Jair Bolsonaro has returned to Brazil after a three-month self-imposed exile in the US to return to politics, complicating life for his successor, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is heading to China this week to meet with Xi Jinping, the leader of Brazil's most important trade partner. Lula will be accompanied by a delegation of over 200 businesspeople. We take a look at what's behind the record flow of exchanges between Beijing and Brasilia last year.

The Brazilian president has arrived in China ahead of a high-level meeting with Xi Jinping on Friday. Lula plans to rebuild the relations that were damaged under his predecessor.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has praised the Shanghai-based New Development Bank (NDB) on his trip to China, saying it "frees emerging countries from submission to traditional financial institutions".

Bolsonaro's critics accuse the former president of instigating the January 8 riots by inflaming his supporters with attacks on Lula and by repeatedly criticizing Brazil's voting system.

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Which Lula is it this week? In Lisbon, Brazil’s president charmed his hosts in a speech before the Portuguese parliament to mark nearly half a century since the Carnation Revolution that ended the dictatorship there. Lula had raised eyebrows with his recent visit to China, where he accused the US of "encouraging" the war in Ukraine, and then with last week's warm welcome for Russia's foreign minister.

For the first time in nine years, leaders from the regional bloc formerly known as the Union of South American Nations have convened this week in Brazil. The gathering of these 11 countries has demonstrated a renewed spirit of cooperation. A notable highlight is Brazilian President Lula da Silva's meeting with Venezuela's authoritarian President Nicolas Maduro, a significant move, as diplomatic relations were severed under Lula’s predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro.

When Brazil's newly elected president first visited the European Union in April, he steered clear of Paris, Brussels and Berlin. Now, his French counterpart is welcoming him to the Elysee Palace. Is this a new beginning?

In 2022, former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro held a meeting with foreign diplomats in which he claimed voting machines were susceptible to electoral fraud, which prosecutors argue constituted an abuse of office.

Satellite images showed a decrease of 33.6% in deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon. However, the area cleared during the first half of 2023 is still greater than the size of Luxembourg.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has reversed his predecessor Jair Bolsonaro's policies that expanded gun ownership in the country, saying only the "police and the army must be well-armed."