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Protesters block Brazil roads for second day after Bolsonaro loss

Photo: Caio Guatelli / AFP

| By AFP |

Truckers and other protesters on Tuesday blocked highways for second day in support of President Jair Bolsonaro, who has yet to accept his election loss to leftist Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

The country’s Federal Highway Police (PRF) reported more than 250 total or partial blockages in at least 23 of Brazil’s 27 states.

On Monday night, protests blocked roads outside Sao Paulo’s Guarulhos airport, the country’s main international hub, and several flights were cancelled, local media reported. These protests have since been dispersed.

Key routes in other cities such as Rio de Janeiro, were also blocked.

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A banner reading “Lula No!” hung off a bridge in Sao Paulo.

“I hope that I can go back home,” said 62-year-old real estate agent Rosangela Senna at a bus station in Sao Paulo, where she was unable to take her bus back to Rio.

“I could afford to pay for a day to sleep in a hotel here but many people had to wait right here at the bus station.”

Bolsonaro has yet to concede defeat more than 36 hours after official results showed Lula had won the presidential election by only 1.8 percentage points. 

The victory was recognized by several Bolsonaro allies and leaders the world over.

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The state with the most roadblocks was southern Santa Catarina where almost 70 percent of voters backed Bolsonaro.

A Supreme Court judge on Monday night ordered the “immediate clearing of highways and public roads,” in a statement.

The court ordered the PRF to take “all measures” needed to free the roads, threatening to fine or imprison its director for “disobedience” if the order was not carried out.

Traffic police chief Silvinei Vasques came under fire for posting an Instagram story on election day urging Brazilians to vote for Bolsonaro.

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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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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.

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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.

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