President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva stated this Friday (22), in an interview with the Sem Censura program, on TV Brasil, that the government is committed to ensuring control of fuel prices in the country. He defended that public authorities should be rigorously monitored against abusive adjustments.  "“I fight every single day to lower the price of gasoline. I can guarantee you that every week I have a meeting. There is no reason to increase the price, what we have to do is put the Federal Police, the National Petroleum Agency on the street to monitor, fine or arrest those who are increasing it without the need to increase it", said the president during. Related news: Lula asks Alcolumbre to guide the vote on the Security PEC. Elections: Lula promises to veto PL on mass sending of messages. The oil derivatives market continues to be affected by the effects of the war in Iran, which is causing restrictions on cargo transportation in the Middle East, where some of the largest oil producing countries are located. Earlier, the Ministry of Planning and Budget reported that the subsidy for gasoline for consumers will be R$0.44 per liter. The value was defined within the scope of the emergency temporary compensation program, created last week. The measure will cost around R$1.2 billion per month for at least two months. Another federal government program, in partnership with the states, had also created, in March, a subsidy for imported diesel, a fundamental input in cargo transportation. Furthermore, a national task force has worked to contain abusive price increases after the start of the war in the Middle East, having inspected thousands of fuel stations and distributors across the country. Critical Minerals During the interview, Lula was asked about Brazilian deposits of critical minerals and so-called rare earths, which are chemical elements found underground that are fundamental in the manufacture of electronic components for high-tech equipment. With around 21 million tons, the Brazilian rare earth reserve is the second largest ever mapped in the world, behind only China, which holds approximately 44 million tons. But, according to the president, only a third of Brazil's potential has already been mapped. "Brazil, although it is treated as if it were the second country in the world in critical minerals and rare earths, we only know 30% of our territory. This means that we still have to do a 70% withdrawal. I created a national council to deal with the issue of rare earths, and this council will be linked directly to the Presidency of the Republic, because we want to treat this as a matter of national security, a State thing, it is national sovereignty", said Lula. "We are no longer going to do with critical minerals and rare earths what was done with iron ore, [which] is dug up and sold. We want the transformation process to be carried out here in Brazil", guaranteed the president, who stated that he does not have a veto on exploration by companies from any country. Bet control Another point addressed by Lula in Sem Censura was the risk of virtual sports betting, the so-called bets. Questioned about the fact that he had sanctioned, at the end of 2023, the law that taxes and regulates the sector, the president stated that the segment is fundamental in the professional football market, and that it is necessary to separate illegal companies from those that operate regularly.   "Today, football depends on betting. You have to know which is the serious bet and which is the non-serious one", said Lula, saying that he intends to carry out greater control over the advertising of the business. "We created a special secretariat in the Ministry of Finance to take care of bets. If it depends on the will of the President of the Republic, and I will say this during the [electoral] campaign, I am in favor of ending all those bets that are not providing any service or usefulness to the country".