Brazil On The Brink

Supports of embattled Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff will rally in 45 cities across the country Friday, as the nation teeters on the brink of a political crisis. Rousseff’s predecessor, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, was [controversially sworn in] as her chief of staff Thursday, despite a judge attempting to block his appointment, and Congress began proceedings to impeach her. The country already saw three million people rally against the government Sunday. Sponsored by: EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW, RIGHT NOW. #IBTPulse --------------------------------------------------------------- [Brazil President’s Supporters To Hit The Streets Amid Crisis] Supports of embattled Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff will rally in 45 cities across the country Friday, as the nation teeters on the brink of a political crisis. Rousseff’s predecessor, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, was [controversially sworn in] as her chief of staff Thursday, despite a judge attempting to block his appointment, and Congress began proceedings to impeach her. The country already saw three million people rally against the government Sunday. [China, South Korea To Discuss North Korea] Officials from the two countries are set to meet Friday to discuss their reactions to Pyongyang’s nuclear activities. The meet will be the first between the two countries since fresh international sanctions were levied on North Korea, and comes the same day that the country sparked further international unease by [firing ballistic missiles into the ocean]. [Too Few Breakfasting At Tiffany’s] The famed luxury retailer, a large portion of whose sales come from tourists, is expected to reveal its sales have been [hurt by a strong dollar] when it reports fourth-quarter and full-year earnings Friday. Tiffany & Co. is expected to report full-year revenue of $4.1 billion, down from $4.25 billion last year, and earnings of $3.78 per share, down 10 percent over the year. [EU To Pitch Refugee Plan To Turkey] After [agreeing a joint position] to put to Ankara at a summit Thursday, EU leaders will try to convince Turkey’s prime minister to help end Europe’s migration crisis in return for financial and political concessions. However, Thursday’s EU discussions revealed considerable doubts among the Europeans themselves over whether the deal can be made either legal in international law, or workable. HERE'S WHAT YOU MISSED LAST NIGHT. [Spotify Reaches Settlement In Licensing Dispute] The popular music-streaming service has reached an agreement with music publishers regarding a dispute over licensing, the New York Times reported Thursday. While exact terms of the deal were not disclosed, Spotify is expected to pay publishers [between $16 million and $25 million] in royalties that are owed but unpaid, as well as a $5 million penalty. [Japan’s 10-Year Bond Yield Falls to Record Low] Japan’s 10-year government bonds dropped into negative territory Friday as the country’s central bank continued to expand its bond-buying program. The program is continuing at such a pace, that the Bank of Japan could end up [owning 40 percent of all Japanese government bonds] by the end of 2016, according to analysts. [Rubio In Talks To Endorse Cruz] The Florida Senator, who dropped out of the race for the Republican presidential nomination after losing his home state to Donald Trump, may soon endorse Republican colleague Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, putting aside a fair share of bad blood between them. Cruz has [struggled to pick up endorsements] from his colleagues in the Senate, but that may change as the GOP ups its efforts to block Trump’s path to the domination. [Saudi Arabia Takes A Page Out Of Israel’s Book] The oil giant is getting its own nonprofit press shop in Washington, D.C., with the creation of the Saudi American Public Relation Affairs Committee (Saprac), which aims to strengthen political and economic ties with the U.S. The group appears to be [l][oosely following the model of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee] (Aipac), a powerful Washington nonprofit that has promoted Israeli interests in the United States through a combination of lobbying and public communications. AND THEN THERE'S THIS... [Robots For Sale!] Google is selling Boston Dynamics, the famous lab known for its [animal- and human-like robots] that can move through rough terrain. The unit has been put up for sale as Google turns its attention away from robotics after showing a brief but strong interest in the technology just a few years ago. [NYC St. Patrick’s Day Parade Sees Historic Gay Celebration] LGBT groups marched in the city’s famous St. Patrick’s Day parade for the first time Thursday, following [years of contentious debate] about whether gay culture aligned with a celebration whose origins lie in the Roman Catholic faith. The day also saw religious freedom protestors take to the streets, expressing concern that the nation was being overtaken by a pro-gay agenda. 7 Hanover Square, 5th Floor, New York, NY 10004 © 2015 IBT Media Inc. All Rights Reserved. Please add pulse@ibt-mail.com to your contacts [Unsubscribe] | [Privacy Policy]