International

Gun ownership soars under Bolsonaro: NGO

AFP

The number of registered gun owners in Brazil rose by almost six times since President Jair Bolsonaro came to power and eased restrictions, an NGO said on Tuesday.

In 2018, when Bolsonaro began his mandate, there were 117,467 gun owners registered as hunters, sport shooters and collectors, according to army figures collected by the Brazilian Forum of Public Security (FBSP) NGO.

In June 2022 that figure had jumped to 673,818.

“There was a very big increase in the number of firearms in circulation in the country under the Bolsonaro government,” Renato Sergio de Lima, the FBSP president, told AFP.

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FBSP estimates that there are 4.4 million privately owned firearms in Brazil, based on Army and Federal Police data. Those two bodies are the ones that issue gun registrations to civilians.

“The problem is that a third of those (1.5 million) are in an irregular situation, with their registration elapsed,” said Lima.

That makes it impossible to know if the weapons remain with their legal owners or whether they have found their way into the hands of criminals, FBSP said.

Since coming to power, ex-army captain Bolsonaro has issued several decrees softening restrictions on gun ownership, such as increasing the number of weapons and amount of ammunition people can own.

Some of those decrees are being studied by the supreme court to decide whether or not they were constitutional.

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In its public security annual, FBSP said Brazil registered 47,503 murders amongst its 213 million population in 2021, a drop of 6.5 percent on 2020.

“But this good news hides an extremely perverse reality, that in 2020 Brazil accounted for one in every five intentional violent murders on the planet, according to UN data,” despite making up just 2.7 percent of the world’s population.

International

Habeas Corpus at risk as Trump team eyes drastic border policy shift

The White House is reportedly considering suspending habeas corpus, the legal principle that protects individuals against arbitrary detention, as part of its efforts to escalate anti-immigration measures in the United States.

In remarks to reporters, Stephen Miller, a senior advisor to President Donald Trump, argued that the U.S. Constitution allows the suspension of habeas corpus “in times of invasion.”

“It’s an option we are actively considering, and it all depends on whether the courts do the right thing or not,” Miller stated.

The Trump administration has frequently invoked the notion of a “migrant invasion” to justify actions such as the militarization of the U.S.-Mexico border and the deportation of foreign nationals—primarily Venezuelans—to El Salvador’s CECOT megaprison.

International

Maduro to Xi: Venezuela is a loyal friend to China

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro assured his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, during a meeting held in Moscow on the sidelines of the 80th anniversary of the Red Army’s victory in World War II, that China has “loyal friends” in the Caribbean nation.

“You know that in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela you have loyal friends and people willing to continue working for a new world,” said the South American leader, according to footage aired Friday by Venezuelan state broadcaster VTV.

Maduro, accompanied by several of his ministers including Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López, highlighted the “great results” of a 2023 agreement between China and Venezuela called the “All-Weather and All-Round Strategic Partnership.”

“I believe we can multiply the great results we’re already seeing, and I’m sure that strong and clear guidelines will emerge from this meeting to keep moving forward together,” Maduro added.

International

Iberojet reaffirms commitment to Honduras as Central American Hub

Spanish airline Iberojet and Palmerola International Airport, located in central Honduras, signed a three-year renewal of their exclusive agreement to operate direct flights between the Honduran terminal and the cities of Madrid and Barcelona.

With this renewal, Iberojet—part of the Spanish tourism group Ávoris Corporación Empresarial—reaffirms its commitment to Honduras as its main gateway to Central America from Europe.

The agreement was signed by Iberojet’s Commercial Director, Mario Domínguez, and Erick Spears, Chairman of the Board of Directors at Palmerola.

The signing ceremony took place at the residence of the Spanish Ambassador to Honduras, Diego Nuño García, who served as an honorary witness.