Recalling the three years since the attempted coup of January 2023, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said Thursday (Jan. 8) that the riots at the time serve as a reminder that democracy is not an unshakable achievement.

“[Democracy] will always be a work in progress, subject to constant harassment from old and new would-be dictators. That is why democracy must be cherished and defended tooth and nail, day after day,” he declared. 

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During an official ceremony at the Planalto presidential palace, he emphasized the need to make clear that democracy is “more than just a fancy word in the dictionary,” adding that it requires building a fairer and less unequal country, “with more rights and fewer privileges.”

“It is more than the desire and the right to vote on election day – and then keep your voter card tucked away for the next four years. Democracy requires the effective participation of society in government decisions,” he said.

“Perhaps the most compelling evidence of the strength of Brazilian democracy is the trial of the coup plotters by the Supreme Court,” he concluded saying.

No sentence reduction

Earlier, President Lula vetoed Bill 2,162 of 2023 – known as Dosimetry Bill – which had been approved in December by Congress. The piece of legislation would reduce the sentences of those convicted for the anti-democratic riots of January 8 and for the attempted coup d'état.

“All of them had ample right to defense, were tried with transparency and impartiality. At the end of the trial, they were convicted based on robust evidence,” he noted.

The Brazilian Ministry of Health has sent a team from the National Force of the country’s public healthcare network, the SUS, to Roraima, a state bordering Venezuela. The objective is to assess health infrastructure, personnel, vaccines, and other supplies.

In a statement, the ministry said it is structuring a contingency plan for the SUS’s response to a “possible worsening of the international crisis and an increase in migrant demand in the border region” following an attack by the US government.

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“To date, the migratory flow in the region remains unchanged,” the ministry highlighted in the declaration.

The statement noted that the teams sent to Roraima have extensive experience in disaster situations and are identifying hospital infrastructure and assessing the possibility of expansion.

If necessary, the government informed that it will set up field hospitals and expand existing structures to reduce the impact on the Brazilian public health system.

The Ministry of Health also stated that it is making itself available to the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) to provide humanitarian aid, including the supply of medicines and dialysis materials, after the main distribution center in the city of La Guaira, Venezuela, was destroyed in an attack.

“The Ministry of Health reaffirms the role of the SUS as an international reference in guaranteeing comprehensive medical assistance to all people on national soil. For immigrants in border cities, this right is ensured regardless of migratory status or nationality,” the statement concluded.

The National Conference of Bishops of Brazil (CNBB) sent a letter to the Venezuelan Episcopal Conference expressing solidarity with the current situation in the country following the attack led by the US government.

The text was published on social media and describes the situation in the neighboring country as one marked by tensions, suffering, and uncertainties affecting the people.

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“We come together spiritually in your prayers and pastoral initiatives, expressing our solidarity with the victims of violence, the wounded, and the bereaved families,” the note reads.

“As pastors of the Church in Latin America, we share the pain of the suffering people and renew our hope in the power of the Gospel of unarmed and disarming peace,” the statement goes on to say.

In the letter, the Brazilian conference cites sincere dialogue, justice, and respect for human dignity and the sovereignty of nations as the only way to promote the common good, in addition to “strengthening democracy and building a social coexistence marked by reconciliation and lasting peace.”

“May the Holy Spirit continue to sustain the prophetic mission of the Church in Venezuela, granting serenity, wisdom, and strength to all, and leading the Venezuelan people along the paths of unity and hope,” the message says.

Interventions

Last Saturday (Jan. 3), several explosions were reported in neighborhoods of the Venezuelan capital Caracas. Amid the military attack orchestrated by US, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores were captured by US elite forces and taken to New York.

The raid marks a new episode of direct US interventions in Latin America. The last time the US invaded a Latin American country was in 1989, in Panama, when the military kidnapped then-President Manuel Noriega, accusing him of drug trafficking.

As they did with Noriega, the US accuses Maduro of leading an alleged Venezuelan cartel called De Los Soles, without presenting any evidence. Experts in international drug trafficking question the existence of the cartel.

Critics see the action as a geopolitical measure to distance Venezuela from global adversaries of the US – such as China and Russia – as well as to exercise greater control over the oil of a country that boasts the largest proven oil reserves on the planet.

The new Brazilian monthly minimum wage of BRL 1,621 (USD 294.5) came into effect this Thursday (Jan. 1). The adjustment of 6.79 percent, or BRL 103, was confirmed by the Ministry of Planning and Budget on December 10. The previous minimum wage was BRL 1,518.

The new value was announced after the release of the National Consumer Price Index (INPC), which is used to calculate the annual minimum wage adjustment. The index registered 0.03 percent in November and accumulated 4.18 percent over 12 months.

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According to estimates from the Inter-Union Department of Statistics and Socioeconomic Studies (Dieese), the new minimum wage will inject BRL 81.7 billion into the Brazilian economy. The calculation takes into account the effects on income, consumption, and tax revenue, even under a scenario of stricter fiscal constraints.

Rule

The rule for adjusting the minimum wage stipulates that the value must be based on two factors: one based on the 12-month accumulated INPC (National Consumer Price Index) through November of the previous year, that is, 4.18 percent, and another based on economic growth from two years earlier.

On December 4, the Brazilian government’s statistics agency IBGE revised the 2024 Gross Domestic Product (GDP) - the sum of goods and services produced in the country - confirming an expansion of 3.4 percent.

However, the fiscal framework, a mechanism that controls the evolution of public spending, determines that gains above inflation are limited to a range of 0.6 percent to 2.5 percent.

According to the rule, the minimum wage in 2026 would be BRL 1,620.99 and, with the rounding provided for by law, it becomes BRL 1,621, an adjustment of 6.79 percent.

Six bets will share the billion-dollar Mega da Virada jackpot, drawn on Thursday (Jan. 1), totaling BRL 1,091,357,286.52. In a statement, Caixa Econômica Federal announced that each winning bet will take home BRL 181,892,881.09. The numbers drawn in contest 2,955 were 09, 13, 21, 32, 33 and 59.

Of the winning bets, three were placed at lottery shops, while the other three were made through electronic channels. Two of the six winning bets were pools.

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According to the public bank, the 3,921 bets that hit the quina (five numbers) will each receive a cash prize of BRL 11,931.42. Finally, the quadra, which rewards those who hit four numbers, will pay BRL 216.76 to each of the 308,315 winners.

“The 17th edition of Mega da Virada recorded more than BRL 3 billion in revenue, representing an increase of 22.6 percent compared with 2024,” the bank said.

Operational problems

The draw scheduled for Wednesday evening (Dec. 31) was postponed to Thursday (Jan. 1) due to operational problems.

In a statement, Caixa explained that the record prize generated unprecedented activity across betting channels. The bank recorded 120,000 transactions per second on its digital platforms and 4,745 transactions per second at lottery outlets nationwide.

Former President Jair Bolsonaro was discharged from the hospital late Thursday afternoon (Jan. 1) after undergoing surgery at a hospital in Brasília. Bolsonaro has been in prison since November, after being convicted of participating in a coup plot to prevent President Lula from taking office.

Bolsonaro had been hospitalized since December 24 and underwent surgery for a bilateral inguinal hernia.

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The hospital’s medical team then evaluated the need for additional procedures to address his hiccups. On Wednesday (Dec. 31), the former president underwent an endoscopy, which revealed persistent esophagitis and gastritis.

With his discharge from the hospital, Bolsonaro returned to the Federal Police headquarters in Brasília, where he has been imprisoned since November after being sentenced to 27 years and three months for the coup plot.

On Thursday morning, Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes denied a request by the former president’s defense team for humanitarian house arrest following his release.

In his decision, Moraes ruled that Bolsonaro’s defense had not presented “any new facts that could overturn the reasons underlying the decision to deny the request for humanitarian house arrest issued on December 19, 2025.”

The document reiterates that Bolsonaro’s doctors remain authorized to have full access, along with the necessary medications, a physical therapist, and “the delivery of food prepared by his family members.”

* Lana Cristina (TV Brasil) contributed to this report.

Bets for the Mega da Virada draw, both in person and online, will close at 8 p.m. (Brasília time) this Wednesday (Dec. 31). The estimated prize for this year-end contest is around USD 180.5 million, the largest in the Brazilian lottery’s history.

This special draw takes place annually on New Year’s Eve. Bets can be placed at more than 13,000 lottery outlets nationwide, through the Caixa website, and via the Caixa lottery app. Bank customers can also use internet banking.

The event will take place at 10 p.m. and will be broadcast on the Caixa Lotteries Facebook page and Caixa’s YouTube channel. A simple bet of six numbers costs approximately USD 1.

The Mega da Virada prize does not roll over. If there are no winners in the six-number category, it will be distributed among those who correctly guessed five numbers in the next tier, and so forth.

Since its first edition in 2009, the Mega da Virada has paid out 130 prizes to bets that correctly matched all six numbers.