International

Rio police tear down memorial for favela raid victims

AFP

Police in Rio de Janeiro have torn down a small memorial to the 28 people killed last year in an anti-drug trafficking operation in the slum of Jacarezinho, the bloodiest raid in the Brazilian city’s history.

Residents and rights activists had erected the memorial last week to mark the anniversary of the violence on May 6, 2021, when 27 alleged suspects and one officer were killed in an operation that turned the impoverished “favela” neighborhood into a war zone.

The memorial — a small blue wall in a public square — had four rows of plaques bearing the victims’ names.

Police pounded and pried the plaques off the wall with hammers and a crowbar Wednesday, then tied it to an armored vehicle and pulled it down. Video showed the memorial shattering into pieces when it fell.

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Police said in a statement sent to AFP the memorial was “unauthorized” and “illegal.”

It was removed for “defending drug trafficking, given that the 27 dead had police records and demonstrated involvement in criminal activities,” it said.

The family of the policeman killed in the operation had not given permission for his name to appear “alongside those of the drug traffickers,” it added.

Residents and rights groups say the police killed people indiscriminately during the raid, executing some of the victims in cold blood.

Despite an international outcry and a UN call for an independent investigation, just four police and two alleged drug traffickers face charges over the violence that day.

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Most cases were closed for lack of evidence.

“It’s absurd to tear down this tribute,” said Guilherme Pimentel, the ombudsman for the Rio public defender’s office.

“It was not a defense of drug trafficking, it was a memorial to console victims’ families,” he told AFP.

International

Ten Bodies Found in Mexico’s Zacatecas State Amid Security Operation

Mexican authorities discovered the bodies of 10 people on Saturday in the central state of Zacatecas, a region that was heavily affected by organized crime violence just a few years ago.

The victims were found in different municipalities across the state, which experienced a surge in violence between 2021 and 2022 as rival criminal groups fought for control of key drug trafficking routes.

Rodrigo Reyes, secretary general of the Zacatecas state government, said on social media that the bodies were located in the municipalities of Morelos, Pánuco, and Sain Alto.

Authorities have not yet disclosed the causes of death or identified those responsible for the killings.

Reyes said security forces have launched a coordinated operation to locate those behind the crimes and strengthen the police presence in the affected areas as the investigation continues.

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International

U.S. to Limit Visa Duration for Foreign Students and Journalists

The United States has announced new limits on the legal length of stay for foreign students and journalists, marking the latest tightening of immigration policies under President Donald Trump.

The changes, outlined in an administrative rule published on Thursday, are expected to take effect in September, unless Congress blocks the measure.

Under the new policy, holders of student visas will be allowed to remain in the United States for no more than four years.

Foreign journalists will be limited to 240-day stays—approximately eight months—with the possibility of applying for extensions of the same duration.

The policy imposes even stricter rules on Chinese journalists, whose visas will be capped at 90 days.

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More than 100 international news organizations and press freedom groups, including Agence France-Presse (AFP), criticized the measure in an open letter, arguing that it would reduce both the quantity and quality of international coverage of events in the United States.

The Republican Party, led by President Trump, currently holds a majority in Congress and has pledged to curb both illegal immigration and certain forms of legal immigration.

Previously, the United States generally issued student visas for the full duration of an academic program, while foreign journalists could receive visas valid for up to five years.

Central America

Nicaragua Cuts Diplomatic Ties With Italy Over Red Brigades Dispute

The Nicaraguan government announced on Thursday that it is severing diplomatic relations with Italy following criticism from the Italian government over Nicaragua’s long-standing decision to shelter Alessio Casimirri, a former member of the Red Brigades convicted in Italy for the 1978 kidnapping and murder of former Prime Minister Aldo Moro.

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani criticized the administration of co-presidents Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo on Wednesday for continuing to provide refuge to Casimirri, who was sentenced in Italy to six life terms for his role in Moro’s abduction and killing.

In a statement issued Thursday, Nicaragua’s Foreign Ministry said it was ending all diplomatic relations with Italy, describing Tajani’s remarks as “unjustified, aggressive, and irresponsible.”

Tajani made the comments during a gathering of conservative leaders from Europe and Latin America held in Madrid.

“We have absolutely nothing in common with the positions of extremist governments such as Nicaragua, a country that continues to harbor dangerous Red Brigades terrorists like Alessio Casimirri,” Tajani said, according to Italian media.

The diplomatic break marks a new escalation in tensions between the two countries over the decades-old case involving Casimirri, who has lived in Nicaragua for many years despite repeated calls from Italy for his extradition.