dive fishing
SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil’s former far-right President Jair Bolsonaro was fully aware of and actively participated in a coup plot to remain in office after his defeat in the 2022 election, according to a Federal Police report unsealed Tuesday. Federal Police last Thursday formally accused Bolsonaro and 36 other people of attempting a coup. They sent their 884-page report to the Supreme Court, which lifted the seal. The unsealed document provides a first glimpse of several testimonies that describe the former president as one of the key leaders of the plot, and not a mere observer. “The evidence collected throughout the investigation shows unequivocally that then-President Jair Messias Bolsonaro planned, acted and was directly and effectively aware of the actions of the criminal organization aiming to launch a coup d’etat and eliminate the democratic rule of law, which did not take place due to reasons unrelated to his desire,” the document said. At another point, it says: “Bolsonaro had full awareness and active participation.” Bolsonaro, who had repeatedly alleged without evidence that the country’s electronic voting system was prone to fraud, called a meeting in December 2022, during which he presented a draft decree to the commanders of the three divisions of the armed forces, according to the police report, signed by four investigators. The decree would have launched an investigation into suspicions of fraud and crimes related to the October 2022 vote, and suspended the powers of the nation’s electoral court. The navy’s commander stood ready to comply, but those from the army and air force objected to any plan that prevented Lula’s inauguration, the report said. Those refusals are why the plan did not go ahead, according to witnesses who spoke to investigators. Bolsonaro never signed the decree to set the final stage of the alleged plan into action. Bolsonaro has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing or awareness of any plot to keep him in power or oust his leftist rival and successor, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. “No one is going to do a coup with a reserve general and half a dozen other officers. What is being said is absurd. For my part, there has never been any discussion of a coup,” Bolsonaro told journalists in Brazil’s capital Brasilia on Monday. “If someone came to discuss a coup with me, I’d say, that’s fine, but the day after, how does the world view us?” he added. “The word ‘coup’ has never been in my dictionary.” The top court has passed the report on to Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet. He will decide whether to formally charge Bolsonaro and put him on trial, or toss the investigation. The former president was formally accused of three crimes: violent elimination of the rule of law, staging a coup d’etat and forming a criminal organization. Rodrigo Rios, a law professor at the PUC university in the city of Curitiba, said Bolsonaro could face up to a minimum of 11 years in prison if convicted on all charges. “A woman involved in the Jan. 8 attack on the Supreme Court received a 17-year prison sentence,” Rios told The Associated Press, noting that the former president is more likely to receive 15 years or more if convicted. “Bolsonaro’s future looks dark.” Ahead of the 2022 election, Bolsonaro repeatedly alleged that the election system, which does not use paper ballots, could be tampered with. The top electoral court later ruled that he had abused his power to cast unfounded doubt on the voting system, and ruled him ineligible . Still, he has maintained that he will stand as a candidate in the 2026 race. Since Bolsonaro left office, he has been targeted by several investigations, all of which he has chalked up to political persecution. Federal Police have accused him of without properly declaring them and directing a subordinate . Authorities are also investigating whether he in which his followers ransacked the Supreme Court and presidential palace in Brasilia, seeking to prompt intervention by the army that would oust Lula from power. Bolsonaro had left for the United States days before Lula’s inauguration on Jan. 1, 2023 and stayed there three months, keeping a low profile. The police report unsealed Tuesday alleges he was seeking to avoid possible imprisonment related to the coup plot, and also await the uprising that took place a week later. ___ Hughes reported from Rio de JaneiroZF Group sells 4.3 pc stake in Indian subsidiary for Rs 1,022 crore
Tennessee is the new No. 1 in men’s college basketball after a massive shakeup in the AP Top 25 . The Vols received 58 first-place votes from a 62-person media panel Monday to reach No. 1 for the first time since the 2018-19 season. Tennessee climbed two spots from last week after Kansas lost twice and Auburn fell to No. 4 Duke. The Tigers remained No. 2 and received three first-place votes. No. 3 Iowa State had one first-place vote and climbed three places from last week for its highest ranking since 1956-57. Kentucky rounded out the top five. In all, 14 ranked teams lost last week, including six teams in the top 10; Kansas and then-No. 11 Wisconsin lost twice. Only two teams — Auburn and No. 12 Oregon — remained in the same poll spots they were a week ago, and the volatility saw five teams jump into the rankings. Tennessee (8-0) is off to its best start since opening the 2000-01 season 9-0 and is No. 1 in the NET rankings. The Vols also are second in the KenPom ratings, ranking second in defensive efficiency and ninth in offensive efficiency despite losing four starters from last year’s SEC championship team. Tennessee beat Syracuse 96-70 in its only game last week. Kansas had been No. 1 since the preseason poll before losing to 76-63 to Creighton and 76-67 to rival Missouri . The losses dropped the Jayhawks to No. 10. Auburn was poised to move into the No. 1 spot for the first time since 2021-22 but lost 84-78 at Duke before beating Richmond. Iowa State had its highest preseason ranking at No. 5 after reaching the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16 a year ago. The Cyclones lost by two to Auburn in the Maui Invitational but have reeled off four straight wins since. Iowa State blew out Jackson State 100-58 in its only game last week before facing rival Iowa this week. Two-time reigning national champion UConn nearly dropped out of the poll last week following a 0-for-3 run in Maui. The Huskies bounced back nicely last week, picking up impressive wins over Baylor and Texas to move up seven spots in this week’s poll to No. 18. “Maybe the people with the shovels and the dirt, maybe they were too quick to grab the shovel and throw the dirt on us,” UConn coach Dan Hurley said. Oklahoma had the biggest jump within this week’s poll, climbing eight spots to No. 13 after beating Georgia Tech and Alcorn State . Duke and No. 17 Texas A&M each moved up five spots. Kansas had the biggest drop, followed by No. 20 Wisconsin, which fell nine spots. No. 22 Cincinnati dropped eight places. Multiple teams moved in and out of this week’s poll. No. 14 Michigan is ranked for the first time in nearly three years after tight wins over Wisconsin and Iowa . The Wolverines have won seven straight under first-year coach Dusty May. No. 16 Clemson is ranked for the first time this season following wins over Kentucky and Miami . No. 21 Michigan State also is ranked for the first time after wins over Nebraska and Minnesota . No. 24 UCLA is ranked for the first time since the preseason poll following wins over Washington and Oregon. No. 25 Mississippi State is back in the poll after blowing out Pittsburgh 90-57 and beating Prairie View A&M . Baylor, Memphis, Pittsburgh, Illinois and North Carolina all dropped out of the rankings. The SEC led all conferences with nine ranked teams, followed by the Big Ten with six and the Big 12 with four. The Atlantic Coast Conference and Big East each had two ranked teams, while the West Coast and Mountain West conferences each had one.
Renewable energy pioneer gears up for growth via acquisitionJustin Herbert threw three touchdowns as the Los Angeles Chargers booked their place in the NFL playoffs with a blowout 40-7 win at the New England Patriots on Saturday. The Patriots, who suffered a sixth straight loss, were booed off the field by the remaining fans at Gillette Stadium as they fell to 3-13 on the season. But for the Chargers it was a job well done as the confident Herbert ensured a second post-season place in three seasons with another accomplished quarterback display. Herbert completed 28 of 38 passes and threw for 281 yards against a Patriots defense that caused few issues against the passing game. The Chargers took the lead late in the first quarter thanks to a beautiful 23-yard Herbert pass, superbly caught by the diving Derius Davis. After a Cameron Dicker field goal early in the second, Herbert found rookie receiver Ladd McConkey at the back of the end-zone with a pinpoint pass to make it 17-0. Patriots rookie quarterback Drake Maye had been forced out of the game in the first quarter after suffering a hit to the head by Cam Hart when running down the sideline. But Maye, who had been cleared to return for the second quarter, showed he was in good shape with a fine 36-yard touchdown pass to DeMario Douglas to give the Patriots some hope. But the Chargers ran away with the game with Herbert again connecting with McConkey, this time with a 40-yard pass down the middle and a two-yard rush from J.K Dobbins in the fourth completed the rout. Herbert's performance meant he set a new record for the most passing yards in the first five years of an NFL career -- passing Peyton Manning's tally of 20,618 yards. But the quarterback, who has yet to win a playoff game, was quick to give credit for his achievement to his team-mates. "It says so much about the guys we had catching those passes and a great offensive line giving me the time to get the ball off and (the defense) getting me the ball back," he said. "I couldn't have done it without them," he added. The Denver Broncos can clinch a place in the playoffs when they face the Bengals in Cincinnati later on Saturday. sev/nf