Bulletins and News Discussion from February 12th to February 18th, 2024 - The Prodigal Failson - COTW: Brazil

Image is of Brazilian chuds storming the National Congress building in opposition to Lula winning the election, on January 8th, 2023, in their remarkably even shittier version of the January 6th events in America.

Bolsonaro, who is in the tragic category of pro-US South American leaders who are so awful and uncharismatic that even they can't get the US to help them overthrow a democratically elected left-ish government, has recently been facing that most elusive of things in this current world order: consequences for his actions. Bolsonaro and his friends have been under investigation by the police, and his passport has now been seized, meaning he is unable to leave the country. Alongside the man himself, the leader of the Liberal Party, Valdemar Costa Neto, has been caught up in searches and investigations. Brazilian Army Colonel Bernardo Correa Neto, a former aide to Bolsonaro, was very recently arrested upon his return to Brazil from the US, as well as another colonel.

From the Hexbear South American correspondent (a position I just made up), @Redcuban1959@hexbear.net:

Lol, they are really fucked. Iirc, this is a municipal election year in Brazil, Bolsonaro can't campaign publicly, he can't promote his candidates. The leader of his party is currently in prison. And even if he is released from prison, they are forbidden to communicate with each other. The high-ranking members of the Liberal Party are pretty much fucked because they can't communicate with each other and getting support from Bolsonaro could be very bad, as left-wing candidates will exploit the fact that Bolsonaro will probably be imprisoned for planning a coup.
The FBI seems to have concluded its investigation into Bolsonaro's money laundering scheme in the US and handed over its findings to the Brazilian Federal Police, I don't think Bolsonaro can even go to the US anymore, or any other country. And it could get even funnier, there is a very small chance of the Liberal Party being banned and all its seats in congress and the senate being transferred to other politicians, many of whom, even if they are conservative, will be much more favorable to Lula's social and economic reforms, as it has been proven that Bolsonaro used the party to finance the coup.

The Country of the Week is Brazil! Feel free to chime in with books, essays, longform articles, even stories and anecdotes or rants. More detail here.

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Diplomatic and consular relations established between the Republic of Cuba and the Republic of Korea
Article
The establishment of diplomatic and consular relations between the Republic of Cuba and the Republic of Korea took place on February 14 through an exchange of Diplomatic Notes between the Permanent Representations of the two countries to the United Nations in New York, United States.
This milestone in bilateral history took place in accordance with the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations, international law and the spirit and norms of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of April 18, 1961, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cuba.
The study Centralidad de Asia para Cuba, published in 2021 by the Center for International Policy Research, shows that both nations had economic and commercial ties in areas such as the automotive industry, air conditioners, refrigerators, high-definition televisions and cell phones.
i wonder if this will cause problems between the DPRK and Cuba since they dont see peacefull reunification as posible anymore
- Rare Cuba L
  
  China made the ultimate deal with the devil to continue their socialist project and worked lockstep with the great Satan for decades ( and arguably still prop up their fake imperial economy). The conditions in Cuba are grim, relatively, almost any way to bypass the embargo is justified.

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