LATAM POLITICS TODAY-Brazil Senate to hold leadership vote, outcome crucial for Lula agenda

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IMF tells Latin America's wealthy to pay fair share of taxes

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Peru's Las Bambas mine set to halt production amid blockades

Feb 1 (Reuters) -

The latest in Latin American politics today:

Brazil Senate to hold leadership vote, outcome crucial for Lula government

BRASILIA - Brazil's Congress holds leadership elections on Wednesday, with both chambers expected to re-elect leaders who have signaled a readiness to work with leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, which will be key for his minority government's legislative agenda.

In the Senate, however, the vote could go down to the wire, with an ally of far-right former President Jair Bolsonaro gaining on the chamber's incumbent leader Rodrigo Pacheco.

An upset win by Rogerio Marinho, who was a member of Bolsonaro's Cabinet, would be a dramatic setback for Lula and a sign of strength for the right-wing opposition.

IMF tells Latin America's wealthy to pay fair share of taxes

NEW YORK - Latin America and the Caribbean will face rising poverty and food insecurity in 2023, and trust in government will remain low as long as corruption remains high and the wealthy do not pay their fair share in taxes, the International Monetary Fund said on Wednesday.

Latin America's slowing economic growth and high inflation could intensify social unrest, as "many people in the region will see their living standards decline this year," IMF officials wrote in a blog post.

Peru's Las Bambas mine set to halt production as blockades remain, source says

LIMA - The huge Chinese-owned Las Bambas copper mine in Peru is set to halt production on Wednesday as road blockades preventing the arrival of key resources to the site have not yet been lifted, a source close to the mine told Reuters.

China's MMG Ltd said on Monday that the mine, which at normal times provides some 2% of global copper supply, would halt production of the red metal by Feb. 1 unless protests eased, potentially impacting already tight global supply.

The Andean nation, the world's second-largest copper producer, has been hit by social unrest since the Dec. 7 ouster of leftist President Pedro Castillo, with key mines hit by road blockades and some attacks by protesters. (Compiled by Steven Grattan Editing by Bill Berkrot)