Lula welcomes foreign firms as Brazil faces U.S. tariffs
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on Friday that foreign companies are welcome to do business in Brazil, speaking at the opening of a...
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on Friday that foreign companies are welcome to do business in Brazil, speaking at the opening of a Chinese automaker’s factory in Sao Paulo state.
Lula told the ceremony for GWM’s new plant that his government is ready to work with new investors. “Count on the Brazilian government. Whoever wants to leave, leave. Whoever wants to come, we welcome you with open arms,” he said.
The president criticised the 50% tariffs on Brazilian goods imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump, calling them an “unnecessary turbulence.” He told Reuters earlier this month that he would raise the issue at the BRICS group, which includes China, to seek ways to respond.
Lula noted that automakers such as Ford and Mercedes had scaled back operations in Brazil in the past, but welcomed new arrivals like China’s GWM. He said Brazil remains open to business negotiations.
GWM’s Brazilian arm can produce 50,000 vehicles annually and is expected to create more than 2,000 jobs once exports to Latin America begin, according to the company.
Brazil’s auto exports are forecast to rise 38.4% in 2025 compared with 2024, reaching 552,000 units, the automakers association Anfavea said last week.
The world’s biggest dance music festival faces an unexpected setback as a fire destroys its main stage, prompting a last-minute response from organisers determined to keep the party alive in Boom, Belgium.
A powerful eruption at Japan’s Shinmoedake volcano sent an ash plume more than 3,000 metres high on Sunday morning, prompting safety warnings from authorities.
According to the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ), a magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck the Oaxaca region of Mexico on Saturday.
A resumption of Iraq’s Kurdish oil exports is not expected in the near term, sources familiar with the matter said on Friday, despite an announcement by Iraq’s federal government a day earlier stating that shipments would resume immediately.
A magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck 56 kilometres east of Gorgan in northern Iran early Sunday morning, according to preliminary seismic data.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday that Chinese President Xi Jinping assured him China would not invade Taiwan during Trump’s presidency, adding that Xi described himself and China as “very patient.”
Serbian police used teargas and crowd control vehicles in Belgrade on Friday evening to disperse anti-government protesters who threw firecrackers and flares at officers, marking a sharp escalation in the nine-month-long demonstrations.
Latest round of peace talks aimed at ending the war in Ukraine appear to have yielded no concrete results even as President Trump remains hopeful.
Gold prices were steady on Friday but remained on track for a weekly decline, as stronger-than-expected U.S. inflation data dampened expectations for interest rate cuts and shifted market attention to the meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Donald Trump travelled to Alaska on Friday for what he described as a “high-stakes” summit with Russian president Vladimir Putin, aimed at securing a ceasefire in Ukraine and ending the deadliest conflict in Europe since the Second World War.
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