International

Lula could win Brazil vote in first round: poll

AFP

Leftist ex-president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has increased his lead over far-right incumbent Jair Bolsonaro 10 months out from Brazil’s elections and could win in the first round, a poll found Thursday.

Lula, who led Brazil from 2003 to 2010, has 48 percent of the vote to 22 percent for Bolsonaro, found leading pollster Datafolha.

Despite a push from the political center for a “third-way” candidate, no others reached double digits in the poll.

Ex-justice minister Sergio Moro has nine percent of the vote, former Ceara state governor Ciro Gomes seven percent and current Sao Paulo state Governor Joao Doria four percent, it found.

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Eight percent of respondents said they would cast blank ballots or abstain, while two percent were undecided, Datafolha said.

That means if the elections were held today, Lula would have enough votes to win in the first round. Brazilian electoral law requires a candidate to win more than half of all valid votes, subtracting blank and spoiled ballots.

Lula, 76, a charismatic former steelworker, was hugely popular as president. But his image was badly tarnished when he was jailed on corruption charges in 2018.

Lula, who calls the case against him a conspiracy, was released in 2019. The Supreme Court annulled his convictions this year, clearing the way for him to run again.

He immediately emerged as the top challenger to former army captain Bolsonaro, 66. The incumbent’s popularity has plunged amid a recession and his government’s missteps on Covid-19, which has claimed more than 615,000 lives in Brazil, second only to the United States.

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Datafolha’s previous poll, in September, found Lula with 44 percent of the vote to 26 percent for Bolsonaro.

Neither has officially declared a candidacy.

The new poll was carried out from December 13 to 16 with 3,666 respondents and a margin of error of plus or minus two percentage points.

International

Federal immigration agents kill man in Minneapolis, sparking protests and outrage

Federal immigration agents shot and killed a 37-year-old Minneapolis man during an operation on Saturday, authorities confirmed, sparking new protests and deepening outrage over federal immigration enforcement in the city.

The victim, identified as Alex Jeffrey Pretti, was a U.S. citizen and intensive care nurse who worked at a Veterans Affairs hospital and was widely respected in his community, according to colleagues and news reports.

Officials said the shooting occurred during a targeted immigration raid in south Minneapolis. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) described the incident as an act of self-defense by agents who believed the man posed a threat.

However, videos reviewed by multiple outlets and eyewitnesses show Pretti holding a phone and not displaying a weapon before being pepper-sprayed, tackled by agents and then shot multiple times, raising serious questions about the official account.

The killing comes amid a broader federal immigration enforcement operation in the city and follows another controversial shooting in early January in which Renée Good, a 37-year-old U.S. citizen, was fatally shot by an ICE agent, leading to widespread protests and criticism of federal tactics.

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International

Delcy Rodríguez seeks political agreements after Maduro’s ouster

Venezuela’s interim president, Delcy Rodríguez, on Saturday called for “reaching agreements” with the opposition to achieve “peace” in the country, which the United States says it now controls following the military operation that removed President Nicolás Maduro from power.

Rodríguez, who previously served as Maduro’s vice president, assumed interim leadership after the leftist leader was captured on January 3 during a military incursion that left nearly 100 people dead.

In her first public statements since taking office, Rodríguez signaled a shift in the strained relationship between Caracas and Washington, while also committing to the release of a “significant number” of political prisoners.

“There can be no political or partisan differences when it comes to the peace of Venezuela,” Rodríguez said during an address in the coastal state of La Guaira, broadcast on state television VTV.

“From our differences, we must speak to one another with respect. From our differences, we must meet and reach agreements,” she added.

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The day before, Rodríguez instructed the head of Parliament — her brother Jorge Rodríguez — to convene talks with various political sectors in the country aimed at achieving “concrete and immediate results.”

International

Bogotá and Quito Seek Dialogue After Tariffs and Power Cut Escalate Tensions

Bogotá and Quito will hold an emergency bilateral summit next week amid recent developments that have strained relations between the two countries.

Tensions escalated this week after Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa unexpectedly announced a 30% tariff on Colombian imports. Colombia responded with a reciprocal measure, imposing the same tariff on around 20 Ecuadorian products and suspending electricity exports to Ecuador.

Aware that electricity imports are critical to easing Ecuador’s recent energy crises, Quito further imposed a 30% tariff on the transportation of Colombian oil through its territory.

However, recent statements from the Ecuadorian government suggest that dialogue between the two sides has intensified in recent hours. Ecuador’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Gabriela Sommerfeld, confirmed that active conversations are under way.

In Colombia, segments of the business sector have welcomed the prospect of negotiations. The National Business Council (Consejo Gremial Nacional, CGN), for instance, urged both governments to restore commercial relations, warning that the dispute “puts jobs and regional economic stability at risk.”