politics

US slaps sanctions on Maduro relatives as Venezuela war fears build

diplomacy

Machado urges pressure so Maduro understands 'he has to go'

  • "I will welcome more and more pressure so that Maduro understands that he has to go, that his time is over," Machado said.
  • Venezuela's Nobel peace prize laureate Maria Corina Machado is urging more pressure on strongman Nicolas Maduro to force him from power, according to an interview excerpt released Friday.
  • "I will welcome more and more pressure so that Maduro understands that he has to go, that his time is over," Machado said.
Venezuela's Nobel peace prize laureate Maria Corina Machado is urging more pressure on strongman Nicolas Maduro to force him from power, according to an interview excerpt released Friday.
In the interview with CBS News talk show "Face the Nation," Machado -- who left Venezuela in a risky escape and was awarded the top prize in Oslo this week -- was asked about the possibility of US military intervention in her country.
"I will welcome more and more pressure so that Maduro understands that he has to go, that his time is over," Machado said.
President Donald Trump's administration has been piling pressure on Venezuela for months with a major naval buildup in the region that has been accompanied by strikes on alleged drug-trafficking boats that have killed close to 90 people.
While she said she wasn't aware of any potential US plans, she 58-year-old opposition leader stressed that a Maduro removal should not be considered typical.
"I will insist something that I've said several times before, this is not conventional regime change," she explained.
"We had an election. Regime change was already mandated by over 70 percent of the population, and what we need is support to enforce that decision."
Leftist Maduro began a third six-year term after a presidential election last year, which the opposition claims to have won.
Machado was barred from standing and went into hiding after the vote.
Her escape from Venezuela this week reads like a spy thriller.
The operation to extract one of the country's most recognizable figures from Caracas and whisk her to Oslo for the prize ceremony was code-named Golden Dynamite after Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite who founded the awards.
The politician donned a wig before setting out from her Caracas hideout for a beach in northern Venezuela, from where she boarded a fishing boat to rendezvous on the high seas with her rescuer, US Army veteran Bryan Stern.
En route to the coast she slipped undetected through 10 military checkpoints, according to Stern.
But her odyssey was strewn with setbacks. 
Her boat, deliberately chosen for its poor state of repair to avoid being mistaken by US forces for one of the "go-fast" drug boats it has targeted in airstrikes, broke down, delaying her departure for several hours.
Rough seas provided mixed blessings on her voyage, making the vessel less visible to eyes in the sky but causing the boat's GPS to fall overboard, leaving her adrift for two hours, according to witness accounts gathered by the Wall Street Journal, CBS, BBC and AFP.
"There were moments when I felt that there was a real risk to my life," Machado told reporters in Oslo, where she arrived early Thursday by private jet from the Caribbean island of Curacao.
In the CBS interview, she would not discuss the details of her breakout.
"I am not going to give more information regarding my trip to Norway. But what am I going to say how important it is for the Venezuelan people," she said. 
"This is a recognition to a nation that has fought tirelessly, courageously against a criminal, narcoterrorist structure."
She added: "I came to receive that prize, that award, and I'm going to bring it back home to the Venezuelan people as soon as possible."
The full CBS interview will be released Sunday.
lb/pno/md/mlm

politics

US Treasury lifts sanctions on Brazil Supreme Court justice

  • - Lobbying - Ties between the US and Brazil had soured even before the Bolsonaro trial, as Moraes oversaw efforts to regulate social media and temporarily blocked Elon Musk's X platform and accounts popular with conservative voices.
  • The US Treasury Department lifted sanctions Friday on Brazil Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who oversaw a trial of his country's jailed former president Jair Bolsonaro.
  • - Lobbying - Ties between the US and Brazil had soured even before the Bolsonaro trial, as Moraes oversaw efforts to regulate social media and temporarily blocked Elon Musk's X platform and accounts popular with conservative voices.
The US Treasury Department lifted sanctions Friday on Brazil Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who oversaw a trial of his country's jailed former president Jair Bolsonaro.
The sanctions were part of a series of punitive actions taken against Brazil by the administration of President Donald Trump, a longtime ally of Bolsonaro who had slammed the trial as a "witch hunt."
Moraes was sanctioned in July, and Washington took aim at his wife Viviane Barci de Moraes a few months later.
The sanctions against the couple and a company linked to their family were eased after efforts to repair diplomatic ties between Brazil and the United States, in a blow to Bolsonaro and his family who had lobbied hard for the measures.
A senior official from Trump's administration told AFP that "continued designation is inconsistent with US foreign policy interests."
Moraes welcomed the lifting of the sanctions.
"I believed, and I still believe...that the truth, once it reached US authorities, would prevail," Moraes said in Brasilia. "And the truth, with the efforts of President Lula and his entire team, prevailed."
After months of animosity, Trump and Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva held their first official meeting in October, leading to a flurry of negotiations between diplomats.
As ties improved, the Trump administration last month exempted key Brazilian exports from a 40-percent tariff that had been imposed over the trial.

Lobbying

Ties between the US and Brazil had soured even before the Bolsonaro trial, as Moraes oversaw efforts to regulate social media and temporarily blocked Elon Musk's X platform and accounts popular with conservative voices.
In imposing the sanctions earlier this year, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Moraes had "taken it upon himself to be judge and jury in an unlawful witch hunt against US and Brazilian citizens and companies."
Bolsonaro began serving a 27-year jail term in November after his conviction for a scheme to stop Lula from taking office after 2022 elections.
His son Eduardo, a federal lawmaker, moved to the United States earlier this year after months of jetting back and forth from Brazil to lobby for sanctions against judicial officials.
He has since been charged for the crime of "coercion" for his alleged efforts to sway the outcome of the coup trial against his father.
In a statement on social media, Eduardo said the decision to lift the sanctions on Moraes was received "with regret."
He said a "lack of internal cohesion and the insufficient support for initiatives conducted abroad contributed to the worsening of the current situation."
"We are grateful for the support that President Trump has shown throughout this journey and for the attention he dedicated to the serious crisis of freedoms afflicting Brazil."
On Friday, the senior Trump administration official welcomed the passing of a bill by Brazil's chamber of deputies -- which is dominated by Bolsonaro supporters -- that could slash the former president's prison sentence considerably.
bys/mlm-fb/ksb/msp/jgc

politics

Democrats release new cache of Epstein photos

  • - Three Trump photos - There are three images of Trump in the 19 released on Friday.
  • Democratic lawmakers released a new cache of photos on Friday from the estate of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein that includes images of US President Donald Trump and former president Bill Clinton.
  • - Three Trump photos - There are three images of Trump in the 19 released on Friday.
Democratic lawmakers released a new cache of photos on Friday from the estate of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein that includes images of US President Donald Trump and former president Bill Clinton.
Other high-profile figures in the published pictures include former Trump advisor Steve Bannon, former Clinton treasury secretary Larry Summers, director Woody Allen and the ex-prince now known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.
Also pictured are Microsoft's Bill Gates and the Virgin Group's Richard Branson.
Epstein's association with the individuals in the pictures was already widely known and the undated photographs do not appear to depict any unlawful conduct.
But Democrats on the House Oversight Committee said "these disturbing images raise even more questions about Epstein and his relationships with some of the most powerful men in the world."
The White House accused Democrats of releasing "cherry-picked" photos from the Epstein estate "to try and create a false narrative."
"The Democrat hoax against President Trump has been repeatedly debunked," said Abigail Jackson, a White House spokeswoman.
Also among the pictures released on Friday are images of sex toys and a novelty "Trump condom" featuring a likeness of his face and the words "I'm HUUUUGE!"

Three Trump photos

There are three images of Trump in the 19 released on Friday.
In one he is standing next to six women who are wearing what appear to be traditional Hawaiian leis around their necks. Their faces have been redacted.
Another shows Trump, with Epstein close to him, talking to an unidentified blonde woman.
The third shows Trump sitting next to a blonde woman whose face has been blacked out.
The president told reporters in the Oval Office on Friday that he had not seen the photos and declared their release "no big deal."
"Everybody knew this man, he was all over Palm Beach," Trump said, referring to the Florida community where his Mar-a-Lago resort is located.
"There are hundreds and hundreds of people that have photos with him. So, that's no big deal," Trump said. "I know nothing about it."
Former president Clinton is also pictured with Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year prison sentence for sex trafficking a minor and other offenses, and two other unidentified people.
Epstein, a successful financier, cultivated rich and powerful friends, and frequently hosted them at his lavish Caribbean home.
He was convicted in Florida in 2008 on two sex crime counts, including solicitation of prostitution with a minor.
He served about a year in detention with unusually lenient conditions and avoided more serious charges until 2019, when he was arrested in New York and charged with sex trafficking of minors.
He died in pre-trial detention the same year and the death was ruled to be a suicide.

Epstein files

The Department of Justice has been ordered by Congress to release its files on the sprawling investigation into Epstein by December 19.
Trump fought for months to prevent release of the Epstein files but he caved last month to pressure from Congress, including from lawmakers in his Republican Party, and signed a law compelling release of the materials.
It remains to be seen how many of the extensive files will see the light of day, with authorities likely to cite the need to protect ongoing investigations.
Trump and his allies spent years pushing theories about powerful Democrats being protected over involvement with Epstein, framing the case as a potent symbol of how rich men can hide behind lawyers, money and connections.
But Trump himself was a longtime friend of Epstein, raising questions over what he knew about the notorious figure.
After starting his second presidential term in January, Trump switched from having called for publication of the Epstein files to branding the scandal a "hoax" and resisting any release.
cl/bgs/msp/mlm

guerrilla

Colombia's ELN guerrillas place communities in lockdown citing Trump 'intervention' threats

  • The ELN, the oldest surviving guerrilla group in the Americas, controls key drug-producing regions of Colombia and vowed Friday to fight for the country's "defense" in the face of Trump's "threats of imperialist intervention."
  • Colombia's ELN guerrilla group on Friday ordered civilians in areas under its control to stay home for three days as it carries out military exercises in response to "intervention" threats from US President Donald Trump.
  • The ELN, the oldest surviving guerrilla group in the Americas, controls key drug-producing regions of Colombia and vowed Friday to fight for the country's "defense" in the face of Trump's "threats of imperialist intervention."
Colombia's ELN guerrilla group on Friday ordered civilians in areas under its control to stay home for three days as it carries out military exercises in response to "intervention" threats from US President Donald Trump.
Trump said earlier this month any country that produces cocaine and sells it to the United States was "subject to attack."
The ELN, the oldest surviving guerrilla group in the Americas, controls key drug-producing regions of Colombia and vowed Friday to fight for the country's "defense" in the face of Trump's "threats of imperialist intervention."
It urged civilians in areas it controls to stay indoors for 72 hours starting at 6:00 am on Sunday, avoiding main roads and navigable rivers.
"It is necessary for civilians not to mix with fighters to avoid accidents," the group said in a statement.
Colombian Defense Minister Pedro Sanchez dismissed the ELN move as "nothing more than criminal coercion" and vowed the military "will be everywhere -- in every mountain, every jungle, every river" to counter its threat.
With a force of about 5,800 combatants, the ELN -- the Spanish acronym for National Liberation Army -- is present in over a fifth of Colombia's 1,100-plus municipalities, according to the Insight Crime research center.
The ELN has taken part in failed peace negotiations with Colombia's last five governments.
While professing to be driven by leftist, nationalist ideology, the ELN is deeply involved in the drug trade and has become one of the region's most powerful organized crime groups.
It vies for territory and control of lucrative coca plantations and trafficking routes with dissident fighters that refused to lay down arms when the FARC guerrilla army disarmed under a 2016 peace deal.
One ELN stronghold is the Catatumbo region near the Venezuelan border -- one of the areas with the most coca crops in the world.
Several studies have pointed to an ELN presence across the border, where it allegedly operates in alliance with Venezuela's armed forces, though President Nicolas Maduro denies this.
The ELN launched an offensive in Catatumbo in January, sparking a conflict with FARC dissidents that led to more than 100 deaths.
It was the bloodiest incident since President Gustavo Petro took office in August 2022.
Colombia is the world's top cocaine producer, according to the UN.

Souring ties

Relations between Bogota and Washington, historically strong, have soured under Petro, Colombia's first-ever leftist president.
Petro has openly clashed with Trump, calling him "rude and ignorant" and comparing him to Adolf Hitler.
The Colombian leader denounced the Trump administration's treatment of migrants and what he has termed the "extrajudicial executions" of nearly 90 people in strikes on boats in the Caribbean and Pacific the US claims, without providing evidence, were ferrying drugs.
Petro has also criticized Washington's military deployment within striking distance of Venezuela, where Maduro fears he is the target of a regime-change plot under the guise of an anti-drug operation.
Washington, in turn, has accused Petro of drug trafficking and imposed sanctions.
Trump removed Bogota from a list of allies in the fight against narco trafficking, but the country has so far escaped harsher punishment -- possibly as Washington awaits the right's likely return in 2026 elections.
das/lv/mlr/jgc

sanction

US Treasury lifts sanctions on Brazil Supreme Court justice

  • The sanctions were part of a series of punitive actions taken against Brazil by the administration of President Donald Trump, a longtime ally of Bolsonaro who had slammed the trial as a "witch hunt."
  • The US Treasury Department lifted sanctions Friday on Brazil Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who oversaw a trial of his country's jailed former president Jair Bolsonaro.
  • The sanctions were part of a series of punitive actions taken against Brazil by the administration of President Donald Trump, a longtime ally of Bolsonaro who had slammed the trial as a "witch hunt."
The US Treasury Department lifted sanctions Friday on Brazil Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who oversaw a trial of his country's jailed former president Jair Bolsonaro.
The sanctions were part of a series of punitive actions taken against Brazil by the administration of President Donald Trump, a longtime ally of Bolsonaro who had slammed the trial as a "witch hunt."
Moraes was sanctioned in July and Washington took aim at his wife Viviane Barci de Moraes a few months later.
The sanctions against the couple and a company linked to their family were eased after efforts to repair diplomatic ties between Brazil and the US, in a blow to Bolsonaro and his family who had lobbied hard for the measures.
A senior official from Trump's administration told AFP that "continued designation is inconsistent with US foreign policy interests."
After months of animosity, Trump and Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva held their first official meeting in October, leading to a flurry of negotiations between diplomats.
As ties improved, the Trump administration last month exempted key Brazilian exports from a 40-percent tariff that had been imposed over the trial.

- Lobbying -

Ties between the US and Brazil had soured even before the Bolsonaro trial, as Moraes oversaw efforts to regulate social media platforms and temporarily blocked Elon Musk's X platform and social media accounts popular with conservative voices.
In imposing the sanctions earlier this year, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Moraes had "taken it upon himself to be judge and jury in an unlawful witch hunt against US and Brazilian citizens and companies."
Bolsonaro began serving a 27-year jail term in November after his conviction for a scheme to stop Lula from taking office after the 2022 elections.
His son Eduardo, a federal lawmaker, moved to the United States earlier this year after months of jetting back and forth from Brazil to lobby for sanctions against judicial officials.
He has since been charged for the crime of "coercion" for his alleged efforts to sway the outcome of the coup trial against his father.
In a statement on social media, Eduardo said the decision to lift the sanctions on Moraes was received "with regret."
He said a "lack of internal cohesion and the insufficient support for initiatives conducted abroad contributed to the worsening of the current situation."
"We are grateful for the support that President Trump has shown throughout this journey and for the attention he dedicated to the serious crisis of freedoms afflicting Brazil."
On Friday, the senior Trump administration official welcomed the passing of a bill by Brazil's chamber of deputies -- which is dominated by Bolsonaro supporters -- that could slash the former president's prison sentence considerably.
bys/mlm-fb/ksb

conflict

Trump says Thailand, Cambodia have agreed to stop border clashes

  • In October, Trump backed a follow-on joint declaration between Thailand and Cambodia, touting new trade deals after they agreed to prolong their truce.
  • US President Donald Trump said Friday that Thailand and Cambodia had agreed to halt fighting along their disputed border, which has killed at least 20 people this week.
  • In October, Trump backed a follow-on joint declaration between Thailand and Cambodia, touting new trade deals after they agreed to prolong their truce.
US President Donald Trump said Friday that Thailand and Cambodia had agreed to halt fighting along their disputed border, which has killed at least 20 people this week.
The latest fighting between the Southeast Asian neighbours, which stems from a long-running dispute over the colonial-era demarcation of their 800-kilometre (500-mile) frontier, has also displaced around half a million on both sides.
Each side had blamed the other for reigniting the conflict.
"I had a very good conversation this morning with the Prime Minister of Thailand, Anutin Charnvirakul, and the Prime Minister of Cambodia, Hun Manet, concerning the very unfortunate reawakening of their long-running War," Trump said on his Truth Social platform.
"They have agreed to CEASE all shooting effective this evening, and go back to the original Peace Accord made with me, and them, with the help of the Great Prime Minister of Malaysia, Anwar Ibrahim," he said, referring to a deal made in July.
"Both Countries are ready for PEACE and continued Trade with the United States of America," Trump noted, thanking Anwar for his assistance.
Earlier, Anutin had said, after his call with Trump: "It needs to be announced to the world that Cambodia is going to comply with the ceasefire."
"The one who violated the agreement needs to fix (the situation) -- not the one that got violated," Anutin said, adding that the call with Trump "went well".

'Talk among themselves'

The United States, China and Malaysia, as chair of the regional bloc ASEAN, brokered a ceasefire in July after an initial five-day spate of violence.
In October, Trump backed a follow-on joint declaration between Thailand and Cambodia, touting new trade deals after they agreed to prolong their truce.
But Thailand suspended the agreement the following month after Thai soldiers were wounded by landmines at the border.
In the northeastern province of Buriram, Thai evacuee Jirasan Kongchan said peace should come through direct bilateral talks, not foreign mediation.
"I want Thailand and Cambodia to talk among themselves first, clearly and decisively," said the 50-year-old farmer.
"If Cambodia breaks the peace (agreement) again, ASEAN countries should step in, maybe impose some kind of sanctions."
Cambodian evacuee Choeun Samnang, 54, said he was "very happy" to hear Trump had called the Thai prime minister asking for the countries to abide by the joint declaration.
"I don't want to see countries at war. I want both Cambodia and Thailand to have peace," he told AFP at a shelter in Banteay Meanchey province.
At the White House on Thursday, Trump again boasted about having resolved multiple conflicts, but said that with "Thailand and Cambodia, I think I'm going to have to make a couple of phone calls...but we'll get that one back on track".
Anutin said there were "no signs" Trump would connect further trade talks with the border conflict, but that he had guaranteed Thailand would get "better benefits than other countries".
burs-sjc/sst/acb

diplomacy

Can Venezuela survive US targeting its oil tankers?

BY PATRICK FORT WITH POL-MALO LE BRIS IN LONDON

  • Since Trump threatened an export tariff of 25 percent on any country buying Venezuelan oil, the country has had to slash its black market prices by as much as 20 percent.
  • Venezuela has been sidestepping a US oil export embargo for years, selling crude at a discounted price mainly to China.
  • Since Trump threatened an export tariff of 25 percent on any country buying Venezuelan oil, the country has had to slash its black market prices by as much as 20 percent.
Venezuela has been sidestepping a US oil export embargo for years, selling crude at a discounted price mainly to China. But even this limited income stream is now under threat after the United States seized a Cuba-bound tanker. 
In one fell swoop, Venezuela lost 1.9 million barrels of oil, according to sanctioned President Nicolas Maduro, who denounced an act of "naval piracy." According to ship tracking platform MarineTraffic, it was closer to 1.1 million barrels.
The estimated value of the oil seized, and which the United States has said it intends to keep, ranges between $50 million and $100 million.
Venezuelan so-called "ghost" tankers had until now been left untouched despite a mighty US naval presence in the Caribbean Sea since September.
In a follow-up move on Thursday, the US Treasury announced sanctions on six companies it said were shipping the South American country's oil, and identified six vessels as "blocked property."
Such actions "would make the fleet operating on the black market afraid to come to Venezuela. That would increase the risk premium and therefore the discounts... (to buyers), which would be very steep," Francisco Monaldi of the Baker Institute, a Houston-based think tank, told AFP.
Maduro has claimed the massive US military deployment within striking distance of his country is part of a plan to overthrow him and "steal" Venezuela's abundant oil under the ruse of an anti-drug operation.
The targeting of ships transporting Venezuela's only valuable commodity could indeed imperil Maduro's political fortunes.
"If there are no oil exports, it will affect the foreign exchange market, the country’s imports... There could be an economic crisis," Elias Ferrer of Orinoco Research, a Venezuelan advisory firm, told AFP.
"Not just a recession, but also shortages of food and medicine, because we wouldn’t be able to import." 

 Black market

Venezuela is estimated to have oil reserves of some 303 billion barrels, according to the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) -- more than any other nation.
But years of mismanagement and corruption slashed production from a peak of more than three million barrels per day (bpd) in the early 2000s to an historic low of 350,000 bpd by 2020.
Back on track to reach a million bpd this year, analysts say it will be hard to boost production beyond that, given the shortage of foreign currency needed to improve infrastructure.
Caracas has been scraping by under a regime of economic sanctions and a US oil embargo in place since 2019, tightened in 2025.
It adapted, using a fleet of "ghost" tankers that sail under false flags, declare fake routes or switch off their transponders to avoid detection.
Since Trump threatened an export tariff of 25 percent on any country buying Venezuelan oil, the country has had to slash its black market prices by as much as 20 percent.
Moreover, Chevron, which operates under a special license and accounts for roughly 10 percent of Venezuelan production, is no longer allowed to transfer money to the state and therefore pays taxes and other dues in crude.

Help coming?

It is estimated that China buys 80 percent of Venezuelan production. 
To avoid sanctions, clients pay in cryptocurrency, including asset-pegged stablecoins, mainly USDT.
This has contributed to a shortage of greenbacks in Venezuela's partly dollarized economy -- and a deep gap between the official exchange rate and the black-market one.
A surge in product prices has raised fears of a return to hyperinflation in a country still smarting from a million percent rise in prices recorded in 2018 -- the peak of a four-year hyperinflationary period that pushed millions to emigrate.
"Now we’ll see to what extent countries like China, Iran, and Russia are willing to take risks to prop up Venezuela," said Ferrer.
The tanker seized by US forces this week, The Skipper, was sanctioned by the US Treasury in 2022 for alleged links to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Hezbollah, according to MarineTraffic.
Iran is one of Venezuela’s main allies along with Russia, whose President Vladimir Putin this week reaffirmed his support for Maduro but is tied down in a grinding war in Ukraine.
Ferrer pointed out that Maduro has already survived years of US sanctions and political pressure, even at a time when "oil production was at 300,000 barrels and inflation at one million percent."
pgf/lab/roc/mlr/ksb

protest

Brazil left calls protests over bid to cut Bolsonaro jail time

  • "Let's return Congress to the people," read a post shared by Veloso, 83, calling for a second round of a "musical protest" he led in September on Rio de Janeiro's Copacabana beach alongside some of the biggest names in Brazilian music.
  • Brazilian leftists, including iconic singer Caetano Veloso, called for nationwide protests this Sunday against efforts by Congress to reduce the jail term of former president Jair Bolsonaro, who was convicted over a botched coup plot.
  • "Let's return Congress to the people," read a post shared by Veloso, 83, calling for a second round of a "musical protest" he led in September on Rio de Janeiro's Copacabana beach alongside some of the biggest names in Brazilian music.
Brazilian leftists, including iconic singer Caetano Veloso, called for nationwide protests this Sunday against efforts by Congress to reduce the jail term of former president Jair Bolsonaro, who was convicted over a botched coup plot.
The country's conservative-majority Congress on Wednesday approved a bill that could slash Bolsonaro's 27-year sentence if it passes into law.
The call for protests Sunday in cities around the country spread on social media, with the hashtags "no amnesty" and "Congress, enemy of the people."
"Let's return Congress to the people," read a post shared by Veloso, 83, calling for a second round of a "musical protest" he led in September on Rio de Janeiro's Copacabana beach alongside some of the biggest names in Brazilian music.
Bolsonaro's supporters in the conservative-majority Congress had for months weighed different options to ease his punishment, including a possible amnesty that fizzled out after the September protests.
The sentence reduction bill resurfaced this week, a few days after Bolsonaro anointed his son, Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, as his successor ahead of 2026 presidential elections.
Flavio said last Sunday he would be willing to withdraw his candidacy in exchange for an amnesty for his father, pointing to disarray among Brazil's powerful conservative movement ahead of next year's vote.
A protest called after Bolsonaro's jailing in Brasilia gathered only a few dozen people.
The far-right Bolsonaro was imprisoned in November after his conviction for a scheme to stop President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva from taking office after the 2022 election.
The plot allegedly involved a plan to assassinate Lula, his vice president Geraldo Alckmin and Supreme Court judge Alexandre de Moraes.
Prosecutors said the scheme failed only due to a lack of support from military top brass.
"Reducing the sentence for murderers is unacceptable," Edinho Silva, the president of Lula's Worker's Party (PT) said in a video on Instagram.
"They approved the reduction of sentences for those who planned and tried to carry out a coup against democracy," he said.
"Let's go to the streets...to protect what is essential to democracy."
The bill still needs to pass through the Senate, and while Lula could veto it, this can be overturned on its final passage through the chamber of deputies.
Protests were being called in Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, the capital Brasilia, and around 10 other cities.
fb/acb

rights

Iran frees child bride sentenced to death over husband's killing: activists

  • The Islamic republic has stepped up its use of capital punishment this year with at least 1,426 people hanged up until the end of November, according to IHR. The UN special rapporteur on human rights in Iran Mai Sato said while "we celebrate one life saved, we cannot ignore the institutional injustices that nearly killed Goli Kouhkan". 
  • Iranian authorities have freed a woman who was condemned to hanging over the killing of her husband who she married while a child, in a case that sparked international concern over the plight of women sentenced to death in the Islamic republic, rights activists said on Friday. 
  • The Islamic republic has stepped up its use of capital punishment this year with at least 1,426 people hanged up until the end of November, according to IHR. The UN special rapporteur on human rights in Iran Mai Sato said while "we celebrate one life saved, we cannot ignore the institutional injustices that nearly killed Goli Kouhkan". 
Iranian authorities have freed a woman who was condemned to hanging over the killing of her husband who she married while a child, in a case that sparked international concern over the plight of women sentenced to death in the Islamic republic, rights activists said on Friday. 
Iranian authorities confirmed the freeing of Goli Kouhkan from prison in the northern Golestan province after her death sentence was revoked earlier this week under an accord with the dead man's family.
Kouhkan, a member of the Baluch minority without documentation and now aged 25, had been set to be executed this month over the 2018 killing of her husband who according to rights groups was violently abusive towards her and their child.
Norway-based Iran Human Rights (IHR) said that she had been spared execution and then released after so-called blood money -- diyah under Iran's Sharia law -- was raised to pay her husband's family for the loss of life.
Iranian state television quoted the chief of the judiciary in the Golestan province Heydar Asiabi as saying she had been released on Thursday. It posted a picture of her with officials in a chador with her back to the camera.
UN rights experts last week urged Iran to halt the execution of Kouhkan, saying she was forced into marriage at the age of 12 to her cousin and at 13 gave birth to their son, with both mother and child suffering violent abuse from the husband.
According to IHR's current toll, Iranian authorities have executed more than 40 women this year alone. Many of those executed were convicted of killing their husband, who was in some instances abusive or a close relative.
The Islamic republic has stepped up its use of capital punishment this year with at least 1,426 people hanged up until the end of November, according to IHR.
The UN special rapporteur on human rights in Iran Mai Sato said while "we celebrate one life saved, we cannot ignore the institutional injustices that nearly killed Goli Kouhkan". 
"Goli was sold into marriage as a child and subjected to domestic violence in a country where such violence is not properly criminalised," she wrote on X.
IHR director Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam said: "Unfortunately Goli's story is not unique. So far in 2025 at least two child brides have been executed in Iran."
She was sentenced to death along with her husband's cousin who she had called when the husband had been beating her and her son. A fight then broke out in which the husband was killed. 
IHR says that the cousin, Mohammad Abil, "remains on death row and at risk of execution".  
sjw/ekf/jfx

environment

Nowhere to pray as logs choke flood-hit Indonesian mosque

BY ADITYA AJI

  • Before the disaster, the mosque bustled with worshippers -- locals and students alike -- attending daily and Friday prayers. 
  • Almost two weeks on from devastating floods, Muslim worshippers in Indonesia's Sumatra who gathered at their local mosque on Friday for prayers were blocked from entering by a huge pile of thousands of uprooted trees.
  • Before the disaster, the mosque bustled with worshippers -- locals and students alike -- attending daily and Friday prayers. 
Almost two weeks on from devastating floods, Muslim worshippers in Indonesia's Sumatra who gathered at their local mosque on Friday for prayers were blocked from entering by a huge pile of thousands of uprooted trees.
The deadly torrential rains had inundated vast tracts of rainforest nearby, leaving residents of the Darul Mukhlisin mosque and Islamic boarding school to search elsewhere for places of worship that had been less damaged.
"We have no idea where all this wood came from," said Angga, 37, from the nearby village of Tanjung Karang.
Before the disaster, the mosque bustled with worshippers -- locals and students alike -- attending daily and Friday prayers. 
"Now it's impossible to use. The mosque used to stand near a river," said Angga. "But the river is gone — it's turned into dead land."
Village residents told AFP the structure likely absorbed much of the impact of trees and logs carried by the torrents, preventing even greater destruction downstream. 
When AFP visited the site, the mosque was still encircled by a massive heap of timber -- a mix of uprooted trees and felled logs, likely from nearby forests.
By Friday, the death toll from one of northern Sumatra’s worst recent disasters — including in Aceh, where a tsunami wreaked havoc in 2004 — had reached 995 people, with 226 still missing and almost 890,000 displaced, according to the National Disaster Mitigation Agency.

Uncontrolled logging  

Authorities have blamed the scale of devastation partly on uncontrolled logging. 
Environmentalists say widespread forest loss has worsened floods and landslides, stripping the land of tree cover that normally stabilises soil and absorbs rainfall.
Indonesia consistently ranks among the countries with the highest annual deforestation rates.
President Prabowo Subianto, visiting Aceh Tamiang district on Friday, assured victims the government was working to restore normalcy. 
"We know conditions are difficult, but we will overcome them together," he said, urging residents to "stay alert and be careful."
"I apologise for any shortcomings (but) we are working hard," he said.
Addressing environmental concerns, Prabowo called for better forest protection. 
"Trees must not be cut down indiscriminately," he said.
"I ask local governments to stay vigilant, to monitor and safeguard our nature as best as possible."
But frustrations were growing, with flood victims complaining about the pace of relief efforts.
Costs to rebuild after the disaster could run up to 51.82 trillion rupiah ($3.1 billion) and the Indonesian government has so far shrugged off suggestions that it call for international assistance.
Back in nearby Babo Village, Khairi Ramadhan, 37, said he planned to seek out another mosque for prayers.
"I'll find one that wasn't hit by the flood," he said. "Maybe some have already been cleaned. I don't want to dwell on sorrow anymore."
str-dsa-jhe/ceg
  

politics

US slaps sanctions on Maduro relatives as Venezuela war fears build

BY W.G. DUNLOP

  • Six companies shipping Venezuelan oil were also slapped with sanctions.
  • The United States imposed sanctions Thursday against relatives of Venezulan leader Nicolas Maduro and six companies shipping the South American country's oil.
  • Six companies shipping Venezuelan oil were also slapped with sanctions.
The United States imposed sanctions Thursday against relatives of Venezulan leader Nicolas Maduro and six companies shipping the South American country's oil.
The move came as the White House said it will bring an oil tanker seized by American forces off the Venezuelan coast to a port in the United States, adding to growing fears of open conflict between the two countries.
President Donald Trump's administration has been piling pressure on Venezuela for months, with a major naval buildup in the region that has been accompanied by deadly strikes on alleged drug-trafficking boats, killing nearly 90 people.
In a dramatic raid this week that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said was aimed at Maduro's "regime," Washington took control of the tanker, with US forces roping down from a helicopter onto the vessel.
Caracas condemned the raid as "an act of international piracy."
Russian leader Vladimir Putin expressed support on Thursday during a phone call with his ally Maduro, but with Moscow's forces tied down in a grinding war in Ukraine, its capacity to provide aid is limited.
The US Treasury announced sanctions against three nephews of Maduro's wife Cilia Flores, labeling two of them "narco-traffickers operating in Venezuela".
"Nicolas Maduro and his criminal associates in Venezuela are flooding the United States with drugs that are poisoning the American people," Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement.
Six companies shipping Venezuelan oil were also slapped with sanctions.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told journalists that the seized tanker "will go to a US port and the United States does intend to seize the oil".
"We're not going to stand by and watch sanctioned vessels sail the seas with black-market oil, the proceeds of which will fuel narco-terrorism of rogue and illegitimate regimes around the world."
The tanker was expected to dock in Galveston, Texas, two unnamed US officials told NBC News, adding that the crew would be released upon arrival.

'Blatant theft'

Noem told a congressional hearing earlier on Thursday that the tanker operation was "pushing back on a regime that is systematically covering and flooding our country with deadly drugs" -- a reference to US allegations of narcotics smuggling by Maduro's government.
A video released Wednesday by US Attorney General Pam Bondi showed American forces descending from a helicopter onto the tanker's deck, then entering the ship's bridge with weapons raised.
Bondi said the ship was part of an "illicit oil shipping network" that was used to carry sanctioned oil.
Venezuela's foreign ministry said it "strongly denounces and condemns what constitutes blatant theft and an act of international piracy."
"They kidnapped the crew, stole the ship and have inaugurated a new era, the era of criminal naval piracy in the Caribbean," Maduro said at an event on Thursday.
"Venezuela will secure all ships to guarantee the free trade of its oil around the world," he added.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday expressed concern over the escalating tensions and urged restraint.
"We are calling on all actors to refrain from action that could further escalate bilateral tensions and destabilize Venezuela and the region," his spokesperson said.
Citing unnamed officials, the Washington Post reported that Washington was likely to seize more tankers off the Venezuelan coast.

'Preparing for invasion'

US media reported that the seized tanker had been heading for Cuba -- another American rival -- and that the ship was stopped by the US Coast Guard.
Dick Durbin, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said Thursday he questioned the legality of the tanker seizure and that "any president, before he engages in an act of war, has to have the authorization of the American people through Congress."
"This president is preparing for an invasion of Venezuela, simply said. And if the American people are in favor of that, I'd be surprised," Durbin told CNN.
Washington has accused Maduro of leading the alleged "Cartel of the Suns," which it declared a "narco-terrorist" organization last month, and has offered a $50 million reward for information leading to his capture.
Trump told Politico on Monday that Maduro's "days are numbered" and declined to rule out a US ground invasion of Venezuela.
The Trump administration alleges that Maduro's hold on power is illegitimate and that he stole Venezuela's July 2024 election.
Maduro -- the political heir to leftist leader Hugo Chavez -- says the United States is bent on regime change and wants to seize Venezuela's oil reserves.
wd/bgs/jgc/sla/lga/ami

crime

British porn star to be deported from Bali after small fine

  • Earlier on Friday, Billinger and an associate -- 27-year-old Liam Andrew Jackson -- were fined 200,000 rupiah (about $12) for breaking traffic regulations.
  • Controversial British adult film star Bonnie Blue will be deported from Indonesia's Bali island, an immigration official said Friday, after earlier receiving a small fine for traffic violations.
  • Earlier on Friday, Billinger and an associate -- 27-year-old Liam Andrew Jackson -- were fined 200,000 rupiah (about $12) for breaking traffic regulations.
Controversial British adult film star Bonnie Blue will be deported from Indonesia's Bali island, an immigration official said Friday, after earlier receiving a small fine for traffic violations.
Local police last week raided a studio in Badung, a popular tourist district near the resort island's capital, Denpasar, detaining Blue, 26, whose real name is Tia Billinger.
Three men -- two Britons and an Australian -- were also taken on suspicion of producing pornographic content after the raid.
Police said, however, they found no evidence of adult material. 
Husnan Handano, immigration spokesman at Denpasar International Airport, told AFP that Blue will be deported early Saturday morning.
"Her flight will be at 12:30 am (Friday 1630 GMT)," Husnan said, adding more details would be provided later.
Earlier on Friday, Billinger and an associate -- 27-year-old Liam Andrew Jackson -- were fined 200,000 rupiah (about $12) for breaking traffic regulations.
"The defendants have lawfully committed the offense jointly and continuously," Denpasar District Court judge I Ketut Somanasa said.
During the December 4 raid, police seized a dark blue pickup truck labeled "Bang Bus."
British tabloid Daily Mail reported on Wednesday that the vehicle appeared to have been untaxed since 2023 and had allegedly been illegally repainted from white to blue without re-registration.
Billinger's lawyer, Edward Pangkahila, told AFP his clients would comply fully with the authorities.
"I suggested to them to apologise to the people of Bali if this has caused any public unease," Pangkahila added.
Although Bali is predominantly Hindu and a magnet for millions of foreign visitors, Muslim-majority Indonesia strictly forbids the production of pornographic material, which carries penalties of up to 12 years in prison and a fine of $360,000.
Billinger gained fame for her provocative stunts as an adult content creator. 
Her case comes amid renewed complaints by Balinese officials over unruly foreign tourists, following a string of deportations in recent years — including several Russian influencers expelled for posing nude at sacred sites.
str-dsa-jhe/fox

politics

Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai verdict set for Monday

  • Lai, who turned 78 this week, is charged with foreign collusion under Hong Kong's national security law, which Beijing imposed following huge and sometimes violent pro-democracy protests in 2019.
  • A Hong Kong court will issue a verdict Monday in the national security trial of pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai, a case widely criticised as a sign of erosion of political freedoms in the Chinese city.
  • Lai, who turned 78 this week, is charged with foreign collusion under Hong Kong's national security law, which Beijing imposed following huge and sometimes violent pro-democracy protests in 2019.
A Hong Kong court will issue a verdict Monday in the national security trial of pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai, a case widely criticised as a sign of erosion of political freedoms in the Chinese city.
Lai, who turned 78 this week, is charged with foreign collusion under Hong Kong's national security law, which Beijing imposed following huge and sometimes violent pro-democracy protests in 2019.
The founder of the Apple Daily newspaper has been behind bars since late 2020, reportedly in solitary confinement.
Journalists had already started queuing on Friday outside the West Kowloon courthouse for a place in the chamber where Lai's verdict will be read.
The hearing, before a three-judge panel, will begin at 10 am (0200 GMT) on Monday, according to a court diary notice seen Friday.
Previous hearings for Lai's case often drew a crowd of supporters and press, some of whom had to watch a livestream of proceedings elsewhere in the court building as they could not fit into the courtroom.
Aside from the collusion offence -- which could land him in prison for life -- Lai is also charged with "seditious publication", with prosecutors citing 161 items including op-eds with Lai's byline.
Apple Daily was forced to close in 2021 after police raids and the arrests of its senior editors.

'Sham'

The sprawling trial, which began in December 2023, has drawn criticism from Western nations and rights groups, who have called for Lai's release.
The Reporters Without Borders (RSF) group expressed outrage on Friday at the "short notice announcement" of the verdict, condemning the trial as "arbitrary and unlawful".
"The trial can only be described as a sham and has nothing to do with the rule of law," the group said in a statement, calling on Britain and the United States to press Beijing for his release.
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) called the trial "a travesty of justice".
"His national security trial was originally expected to last 30 days when it started in December 2023, after multiple delays. It has gone on for two years now," Beh Lih Yi, CPJ's Asia-Pacific regional director, told AFP. 
She stressed "serious concerns that the 78-year-old may die in prison as each day passes".
Hong Kong authorities have rejected criticism related to Lai, saying his case was "handled strictly on the basis of evidence and in accordance with the law".

Health concerns

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun told a regular news conference on Friday that Beijing "firmly supports" Hong Kong in "safeguarding national security in accordance with the law and punishing criminal acts that endanger national security".
Throughout the trial, Lai has fielded questions about his political ideology, management style and overseas contacts.
He described himself at least twice as a "political prisoner", drawing rebukes from judges.
He has also denied calling for sanctions against China and Hong Kong, and said he never advocated separatism or violent resistance.
"The core values of Apple Daily are actually the core values of the people of Hong Kong... (including) rule of law, freedom, pursuit of democracy, freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of assembly," Lai said in his testimony.
Lai is a British citizen, and his relatives voiced new concerns this month over the mogul's health.
"His nails turn almost purple, grey and greenish before they fall off, and his teeth are getting rotten," his daughter Claire Lai told AFP on a visit to Washington, where the family sought to rally support for her father.
The Hong Kong government said last week that prison authorities "handle the custodial arrangements for (Lai) in the same way as other persons-in-custody" and that he was "receiving appropriate treatment and care in prison".
bur-dhw/ceg

Burundi

Congo refugees recount death and chaos as war reignites

BY MOSES GAHIGI

  • Jeanette Bendereza, 37, had already fled her home in Kamanyola once this year -- during the earlier M23 offensive, escaping to Burundi in February with her four children. 
  • Congolese refugees described neighbours being massacred and losing children in the chaos as they fled into Rwanda to escape a surge in fighting despite a peace deal brokered by US President Donald Trump.
  • Jeanette Bendereza, 37, had already fled her home in Kamanyola once this year -- during the earlier M23 offensive, escaping to Burundi in February with her four children. 
Congolese refugees described neighbours being massacred and losing children in the chaos as they fled into Rwanda to escape a surge in fighting despite a peace deal brokered by US President Donald Trump.
"I have 10 kids, but I'm here with only three. I don't know what happened to the other seven, or their father," Akilimali Mirindi, 40, told AFP in the Nyarushishi refugee camp in Rwanda's Rusizi district. 
Around 1,000 Congolese have ended up in this camp after renewed fighting broke out in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo earlier this month. 
The M23 armed group, backed by Rwanda, has seized vast swathes of eastern DRC over the past year and is once again on the march, taking another key city, Uvira, in recent days. 
Thousands have fled as civilians are again caught in the crossfire between the M23, Congolese forces and their allies. 
Mirindi was living in Kamanyola near the Rwanda border when bombs started falling, destroying her house. 
"Many people died, young and old. I saw corpses as we fled, jumping over some of them. I made a decision to cross into Rwanda with the rest," she said.
Trump hosted the presidents of Rwanda and DRC, Paul Kagame and Felix Tshisekedi, on December 4 for an agreement aimed at ending the conflict, but the new offensive was already underway even as they were meeting. 
"It's clear there is no understanding between Kagame and Tshisekedi... If they don't reach an understanding, war will go on," said Thomas Mutabazi, 67, in the refugee camp.
"Bombs were raining down on us from different directions, some from FARDC (Congolese army) and Burundian soldiers, some from M23 as they returned fire," he said.
"We had to leave our families and our fields. We don't know anything, yet the brunt of war is faced by us and our families." 

'Bombs following us'

The camp sits on a picturesque hill flanked by tea plantations, well-stocked by NGOs from the United Nations, World Food Programme and others. 
There are dormitories and a football pitch for the children, but the mostly women and children at the camp spoke of having their homes and fields stripped bare or destroyed by soldiers. 
Jeanette Bendereza, 37, had already fled her home in Kamanyola once this year -- during the earlier M23 offensive, escaping to Burundi in February with her four children. 
"We came back when they told us peace had returned. We found M23 in charge," she said.
Then the violence restarted. 
"We were used to a few bullets, but within a short time bombs started falling from Burundian fighters. That's when we started running."
Burundi has sent troops to help the DRC and finds itself increasingly threatened as the M23 takes towns and villages along its border. 
"I ran with neighbours to Kamanyola... We could hear the bombs following us... I don't know where my husband is now," Bendereza said, adding she had lost her phone in the chaos. 
Olinabangi Kayibanda, 56, had tried to hold out in Kamanyola as the fighting began. 
"But when we started seeing people dying and others losing limbs due to bombs... even children were dying, so we decided to flee," he said. 
"I saw a neighbour of mine dead after her house was bombed. She died along with her two children in the house. She was also pregnant."
str-er/fg

conservation

Indonesia floods were 'extinction level' for rare orangutans

BY SARA HUSSEIN

  • In a draft paper shared with AFP and set to be published as a pre-print in coming days, they warned the flooding represents an "extinction-level disturbance" for tapanulis.
  • Indonesia's deadly flooding was an "extinction-level disturbance" for the world's rarest great ape, the tapanuli orangutan, causing catastrophic damage to its habitat and survival prospects, scientists warned on Friday.
  • In a draft paper shared with AFP and set to be published as a pre-print in coming days, they warned the flooding represents an "extinction-level disturbance" for tapanulis.
Indonesia's deadly flooding was an "extinction-level disturbance" for the world's rarest great ape, the tapanuli orangutan, causing catastrophic damage to its habitat and survival prospects, scientists warned on Friday.
Only scientifically classified as a species in 2017, tapanulis are incredibly rare, with fewer than 800 left in the wild, confined to a small range in part of Indonesia's Sumatra.
One dead suspected tapanuli orangutan has already been found in the region, conservationists told AFP.
"The loss of even a single orangutan is a devastating blow to the survival of the species," said Panut Hadisiswoyo, founder and chairman of the Orangutan Information Centre in Indonesia.
And analysis of satellite imagery combined with knowledge of the tapanuli's range suggests that flooding last month which killed nearly 1,000 people may also have devastated wildlife in the Batang Toru region.
The scientists focused on the so-called West Block, the most densely populated of three known tapanuli habitats, and home to an estimated 581 tapanulis before the disaster.
There, "we think that between six and 11 percent of orangutans were likely killed," said Erik Meijaard, a longtime orangutan conservationist.
"Any kind of adult mortality that exceeds one percent, you're driving the species to extinction, irrespective of how big the population is at the start," he told AFP.
But tapanulis have such a small population and range to begin with that they are especially vulnerable, he added.
Satellite imagery shows massive gashes in the mountainous landscape, some of which extend for more than a kilometre and are nearly 100 metres wide, Meijaard said.
The tide of mud, trees and water toppling down hillsides would have carried away everything in its path, including other wildlife like elephants.
David Gaveau, a remote sensing expert and founder of conservation start-up The Tree Map, said he was flabbergasted by the before-and-after comparison of the region.
"I have never seen anything like this before during my 20 years of monitoring deforestation in Indonesia with satellites," he told AFP.

'Fragile and sensitive'

The devastation means remaining tapanulis will be even more vulnerable, with sources of food and shelter now washed away.
Over nine percent of the West Block habitat may have been destroyed, the group of scientists estimated.
In a draft paper shared with AFP and set to be published as a pre-print in coming days, they warned the flooding represents an "extinction-level disturbance" for tapanulis.
Environmentalists have long campaigned against industrial activity in Batang Toru, particularly a hydroelectric dam and gold mine.
The highland homes currently inhabited by tapanulis are not their preferred habitat, but it is where remaining orangutans have been pushed by development elsewhere.
Earlier this month, Indonesia's government said industrial plantations, hydropower and gold mining in the region had "contributed significantly to the pressure on the environment".
They announced they would suspend operating permits for all projects in the region pending a review.
The government, along with environmentalists, has said deforestation contributed to the scale of the flooding disaster.
A study published Thursday also said climate change-linked heavier rains and warmer seas that can turbocharge storms played a role.
The orangutan experts are urging an immediate halt to development that will damage remaining tapanuli habitat, and an immediate survey of the region.
They also back the expansion of protected areas and work to restore lowland forests.
Panut said the region had become eerily quiet after the landslides.
"This fragile and sensitive habitat in West Block must be fully protected by halting all habitat-damaging development," he told AFP.
sah/kaf

court

Trump 'pardons' jailed US election denier

  • Peters is jailed under state charges, making her ineligible for a presidential pardon.
  • US President Donald Trump said Thursday he would "pardon" a Colorado official jailed on charges linked to efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election. 
  • Peters is jailed under state charges, making her ineligible for a presidential pardon.
US President Donald Trump said Thursday he would "pardon" a Colorado official jailed on charges linked to efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election. 
Tina Peters, a former official in Colorado's Mesa County, was sentenced in October 2024 for allowing an unauthorized Trump supporter to access confidential voting information several months after the 2020 election won by Democrat Joe Biden. 
The man was seeking to prove election fraud as part of a conspiracy theory touted by Trump that the vote was rigged. 
"Democrats have been relentless in their targeting of TINA PETERS, a Patriot who simply wanted to make sure that our Elections were Fair and Honest," Trump said in a post on social media Thursday. 
"I am granting Tina a full Pardon for her attempts to expose Voter Fraud in the Rigged 2020 Presidential Election!" 
Peters is jailed under state charges, making her ineligible for a presidential pardon. She was sentenced to nine years in prison. 
Democratic Colorado Governor Jared Polis criticized the move saying Peters "was convicted by a jury of her peers, prosecuted by a Republican District Attorney, and found guilty of violating Colorado state laws, including criminal impersonation." 
"No President has jurisdiction over state law nor the power to pardon a person for state convictions," Polis said in a social media post Thursday. 
"This is a matter for the courts to decide, and we will abide by court orders." 
Shortly after his inauguration in January, Trump offered pardons to everybody convicted in the Capitol riot of January 6, 2021.
bur-lga/ane/fox

politics

Thai PM dissolves parliament, paving way for national elections

BY PASIKA KHERNAMNUOY

  • "The House of Representatives is dissolved to hold a new general election for members of the House," a decree published in the Royal Gazette on Friday said.
  • Thailand's prime minister dissolved parliament on Friday, paving the way for general elections early next year as deadly border clashes continue with neighbour Cambodia.
  • "The House of Representatives is dissolved to hold a new general election for members of the House," a decree published in the Royal Gazette on Friday said.
Thailand's prime minister dissolved parliament on Friday, paving the way for general elections early next year as deadly border clashes continue with neighbour Cambodia.
The move comes earlier than expected and just three months after Anutin Charnvirakul -- of the conservative Bhumjaithai party -- became prime minister when his predecessor was removed from office over an ethics violation.
"The House of Representatives is dissolved to hold a new general election for members of the House," a decree published in the Royal Gazette on Friday said.
Anutin was widely expected to wait until after Christmas to dissolve parliament.
"Since the administration is a minority government and domestic political conditions are fraught with multiple challenges, the government cannot continue administering state affairs continuously, efficiently, and with stability," the Royal Gazette said, citing a report received from Anutin.
"Therefore, the appropriate solution is to dissolve the House of Representatives and hold a new general election."
The dissolution comes as fighting stemming from a decades-long territorial dispute over ancient temples has flared again on the border with Cambodia, where clashes have killed at least 20 people and displaced around 600,000, mostly in Thailand.
In a statement, Cambodia's defense ministry said the Thai military continued to shell and fire machine guns into Cambodian territory on Friday morning.
AFP journalists heard continuous artillery fire at the border on Friday, ahead of an expected call between Anutin and US president Donald Trump, who has made vocal attempts to broker peace between the Southeast Asian neighbours.
At the congressional ball at the White House on Thursday night, Trump claimed again to have solved eight wars.
"Although Thailand and Cambodia, I think I'm going to have to make a couple of phone calls on Thailand, but we'll get that one back on track," he said.
The two countries have blamed each other for the fresh fighting, which saw Thailand launch air strikes and use tanks against its neighbour on Monday.
Evacuees at a shelter in Thailand's Surin province told AFP they were less concerned about who leads the new government than about who would improve their lives along the border.
"I just care that the leader, whoever that is, is someone who helps ordinary farmers like us," said 68-year-old Somrak Suebsoontorn.

'Power to the people'

Under Thai law, elections must be held between 45 and 60 days after parliament is dissolved, meaning polls are expected around the end of January or early February.
Anutin said in a Facebook post late Thursday he "would like to return power to the people", a signal in the kingdom that a prime minister intends to dissolve parliament.
His coalition backer, the People's Party, said Thursday it would submit a motion of no-confidence in Anutin, claiming Bhumjaithai broke its agreement during a crucial vote on constitutional amendments.
"They said they wouldn't support me anymore. They asked me to dissolve the house. I just followed their request," Anutin told reporters Friday outside the Government House.
The cannabis-championing conservative took power in September with coalition backing conditional on dissolving parliament, becoming the kingdom's third leader in two years.
He was once an ally of the influential political clan of Thaksin Shinawatra -- who have been a dominant force in Thai politics since the turn of the century, but are increasingly faltering after a succession of legal and political setbacks.
Anutin abandoned his coalition with their Pheu Thai Party this summer in apparent outrage over former Thai prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra's conduct during the border row with Cambodia.
During his three months in office, Anutin has had to deal with the escalating military conflict, as well as attacks on scam hubs in Myanmar driving hundreds across the border into Thailand, and the death of the former queen Sirikit in October.
burs-sjc/fox

conflict

Thai teacher finds 'peace amidst chaos' painting bunker murals

BY CHAYANIT ITTHIPONGMAETEE

  • - 'Warm, safe and comforting' - Elsewhere, brand new concrete bunkers sitting under layers of blue-and-white sandbags offered an oasis of calm for other Thai border residents.
  • On the grey walls of a rural Thai school's concrete bunkers, a man calmly paints colourful scenes of helicopters, tanks, fluttering national flags and soldiers carrying the wounded.
  • - 'Warm, safe and comforting' - Elsewhere, brand new concrete bunkers sitting under layers of blue-and-white sandbags offered an oasis of calm for other Thai border residents.
On the grey walls of a rural Thai school's concrete bunkers, a man calmly paints colourful scenes of helicopters, tanks, fluttering national flags and soldiers carrying the wounded.
"Peace amidst chaos -- not everyone can feel this way," said Watthanachai Kamngam, a 38-year-old music teacher whose vibrant murals were inspired by the harsh reality around him.
Thailand and Cambodia have been locked in fierce military conflict this week at their 800-kilometre (500-mile) border, stemming from a decades-long territorial dispute over ancient temples.
The renewed fighting has displaced around half a million people on both sides and killed at least 20 -- with hundreds seeking shelter from continuous explosions in concrete bunkers.
The boom of artillery often echoes loudly enough to shake the windows of empty classrooms of the school just five kilometres from the frontier.
"As I live through the fighting, I just want to record this moment -- to show that this is really our reality," Watthanachai told AFP.
He first picked up a paintbrush in July, when earlier border clashes erupted, lasting five days and killing dozens.
After ensuring the school's pupils were all safe, he chose to stay put and engage in his therapeutic pastime, despite hearing hundreds of shells in a single night.
"Of course I'm frightened," he said. "But art helps bring my feelings back under control."

'Warm, safe and comforting'

Elsewhere, brand new concrete bunkers sitting under layers of blue-and-white sandbags offered an oasis of calm for other Thai border residents.
Sommai Sisuk sits near a small fire with his neighbours, warming their hands against the winter chill as they cook sticky rice for dinner.
"During the last fighting, we didn’t have any bunkers at all," he said, adding the new shelters were completed in November.
"Everyone was scared and anxious -- we didn't know what to do. But this time it feels a bit safer because the authorities built this bunker for us. It looks solid, and people are satisfied."
The 62-year-old farmer and lottery ticket seller said the shelters have become a gathering point for those who chose to stay behind to watch over their homes, fields, and livestock.
"Having this bunker here is life-changing," he said. "When the gunfire gets loud, we can all run inside together. It feels warm, safe, and comforting."
But even with new protection, Sommai has little hope that the border conflict will end soon.
"The fighting will drag on. Thailand won't give in, and Cambodia won't give in either," he said. 
"These bunkers matter so much. They really do."
ci/sjc/ceg

drugs

Escapism or exaltation? 'Narco-culture' games raise concern in Mexico

BY ARTURO ILIZALITURRI

  • - Hell's Troop - Dozens of war-like games can be found on online platform Roblox, which allows programming enthusiasts to design their own video games for others to play.
  • In violence-riddled Mexico, children as young as 13 are hooked on bloody video games that vividly recreate the horrors of the country's narco war.
  • - Hell's Troop - Dozens of war-like games can be found on online platform Roblox, which allows programming enthusiasts to design their own video games for others to play.
In violence-riddled Mexico, children as young as 13 are hooked on bloody video games that vividly recreate the horrors of the country's narco war.
Some experts say it's a way of coping. Critics, including President Claudia Sheinbaum, see it as monetized glorification of a genre known as "narco culture."
With thousands of daily users, the games allow players to choose whether they want to be a cartel hitman, a police officer or a soldier.
There are wild chases and brutal shootouts, gold-plated pistols, personalized bulletproof helmets, and souped-up cars.
"It really draws me in, seeing things I'd like to have in real life -- for example, who wouldn’t want to have a Lamborghini, or a big truck, a big house?" gaming fanatic Alan Crespo, a 24-year-old farmer from San Blas on Mexico's Pacific coast, told AFP.
Crespo is on the older side of the player age spectrum, with most between 13 and 18 and hailing primarily from northern Mexican states like Sinaloa, Chihuahua and Baja California -- synonymous with cartel violence.
This age group was born amid the wave of violence unleashed in 2006, when the Mexican government militarized the fight against drug trafficking -- a strategy that has claimed nearly half a million lives.

Hell's Troop

Dozens of war-like games can be found on online platform Roblox, which allows programming enthusiasts to design their own video games for others to play.
The most popular ones attract up to 1,000 users a day. The games are free, though players can purchase better weapons or uniforms with real money.
The more realistic and gruesome a game is, the more popular, developers say.
"Players aren't interested in seeing made-up names of criminal groups," said Angel Villaverde, a 19-year-old who designs games on his computer in Monterrey in Mexico's northeast.
Users of the game "Tamaulipas Belico," for example, can choose to play as a member of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) or of the Northeast Cartel (CDN).
Both have been designated "foreign terrorist organizations" by US President Donald Trump and are responsible for innumerable deaths, including of civilians.
Matches entail killing off one's enemies to take control of buildings, usually gas stations or shops.
Opponents patrol in camouflaged army pickups or in vehicles decorated with a demon drawing and the number 666 -- the insignia of the CDN's Tropa del Infierno (Hell's Troop) armed wing, known for its extreme brutality.

'Apology for violence'

Mexico's so-called "narco-culture" can also be found in music, films and fashion items glorifying the criminal life.
Sheinbaum rejects what she considers an "apology for violence" and has launched a campaign against the sub-culture, including an eight-percent tax on video games with violent content.
Behavioral scientists say that through gaming, young people may feel they have a sense of control over a violent reality that makes them anxious.
Student Alejandro Solorzano, 18, a game developer from Tijuana, notes that players are "fascinated by going around doing criminal activities."
"It's something warlike, it's something grotesque, but it's fictional at the same time" he told AFP.
Ainhoa Vasquez of Chile's Federico Santa Maria Technical University, says gaming may also be a way of "making sense" of a violent society, of "transferring real anguish" to a fictional realm.
These experiences can be "a catharsis," said Vasquez, who studies cultural representations of the drug trade. 
The platform Roblox, which reported some 112 million daily users worldwide in the second quarter of this year, recently tightened its controls to protect minors. 
Among other measures, it implemented a system to verify users' ages to prevent harassment by adults on the platform. 
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Global Edition

Japan bear victim's watch shows last movements

  • All three animals were killed.
  • The watch of a Japanese hiker killed by a bear has revealed harrowing details about his last moments, including that the animal returned to his body the next day, a newspaper report said.
  • All three animals were killed.
The watch of a Japanese hiker killed by a bear has revealed harrowing details about his last moments, including that the animal returned to his body the next day, a newspaper report said.
Bears have killed a record 13 people in Japan this year and injured more than 200 others, while reports of the creatures roaming near schools and rampaging in supermarkets have heightened anxiety, especially in rural northern regions.
The hiker's GPS watch, which uses satellite signals to log routes and monitors heart rate, was retrieved after the fatal attack on August 14, the Asahi Shimbun reported.
Data from the device showed that at around 11 am it suddenly deviated from the hiking trail in Hokkaido and went down a forested slope, the daily said.
In an area of thick brush, it repeatedly circled and passed over the same spot.
The watch also showed that the man's heart stopped beating about 100 to 130 meters (yards) from the trail, indicating that he died there.
The watch remained in the same spot all night but moved again around 9 am the next morning, travelling several hundred meters through the brush.
This suggests the brown bear had come back and dragged the man's body away, the Asahi said.
Three days later, on August 15, a bear with two cubs was spotted dragging his body in its mouth. All three animals were killed.
A mound of earth made by the bear was found nearby and traces of the man -- who was engaged to be married -- were discovered, the report added.
The victim's parents were asked to identify the body, but police asked them only to look at his face because of the extent of injuries.
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