Bolsonaro returns to Brazil

Three months after leaving for the United States in the final hours of his term, Brazil's ex-president Jair Bolsonaro returned home yesterday to re-enter politics -- complicating life for his successor and nemesis, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

The far-right ex-army captain, who skipped town two days before Lula's inauguration on January 1, arrived back in Brasilia on a commercial flight from Orlando, Florida.

Scores of supporters waving the Brazilian flag -- one of Bolsonaro's symbols -- were at the airport arrival area to welcome him, shouting and singing the national anthem, despite authorities' moves to block a planned welcome rally.

"We've been waiting for this moment for a long time. We've been looking forward to it since January 1," Eva Melgaco, a 46-year-old beautician, told AFP.

However, Bolsonaro left discreetly through another exit. Flashing a thumbs-up to TV cameras, he entered a motorcade that headed for the headquarters of his Liberal Party (PL), flanked by police cars. The homecoming is a high-stakes bet for Bolsonaro, who faces legal trouble on various fronts in Brazil.