International
Bolsonaro says he suffers “endless persecution” after a new judicial setback
Former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro affirmed that the alleged political persecution he suffers has no end, after the Superior Electoral Court (TSE) of Brazil rejected an appeal that he filed against a conviction that was imposed on him and that left him ineligible for eight years.
“Endless persecution. They maintained the electoral disqualification and the fine of 425,000 reais (about 85,000 dollars or 78,370 euros),” said the leader of the far right in Brazil in a message he posted on his social networks after the new judicial setback was known.
The captain of the Army reserve thus reacted to the decision of the president of the High Electoral Tribunal (TSE), magistrate Alexandre de Moraes, who rejected the appeal filed by Bolsonaro’s defense against one of the two convictions that prevent him from running for any public office until 2030.
In a decision that was published in the Official Journal of Justice, the magistrate denied the request of Bolsonaro’s defense for that conviction to be reviewed by the Supreme Court.
The leader of the far right seeks to reverse the sentence of October last year in which the Electoral Tribunal, by 5 votes in favor and 2 against, concluded that Bolsonaro and his candidate for vice president in the 2022 presidential elections, Walter Braga Netto, abused his economic and political power during the electoral campaign.
The magistrates considered that the two candidates turned the official commemorations for the Bicentennial of the Independence of Brazil, held in September 2022 and financed and organized by the State, into an act of electoral proselytism from which they tried to benefit.
Moraes, in his sentence, said he rejected the appeal of the former president’s defense for procedural inconsistencies and affirmed that Bolsonaro was not curtaied of the right to proper defense nor was he violated any constitutional right that justifies the case to be brought to the Federal Supreme Court.
The defense, which can still file an appeal before the highest court for it to analyze the case even without the endorsement of the electoral court, announced that this will be its next step.
“We deeply respect the decision of the electoral court, but, because we do not agree with its content, we will present the appropriate appeal at the right time,” the lawyers said in a statement.
In addition to this conviction, Bolsonaro was also declared ineligible for eight years by another decision of the electoral court, in June 2023, in which he was found guilty of abuse of political power and misuse of state media.
This conviction was for a meeting he convened with ambassadors from different countries, broadcast on state television, in which he questioned the reliability of Brazil’s electronic voting system.
International
Trump criticizes Panama Canal fees and demands U.S. control over strategic waterway
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump criticized what he described as unfair fees imposed on American ships passing through the Panama Canal and threatened to demand that Washington take back control of the strategic waterway.
“Our Navy and commerce have been threatened in a very unjust and reckless way. The rates that Panama charges are ridiculous,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
The president-elect also denounced the growing influence of China in the canal, a situation he called concerning as U.S. businesses depend on the waterway to transport goods between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
“This complete scam against our country will end immediately,” he stated.
The Panama Canal, completed by the United States in 1914, was handed over to Panama under the 1977 treaty signed by Democratic President Jimmy Carter. Panama took full control of the commercial passage in 1999.
“It was exclusively for Panama to manage, not China or anyone else,” Trump said. “We would never allow it to fall into the wrong hands!”
“If Panama cannot guarantee a ‘safe, efficient, and reliable’ operation of the canal, we will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to us in its entirety, without a doubt,” the Republican added.
Panamanian authorities did not immediately respond to Trump’s statements. While he will assume office on January 20, Trump has been exerting his political influence in the final days of President Joe Biden’s administration.
Five percent of global maritime trade passes through the Panama Canal, which allows vessels traveling from Asia to the U.S. East Coast to avoid the long and dangerous route around the southern tip of South America.
The countries that use the Panama Canal the most are the United States, China, Japan, and South Korea.
In October, the Panama Canal Authority reported earnings of nearly $5 billion in the last fiscal year.
International
Putin vows retaliation following drone attack on luxury building in Kazan
Russian President Vladimir Putin promised more “destruction” in Ukraine on Sunday, in response to a drone strike that hit a residential building in the city of Kazan, located in central Russia, on Saturday.
Russia accused Ukraine of launching a “massive” drone attack, which struck a luxury apartment block in Kazan, about 1,000 kilometers from the border.
Videos shared on Russian social media show drones hitting a high-rise glass building. No casualties have been reported as a result of the attack.
In his statements, Putin addressed the local leader of Tatarstan, the region where Kazan is located, during a virtual ceremony marking the opening of a road.
The attack in Kazan is the latest in a series of increasingly frequent bombings in this nearly three-year-old conflict. Ukraine has not commented on the attack.
Putin had previously threatened to strike the center of Kyiv with a hypersonic ballistic missile in response to Ukrainian attacks on Russian territory.
The Russian Ministry of Defense stated that the recent Russian strikes on Ukrainian energy facilities were retaliation for Ukraine’s use of Western-supplied missiles to target Russian territory.
International
Small plane crashes in Gramado, Brazil, killing nine people
At least nine people were killed on Sunday after a small aircraft crashed in a commercial area of the tourist city of Gramado, in the southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul, authorities confirmed.
“There are nine confirmed deaths according to Civil Defense services, and there are no survivors from the plane,” said Cléber dos Santos Lima, director of the Interior Police Department of the Civil Police of the state, in a statement to AFP.
Authorities have not yet confirmed the exact number of passengers and crew aboard the aircraft, a turbo-prop Piper Cheyenne 400. However, Civil Defense had previously stated that “preliminarily, the plane was carrying ten people.”
The plane crashed on Sunday morning “into the chimney of a building, then onto the second floor of a house, and finally fell onto a furniture store,” according to a statement from the Rio Grande do Sul Public Security Secretariat.
Trump criticizes Panama Canal fees and demands U.S. control over strategic waterway
Putin vows retaliation following drone attack on luxury building in Kazan
Small plane crashes in Gramado, Brazil, killing nine people
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
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