Category World News

Ten people who were found guilty and given prison sentences for participating in a plot to keep former president Jair Bolsonaro in power after his election defeat in 2022 have been placed under house arrest in Brazil.

Supreme Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes&nbsp made the decision on Saturday after authorities in neighboring Paraguay detained a former police officer who had also been convicted in the plot while attempting to board a flight to El Salvador with a fake Paraguayan passport.

Former Brazilian federal highway police director Silvinei Vasques was detained on Friday night in Brazil. Then he was held in a facility for pre-trial detention.

Vasques drove to Paraguay in a rental car on Thursday after cutting off his ankle monitor, according to Brazilian police.

Because they were appealing their case, the ten people who were placed on house arrest on Saturday continued to be free despite their convictions.

They had been told to stay in the same place every night or had been subjected to cautionary measures, such as ankle monitoring.

De Moraes stated in his ruling that Bolsonaro and the 10 officials allegedly plotted the coup, sought legal justifications for it, or used disinformation on social media to avenge.

Filipe Martins, a former Bolsonaro adviser, was one of them.

On X, Martins’ attorney, Jeffrey Chiquini, stated that they would appeal.

In a video posted on Instagram, Chiquini claimed that Filipe Martins had been prohibited from leaving his city because he had been wearing an electronic ankle monitor. “So, what changed”?

According to the AFP news agency, the Supreme Court prohibited the individuals from visiting, using social media, or contacting other individuals currently under investigation, citing a statement from the federal police.

According to the organization, they were also required to turn in their passports and weapons permits.

Bolsonaro was found guilty of conspiring to maintain power after losing the 2022 election to left-wing candidate Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and given a 27-year prison term in September.

The former leader, age 70, denies any wrongdoing.

Former intelligence chief Alexandre Ramagem, who emigrated to the United States, is another ex-official found guilty in the case.

Bolsonaro has been in the hospital since Wednesday and has been serving time since November.

His wife, Michelle Bolsonaro, disclosed on Saturday that he was having a procedure for persistent hiccups after having a double hernia operation on Thursday.

She wrote on social media that “it has been nine months of agony and daily hiccups.”

Since a stabbing at a campaign event in the state of Minas Gerais in September 2018, the former president has been dealing with health issues. Following that stabbing incident, Bolsonaro became the frontrunner in that race by having various abdominal surgeries performed on him.

Brazil, where democracy was reinstated in 1985 following decades of military rule, has closely followed the trials of the former president and a number of generals and police officers who are accused of being involved in the plot.

Initial comments made by US President Donald Trump about Bolsonaro’s trial, which he called an “international disgrace,” and raised tariffs on Brazilian imports.

De Moraes, the trial’s lead judge, was also subject to financial sanctions from the Trump administration. However, following Bolsonaro’s conviction, the US government appears to have changed its mind.

Trump eased tariffs on Brazil’s two biggest exports to the US, Brazilian beef and coffee, in an executive order signed in November.

In Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, hundreds of passengers sat among piles of luggage as a listless breeze blew through the open windows of the train station. An update on Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority’s (TAZARA) Mukuba Express train, which was scheduled for 3:50pm, sounded over the tannoy: the train would depart two hours late.

Pigeons scurried back and forth into holes left by rotted-out ceiling tiles as a collective groan echoed through the crowd. However, no one was actually surprised. The passengers were aware that a two-hour delay for the TAZARA was practically on time given the train’s reputation for unreliable service.

The train travels 1,860 kilometers (1, 156 miles) from Tanzania’s largest city to the border to Zambia’s copper provinces before arriving at Kapiri Mposhi, which is located about 1,860 kilometers (1, 156 miles) away. According to official schedules, the journey should take about 40 hours.

It’s a cheap way to travel through areas of the country that aren’t close to major thoroughfares for regular travelers. If foreign visitors aren’t in a rush, it’s a good idea to visit Tanzania’s landscapes, far from the hustled cities and overcrowded safari parks. Just over $20, which includes a first-class sleeper car all the way to Mbeya, a border town and hub for travel just east of Zambia and a lush mountain village and coffee farm, is available.

The railroad celebrated its 50th anniversary this year, but it has struggled the majority of its existence, needing foreign investment for basic maintenance and failing to transport the amount of cargo it was built to support. Its infrastructure and cars have deteriorated over the years due to inconsistent maintenance and limited investment.

Due to the numerous delays and failures that randomly arrange each trip on the TAZARA, it’s difficult to predict where each trip will end. Infrequently, there are simple derailments caused by poorly loaded vehicles and deteriorating tracks, as well as the odd encounter with nature. In August, a passenger train struck an African buffalo while passing through Mwalimu Julius Nyerere National Park in Tanzania.

However, more serious incidents and fatalities have occurred in the TAZARA since the beginning of 2025, highlighting the urgent need to replace both the unsafe infrastructure and poor safety management. Both drivers were killed when two locomotives moving from Zambia to a workshop in Mbeya, where they were being repaired, derailed at a bridge in southern Tanzania in April.

A train derailed in Zambia two months later, and the “rescue train” that was dispatched to assist it struck it. One TAZARA employee was killed in the collision, according to a railroad press release. Ten other employees and 19 passengers were also hurt.

Early in September, passenger service was briefly suspended due to “unexpected operational challenges.” The TAZARA could field’s few remaining locomotives, it turns out, were stuck in Tanzania after one of the hundreds of bridges along the track was destroyed by a fire.

However, thanks to a significant investment by the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC), which has pledged $1.4 billion to renovate the aging rail line over the next three years, TAZARA is on the verge of significant improvements. Although the agreement mentions continuing passenger service, some pauses in regular service will be required as the project is finished.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo’s government is being accused of not cooperating with its new policy regarding the return of undocumented immigrants and those who commit criminal offenses by the United Kingdom.

The measures were made public by the UK Home Office in a statement late on Saturday. Additionally, it stated that Namibia and Angola have come to a consensus to increase their citizen retribution.

The agreements, which were announced last month by Secretary of State for Home Department Shabana Mahmood, represent the first significant change to the home department’s broad reforms that would temporarily change refugee status and expedite deportation for those who arrive without identification.

The DRC, Angola, or Namibia did not respond right away.

According to the Home Office, the DRC was unable to fulfill the UK’s cooperation requirements and was now denied access to VIP visa services and preferential treatment.

If cooperation doesn’t quickly improve, Mahmood warned that the UK could escalate measures to put a total stop to the DRC’s need for visas.

“We anticipate that nations will adhere to the regulations.” They must remove one of their citizens from their country if they do not have a right to remain there, she said.

“I sincerely appreciate the cooperation between Namibia and Angola. The Democratic Republic of Congo needs to make the right decision right away. Respect your citizens, or you’ll lose your right to enter our country.

She continued, “This is just the beginning of the steps I am taking to secure our border and accelerate the removal of those with no right to be here.”

In a bid to stop the arrivals of irregular migrants, which have fueled rising anger on the far-right, Prime Minister Keir Streamer’s centre-left government announced radical changes to the UK’s asylum system, including significantly lowering protections for refugees and their children.

More than 39, 000 people have flown into the UK on small boats this year, many of whom are refugees from war, compared to the total number of boats in place in 2024. This is lower than the previous record set by the Conservatives in 2022.

According to Mahmood, the reforms, which are based on Denmark’s strict asylum system, will deter people from using small boats to cross the English Channel from France.

She referred to the current system as “out of control and unfair,” and said it was a “uncomfortable truth” that the government had to face.

Refugee status will be reviewed every 30 months under the reforms. Once those nations are determined safe, refugees will be forced to go back to their home countries.

They will also have to submit a permanent residency application for 20 years instead of the current five.

Additionally, the government has stated that it will pass legislation to make deportation of irregular migrants and foreign criminals more difficult.

Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Yvette Cooper stated that the UK has “removed more than 50, 000 people with no right to remain” and that it has instructed diplomats to make returns a top priority.

However, Mark Davies, a former Foreign Office adviser, has been critical of the policy, calling it “shameful” and “a departure from” Britain’s longstanding commitment to supporting refugees.

The policy is also being attacked by former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who added that it “appeases the most ghastly, racist right-wing forces all across Europe” and that it violates the UN Convention on Human Rights.

The refugee council’s chief executive, Enver Solomon, urged the government to reconsider, warning that “crossings” should be able to be able to build “secure, settled lives” thanks to the plan’s chief executive.

According to official data cited by the AFP news agency, there were 111, 000 asylum applications submitted in the UK in the year to June 2025, a record high.

However, from 2023 to 2024, the UK government made fewer initial positive decisions.

In a 2021 coup, Myanmar’s first general election was held in the country’s first democratically elected government since the military toppled Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi’s democratically elected government.

About a third of the 330 townships in Southeast Asia are being held for the heavily scrutinized election on Sunday, with significant portions of the area unaccessible as a result of a raging civil war between the military and various opposition forces.

On January 11 and January 25, two rounds of voting will be held in addition to the initial phase, with the cancellation of voting in all 65 townships.

According to Al Jazeera’s Tony Cheng, who is reporting from Yangon, the country’s largest city, “This means that at least 20% of the country is currently disenfranchised.” What will be the turnout like in the cities, according to the article?

Polling stations in Yangon opened at 6am on Sunday (23:30 GMT, Saturday), and Cheng reported that there was a “relatively regular flow of voters” once the sun was up.

“But the majority of voters are middle-aged, and there aren’t many young people,” she continued. There are only a few options on the ballot when you examine it. He claimed that the majority of those options are military-related.

The election has been derided by critics as an unfavorable exercise with no opposition to military parties, including the United Nations, some Western nations, and human rights organizations.

Aung San Suu Kyi, who was removed from power by the military months after her party’s National League for Democracy (NLD) won the previous general election in 2020 by a landslide, is still imprisoned and has been disbanded.

The most popular party is likely to be the pro-military Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP).

The country’s 55 million-strong military, led by Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, has argued that the election represents a chance for a new start politically and economically for the country.

The military chief’s ballot was released shortly after the country’s capital, Naypyidaw, opened its polling places.

According to an opinion piece published on Saturday in the state-run Global New Light of Myanmar, the polls “will turn a new page for Myanmar, shifting the narrative from a conflict-affected, crisis-laden country to a new chapter of hope for building peace and reconstructing the economy.”

The elections are being held in a setting of violence and repression, according to UN human rights chief Volker Turk, with fighting still raging in many areas of the nation. There are no restrictions on the people’s ability to freely and meaningfully participate in the exercise of their rights to freedom of expression, association, or peaceful assembly, he claimed last week.

An estimated 90,000 people have been killed, 3.5 million have been displaced, and 22 million people have been left in need of humanitarian aid as a result of the coup in 2021.

More than 22, 000 people are currently being held for political offenses, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners.

Armed officers patrolled traffic intersections overnight while security staff was posted outside stations in downtown Yangon. Election officials installed electronic voting machines, which are the first to be used in Myanmar, and set up the necessary equipment.

Write-in candidates and spoiled ballots won’t be permitted by the machines.

Swe Maw, 45, who dismissed international criticism, was one of the city’s first-timers.

He told the AFP news agency, “It’s not an important issue.” “People always like and dislike one another.”

Moe Moe Myint, 40, said it was “impossible for this election to be free and fair” in the central Mandalay region.

When the military has ruined our lives, how can we support a junta-run election? she told AFP. We are “living between life and death,” she continued, “hiding in jungles.”

In two weeks, the third and final round of voting will take place on January 25.

No election results announcement dates or votes counting have been set.

Any military-controlled government, even one with a civilian appearance, is unlikely to receive significant international recognition, according to analysts, and the military’s effort to establish a stable administration in the midst of a protracted conflict is fraught with risks.

After two years of Israeli bombardment, tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians in Gaza, surrounded by tents and debris, are suffering from additional winter rain.

On Saturday, the Gaza Strip was swept over by a polar low-pressure system accompanied by heavy rain and strong winds. According to meteorologist Laith al-Allami, it is the third polar low to hit the Palestinian territory over the winter, with a fourth low-pressure system expected to hit the region starting on Monday.

Since the end of Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza, many families have been residing in tents since late 2023.

Authorities warn that the downpour could become a full-blown storm as the enclave is set to experience freezing temperatures, rain, and strong winds.

In his thorny tent, displaced Palestinian Mohammed Maslah told Al Jazeera he had no choice but to remain in Gaza City.

He told Al Jazeera, “I could not find anywhere in Gaza, except Gaza Port.” Because of Israeli control over my home, I’m compelled to remain here. We were soaked after a brief period of rain.

Shaima Wadi, a mother of four children who fled Jabaliya in the north, spoke to the Associated Press in Deir al-Balah. We have been residing in this tent for two years, according to the statement. We try to put up new pieces of wood whenever it rains and the tent topples over our heads,” she said. We can barely afford clothing for our children or mattresses for them to sleep on because of how expensive everything has become and we don’t have any money.

Gaza’s tents and makeshift shelters were flooded by heavy rains earlier this month, causing the country’s largest city to lose most of its buildings to Israeli attacks.

At least 15 people have died from hypothermia in the past three months in Gaza as a result of rain and freezing temperatures, according to the authorities in Gaza. Israel should grant more shelters and other forms of humanitarian aid, according to aid organizations.

As the weather conditions in the areas where displaced people set up fragile tents deteriorated, Civil Defence’s field operations manager in the Gaza Port region, Ibrahim Abu al-Reesh, said that his teams responded to a number of distress calls.

After some of these ruined tents were flooded by rainwater, he told Al Jazeera, “We worked hard to cover some of these damaged tents with plastic sheets.”

According to Ibrahim Al Khalili of Al Jazeera, who is based in Gaza City, winter has been worse for the suffering of tens of thousands of Palestinian refugees who lack safe havens.

He claimed that “the same misery persists as each rain pours muddy water over neighborhoods.”

talks on a ceasefire

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will travel to Washington, DC in the coming days as Palestinians battle the Gaza-imposed second stage of the ceasefire.

Slowly, the peace process has advanced. The deployment of an international stabilization force, a technocratic governing body for Gaza, Hamas’ proposed disarmament, and further Israeli troop withdrawals from the area are among the challenges facing phase two of the ceasefire.

Despite Israel’s repeated violations, the agreement has so far partially been enforced.

More than 414 Palestinians have died and 1,142 have been injured since the ceasefire was in effect, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health.

Additionally, it stated that 679 people were killed when the rubble was removed during the same time because the truce makes it safer to search for the remains of those killed earlier.

Over the past 48 hours, 29 bodies, including 25 recovered from under the rubble, have been transported to nearby hospitals, according to the ministry on Saturday.