Category World News

The Angolai government has claimed that during protests against a fuel price increase this week, at least 22 people were killed and 197 others were hurt in violence.

The minibus taxi associations launched a three-day strike on Monday to protest a government decision to increase diesel by one-third as part of an effort to rein in expensive subsidies and stabilize public finances.

Luanda, the capital, saw the beginning of looting, vandalism, and police clashes, which spread to six other provinces.

On Monday and Tuesday, loud gunfire was heard in Luanda and several other cities as people looted stores and clashed with police.

On Wednesday, the cabinet of president Joao Lourenco met to discuss the police response and security situation.

22 people died, 197 were hurt, and 1,214 were arrested, according to a presidency statement. According to the statement, 76 stores and 25 vehicles had been vandalized, and some warehouses and supermarkets had been looted.

The army was dispatched, according to the statement, to restore order after the riots “declared a climate of widespread insecurity.”

A police officer was one of the 22 people killed, according to Interior Minister Manuel Homem.

On Wednesday, there were some queues outside petrol stations and some shops, but the streets of Luanda were tense and largely empty. Security forces were frequently present.

After a two-day standstill, many shops continued to be closed, but slowly public transportation resumed.

Human Rights Watch accused the police of using excessive force in what was a largely peaceful demonstration when the most recent wave of protests first started two weeks ago. According to the US-based rights organization, police used tear gas, rubber bullets, and assaulted protesters during those demonstrations.

Since 2023, Angola has been gradually phasing out fuel subsidies, which was encouraged by the International Monetary Fund, among others.

Angola, an oil-rich nation on Africa’s Atlantic coast where the People’s Movement for the Liberation of Angola party has been in power for 50 years, has frequently been accused of using force against protests to silence dissent.

The opposition UNITA and Bloco Democratico parties said Angola was experiencing a “severe economic and social crisis” as a result of government policies that were “disconnected from the country’s reality” in a joint statement on Wednesday.

Bolsonaro is accused of conspiring to maintain control despite losing to current president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in the presidential election of 2022. Donald Trump, the president of the United States, linked the new tariffs on Brazil to what he called a “witch hunt” against his right-wing allies.

Following Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s assertion in June that Washington was considering sanctioning the judge, the judge is scheduled to be notified on Wednesday of the sanctions being applied to Moraes, who is in charge of Bolsonaro’s case.

The Global Magnitsky Act, which the US has authorized to impose economic sanctions on foreigners who it believes have a history of corruption or human rights abuses, sanctioned Moraes.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated in a statement that “Alexandre de Moraes has taken it upon himself to serve as judge and jury in an unlawful witch hunt against US and Brazilian citizens and businesses. De Moraes is to blame for politicized prosecutions, including against former president Jair Bolsonaro, as well as an oppressive campaign of censorship and arbitrary detentions that violate human rights.

Moraes may have any assets or property he may own in the US, but the decision mandates the freezing of those assets.

A request for comment was not immediately responded to by Brazil’s Supreme Court and Presidential Palace.

According to allegations that he courted Trump’s interference, Moraes recently ordered Bolsonaro to stop using social media and wear an ankle bracelet.

Washington earlier this month increased tensions with the country’s largest economy by enforcing restrictions on Moraes, his family, and other unnamed court officials’ US visas.

Brazilian President Lula criticized the decision as “arbitrary” and “baseless,” and called for “unacceptable” foreign interference in the judiciary. The left-wing leader claimed in a statement that the US action violated fundamental values like respect and international law.

The Supreme Court issued search warrants and restraint orders in response to Bolsonaro’s claim that he planned a coup to overturn a 2022 election he lost, according to the case.

Trump criticized Bolsonaro’s prosecution in a letter sent in the middle of July when he announced a 50-percent tariff on Brazilian goods starting August 1.

BREAKINGBREAKING,

As tariff-driven uncertainty weighs on the US economy, the US Federal Reserve will continue to hold interest rates steady at 4.25-4.50 percent, on par with economists’ expectations.

As the Fed wrapped up its two-day policy meeting, the US central bank made its announcement on Wednesday.

The Committee wants to achieve the highest possible rate of inflation and employment over the long-term. The Fed stated in a statement that “the outlook for the economy is still uncertain”.

Since December, rates have been maintaining this pattern. Jerome Powell, the head of the Federal Reserve, has long argued that the central bank is best positioned to deal with inflationary pressures brought on by US President Donald Trump’s tariffs by maintaining rates consistent.

“Recent indicators indicate that economic activity increased more slowly in the first half of the year. The labor market conditions are stable, and the unemployment rate is still low. The Fed continued, “Inflation is still moderately elevated.”

According to the consumer price index report released earlier this month, inflation increased by 2.7%.

Two of the central bank’s governors, both Trump appointees who concur with him that monetary policy is too tight, disagree with the decision.

The first time in more than 30 years that two members of the Fed’s seven-person board of governors in Washington have voted against a rate decision at the consensus-driven central bank will be discussed at this week’s meeting.

In the Fed’s policy statement, both Governor Christopher Waller and Vice Chair for Supervision Michelle Bowman, who have been mentioned as potential replacements for Powell when his term expires in May 2026, “preferred to lower the target range for the federal funds rate by one quarter of a percentage point at this meeting.”

Pressures placed on Powell

After visiting the Fed headquarters, the US president claimed last week that he thought the central bank was prepared to lower interest rates.

The White House stated in a statement on Wednesday that “there are no more excuses — it is too late for Powell to cut the rates.” This was a day before the rate decision was announced and following mixed GDP data.

The White House has made the latest moves to appoint the central bank to lower rates, including threats to replace Powell and ongoing personal attacks on the Fed chair. Trump called Powell a “numbskull” last week.

However, Powell has long argued that political pressures should not affect the central bank’s monetary policy decisions.

We don’t take the fiscal needs of the federal government into account when asked whether future policy decisions will take into account them. No central bank of an advanced nation does that.