International

Maximum security prison riot leaves three injured in Brazil

Photo: EFE

July 27 |

Two prisoners and a security agent injured is the preliminary balance of a riot that broke out on Wednesday in the Antonio Amaro prison, located in the city of Rio Branco, capital of the Brazilian state of Acre, and it is not yet known if the police have the situation under control.

According to authorities, the riot began in the morning hours when a group of approximately 13 inmates took two policemen hostage in the isolation ward of the prison, one of them injured by a bullet grazing his face, detailed the Ministry of Justice and Public Security.

The Secretariat of Justice and Public Security of Acre (Sejusp) reported that “two prisoners were injured during an internal confrontation between members of rival criminal organizations and were taken to a nearby medical center”. One of them was later released.

After being notified of the state of rebellion in the prison, the National Secretariat of Criminal Policies (Senappen) created a contingency team to manage the situation in the prison, in whose outskirts were grouped family members who came to the visiting day that was suspended by the situation.

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Senappen summoned intelligence operators who are closely following the events in order to reinforce actions to control the situation and guarantee the safety of those involved, according to an official statement. The crisis cabinet is also formed by representatives of the military and criminal police, the Gefron and the Bope.

Although the authorities have not informed about the state of the injured, the Minister of Justice, Flávio Dino, put his team “at disposal to help in any way possible”. For his part, Rafael Velasco, Secretary of Penal Policies, emphasized that “all necessary measures are being taken to reestablish order”.

The Public Prosecutor’s Office of Acre assured in a statement that it will investigate “the circumstances that led to this episode of violence”, especially after the accused requested the presence of the human rights prosecutor of the Public Prosecutor’s Office of Acre, Tales Tranin, who was acting as negotiator.

According to data released by Senappen, violent prison riots are very frequent in overcrowded prisons, such as those in Brazil, whose penitentiary system has a considerable shortage of places. As of December 2022, the South American giant had a prison population of 643,137 convicts.

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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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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.