When Russia’s fourth-term dictator President Vladimir Putin poured his particularly chilling scorn on the idea of liberalism last week his demeanour, his stone-cold certainty suggested he is not a man to tolerate opposition.

Liberal lobby groups and commentators in our part of the world tend not unnaturally to be pre-occupied with what they regard as obnoxious political and social trends in Europe, which means that undesirable developments in more distant lands, such as Brazil, attract scant attention.

Jair Bolsonaro was elected president of Brazil in October 2018 and took office in January 2019, writes Catherine McNamara.

Cork documentary maker Kate Hardie Buckley was in Brazil to film the changing dynamic for the country’s LGBT community, writes Ellie O’Byrne

The incident took place at a mining complex owned by the Brazilian firm Vale.

A generation or two ago, when the threat of purgatory or limbo carried more weight, the renewing process of self-restraint, abstention, and repentance was recognised and celebrated.

Take a bow, Ireland. At a moment when so many once reliable societies shy away from the never-ending challenge of sustaining progressive, tolerant, welcoming, largely decent societies, we re-elected a president whose half-century political career has been dedicated to the long and always democratic pursuit of those noble, uplifting ideals.