Jair Bolsonaro charged over alleged far-right coup plot to seize power in Brazil

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Former president has denied breaking the law, while attorney general alleges plot included a plan to poison Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva

Brazil’s former president Jair Bolsonaro has been charged with allegedly masterminding and leading a far-right conspiracy to cling to power through a military coup.

The South American country’s attorney general, Paulo Gonet, levelled the charges against the radical rightwing populist and several key allies on Tuesday night. He accused Bolsonaro and six key associates of leading a criminal organization with an “authoritarian power project”. The alleged plot, he wrote, included a plan to poison Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and shoot dead Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, a foe of the former president.

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RSF Announces Plans for Breakaway Government in Sudan – The New York Times

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  1. RSF Announces Plans for Breakaway Government in Sudan  The New York Times
  2. Sudan slams Kenya for hosting RSF-aligned political event  Sudan Tribune
  3. Rapid Support Forces and the William Ruto Sudan war link  Nation
  4. Sudan’s sanctioned RSF gets Nairobi backing to form parallel administration  The East African
  5. Sudan Coalition Delays Signing of Parallel-Government Agreement  Bloomberg
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299 deportees from US held in Panama hotel as authorities try to return them to their countries – The Associated Press

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  1. 299 deportees from US held in Panama hotel as authorities try to return them to their countries  The Associated Press
  2. Under Trump’s Mass Deportation Plan, Some Migrants Are Being Sent to Panama  The New York Times
  3. Panama says many migrants deported from the US agree to be returned to home countries  Reuters Canada
  4. U.S. deports nearly 120 Asian migrants of different nationalities to Panama  NBC News
  5. U.S. deporting African and Asian migrants to Panama in diplomatic breakthrough  CBS News
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Muhsin Hendricks murder: Even in his final seconds of life, first gay imam pushed boundaries – BBC.com

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  1. Muhsin Hendricks murder: Even in his final seconds of life, first gay imam pushed boundaries  BBC.com
  2. South African Imam and Gay Rights Advocate Is Shot Dead  The New York Times
  3. Prominent gay imam shot dead in South Africa  Al Jazeera English
  4. World's first openly gay imam shot dead in South Africa: authorities  Fox News
  5. ILGA World mourns Muhsin Hendricks, activist and first openly gay Imam  International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association
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Retailers to be required to report suspicious or bulk purchases of knives

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New raft of measures labelled Ronan’s law include tougher sentences for those caught selling blades to under-18s

Retailers will be required to report suspicious or bulk purchases of knives, and those caught selling blades to under-18s will face tougher sentences under a new raft of measures to clamp down on young people’s access to weapons labelled Ronan’s law.

Named after Ronan Kanda, the 16-year-old killed in Wolverhampton in 2022 by a teenager carrying a 22in ninja blade he had ordered online, the new laws are part of a raft of anti-knife crime plans announced by the government on Wednesday.

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Life expectancy growth stalls across Europe as England sees sharpest decline, say researchers

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Poor diet, obesity and inactivity blamed on decline with Norway the only country seeing a rise

Life expectancy improvement is stalling across Europe with England experiencing the biggest slowdown. Experts are blaming this on an alarming mix of poor diet, mass inactivity and soaring obesity.

The average annual growth in life expectancy across the continent fell from 0.23 years between 1990 and 2011 to 0.15 years between 2011 and 2019, according to research published in the Lancet Public Health journal. Of the 20 countries studied, every one apart from Norway saw life expectancy growth fall.

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Trump administration gives schools deadline to cut DEI or lose federal funds

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Education department gives ultimatum to stop using ‘racial preferences’ as factors in admissions or risk losing money

The Trump administration is giving the US’s schools and universities two weeks to eliminate diversity initiatives or risk losing federal money, raising the stakes in the president’s fight against “wokeness”.

In a memo on Friday, the education department gave an ultimatum to stop using “racial preferences” as a factor in admissions, financial aid, hiring or other areas. Schools are being given 14 days to end any practice that treats students or workers differently because of their race.

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As Lebanese celebrate return to border villages, Hezbollah terrorists rise from the ruins – Ynetnews

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  1. As Lebanese celebrate return to border villages, Hezbollah terrorists rise from the ruins  Ynetnews
  2. As Deadline for Withdrawal Passes, Israel Remains in Parts of Southern Lebanon  The New York Times
  3. Israel refuses to fully withdraw from Lebanon: Here’s what to know  Al Jazeera English
  4. Lebanese search for dead in devastated villages as Israel withdraws  Reuters
  5. U.S. & Russia Hold Talks in Saudi Arabia on Ukraine & More  Democracy Now!
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Heat pump sales in Europe fall 23% to pre-Ukraine war levels

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Growth in 2022 and 2023 was driven by soaring gas prices caused by Russia’s invasion, but 2024 saw sales slump

Heat pump sales fell 23% in Europe last year, industry data shows, reverting to the level they were at before the war in Ukraine and slowing the shift away from gas-burning boilers.

Demand for clean heating devices fell by about half in Belgium and Germany, and by 39% in France, according to data for 13 countries that cover 85% of the European heat pump market.

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Politicians who deliberately lie could be forced from office in Wales

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Proposals designed to restore trust in politics would also criminalise the making of false statements to win votes

Elected politicians who deliberately lie could be forced from office under proposals designed to put Wales at the forefront of the “global challenge” to restore trust in politics.

Radical changes suggested by the Welsh parliament standards committee would also make candidates in elections liable to criminal prosecution for making any false statement to win votes.

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Trump threatens 25% tariffs on foreign cars and semiconductor chips

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White House has raised threat of levies as a means to bolster US economy, ignoring warnings trade wars could derail it

Donald Trump stood firm against warnings that his threatened trade war risks derailing the US economy, claiming his administration could hit foreign cars with tariffs of around 25% within weeks.

Semiconductor chips and drugs are set to face higher duties, Trump told reporters at a news conference on Tuesday.

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Trump Takes a Wrecking Ball to Our Alliance With Europe – Slate

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  1. Trump Takes a Wrecking Ball to Our Alliance With Europe  Slate
  2. After Munich, It's Time for Europe to Do the Unthinkable  Foreign Policy
  3. As US recedes, NATO scrambles to find a new leader  POLITICO Europe
  4. Trump's self-inflicted Ukraine conflict: Dismantle the European alliance or ditch Putin  Haaretz
  5. Trump and Vance have smashed the old order – how should Europe respond?  The Guardian
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More than a rift: Trump aides cast doubt on shared values with Europe – The Christian Science Monitor

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  1. More than a rift: Trump aides cast doubt on shared values with Europe  The Christian Science Monitor
  2. Opinion | A U.S. Betrayal Is Surreal for Europeans  The New York Times
  3. The US and Europe are at a crossroads. A new world order is emerging | Christopher S Chivvis  The Guardian US
  4. After Munich, It's Time for Europe to Do the Unthinkable  Foreign Policy
  5. Donald Trump’s assault on Europe  The Economist
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Bashy, Darkoo and Odeal top winners at 2025 Mobo awards

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There are two awards apiece for the UK artists, while Nigerian singer Ayra Starr also wins two at Newcastle-hosted ceremony for Black musical excellence

Seventeen years since his debut single, British rapper Bashy has capped his long-awaited return to music with two wins at the 2025 Mobo awards, given each year to the best music of Black origin in the UK and overseas.

The 40-year-old vocalist and actor, born Ashley Thomas, won best hip-hop act as well as album of the year for Being Poor Is Expensive. While it didn’t make the UK charts, the album earned critical acclaim and a dedicated audience on streaming, drawn to its examination of race, mental health and working-class life in north-west London.

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British Army ‘absolutely ready’ if ordered to deploy to Ukraine – BBC.com

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  1. British Army 'absolutely ready' if ordered to deploy to Ukraine  BBC.com
  2. Britain and France working on plans for ‘reassurance force’ to protect Ukraine  The Guardian
  3. France and UK plan air power-backed ‘reassurance force’ in postwar Ukraine  Financial Times
  4. Europeans explore troops for Ukraine ceasefire — and want U.S. support  The Washington Post
  5. Mooted EU deployment in Ukraine is fraught with challenges  DW (English)
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Egypt says Trump backs its Gaza plan, convinced by Jordan’s king – Middle East Eye

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  1. Egypt says Trump backs its Gaza plan, convinced by Jordan's king  Middle East Eye
  2. Egypt developing Gaza reconstruction plan to counter Trump’s ‘take over’  Al Jazeera English
  3. To Their Dismay, Arab States Are Being Called Upon to Shape Gaza's 'Day After'  Haaretz
  4. The Egyptian Plan for Gaza Takes Shape  Commentary Magazine
  5. Egypt Proposes Alternative To Trump's Plan Gaza Reconstruction  i24NEWS
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Rick Buckler, drummer of The Jam, dies aged 69 after short illness

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The musician, along with band members Paul Weller and Bruce Foxton, had many hits in the 1970s and 1980s, including four UK No 1s

Rick Buckler, the drummer of the rock group The Jam, has died aged 69 after a short illness.

In a statement, his management company said Buckley “passed away peacefully on Monday evening in Woking after a short illness with family by his side”.

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