International
The Brazilian Supreme Court opens trial against six others accused of leading the coup attempt
The Supreme Court of Brazil approved on Tuesday the opening of a trial against six former senior officials of the government of former President Jair Bolsonaro, accused of participating in the organization of the coup attempt after the 2022 elections.
Among the defendants is Reserve General Mário Fernandes, who then served as executive secretary of the General Secretariat of the Presidency, and is considered by the Police as the mastermind of a plan to assassinate current President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and other authorities.
The complaint against the six defendants, for crimes of coup d’état, violent abolition of the democratic rule of law, qualified damage and deterioration of the protected heritage, was unanimously accepted by the five judges of the First Chamber of the Supreme Court, made up of magistrates with a progressive profile.
That same room decided last month to try Bolsonaro and seven other close collaborators of the far-right leader, who according to the investigation constituted the core of the coup plot.
Bolsonaro himself has admitted that he discussed with the military leadership the possibility of decreeing a state of emergency after the October 2022 elections, which Lula won, although he defends himself by arguing that it is a mechanism provided for in the Constitution.
A week after Lula’s inauguration, on January 8, 2023, thousands of Bolsonaro’s followers violently assaulted the seats of the Government, the National Congress and the Supreme Court, calling for military intervention.
The riots were controlled and for those events, so far, about 500 people were sentenced to up to 17 years in prison for crimes such as a coup d’état and violent abolition of the democratic rule of law.
Another 532 people, accused of less serious crimes, have signed non-prosecution agreements.
The extreme right, with the support of some center parties, is trying to promote a bill to grant amnesty to the condemned, but the Chamber of Deputies has not yet admitted it to processing.
International
Armed forces target illegal mines in Northern Ecuador with bombing raids
Ecuador’s Armed Forces carried out an operation on Monday — including airstrikes — against illegal mining in the town of Buenos Aires, in the country’s north, Defense Minister Gian Carlo Loffredo reported.
The mountainous, gold-rich area has been a hotspot for illegal mining since 2017, located in the Andean province of Imbabura.
In 2019, former president Lenín Moreno deployed around 2,400 soldiers to the region in an attempt to curb the illegal activity. “The operation began with mortar fire, followed by gunfire and bombing runs by Supertucano aircraft,” Loffredo said in a video released by the Defense Ministry.
He added that the operation would continue on Tuesday with patrols across the area to locate possible members of “irregular armed groups that may have crossed from the Colombian border.”
The Armed Forces stated on X that the intervention focused on the “complete elimination of multiple illegal mining tunnels” in the areas known as Mina Nueva and Mina Vieja.
The operation coincided with the deployment of a military and police convoy into Imbabura, which has been the epicenter of protests against President Daniel Noboa since September 22, following his decision to scrap the diesel subsidy.
International
Caracas shuts embassy in Oslo without explanation following Machado’s Nobel win
Venezuela has announced the closure of its embassy in Norway, just days after opposition leader María Corina Machado was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the Venezuelan diplomatic mission provided no explanation for its decision on Monday.
“It is regrettable,” a ministry spokesperson said. “Despite our differences on several issues, Norway wishes to keep the dialogue with Venezuela open and will continue to work in that direction.” The ministry also emphasized that the Nobel Committee operates entirely independently from the Norwegian government.
In its announcement, the Nobel Committee stated that Machado met the criteria established by Alfred Nobel, “embodying the hope for a different future, where the fundamental rights of Venezuelans are heard.”
International
Sheinbaum: Urgent to restore access to towns cut off by heavy rains
Thousands of military personnel and civilians in Mexico worked tirelessly on Tuesday to clear roads blocked by the torrential rains of recent days, which have left more than 300 communities cut off across central and eastern regions of the country. Authorities also launched mass fumigation efforts in several affected areas to prevent the spread of dengue fever.
The official death toll remains at 64, though dozens of people are still missing. President Claudia Sheinbaumacknowledged that the government does not yet know the full situation in many of the isolated villages, which range in population from 500 to 1,000 inhabitants.
“The reopening of roads is one of the greatest urgencies,” Sheinbaum said. “It’s essential to guarantee air bridges, food supplies, clean water, and a proper census of the isolated communities so we can determine the condition of every person living there.”
Private construction companies are also assisting the effort with heavy machinery and technical support to help reopen highways and reconnect rural areas.
Armed forces target illegal mines in Northern Ecuador with bombing raids
Caracas shuts embassy in Oslo without explanation following Machado’s Nobel win
Sheinbaum: Urgent to restore access to towns cut off by heavy rains
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
Defense Minister commends salvadoran soldier for Central American Cross Country victory
Extension of the state of emergency approved in southern Chile
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