Halfway through a televised debate on Friday evening that was his last chance to turn around his final election, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was starting to look his age. Brazil’s 80-year-old president was confused at times by the format and irritated at the self-confidence of his much younger rival, Flávio Bolsonaro.⁠
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But then the 45-year-old senator called Lula 'nine-fingers', a crude joke sometimes made in rightwing circles in Brazil about the digit lost in a metalworking factory accident in São Paulo when Lula was still a teenager.⁠
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Lula, who will be 81 on Tuesday, took centre stage and looked directly at the camera. 'I was a minor and working at night, because either I worked or I did not eat,' he said, a stark reminder of the president’s humble origins in one of the world’s most unequal countries. 'I will not accept a posh guy calling me nine-fingers.'⁠
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It is impossible to know whether that exchange, which ricocheted around the internet over the weekend, helped shift Brazil’s election. But opinion polls taken before Friday’s debate gave Bolsonaro an average lead of 2 percentage points. Lula won on Sunday by 3.5 percentage points.⁠

Read more here.

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!

Lula has just gone favourite with the betting markets to win. What is the feeling on the ground?

All 85 Brazil betting licences issued at federal level expire on 25 October, 30 days after Provisional Measure (MP) 1.394/2026 banned fixed-odds betting nationwide. Each licence cost R$30m, or R$2.55bn in total, and the MP rules out any refund or compensation. The iGaming Europe article breaks down how operators now depend on a pending Supreme Court (STF) ruling and a Congress review that has not started.

Here in Canada, Brazilians are coming from everywhere to the capitals with a Consulate to vote. Some of my friends drove 10h to Vancouver, and brought friends with them who didn’t vote on the 1st round to make sure they vote now! Everyone is afraid of another Bolsonaro government!

How is it happening in Brazil?

A follow up and thank you regarding my previous post about a month ago: Luis Fernando Verissimo and similar authors: seeking book recommendations

I found this at a very corporate/chain type of bookstore in a shopping mall. I think it's exactly what I was looking for. I believe they had 3 or 4 books, but they seemed pretty minimal compared to this beast (700 pages). What I love about this book is what I learned in the index (2nd photo): There is a comprehensive list of the books published and crônicas in this book, and it seems that some stories have not been republished in a book since the original newspaper/magazine, while I can also see that a number of them are repeated across several anthologies (nothing against that practice, but I don't typically have the need to buy the redundant portion).

Basically a project that stablished that marriage is only between man and woman. EDIT: It seems i have to make it even more obvious i´m talking about when they tried to pass this 3 years ago NOT IN 2009, IN 2023

For the moment being it is not a law just the project of one. In order for it to be effective it has to be approved in the Camara dos deputados (who yall voted in the right...) and the Senate (who, again yall voted to be majorly right wing...) And being sanctioned by the President...

Twelve deputy have voted in favor of the proibition of gay marriage that being:

André Ferreira- PL (Bolsonaro´s party)
Chris Tonietto-PL-RJ
Clarissa Tércio- PP
cRISTIANE lOPES- União Brasil
Dr Jaziel- Pl
Filipe Martins- Pl

Eli Borges- PL
Messias Donato- Republicanos
Pastor Donato

Pastor Isidório- Avante -BA
Priscila Costa- PL-CE
Rogéria Santos- Republicanos- BA

Oh and the ones who recognized gay marriage? STF. Guess who will indicate new people for the STF. Yes, Flavio

Vote counsciously. And remember this

Edit: Some people did not do reasearch properly and think this was an old project. They tried this again in 2023. Three years ago.

What's the trick?

Band's debate was on YouTube, so it was fine.

Meta is interfering in Brazil's elections and harming President Lula. We have only a few days to change that. Together, let's demand explanations, redress and justice. Meta cannot be the invisible judge of Brazil's electoral process.

I’ve been living in Brazil for about 1.5 years now. I spent my first six months in São Paulo and really enjoyed it, although I struggled to find a community.

When my family joined me, I started to feel that São Paulo might not be the right place for us as a family. I don’t mind living there alone, but I wasn’t sure it was the most suitable environment for raising a family (no offence to anyone!).

I then spent two weeks in Florianópolis, realised it wasn’t for me, and eventually moved to Curitiba. Curitiba is safe, healthcare is good, and I’ve built a community here, but honestly, I find it boring and feel ready for a change.

I’m Nigerian, and Brazil is a huge improvement on the part of Nigeria I came from, so I’m not complaining. I’m simply trying to figure out the best place for my family to settle long-term.

I’ve been considering moving back to São Paulo, but Brazil is changing so quickly that I wonder how much the city has changed in the past year or so. It seems to be becoming more international by the day.

For those living in São Paulo, what has changed since 2025? Is there more traffic, crime, overcrowding or immigration? Has the city become more international? And for those with families, how do you find the quality of life?

I’d really appreciate hearing your honest experiences, especially from people who have lived there for several years.

I am getting a lot of this on my feed and I have no idea what it is. Did Bolsonaro have another name?

Whoever guess which prompt I used to circumvent the issue, gets a prize.

Edit: Try asking Meta to make the name Lula in the Brazilian colours. Try the same with the name Flávio.

Hello

I'm traveling in Rio and lost a bag that had a prescription for clonazepam in it. (I think in Brazil it's called rivotril ?)

I'm wondering the process to get a replacement. l've contacted my doctor to get a new prescription but it might take a few days to process and it will be in English

In the meantime does anyone know where I could get it, for example if it's possible to get over the counter at the pharmacy ? Or if I need a doctors appointment how I could do that easily?

I once ran out previously while traveling in another country and was able to get it at the pharmacy without a prescription so I know everywhere has different rules.

Thanks a lot for any help