BRICS- Brazil

Former Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva told Reuters on Wednesday that his recent conviction for corruption might mean that his Workers Party will have to field a candidate other than him in next year’s election. Lula’s 2003-11 government lifted millions from poverty and polls show he is still one of Brazil’s most popular politicians.   Brazil scraps an Amazon Reserve to allow mining   The government of Brazil has abolished a vast national reserve bigger than the size of Denmark to open the area to commercial mineral exploration, drawing sharp criticism from environmentalists and political opponents. The area, which straddles the northern states of Amapa and Para, is thought to contain rich deposits of gold, iron, manganese and other minerals.   Brazil is looking to offload its Olympic facilities   Brazil will try once more to rid itself of part of Rio de Janeiro’s Olympic Park, after the city government failed to find a buyer last year, according to two people directly involved in the negotiations. In an effort to find an operator for the park, the ministry of sport will work with the state development bank, BNDES, to determine how the concession will be run.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.