International

Brazil awards Bolsonaro ‘medal of indigenous merit’

AFP

The Justice Ministry awarded President Jair Bolsonaro Brazil’s “medal of indigenous merit” Wednesday, drawing criticism for granting the honor to a leader that indigenous groups accuse of “genocide” and “ecocide.”

Justice Minister Anderson Torres awarded the medal to his boss and 25 other honorees “in recognition of their significant altruistic service for the well-being, protection and defense of indigenous communities,” said a decree published in the official gazette.

Torres also granted the medal to himself, Agriculture Minister Tereza Cristina, Infrastructure Minister Tarcisio Gomes and Defense Minister Walter Braga Netto.

The announcement drew sharp criticism from indigenous leaders, many of whom accuse Bolsonaro of trying to force native peoples from their lands, promoting environmental destruction and allowing rampant deforestation in the Amazon rainforest.

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“Absurd,” said Sonia Guajajara, national coordinator of the Association of Brazil’s Indigenous Peoples (APIB).

“As if all the setbacks we’re facing weren’t enough, this barbaric dis-government has now created another: a medal of merit to Jair Bolsonaro and his allies for their ‘significant’ services to indigenous peoples,” she tweeted.

Her organization brought a case against Bolsonaro before the International Criminal Court last year for his “anti-indigenous policies,” accusing the far-right president of “genocide” and “ecocide.”

Indigenous groups have staged massive protests against Bolsonaro since he took office in 2019 over his push to restrict the creation of new indigenous reservations, a surge in deforestation and fires in the Amazon, and his bid to legalize mining on indigenous lands.

Brazil is home to around a million indigenous people, about 0.5 percent of the country’s population.

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The medal of indigenous merit had in the past traditionally been awarded to academics such as anthropologist Darcy Ribeiro or indigenous leaders such as iconic chief and environmental activist Raoni Matuktire.

International

Paraguay summons Brazilian ambassador over Itaipú espionage scandal

Paraguay summoned the Brazilian ambassador in Asunción on Tuesday to demand “explanations” and called its own representative in Brasília for consultations following Brazil’s acknowledgment of an espionage operation. The Brazilian government, led by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, attributed the operation to the previous administration.

The surveillance effort aimed to uncover Paraguay’s position in now-suspended negotiations with Brazil regarding the pricing of electricity from the binational Itaipú hydroelectric plant, according to reports in the Brazilian press.

The Brazilian government “categorically denied any involvement in the intelligence operation,” stating in a Foreign Ministry communiqué on Monday that the espionage was carried out under former President Jair Bolsonaro’s administration (2019-2023).

“The operation was authorized by the previous government in June 2022 and was annulled by the interim director of the (state intelligence agency) ABIN on March 27, 2023, as soon as the current administration became aware of it,” Brazil’s government asserted.

Paraguay’s Foreign Minister Rubén Ramírez announced that Brazilian Ambassador José Antonio Marcondes de Carvalho was summoned “to provide detailed explanations” regarding the operation. Additionally, Paraguay recalled its diplomatic representative in Brasília “to report on aspects related to the intelligence activity conducted by Brazil regarding Paraguay’s government affairs.”

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International

Elon Musk to step down as government advisor, per Trump insiders

President Donald Trump has informed his inner circle that Elon Musk will be stepping down from his role as a government advisor, according to a report by Politico today.

Citing three individuals close to Trump, Politico states that the president is pleased with Musk’s leadership at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), where he has implemented significant budget cuts. However, both have agreed that it is time for Musk to return to his businesses and support Trump from a different position outside the government.

A senior administration official told Politico that Musk will likely maintain an informal advisory role and continue to be an occasional visitor to the White House. Another source warned that anyone thinking Musk will completely disappear from Trump’s circle is “deluding themselves.”

According to the sources, this transition is expected to coincide with the end of Musk’s tenure as a “special government employee,” a temporary status that exempts him from certain ethics and conflict-of-interest regulations. This 130-day period is set to expire in late May or early June.

International

Milei vows to make Argentina so strong that Falkland Islanders “choose” to join

Argentine President Javier Milei reaffirmed his country’s claim over the Falkland Islands (known as the Islas Malvinas in Argentina) and praised the role of the nation’s armed forces during a ceremony marking the “Veterans and Fallen Soldiers of the Malvinas War Day,” commemorating 43 years since the 1982 conflict with the United Kingdom.

Argentina continues to assert sovereignty over the islands, arguing that Britain unlawfully seized them in 1833.

“If sovereignty over the Malvinas is the issue, we have always made it clear that the most important vote is the one cast with one’s feet. We hope that one day, the Malvinas residents will choose to vote with their feet and join us,” Milei stated.

“That is why we aim to become a global power—so much so that they would prefer to be Argentine, making deterrence or persuasion unnecessary. This is why we have embarked on a path of liberation, working to make Argentina the freest country in the world and once again the nation with the highest GDP per capita on the planet,” he added.