling effect’ across Latin America, observer says.

4 Jan 2026 - 11:01PMvideocam

Government supporters gather in Caracas on January 3 after US strikes on Venezuela and the capture of its leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife. Photo: Reuters

Switzerland

Explainer | Swiss bar inferno joins long list of world’s worst club fires

A look at some of the worst fires in bars, nightclubs and music venues in past decades, where celebrations turned to tragedy in seconds.

2 Jan 2026 - 2:38PM

Americas and the Caribbean

Bolsonaro’s house arrest bid fails, as Brazil court rejects health claims

Brazil’s Supreme Court rejected the former president’s request, citing no health decline, so the ex-leader remains in prison.

2 Jan 2026 - 2:09AM

Electric & new energy vehicles

China’s EV makers to corner one-third of global market by 2030, UBS says

Analysts see China’s EV edge enduring, citing overseas profits and supply chain strengths despite tariffs and Western protectionism.

1 Jan 2026 - 4:30PM

China’s carmakers are projected to generate most of their profits overseas. Photo: Reuters

United States

World welcomes 2026 with fireworks, lightshows and hopes for peace

From Paris to Dubai to Sydney, crowds ring in the new year with exuberant celebrations.

2 Jan 2026 - 8:20AMvideocam

US-China relations

China buys two-thirds of pledged US soybeans as 2025 closes

Beijing has moved to reduce tariffs on the crop and lifted import bans on three US exporters after talks between Xi and Trump.

1 Jan 2026 - 1:44AMvideocam

China trade

China imposes beef-import quota, adds over-quota tariffs to guard local industry

From Thursday, over-quota imports from Brazil, Australia, US and other trade partners face new duties to help local producers recover amid price declines.

31 Dec 2025 - 9:00PM

Handlers move cattle at a livestock market in Canuelas, Argentina, in October. China is kicking off 2026 with additional tariffs on beef imports exceeding specific quotas for major trading partners. Photo: AP

Jewellery

Nadine Ghosn on stacking luxury watches with her Crayola and Toothbrush jewellery

The designer likes to stack watches by maisons like Patek Philippe and Audemars Piguet with her brand’s Crayola and Toothbrush jewellery.

30 Dec 2025 - 6:00AM

Nadine Ghosn on her favourite watches, and how her popular and quirky designs, including her Toothbrush and Crayola jewellery, came to be. Photo: Jocelyn Tam

China-Africa relations

How Algeria could help China plug iron ore gaps and gain pricing power

The Gara Djebilet deposit in the Sahara Desert was discovered decades ago but is only now coming into production.

28 Dec 2025 - 4:00PMvideocam

Electric & new energy vehicles

Chilean firms partner to form giant company to exploit lithium

Last month China approved the planned partnership between state-owned Codelco and private firm SQM, which features Chinese capital.

28 Dec 2025 - 5:17AM

Jair Bolsonaro

Brazil’s former president Bolsonaro has surgery to treat hiccups, wife says

Bolsonaro, 70, had been hospitalised on Wednesday for hernia surgery. In September, he was jailed for 27 years for ‍plotting a coup.

28 Dec 2025 - 7:25AM

Former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro. Photo: AFP

Americas and the Caribbean

Brazil’s Bolsonaro backs son’s presidential bid, undergoes hernia surgery

The former president, who is serving a 27-year sentence for plotting a coup, was allowed to leave prison for the operation.

26 Dec 2025 - 10:00AM

Former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro leaves the DF Star hospital in Brasilia on September 14. Photo: AFP

China-Latin America relations

Brazil weighs visa-free entry for Chinese tourists and business travellers

Brazil saw nearly 80 per cent growth in Chinese tourists in 2024 and would join only two neighbours offering visa-free entry.

25 Dec 2025 - 12:38AMvideocam

SCMP Highlights

BYD’s big plans in Brazil, Xpeng tries to go global: 7 EV reads

From EV battery giants in China venturing into shipbuilding to BYD’s ambitious plans in Brazil, here are seven EV stories you may have missed.

24 Dec 2025 - 3:30PM

China-Russia relations

Russian LNG shipments to China surge 143% in November, overtaking Australia

Russian LNG accounted for 23.5 per cent of China’s total shipments, cementing Russia as its top energy partner after President Xi pledged deeper ties.

23 Dec 2025 - 11:00AMvideocam

A liquified natural gas storage tank is seen at a receiving terminal in China’s Jiangsu province. Photo: Reuters

Asean

Southeast Asian floods set to threaten more wildlife due to climate change

Environmental crimes and poor oversight are also worsening the risks faced by animals and trees.

23 Dec 2025 - 7:39PMvideocam

China economy

Opinion | Why China has moved to curb steel exports

China’s pivot to emerging markets has kept its export machine running. But frictions are growing and steel is the most visible flashpoint.

23 Dec 2025 - 7:49AM

Year in Review

10 most read Daily Pulse briefings of 2025

SCMP Plus looks back at the year’s 10 most popular Daily Pulse bulletins, covering China issues related to diplomacy, trade and economics.

22 Dec 2025 - 5:00PM

Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. Photo: AP

Americas and the Caribbean

Brazil’s Lula vows to veto bill slashing Bolsonaro’s 27-year prison term

The proposed law could see the ex-president spend just over two years behind bars for an attempted coup.

19 Dec 2025 - 2:09AM

Protesters rally against the sentence-reduction bill in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on Sunday. Photo: EPA

Americas and the Caribbean

Brazil’s Congress passes bill to cut Bolsonaro’s 27-year prison sentence

If successful, the legislation could see Brazil’s former president serve a little over two years in prison for coup plot.

18 Dec 2025 - 1:55PM

China-Latin America relations

BYD plans giant Brazil factory to scale electric bus and truck production

The new plant would dwarf BYD’s current Brazil operation, lifting output from about 600 units over a decade to up to 7,000 a year.

18 Dec 2025 - 5:14AM

China food security

Explainer | What does future hold for Brazil, US in China’s soybean balancing act?

The two countries remain top suppliers, but efforts to promote self-sufficiency are set to reduce reliance on imports.

18 Dec 2025 - 1:12AMvideocam

Soybeans are loaded into a truck in Dwight, Illinois, in August. Photo: Getty Images

United States

Opinion | For Trump, the only communists to really dislike are those at home

The limited discussion of China in the new US national security document indicates that the US president’s focus is on domestic challenges to his authority.

17 Dec 2025 - 8:30PMvideocam

US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping talk as they leave after a bilateral meeting at Gimhae International Airport, on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Busan, South Korea, on October 30. Photo: Reuters

Video | Storm topples Statue of Liberty replica in Brazil

The 40-metre (131ft) replica was a promotional display for Brazilian retail store chain Havan.

17 Dec 2025 - 5:36PM

Crime in Hong Kong

Hong Kong customs seizes HK$256 million of suspected cocaine hidden in ship hull

Underwater robots help detect 417kg of suspected cocaine wrapped in 11 waterproof packages concealed behind grate of sea chest.

17 Dec 2025 - 3:34AM

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Brazil

Brazil’s Lula vetoes law cutting Bolsonaro’s 27-year jail sentence

Congress has the last word, however, and can in turn reject the president’s veto.

Brazil’s Bolsonaro has brain injury after falling and hitting head in prison

.css-1m2rp1p{color:#34b8b5;}Opinion | US attack on Venezuela tests moral clarity of the post-war world order

Venezuela crisis underscores China’s challenges in Latin America

Washington making an example of Maduro as a ‘warning shot’ would create a ‘chilling effect’ across Latin America, observer says.

.css-sioo19{color:#c79a00;}Explainer | Swiss bar inferno joins long list of world’s worst club fires

A look at some of the worst fires in bars, nightclubs and music venues in past decades, where celebrations turned to tragedy in seconds.

Bolsonaro’s house arrest bid fails, as Brazil court rejects health claims

Brazil’s Supreme Court rejected the former president’s request, citing no health decline, so the ex-leader remains in prison.

China’s EV makers to corner one-third of global market by 2030, UBS says

Analysts see China’s EV edge enduring, citing overseas profits and supply chain strengths despite tariffs and Western protectionism.

World welcomes 2026 with fireworks, lightshows and hopes for peace

From Paris to Dubai to Sydney, crowds ring in the new year with exuberant celebrations.

China buys two-thirds of pledged US soybeans as 2025 closes

Beijing has moved to reduce tariffs on the crop and lifted import bans on three US exporters after talks between Xi and Trump.

China imposes beef-import quota, adds over-quota tariffs to guard local industry

From Thursday, over-quota imports from Brazil, Australia, US and other trade partners face new duties to help local producers recover amid price declines.

Nadine Ghosn on stacking luxury watches with her Crayola and Toothbrush jewellery

The designer likes to stack watches by maisons like Patek Philippe and Audemars Piguet with her brand’s Crayola and Toothbrush jewellery.

How Algeria could help China plug iron ore gaps and gain pricing power

The Gara Djebilet deposit in the Sahara Desert was discovered decades ago but is only now coming into production.

Chilean firms partner to form giant company to exploit lithium

Last month China approved the planned partnership between state-owned Codelco and private firm SQM, which features Chinese capital.

Brazil’s former president Bolsonaro has surgery to treat hiccups, wife says

Bolsonaro, 70, had been hospitalised on Wednesday for hernia surgery. In September, he was jailed for 27 years for ‍plotting a coup.

Brazil’s Bolsonaro backs son’s presidential bid, undergoes hernia surgery

The former president, who is serving a 27-year sentence for plotting a coup, was allowed to leave prison for the operation.

Brazil weighs visa-free entry for Chinese tourists and business travellers

Brazil saw nearly 80 per cent growth in Chinese tourists in 2024 and would join only two neighbours offering visa-free entry.

BYD’s big plans in Brazil, Xpeng tries to go global: 7 EV reads

From EV battery giants in China venturing into shipbuilding to BYD’s ambitious plans in Brazil, here are seven EV stories you may have missed.

Russian LNG shipments to China surge 143% in November, overtaking Australia

Russian LNG accounted for 23.5 per cent of China’s total shipments, cementing Russia as its top energy partner after President Xi pledged deeper ties.

Southeast Asian floods set to threaten more wildlife due to climate change

Environmental crimes and poor oversight are also worsening the risks faced by animals and trees.

Opinion | Why China has moved to curb steel exports

China’s pivot to emerging markets has kept its export machine running. But frictions are growing and steel is the most visible flashpoint.

10 most read Daily Pulse briefings of 2025

SCMP Plus looks back at the year’s 10 most popular Daily Pulse bulletins, covering China issues related to diplomacy, trade and economics.

Brazil’s Lula vows to veto bill slashing Bolsonaro’s 27-year prison term

The proposed law could see the ex-president spend just over two years behind bars for an attempted coup.

Brazil’s Congress passes bill to cut Bolsonaro’s 27-year prison sentence

If successful, the legislation could see Brazil’s former president serve a little over two years in prison for coup plot.

BYD plans giant Brazil factory to scale electric bus and truck production

The new plant would dwarf BYD’s current Brazil operation, lifting output from about 600 units over a decade to up to 7,000 a year.

Explainer | What does future hold for Brazil, US in China’s soybean balancing act?

The two countries remain top suppliers, but efforts to promote self-sufficiency are set to reduce reliance on imports.

Opinion | For Trump, the only communists to really dislike are those at home

The limited discussion of China in the new US national security document indicates that the US president’s focus is on domestic challenges to his authority.

.css-rcruog{color:#C79A00;}Video | Storm topples Statue of Liberty replica in Brazil

The 40-metre (131ft) replica was a promotional display for Brazilian retail store chain Havan.

Hong Kong customs seizes HK$256 million of suspected cocaine hidden in ship hull

Underwater robots help detect 417kg of suspected cocaine wrapped in 11 waterproof packages concealed behind grate of sea chest.

Opinion | US attack on Venezuela tests moral clarity of the post-war world order

Explainer | Swiss bar inferno joins long list of world’s worst club fires

Video | Storm topples Statue of Liberty replica in Brazil