International
A Brazilian court decides that offending a white man for his color does not constitute racial insult
The Superior Court of Justice (STJ) of Brazil decided on Tuesday that offenses directed at a white person because of the color of their skin do not constitute racism or racial insult, a crime criminalized in the country and that consists of offending a person because of their race, color, ethnicity or national origin.
According to a sentence unanimously approved by the members of the Sixth Chamber of the court of third instance, racial insult is only configured when the offense is directed at black people because of their race and as a way of discriminating against them.
The decision, which sets a precedent for similar processes, accepted the appeal of a black man accused of racial injury for having called a white man a “European white-headed slaver”. The plaintiff alleged that the accusation did not proceed because there is no so-called “reverse racism”.
The case occurred in the state of Alagoas (northeast) in 2023 and was considered by the Prosecutor’s Office itself as a racial insult.
The third instance magistrates concluded that racial injury does not apply to white people offended by the color of their skin, but that the offense can be considered and sanctioned as another type of crime provided for in the Criminal Code, among which simple insults are included.
According to the judges, the 1989 Brazilian law that criminalized crimes of prejudice by race or color aimed to protect groups historically discriminated against for racism.
The decision, for the same reason, rejects the concept of “reverse racism”, understood as the act in which black people offend white people because of their race or color.
“We reject the concept of reverse racism because racism is a structural phenomenon that has historically affected minority groups and cannot be applied to majority groups in positions of power,” the sentence says.
For the investigating judge of the process, Magistrate Og Fernandes, “it is unfeasible to interpret the existence of a crime of racial insult committed against a person whose skin is white, when such a characteristic is the reason for the offense.”
Unlike racial injury, with penalties of between 2 and 5 years in prison, simple injury provides for penalties of between one and six months in prison.
In Brazil, the country with the largest number of Afro-descendants in the world after Nigeria and with historical social differences due to racial discrimination, 56.1% of the population declares itself black or mulatto, according to the 2022 Census.
International
U.S. and Mexico Reach Deal to Address Water Deficit Under 1944 Treaty
The United States and Mexico have reached an agreement to comply with current water obligations affecting U.S. farmers and ranchers and for Mexico to cover its water deficit to Texas under the 1944 Water Treaty, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said in a statement.
The department уточified that the agreement applies to both the current cycle and the water deficit from the previous cycle.
On Monday, U.S. President Donald Trump accused Mexico of failing to comply with the water-sharing treaty between the two countries, which requires the United States to deliver 1.85 billion cubic meters of water from the Colorado River, while Mexico must supply 432 million cubic meters from the Rio Grande.
Mexico is behind on its commitments. According to Washington, the country has accumulated a deficit of more than one billion cubic meters of water over the past five years.
“This violation is severely harming our beautiful crops and our livestock in Texas,” Trump wrote on Monday.
The Department of Agriculture said on Friday that Mexico had agreed to supply 250 million cubic meters of water starting next week and to work toward closing the shortfall.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, quoted in the statement, said Mexico delivered more water in a single year than it had over the previous four years combined.
Trump has said that if Mexico continues to fall short of its obligations, the United States reserves the right to impose 5% tariffs on imported Mexican products.
Mexico’s Deputy Foreign Minister for North America, Roberto Velasco, said that a severe drought in 2022 and 2023prevented the country from meeting its commitments.
International
Several people shot in attack on Brown University campus
Several people were shot on Saturday in an attack on the campus of Brown University, in the northeastern United States, local police reported.
“Shelter in place and avoid the area until further notice,” the Providence Police Department urged in a post on X. Brown University is located in Providence, the capital of the state of Rhode Island.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on his social media platform Truth Social that he had been briefed on the situation and that the FBI was on the scene.
At 5:52 p.m. local time (11:52 p.m. GMT), Brown University said the situation was still “ongoing” and instructed students to remain sheltered until further notice.
After initially stating that the suspect had been taken into custody, Trump later posted a second message clarifying that local police had walked back that information. “The suspect has NOT been apprehended,” the U.S. president said.
International
Colombia says it would not reject Maduro asylum request as regional tensions escalate
The Colombian government stated on Thursday that it would have no reason to reject a potential asylum request from Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro should he leave office, as regional tensions persist over the deployment of U.S. military forces in the Caribbean since August.
“In the current climate of tension, negotiations are necessary, and if the United States demands a transition or political change, that is something to be assessed. If such a transition results in him (Maduro) needing to live elsewhere or seek protection, Colombia would have no reason to deny it,” said Colombian Foreign Minister Rosa Villavicencio in an interview with Caracol Radio.
However, Villavicencio noted that it is unlikely Maduro would choose Colombia as a refuge. “I believe he would opt for someplace more distant and calmer,” she added.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro also commented on Venezuela’s situation on Wednesday, arguing that the country needs a “democratic revolution” rather than “inefficient repression.” His remarks followed the recent detention and passport cancellation of Cardinal Baltazar Porras at the Caracas airport.
“The Maduro government must understand that responding to external aggression requires more than military preparations; it requires a democratic revolution. A country is defended with more democracy, not more inefficient repression,” Petro wrote on X (formerly Twitter), in a rare public criticism of the Venezuelan leader.
Petro also called for a general amnesty for political opponents and reiterated his call for forming a broad transitional government to address Venezuela’s prolonged crisis.
Since September, U.S. military forces have destroyed more than 20 vessels allegedly carrying drugs in Caribbean and Pacific waters near Venezuela and Colombia, resulting in over 80 deaths.
U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly warned that attacks “inside Venezuela” will begin “soon,” while Maduro has urged Venezuelans to prepare for what he describes as an impending external aggression.
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