International
Brasilia riots: What we know
January 15 | By AFP |
Thousands of opponents of leftist new President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva stormed the seats of power in Brazil’s capital on January 8, fired up by anti-“communist” rhetoric and allegations of election fraud.
Here’s what we know.
Rioters arrested
In all, the Federal Police detained 1,843 people after the riots in Brasilia.
Most of them were taken from an encampment outside the army headquarters in the capital, where they had been protesting for two months, clamoring for the military to prevent Lula’s inauguration, which went ahead on January 1.
According to the latest update by the Federal Police, 1,159 remained under arrest Wednesday after 684 — many of them old or ill, parents of young children and homeless people — were released to await trial in freedom.
Police from the district of Brasilia arrested another 209 on the day of the uprising.
Charges against the rioters include terrorism, criminal association, involvement in an attack against the democratic state, participation in an attempted coup d’etat and incitement to crime.
Countering claims of mistreatment, the police said hundreds of detainees received three meals and a snack every day, and had access to medical care.
More than 430 were seen by doctors and 33 taken to health facilities.
Justice Minister Flavio Dino said on Friday that court appearances have started, without providing details.
Top dogs
A Supreme Court judge on Friday gave the green light for far-right ex-president Jair Bolsonaro, beaten narrowly by Lula at the ballot box in October, to be included in an investigation into the instigators of the riots.
The Federal Police on Saturday arrested Brasilia security chief Anderson Torres, a former Bolsonaro justice minister, for alleged “collusion” with the rioters.
Also in custody is Fabio Augusto, who led the military police in Brasilia and, like Torres, was fired after the uprising.
The Supreme Court has also ordered an inquiry into the conduct of Brasilia governor Ibaneis Rocha and his interim public security secretary Fernando de Sousa Oliveira.
Rocha was relieved of his duties for 90 days.
Lula and Dino have said the violence could not have happened without collusion from members of the security forces. An investigation is under way.
Financiers
The attorney general’s office has identified 52 individuals and seven companies suspected of having helped pay for the uprising.
According to national broadcaster TV Globo, the suspects included leaders in the pro-Bolsonaro agro-business sector.
They are thought to have paid for the food and transport of rioters who arrived in Brasilia from several regions of the country on about 100 passenger buses.
Investigations are ongoing to track down other masterminds and financiers.
Damage
The extent of the damage has yet to be determined in monetary terms, but many of the items trashed when rioters broke into the presidency, Congress and Supreme Court are irreplaceable parts of Brazil’s cultural heritage.
The buildings, all designed by famed architect Oscar Niemeyer, had their windows smashed, furniture broken, floors and walls burnt and scratched, and facades scarred by anti-Lula graffiti.
The capital is inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage list.
In an initial report of damage, Brazil’s Iphan heritage institute documented a seemingly never-ending trail of destruction.
Most of the building damage was reversible, it said, but individual items may not be salvageable.
Among the most iconic items damaged were the modernist canvas “As Mulatas” painted by Emiliano Di Cavalcanti, and the sculpture “A Justica” by Alfredo Ceschiatti.
Numberous canvases, busts, statues, ceramic vases and pieces of antique furniture were defaced.
UNESCO has offered its help in restoring damaged artworks.
Driving force
Bolsonaro had done his best on the campaign trail to raise the specter of “communism” under leftist Lula, who had already served two previous presidential terms from 2003 to 2010.
He also hammered repeatedly on Lula’s graft conviction, which has been overturned.
Long before the election, Bolsonaro sought to cast doubt, without showing any evidence, on the credibility of Brazil’s internationally-hailed electoral system.
When he did lose, millions were left fearful of Lula and the left, and distrustful of his victory.
“All we want is freedom,” one arrested rioter told AFP.
Experts say disinformation, much of it spread by Bolsonaro himself, was in large part responsible for the radicalization of the anti-Lula faction in Brazil.
International
7 in 10 mexicans born poor stay poor, new report finds
Seven out of ten Mexicans born into poverty remain poor throughout their lives, highlighting an urgent need for public policies focused on promoting social mobility through equal opportunity, according to civil society organizations.
The 2025 Social Mobility Report in Mexico, published by the Espinosa Yglesias Center for Studies (CEEY), reveals that 73% of individuals born into the bottom 20% of income households in Mexico — Latin America’s second-largest economy — continue to live in poverty based on income.
The report signals a worrisome stagnation in social mobility, defined as the ability of individuals to improve their socioeconomic standing compared to that of their parents. This lack of upward movement indicates that one’s economic origins are largely inherited, according to CEEY.
Geographically, disparities are stark:
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In northern Mexico, 37% of those born in poverty remain there.
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In the south, that number rises dramatically to 64%.
Gender gaps are also evident. Among those born in wealthier households, women experience less upward mobility, with a rate of 47% compared to 53% for men.
The report also notes that 48% of economic inequality in Mexico stems from inequality of opportunity — placing Mexico among the top ten countries with the highest opportunity inequality across 50 nations analyzed globally.
International
Spain hits record 46°C in June amid scorching heatwave
Spain registered a record-breaking temperature of 46°C (114.8°F) on Saturday, June 28, in El Granado, Huelva — a southern town near the Portuguese border — marking the highest temperature ever recorded in June in the country, according to Spain’s national meteorological agency, Aemet.
The temperature was officially recorded at 4:40 p.m. local time, surpassing the previous June record of 45.2°C (113.4°F)set in Seville back in 1965, also in the Andalusia region.
Like many parts of Southern Europe, Spain is experiencing a severe heatwave, with large areas of the country facing temperatures above 40°C even though summer has just begun.
As one of Europe’s countries most vulnerable to climate change, Spain has endured its three hottest years on recordfrom 2022 to 2024, marked by repeated heatwaves and temperature extremes.
Climate scientists have long warned that global warming is amplifying the intensity, frequency, and duration of extreme weather events such as heatwaves and droughts — trends now evident across the Iberian Peninsula and the broader Mediterranean region.
International
Trump administration sues Los Angeles over sanctuary city policies
The Republican administration of Donald Trump filed a lawsuit on Monday against Los Angeles officials, challenging the city’s sanctuary policies as illegal amid an intensifying federal immigration crackdown.
The Department of Justice accused the Democratic-led city of interfering with federal immigration enforcement, arguing that its sanctuary policies have contributed to “violence, chaos, and attacks on law enforcement” recently seen in Los Angeles.
“The sanctuary city policies were the cause of violence, chaos, and attacks on law enforcement that Americans recently witnessed in Los Angeles,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi in an official statement.
The lawsuit, filed in a California federal court, names Mayor Karen Bass, City Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson, and the entire City Council as defendants.
While Los Angeles had long been considered a sanctuary city for immigrants, the City Council officially adopted the designation through a municipal ordinance in November last year, following Trump’s election to the presidency.
The legal action seeks to limit local authorities’ cooperation with federal immigration agents under Trump’s policies.
With over one-third of its population being immigrants, Los Angeles has become a flashpoint in the battle against Trump’s anti-immigration agenda, which began with his campaign promise to deport millions.
Tensions in the city escalated earlier this month after an increase in workplace immigration raids, sparking mass protests downtown. The situation further intensified when Trump overrode California Governor Gavin Newsom and ordered the deployment of thousands of National Guard troops and 700 U.S. Marines to the area.
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