International
The majority of the Supreme Court rejects Bolsonaro’s appeals in the case of the coup d’état
The majority of the Supreme Federal Court (STF) of Brazil rejected on Wednesday the appeals presented by former President Jair Bolsonaro to try to remove two judges within the framework of the process in which he is accused of leading a coup plot against the government of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
The president of the Supreme Court, Luiz Roberto Barroso, who is an instructor in the trial, rejected Bolsonaro’s request to challenge two of the magistrates and most of the judges of the high court voted in the same direction, in a telematic session.
The defense of the Brazilian far-right leader claimed that magistrates Cristiano Zanin and Flávio Dino would not be impartial in the trial, because before assuming their positions in the STF they filed judicial complaints against Bolsonaro.
Barroso was the first of the eleven Supreme Court magistrates to publish his vote on these four appeals in the court’s electronic voting system and was seconded by at least five judges, which makes the decision irreversible.
The two magistrates involved cannot vote and the rest of the judges have until midnight on Thursday to rule on the appeals presented by Bolsonaro and others involved.
According to Barroso, Bolsonaro’s new appeals have no news with respect to previous petitions that he himself has already rejected, and requests for recusal from judges are not protected in the Code of Criminal Procedure.
The majority of the Supreme Court also rejected the appeal of former minister Walter Braga Netto, a retired Army general accused of being one of the leaders of the coup plot, who requests the recusal of magistrate Alexandre de Moraes.
Braga Netto’s defense alleges that one of the charges is a plan to murder De Moraes, so this magistrate would have to challenge himself for not being able to be a judge and victim at the same time.
The First Chamber of the Supreme Court has already scheduled three extraordinary sessions for March 25 and 26 in which it will decide whether to accept the coup accusations against Bolsonaro and seven other defendants and whether to open criminal proceedings.
The complaint against Bolsonaro and his closest nucleus, filed in February by the Prosecutor’s Office, accused the former president and 33 other suspects of attempted violent abolition of the Democratic Rule of Law, armed criminal organization and coup d’état, among other crimes.
The conspiracy, according to the accusation, began after then-President Bolsonaro lost the October 2022 elections to the current president.
The coup plot would have first tried to prevent Lula’s inauguration and then led to the violent assault on the headquarters of the three powers of the State on January 8, 2023, a week after his inauguration, when thousands of ultras pressured the Army to overthrow the new Government.
International
Venezuela Earthquake Death Toll Rises to 4,490 as Rescue Efforts Continue
The death toll from the powerful earthquakes that struck Venezuela on June 24 has risen to 4,490, according to the latest official figures released by the government on social media.
Authorities reported that 16,740 people have been injured, while more than 19,500 residents remain in temporary shelters after the twin earthquakes devastated Caracas and the neighboring state of La Guaira.
Rescue teams from Venezuela and several foreign countries continue searching through collapsed buildings in an effort to recover victims who remain trapped beneath the rubble.
Government officials said the earthquakes damaged more than 850 buildings, with 190 structures completely collapsing.
Thousands of families who lost their homes are currently staying with relatives or friends, while more than 19,500 displaced people are living in overcrowded emergency camps set up in parks, stadiums, and public squares across La Guaira and Caracas.
International
Tensions Escalate in Middle East as U.S. Bombs Iran After Maritime Attacks
The United States launched new strikes against Iran on Wednesday, following President Donald Trump’s warning that Washington would “hit hard” against the Islamic Republic. While Trump ordered the retaliation after attacks on vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, he also said he hoped the latest wave of bombings would end soon and left the door open for renewed negotiations.
U.S. forces “have begun carrying out additional strikes against Iran to further reduce its ability to threaten freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz,” the United States Central Command said in a post on X.
Washington blamed Iran for what it described as “recent unjustified aggression against commercial shipping.”
Iran’s state news agency IRNA reported that explosions were heard in the port cities of Bandar Abbas, Konarak, and Chabahar.
“This is in retaliation for yesterday’s bombing of ships by Iran. If it happens again, it will be much worse,” Trump wrote on social media alongside an image showing what appeared to be a bombing at an Iranian location.
Before ordering the strikes, the U.S. president said that the ceasefire with Iran had ended. Mediators Pakistan and Qatar called for de-escalation, while the United Nations also urged both sides to reduce tensions.
The Strait of Hormuz remains a critical flashpoint in the Middle East conflict, which began in late February after U.S. and Israeli strikes that killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Iran-linked attacks on at least three vessels in recent days triggered a U.S. offensive against Iranian targets on Tuesday. Tehran responded by launching attacks against Gulf countries that are allies of Washington.
International
Deadly Drug Trade Rivalry Suspected After Eight Bodies Discovered in Southern Mexico
Eight bodies were found Wednesday along a highway in the southern Mexican state of Chiapas, near the border with Guatemala, in an incident authorities believe may be linked to a dispute over local drug sales.
The victims — six men and two women — were found abandoned on a road in a mountainous area of the municipality of El Bosque, according to the state prosecutor’s office in a statement published on Facebook.
Initial investigations indicate that the killings may be connected to “a dispute over retail drug sales between local criminal groups operating in the region,” the prosecutor’s office said.
Local media reports that several criminal incidents have increased in the area since the beginning of the year.
The road where the bodies were discovered is located in a mountainous region largely inhabited by Indigenous communities. Authorities have not released further details about the victims or possible suspects as the investigation continues.
Venezuela Earthquake Death Toll Rises to 4,490 as Rescue Efforts Continue
Panama launches anti-drone measures as prison security crisis deepens
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