Coup

Brazil's federal police said on Thursday they indicted former President Jair Bolsonaro and 36 other people on charges of attempting a coup to keep him in office after his electoral defeat in the 2022 elections. The findings were to be delivered on Thursday to Brazil's Supreme Court to be referred to Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet, who will either agree with the charges and put the former president on trial or toss the investigation. The former right-wing leader has denied all claims he tried to stay in office after his electoral defeat in 2022 to his rival, leftist President Luiz Incio Lula da Silva. Bolsonaro has faced a series of legal threats since then. Other investigations focus on his potential roles in smuggling diamond jewelry into Brazil without properly declaring them, and in directing a subordinate to falsify his and others' COVID-19 vaccination statuses. Bolsonaro has denied any involvement in either. On Tuesday, the federal police arrested four military and a federal .

Brazil's federal police arrested on Tuesday five officers accused of plotting a coup that included plans to overthrow the government following the 2022 elections and kill then-President-elect Luiz Incio Lula da Silva, authorities said. The five also planned to kill Lula's running mate, Geraldo Alckmin, and Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes. The arrested included four special operations military personnel, one of whom is a retired brigadier general, and a federal police officer. The police said they also carried out three search warrants along with other measures, including seizing the suspects' passports and preventing them from contacting others. It was not clear when charges would be officially raised against the five suspects. "The objective was to prevent the inauguration of the legitimately elected government and undermine the free exercise of democracy and the authority of Brazil's judiciary," de Moraes, who authorised the arrests, said of the plot in his order. "Thes

Three years into the conflict, the UN estimates that more than 19 million people are in urgent need of humanitarian aid, with over three million displaced

Bangladesh police on Sunday ordered citizens to return by September 3 all arms and ammunition looted from police stations during the recent violence which led to prime minister Sheikh Hasina's ouster, according to media reports. The violence that hit the country during the massive quota reform protests saw widespread attacks and looting of police stations across the country, The Daily Star newspaper reported. In a directive, the Police Headquarters said looted arms and ammunition of police must be returned by Tuesday. By Saturday, law enforcement authorities had recovered a total of 3,872 weapons of various types, looted from police stations and offices during the recent unrest, the report said. In addition, as many as 286,216 rounds of bullets, 22,201 teargas shells, and 2,139 stun grenades were also recovered, it said. The directive follows the interim government's earlier decision to suspend the firearms licences issued to all civilians during the more than 15 years of the ...

Hasina first led the Awami League party to victory in 1996, serving one five-year term before regaining power in 2009, never to lose it again

Arce, a former economist known for keeping a low personal profile, was at one time Morales' protege and crafted the economic plan for Morales' successful 2005 presidential run

Armored vehicles rammed the doors of Bolivia's government palace Wednesday in an apparent coup attempt against President Luis Arce, but he vowed to stand firm and named a new army commander who ordered troops to stand down. The soldiers later pulled back as supporters of Arce waved Bolivian flags and cheered in a central square. In a video of Arce surrounded by ministers in the palace, the Bolivian leader said: "Here we are, firm in Casa Grande, to confront any coup attempt. We need the Bolivian people to organize. Arce confronted the general commander of the army Juan Jos Ziga, who appeared to be leading the rebellion in the palace hallway, as shown on video on Bolivian television. I am your captain, and I order you to withdraw your soldiers, and I will not allow this insubordination, Arce said. Before entering the government building, Ziga told journalists in the plaza: Surely soon there will be a new Cabinet of ministers; our country, our state cannot go on like this." But, he

India must rethink its traditional position

Niger's ruling junta said late Thursday it had thwarted an overnight attempt by deposed president Mohamed Bazoum to escape detention with his family nearly three months after he was detained in the wake of a military coup. In a communique, Col Maj Amadou Abdramane said that Bazoum tried to reach a waiting vehicle at around 3 am that was to take him to the outskirts of the capital, Niamey, along with his family, two cooks and his security personnel. From there, they were to be flown to Nigeria aboard two helicopters belonging to a foreign power, Abdramane said. This plan to destabilise our country was thwarted, Abdramane said, adding that the main perpetrators had been arrested and an investigation has already been opened by the public prosecutor. Bazoum has been under house arrest with his wife and son since being ousted in July, and has refused to resign. The junta had cut off his electricity and water. The United States has formally declared that the ousting of Bazoum was a coup

A Brazilian congressional panel on Wednesday accused former President Jair Bolsonaro of instigating the country's Jan 8 riots and recommended that he be charged with attempting to stage a coup. An inquiry panel of senators and representatives mostly allied with the current leftist President Luiz Incio Lula da Silva who narrowly defeated Bolsonaro in last fall's election voted 20-11 to adopt the damning report drafted by Sen. Eliziane Gama. The move was largely symbolic for Bolsonaro because it amounts to a recommendation for police and prosecutors to investigate, and federal law enforcement officials separately have already been investigating his possible role in inciting the Jan 8 uprising. Bolsonaro has denied involvement in the rioting, which took place more than a week after the right-wing leader had quietly left the country to stay in Florida while refusing to attend Lula's inauguration. It's completely biased, Bolsonaro said Wednesday of the inquiry, in comments to reporter

Secretary of State Antony Blinken called Niger's deposed President Mohamed Bazoum on Monday ahead of an expected decision by the Biden administration to formally declare that his overthrow was a coup d'etat. The State Department said Blinken called Bazoum to stress that a restoration of a freely elected government remains the best way for Niger to not only succeed for its people but also to remain a key partner of the U.S. and others in countering extremism. In the call, Blinken reiterated that a democratically elected, civilian-led government presents the best opportunity to ensure that Niger remains a strong partner in security and development in the region," the State Department said in a brief statement. The United States calls for the immediate release of all those unjustly detained following the military takeover, the department said. Blinken's call came as the administration is preparing to make a formal determination that July's military takeover in the central African nati

The French troops withdrawing from Niger were seen as a key line of defence for about a decade in Western efforts against jihadi violence in Africa's Sahel region, the vast arid expanse south of the Sahara Desert. As the US keeps pushing for a diplomatic solution to resolve Niger's political crisis, analysts say the country's junta might struggle to sustain its relative peace with no external support. French President Emmanuel Macron has agreed to withdraw France's ambassador and troops from Niger after the July coup that deposed its elected president and triggered anti-French sentiment in the former colony. In response, the junta welcomed the end of imperialist and neo-colonialist forces" and said Monday that the withdrawal must follow a negotiated framework and mutual agreement. US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said in Kenya on Monday that Washington's desire is for Niger's political crisis to be resolved through diplomatic means and that the United States will continue to evalu

Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has denied a report claiming he consulted with top military leaders on staging a coup to stop Luiz Incio Lula da Silva from assuming the presidency last January. Three members of Bolsonaro's legal team said in a statement posted on social media channels Thursday that the far-right leader "never took any measure that conflicted the boundaries and assurances established by the constitution". Earlier in the day, the newspaper O Globo reported that a former Bolsonaro aide said in plea bargain testimony that the then president talked with the commanders of Brazil's army, navy and air force about overthrowing the results of last year's election won by Lula. The newspaper did not identify the sources for its story. Bolsonaro's legal team also said that he did not take any action that violated the law during his 2019-2022 administration. Bolsonaro has been targeted by several investigations since he left office, including one looking into whether

Nearly a dozen soldiers took to state television and said they were overturning the presidential election and called for calm among the population. We reaffirm our commitment to respecting Gabon's commitments to the national and international community," said a spokesperson for the group. The soldiers on television were comprised of members from the gendarme, the republican guard and other factions of the security forces. Gabon President Ali Bongo Ondimba, 64, was seeking a third term in elections this weekend that could extend his family's 55-year political dynasty. He served two terms since coming to power in 2009 after the death of his father, Omar Bongo, who ruled the country for 41 years. There was concern of violence before the election due to deep-seated grievances among the population of some 800,000 people. Nearly 40 per cent of Gabonese ages 15-24 were out of work in 2020, according to the World Bank. After last week's vote, the Central African nation's Communications .

If mutinous soldiers who ousted Niger's President Mohamed Bazoum succeed, it will threaten democracy and security across the region and the continent, a high-ranking member of Bazoum's political party warned in an interview with The Associated Press. Boubacar Sabo, deputy secretary general for the Nigerien Party for Democracy and Socialism, said Bazoum had been kidnapped by members of the presidential guard who overthrew him on July 26 and have since kept him under house arrest. What is happening in Niger, if it succeeds, is the end of democracy in Africa. It's over. ... If we fight today, it is to prevent these kind of things from happening and to ensure a future for our continent, Sabo said on Thursday. In a region rife with coups, Niger was seen as one of the last democratic countries that Western nations could partner with to beat back a growing jihadi insurgency linked to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group. The overthrow of the president nearly one month ago has been a big b

The State Department also affirmed its support towards Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in achieving the stated objectives

Niger's mutinous soldiers say they will prosecute deposed President Mohamed Bazoum for high treason and undermining state security, hours after they said they were open to dialogue with West African nations to resolve the mounting regional crisis. The announcement on state television on Sunday night, by spokesman Col. Maj. Amadou Abdramane, said the military regime had gathered the necessary evidence to prosecute before competent national and international authorities the ousted president and his local and foreign accomplices for high treason and for undermining the internal and external security of Niger. Bazoum, Niger's democratically elected president, was ousted by members of his presidential guard on July 26 and has since been under house arrest with his wife and son in the presidential compound in the capital, Niamey. People close to the president as well as those in his ruling party say their electricity and water have been cut off and they're running out of food. The junta .

The central government is closely monitoring ongoing developments in Niger, said MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi on Friday

Nigeriens awoke Tuesday to deepening uncertainty about whether a regional bloc will follow through on its threat to use military force to try to reinstall ousted President Mohamed Bazoum or if last-minute diplomacy will prevail, nearly two weeks after mutinous soldiers overthrew the country's democratically elected leader. The West African regional bloc ECOWAS had given the mutinous soldiers until Sunday to release and reinstall Bazoum or they threatened to use force. Members from ECOWAS, the United Nations and the African Union were expected to join talks in the capital, Niamey, on Tuesday, a foreign official told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to media. On Monday, acting US Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland met with the coup leaders in Niger and said they refused to allow her to meet with Bazoum, whom she described as under virtual house arrest. She described the mutinous officers as unreceptive to her appeals to .

Late on Wednesday, the junta in Niger vowed it would not bow to external pressure, dismissing the sanctions and ECOWAS' warning it could intervene