Tag Archives: South America

Reuters reports: Brazil’s former Justice Minister Anderson Torres, who was in charge of public security in Brasilia during the invasion of government buildings a week ago, was arrested in Brasilia on Saturday on suspicion of “omission” and “connivance”. Torres was arrested after returning to Brazil on Saturday. He had been on vacation in Florida, the same U.S. state his ex-boss, …

Deutsche Welle reports: Brazilian prosecutors on Friday called on the country’s Supreme Court to probe former President Jair Bolsonaro, after recent violent riots in the capital, Brasilia. The Prosecutor General of the Republic (PGR) office said Bolsonaro may have “publicly incited the commission of a crime” with his social media activity. The PGR cited a video posted by Bolsonaro on January …

Bloomberg News reports: Brazilian prosecutors asked a court to seize the assets of former President Jair Bolsonaro as their investigation of the violent, anti-government riots that shook the country Sunday expands beyond the demonstrators themselves. Officials said the money should be used to help pay for the damage to public property when protesters stormed government buildings in Brasilia on Jan. …

“Peaceful demonstrations, in the form of the law, are part of democracy. However, depredations and invasions of public buildings as occurred today, as well as those practiced by the left in 2013 and 2017, escape the rule. “Throughout my mandate, I have always been within the four lines of the Constitution, respecting and defending the laws, democracy, transparency and our …

The BBC reports: Crowds of people are gathering in the Brazilian capital, Brasilia, ahead of the inauguration of Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva as president. The state of Brasilia has pledged to deploy “100%” of its police force – around 8,000 officers – to the city amid fears that some supporters of Mr Bolsonaro could seek to disrupt proceedings. Mr …

Yahoo News reports: Brazil will reevaluate the procedures for President elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s inauguration after an explosive near capital Brasilia’s international airport was disarmed Saturday. A man who confessed he intended to commit a crime in Brasilia’s airport was arrested on Saturday night, according to the civil police force. The man was allegedly a supporter of current …

The Guardian reports: Fanatical supporters of Brazil’s outgoing president, Jair Bolsonaro, have torched cars and buses and tried to storm the federal police headquarters in the country’s capital in what one commentator called a botched attempt to spark a January 6-style turmoil. The violence erupted on Monday evening after the leftwing politician who defeated Bolsonaro in October’s historic election – …

Reuters reports: Peru’s former President Pedro Castillo faced a first court hearing on Thursday over his arrest on charges of rebellion and conspiracy, as his successor issued her first pronouncements from the presidential palace. Castillo’s swift fall from power on Wednesday came after lawmakers voted overwhelmingly to remove the leader following his failed attempt to rule by decree and dissolve …

Reuters reports: Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has challenged the election he lost last month to leftist rival Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, arguing votes from some machines should be “invalidated” in a complaint that election authorities met with initial skepticism. Bolsonaro’s claim seems unlikely to get far, as Lula’s victory has been ratified by the Superior Electoral Court (TSE) and …

The New York Times reports: Two days after losing Brazil’s presidential election, President Jair Bolsonaro agreed to a transition of power on Tuesday, easing fears that the far-right leader would contest the results after warning for months that the only way he would lose would be if the vote was stolen. However, Mr. Bolsonaro did not concede the loss in …

Reuters reports: Brazil’s far-right President Jair Bolsonaro will not contest his election defeat and will address the nation later on Tuesday, Communications Minister Fabio Faria told Reuters. The presidential address may defuse protests by his supporters who have blocked highways in many states across Brazil, along with pro-Bolsonaro truckers calling for him to defy the electoral victory of leftist Luiz …

CNN reports: More than a day after Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was pronounced the winner of Brazil’s 2022 presidential election, incumbent Jair Bolsonaro has yet to publicly acknowledge his loss. The President’s delay in conceding Sunday’s race has contributed to fears that he will not cooperate with a transfer of power, amid scattered protests by his supporters. Ahead of …

The New York Times reports: Voters in Brazil on Sunday ousted President Jair Bolsonaro after just one term and elected the leftist former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to replace him, election officials said, a rebuke to Mr. Bolsonaro’s far-right movement and his divisive four years in office. The victory completes a stunning political revival for Mr. da Silva …

The New York Times reports: In the first round of Brazil’s closely watched elections this month, the polls were off the mark. They significantly underestimated the support for the far-right incumbent, President Jair Bolsonaro, and other conservative candidates across the country. Many on the right were furious, criticizing the pollsters as out of touch with the Brazilian electorate. That response …

The Miami Herald reports: Snipers from Russia and other countries hostile to the United States are competing in war games being held this week in Venezuela in events described as Olympic games for soldiers that were organized not only to show that Moscow still has friends but also that some of them are in Latin America. The international war games …

CBS News reports: Two same-sex couples became the first Thursday to legally tie the knot in Chile, which joined countries in majority Catholic Latin America to allow LGBTQ couples to marry. Under a law approved by Congress in December and signed by outgoing President Sebastian Pinera, they can also now adopt children. “We never imagined we would experience this moment …

The New York Times reports: Having an abortion is no longer a crime under Colombian law, the country’s top court on constitutional matters ruled on Monday, in a decision that paves the way for the procedure to become widely available across this historically conservative, Catholic country. The ruling by Colombia’s Constitutional Court follows years of organizing by women across Latin …

ABC News reports: Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro was taken to a Sao Paulo hospital early Monday with a suspected intestinal obstruction, the country’s media reported. Globo reported that Bolsonaro returned to the Brazilian capital during the night from a New Year break on the coast and was immediately taken to Hospital Vila Nova Star. Globo quoted Bolsonaro’s doctor, Antônio Luiz …

The New York Times reports: Lawmakers in Chile on Tuesday legalized same-sex marriage, a landmark victory for gay rights activists that underscores how profoundly the country’s politics and society have shifted in the past decade. By overwhelming majorities in both chambers, lawmakers put the unions of same-sex couples on par with others, making Chile the 31st nation to allow gay …

The Associated Press reports: A measure to legalize marriage and adoption by same-sex couples was approved by the lower house of Chile’s Congress on Tuesday, moving it close to final adoption. It had already passed the Senate. The bill approved 101-30 now awaits only final modifications related to the rights of same sex couples. President Sebastián Piñera has indicated he …