International

Board of Brazil’s Petrobras elects Lula ally as new president

Photo: AFP

January 26 | By AFP |

The board of directors of Petrobras on Thursday appointed Jean Paul Prates, an ally of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, as head of the state oil company.

Prates, a 54-year-old lawyer and economist, was previously a senator in northeastern Rio Grande do Norte state and a member of Lula’s Workers’ Party.

Lula described Prates as a specialist in the energy sector when nominating him for the job on Twitter last month.

In a statement confirming the appointment, the Petrobras board said Prates had been chosen unanimously.

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Prates has 30 years experience in the oil, natural gas, biofuels and renewable energy sectors.

“I have been given the mission of managing Petrobras in the coming years,” Prates said.

He added that he was “honored to lead a company that is the heritage of all Brazilians.”

Petrobras is the flagship of Brazilian industry. It is the largest company in the South American country but was at the center of the wide-ranging “Operation Car Wash” corruption scandal.

As part of the graft investigation, Lula was himself convicted of accepting a bribe and spent 18 months in jail before a judge annulled his conviction.

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Petrobras went through some turbulent years during the presidency of Lula’s predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro.

The company went through four different CEOs during that period due major disagreements over Petrobras’s oil pricing policies.

Bolsonaro even went so far as to accuse Petrobras of theft over its price hikes.

The company sets prices based on the standard international rate for a barrel of oil.

The position of Petrobras chief executive is one that comes with great exposure to political pressure.

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In its 68 years of existence, the company has had 39 CEOs, meaning they have lasted on average less than two years.

The markets have expressed fears that Prates could change the company’s pricing policies and that under Lula’s socialist government there will be greater interference in the running of state companies.

The Brazilian state owns 50.26 percent of Petrobras’s capital and Lula has ruled out privatizing the company.

International

Maradona’s daughter accuses medical team of “horrible manipulation” in court

One of the daughters of Diego Maradona testified in court this Tuesday, breaking down in tears as she denounced what she described as “absolute and horrible manipulation” by her father’s medical team, during an emotional hearing in Argentina.

Gianinna Maradona stated that she and her siblings agreed to home hospitalization after doctors presented it as the best option following the neurosurgery Maradona underwent on November 3, 2020.

The football icon died on November 25 of that year, and the ongoing trial seeks to determine whether the conditions of his home care were appropriate.

According to Gianinna, what the family found at the residence where Maradona was recovering did not match what had been promised. She testified that there was no adequate medical equipment, constant monitoring, or even an ambulance available, despite assurances of continuous care.

“The manipulation was absolute and horrible,” she said during the hearing in San Isidro, near Buenos Aires.

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She accused members of the medical team, including neurosurgeon Leopoldo Luque, psychiatrist Agustina Cosachov, and psychologist Carlos Díaz, of misleading the family.

“I trusted these people, and all they did was manipulate us and leave my son without a grandfather,” she added.

Later in her testimony, recalling that six years have passed since her father’s death, she became emotional and said she struggled deeply with grief in the aftermath.

International

Trump extends Iran ceasefire after Pakistan mediation request

The president of the United States, Donald Trump, announced on Tuesday that he will extend the ceasefire with Iran, which was set to expire on Wednesday, following a request from Pakistan.

In a statement shared on Truth Social, Trump said the truce will remain in place until Iran presents a proposal and negotiations are concluded, regardless of the outcome.

“I will extend the ceasefire until their proposal is presented and negotiations are completed, whatever the result,” the U.S. leader stated.

Trump justified the decision by claiming that Iran’s government is “deeply divided” and noting that Pakistani authorities, acting as mediators, requested a pause in military action until Iranian leaders and representatives submit a unified proposal.

International

Venezuelan opposition demands election date and minimum wage increase

A group of opposition members from the Zulia Humana and former political prisoners on Tuesday demanded that authorities set a date for elections in Venezuela and increase the minimum wage, which has been frozen since 2022 and is currently worth just a few cents per month according to the Banco Central de Venezuela.

During a press conference in Maracaibo, Professor Eduardo Labrador stressed the urgency of establishing an electoral timeline. “We demand that a date be set for elections so Venezuelans can have free and transparent voting. It is essential to have that date now,” he said.

Economist Rodrigo Cabezas, who served under the late President Hugo Chávez, also called for an increase in the minimum wage, arguing that it is feasible through economic policy measures, although he did not specify an amount due to limited public data.

Cabezas warned that Venezuela experienced “galloping inflation” between March of last year and March 2026, a stage that precedes hyperinflation—a phenomenon the country has already faced. However, he clarified that Venezuela is not currently in hyperinflation, expressing hope that it will not return.