tyb/s
dey pissed now!
Thousands in Brazil protest 55th anniversary of military coup that Bolsonaro praised
RIO DE JANEIRO - Several thousand protesters chanting “dictatorship never again” took to the streets of Brazil’s biggest cities Sunday on the 55th anniversary of the coup that established more than two decades of military rule.
Some 2,000 people rallied in Rio de Janeiro’s central Cinelandia plaza, while in Sao Paulo a few hundred converged on popular Ibirapuera Park to demonstrate against the 1964-1985 dictatorship.
The protests were sparked by the order recently issued by far-right President Jair Bolsonaro for defense forces to “appropriately” commemorate the overthrow of President Joao Goulart.
Nearly 1,000 noisy protesters in Brasilia chanted slogans against Bolsonaro, an ex-army captain and unabashed admirer of the country’s former dictators, shouting “Bolsonaro out.”
“It’s not a date that should be commemorated,” retired teacher Maria Fatima, who is 65, told AFP at the Rio demonstration. “It is a day of mourning, of violence, of cruelty.”
The demonstrations came a day after an appeals court judge overturned another judge’s decision to bar commemorations sought by Bolsonaro.
Appellate judge Maria do Carmo Cardoso accepted the government’s argument that Brazilian democracy was strong enough to support “a pluralism of ideas.”
“I see no violation of human rights, particularly as similar demonstrations took place in the barracks in preceding years with no negative consequences,” she wrote.
Bolsonaro, who is on a three-day visit to Israel, is the country’s first president since democracy was restored in 1985 to publicly exalt the military regime, though he argues its rise to power was not a “coup.”
In the past, the tough-talking Bolsonaro has referred to the dictatorship as a “glorious” time in Brazilian history. He was quoted in 2008 as saying that “the error of the dictatorship was that it tortured but did not kill.”
Since taking office, Bolsonaro has had fond words for military dictators in 1970s and 1980s Latin America, such as Alfredo Stroessner of Paraguay and Chile’s Augusto Pinochet.
At least 434 people were killed or disappeared in Brazil during the 21-year dictatorship, far fewer than the 30,000 deaths in Argentina and 3,200 or more in Chile during their respective periods of right-wing military rule.
But unlike its South American neighbors, Brazil has not prosecuted military officials for regime-era crimes, leaving the events of that dark period unresolved.
Bolsonaro, who ran for the presidency as a political outsider determined to dismantle a culture of corruption, has seen his approval rating plunge amid scandals and missteps since his Jan. 1 inauguration.
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2019/04/01/world/politics-diplomacy-world/thousands-brazil-protest-55th-anniversary-military-coup-bolsonaro-praised/
Asian Mkts Open and Up
Financial news from Asia
Oil heading back to recent high
Japan's business mood hits two-year low as trade war stings
TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese business confidence worsened to a two-year low in the March quarter, a central bank survey showed, underscoring concerns that Sino-U.S. trade tensions and softening global demand were taking a toll on the export-reliant economy.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-japan-economy-tankan/japans-business-mood-hits-two-year-low-as-trade-war-stings-idUSKCN1RD0ZF
Nippon Steel to bolster overseas business, focus on India
TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan’s Nippon Steel Corp, is set to bolster overseas operations, especially in fast-growing India, to bypass growing nationalism and capitalize on growth abroad as it faces shrinking demand at home.
https://in.reuters.com/article/nippon-steel-strategy/nippon-steel-to-bolster-overseas-business-focus-on-india-idINKCN1RC0PC
Vietnam's economy gains as companies flee China in trade war
GDP grew 6.79% in first quarter as exports to US surged. Vietnamese apparel exports to the U.S. have surged amid the superpower's trade war with China.
HANOI – The U.S. trade war with Beijing continues to boost the Vietnamese economy as companies dodge tariffs by relocating production here from mainland China, fueling a sharp increase in exports to America.
Vietnam's real gross domestic product climbed 6.79% on the year during the first three months of 2019, the government said Friday. The country enjoyed its second strongest first-quarter growth in the past decade, surpassed only by the 7.45% rate in 2018.
https://asia.nikkei.com/Economy/Trade-war/Vietnam-s-economy-gains-as-companies-flee-China-in-trade-war
Gold slips as stocks gain on trade talk progress, China data
Spot gold slipped 0.1 percent to $1,290.98 per ounce by 0057 GMT, after touching its lowest since March 8 at $1,286.35 in the previous session.
U.S. gold futures were down 0.3 percent at $1,294.90 an ounce.
Asian stocks rose as signs of progress in U.S.-China trade talks and firmer Wall Street shares supported sentiment, although another defeat for British Prime Minister Theresa May's proposed Brexit deal added to the pound's recent woes.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday that trade talks with China were going very well, but cautioned that he would not accept anything less than a "great deal" after top U.S. and Chinese trade officials wrapped up two days of negotiations in Beijing.
Factory activity in China unexpectedly grew for the first time in four months in March, an official survey showed on Sunday, suggesting government stimulus measures may be starting to take hold in the world's second largest economy.
China's State Council said on Sunday that the country would continue to suspend additional tariffs on U.S. vehicles and auto parts after April 1, in a goodwill gesture following a U.S. decision to delay tariff hikes on Chinese imports.
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/04/01/gold-market-positive-chinese-pmi-us-china-trade-talks-in-focus.html
https://www.kitco.com/charts/livegold.html
https://www.dailyfx.com/crude-oil
agree but it's still funny