International

Brazil’s Bolsonaro, silent after election loss, to skip G20

Photo: Arthur Menescal / Bloomberg

| By AFP |

Brazil’s outgoing President Jair Bolsonaro will not participate in the G20 summit in Indonesia, the foreign ministry said Monday, without explaining his unusual absence from the meeting.

Aside from a brief speech two days after his razor-thin election loss to leftist Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva late last month, the far-right Bolsonaro has all but disappeared from public view, and is unusually silent on social media, with his official agenda empty.

The Brazilian delegation to the meeting of the world’s 20 most developed nations “is being led by Foreign Minister Carlos Franca,” the ministry told AFP.

It is the first time since the start of his mandate in January 2019 that Bolsonaro — who remains in office until January 1, 2023 — will not be at the summit to represent Brazil.

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With Bolsonaro out of sight and keeping mum, all eyes are on the politician known simply as Lula as he prepares his transition to a third term as president of the Latin American giant.

Lula was on Monday traveling to Egypt for the COP27 global climate summit, under the heavy weight of expectation that Brazil will signal a turnaround in the protection of the Amazon.

The rainforest has experienced rampant deforestation under Bolsonaro, who prioritized what he saw as economic development through mining and agriculture in the vast area.

Bolsonaro’s handling of the Amazon’s destruction contributed largely to Brazil’s international isolation.

At the G20 summit in Rome last year, Bolsonaro was spotted awkwardly meandering alone around a room, as other leaders chatted amiably.

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Another leader who is shunning the G20 meeting is Russia’s Vladimir Putin, who is isolated due to the war he is pursuing in Ukraine.

Related Topics:Bolsonaro Brazil Elections G20

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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.