International
Brazil: Court bans Bolsonaro from running in elections until 2030
June 30 |
Brazil’s top electoral court on Friday voted overwhelmingly in favor of banning former President Jair Bolsonaro from holding public office until 2030, over allegations that he abused his power in last year’s tense election.
Four judges on the court voted in favor of convicting Bolsonaro, who narrowly lost the October election to leftist Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, of abuse of political power and misuse of the media, while one did not.
While the judges who voted earlier could still change their minds, Bolsonaro’s fate appears to be sealed.
Bolsonaro, a former army captain who narrowly lost the October election to leftist rival Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, is accused of creating a nationwide movement to overturn the result, which culminated in the invasion of government buildings in Brasilia on January 8 by thousands of his supporters.
The chief judge in the case, Benedito Goncalves, voted earlier this week to make the former president ineligible for eight years, saying he had “used the meeting with ambassadors to sow doubts and incite conspiracy theories.”
Bolsonaro denies wrongdoing and has already said he plans to appeal to the Supreme Court.
“I have not attacked the voting system, I only showed its possible flaws,” Bolsonaro said in an interview with radio station Itatiaia on Friday, ahead of the trial. “This trial makes no sense.”
An avowed admirer of former U.S. President Donald Trump, Bolsonaro was criticized internationally for his lackluster management of the Amazon rainforest, his laissez-faire approach to COVID-19 restrictions and his evidence-free attacks on Brazil’s electoral system.
The TSE trial is part of a broader reckoning in Brazil with the fallout from the country’s most painful election in a generation. As the former president faces electoral court scrutiny, many of his former allies are being questioned by lawmakers in a congressional investigation into the Jan. 8 riots.
Bolsonaro is not at risk of jail time in the election case, although the 68-year-old separately faces multiple separate criminal investigations that could still put him behind bars.
International
Man arrested after deliberately driving into seven children in Osaka
Japanese police arrested a man on Thursday after he rammed his car into a group of seven schoolchildren in an apparent deliberate attack in the city of Osaka.
The children, who were on their way home from school, sustained injuries and were taken to the hospital. All seven remained conscious, according to local authorities.
An Osaka police officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the suspect is a 28-year-old man from Tokyo. The officer shared statements the man made after his arrest: “I was fed up with everything, so I decided to kill people by driving into several elementary school children,” the suspect reportedly said.
The man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.
The injured children, aged between seven and eight, included a seven-year-old girl who suffered a fractured jaw. The six other children—all boys—suffered minor injuries such as bruises and scratches and were undergoing medical evaluation.
Witnesses described the car as “zigzagging” before hitting the children. One witness told Nippon TV that a girl was “covered in blood” and the others appeared to have scratches.
Another witness said the driver, who was wearing a face mask, looked to be in shock when school staff pulled him from the vehicle.
Violent crimes are rare in Japan, though serious incidents do occur from time to time. In 2008, Tomohiro Kato drove a two-ton truck into pedestrians in Tokyo’s Akihabara district, then fatally stabbed several victims. Seven people were killed in that attack.
Internacionales
Clashes erupt during may day protests across France amid calls for better wages
May Day protests in France were marked by a heavy police presence and clashes between demonstrators and law enforcement in several cities.
In Paris, Lyon, and Nantes, thousands took to the streets to demand better wages, fairer working conditions, and to voice their dissatisfaction with President Emmanuel Macron’s government.
While the majority of the demonstrations remained peaceful, isolated confrontations broke out in some areas. Protesters threw objects at the police, prompting the use of tear gas and resulting in several arrests.
Videos showing police crackdowns circulated widely on social media, drawing criticism from labor unions and human rights advocates, who denounced the authorities’ response to the protests.
International
Kristi Noem credits Trump for mass migrant deportations by mexican president
U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem claimed that Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has deported “more than half a million” migrants due to pressure from former President Donald Trump.
During a cabinet meeting highlighting the “achievements” of Trump’s administration in its first 100 days, Noem asserted that under the Republican leader’s influence, “Mexico has finally come to the table” to negotiate on migration and fentanyl trafficking.
“The president of Mexico told me she has returned just over half a million people before they reached our border,” Noem stated, criticizing media reports that suggest the Biden administration deported more migrants than Trump’s.
“I wish those deportations were counted,” Noem added, “because those people never made it to our border—she sent them back because you made her.” She went on to thank Trump: “They never made it here because they got the message—because you were so aggressive.”
Noem has made controversial claims about Sheinbaum in the past, prompting the Mexican leader to refute them.
On April 1, Sheinbaum responded to one such statement by declaring, “The president answers to only one authority, and that is the people of Mexico,” after Noem said on Fox News that she gave Sheinbaum “a list of things Trump would like to see” and that Mexico’s actions would determine whether Trump granted tariff relief.
Man arrested after deliberately driving into seven children in Osaka
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Kristi Noem credits Trump for mass migrant deportations by mexican president
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