2 w. ago Lula asks Trump to scrap tariffs as leaders agree to meet after call

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and US President Donald Trump agreed to meet in person soon after a friendly video call on Monday, Brazil’s government said, boosting prospects for a thaw in bilateral relations that are at their worst in decades. During the leaders’ 30-minute call, Lula’s office said in a statement that he and Trump discussed their positive impressions of a brief encounter at the United Nations last month and exchanged phone numbers to open a direct line of...

Politics

2 w. ago Brazil’s Lula asks Trump to scrap tariffs as leaders agree to meet after ‘friendly’ call

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and US President Donald Trump agreed to meet in person soon after a friendly video call on Monday, Brazil’s government said, boosting prospects for a thaw in bilateral relations that are at their worst in decades. During the leaders’ 30-minute call, Lula’s office said in a statement that he and Trump discussed their positive impressions of a brief encounter at the United Nations last month and exchanged phone numbers to open a direct line of...

Politics

3 w. ago China slams US over Mexico remarks as trade dispute escalates

China’s embassy in Mexico issued a sharp rebuke after a US diplomat urged Mexico to help Washington reduce reliance on Chinese-made semiconductors, calling the remarks coercive and accusing the United States of practising “economic bullying”. In a statement posted on Wednesday on X, the embassy said recent comments by Mark Johnson, the chargé d’affaires at the US embassy in Mexico, “revealed Washington’s true intentions”. Johnson had told the Mexico-US Semiconductor Forum that the United States...

Politics

3 w. ago Lula says Zelensky ‘more willing to talk’ as he revives Brazil

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Wednesday said he saw new signs that both Kyiv and Moscow may be edging towards negotiations to end the three-year war in Ukraine, reviving his joint peace push with China and urging the United Nations to take a central role. Speaking to reporters at the UN headquarters after meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Lula said he believed both sides now understood the limits of their battlefield ambitions. “I felt Zelensky was much more...

Politics

4 w. ago Lula rebukes Washington at UN, yet finds surprise US opening

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva used the UN rostrum on Tuesday to excoriate Washington over tariffs and military actions, promote closer ties with China, and call for reform of global institutions – only to be met moments later by an unexpected olive branch from US President Donald Trump, who proposed meeting him next week. Lula’s address came against the backdrop of sharp tensions with the United States, including 50 per cent tariffs on imports from Brazil, which Trump has imposed...

Politics

4 w. ago Brazil’s Lula rebukes Washington at UN, yet finds surprise US opening

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva used the UN rostrum on Tuesday to excoriate Washington over tariffs and military actions, promote closer ties with China, and call for reform of global institutions – only to be met moments later by an unexpected olive branch from US President Donald Trump, who proposed meeting him next week. Lula’s address came against the backdrop of sharp tensions with the United States, including 50 per cent tariffs on imports from Brazil, which Trump has imposed...

Politics

4 w. ago Lula, TikTok CEO discuss $10 billion Brazil data centre amid regulatory tensions

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva opened his week at the United Nations on Monday by meeting with TikTok Chief Executive Shou Zi Chew to discuss plans for a multibillion-dollar data centre investment in Brazil, even as political controversies persist over regulation of the Chinese-owned platform. The meeting, held at Brazil’s mission to the UN, was Lula’s first working engagement in New York, highlighting the importance of technology and digital policy in his international...

Economics

4 w. ago Lula, TikTok CEO discuss US$10 billion Brazil data centre amid tensions

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva opened his week at the United Nations on Monday by meeting with TikTok chief executive Shou Zi Chew to discuss plans for a multibillion-dollar data centre investment in Brazil, even as political controversies persist over regulation of the Chinese-owned platform. The meeting, held at Brazil’s mission to the UN, was Lula’s first working engagement in New York, highlighting the importance of technology and digital policy in his international...

Economics