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Worldnews

Bolsonaro Rallies Supporters In Brazil Amid Supreme Court Coup Plot Trial

Legal woes hang over the former president, who has called for several demonstrations in support of himself in recent months. Facing serious legal jeopardy with potentially years of incarceration over an alleged coup plot being tried by the nation’s Supreme Court, former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has attended a protest by his supporters. Several thousand people attended the rally on Sunday in Sao Paolo. During the protest, Bolsonaro told the crowds that those who “accuse” him may have “trump cards up their sleeves”. “But I have three things on my side that they don’t have: God, freedom and the support of a large part of the Brazilian population,” he said. “I’m not obsessed with power, I’m in love with my country,” he said, adding, “I don’t need to be the president…If I remain honorary president of my party, we can do what you want.” In February, Bolsonaro, 70, who led the country from 2019 to 2022, was charged with five counts of planning to remain in power and overturn the 2022 election result, which current president, the left-wing Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, won. Thirty-three of Bolsonaro’s closest allies were also charged. Earlier this month, Bolsonaro testified for the first time before the nation’s Supreme Court, denying any involvement in the alleged coup plot. The Supreme Court headquarters in Brasilia was one of the targets of a rioting mob known as “Bolsonaristas” – who raided government buildings in January 2023 as they urged the military to oust President Lula, an insurrection attempt that evoked the supporters of Bolsonaro ally United States President Donald Trump on January 6, 2021. Police have referred to the demonstration as an uprising and an attempt to force military intervention and depose Lula. Bolsonaro claims that the various cases against him are politically motivated, aimed at preventing him from making a comeback in the 2026 elections. Brazil’s Superior Electoral Court ruled last year that due to an abuse of Bolsonaro’s political power and his baseless claims about the country’s electronic voting system, he would be banned from holding office until 2030. Earlier this month, at Bolsonaro’s first testimony at the Supreme Court, the former president denied that there was a coup attempt. “There was never any talk of a coup. A coup is an abominable thing,” Bolsonaro said. “Brazil couldn’t go through an experience like that. And there was never even the possibility of a coup in my government.” Bolsonaro was abroad in Florida in the US at the time of this last-gasp effort to keep him in power after the alleged coup planning fizzled. But his opponents have accused him of fomenting the rioting. At the same time, Brazilian police have called for Bolsonaro to be separately charged with illegal espionage while president. According to legal experts, the sentencing part of the coup plot case is expected in the second half of the year. If convicted, Bolsonaro could face up to 12 years in prison. During his legal troubles, the former president has called for several protests, but his appearances at them have declined in recent months, as have the crowds. According to estimates by the University of Sao Paulo, about 45,000 people took part in the most recent march on Paulista Avenue in April, almost four times fewer than in February. Sao Paulo Governor Tarcisio de Freitas, a former Bolsonaro minister, is a top candidate to represent the conservatives in the 2026 presidential election. Follow Al Jazeera English:...

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Worldnews

Russia-Ukraine War: List Of Key Events, Day 1,222

Ukraine offers cash incentives to lure young recruits amid troop shortages Here is how things stand on Monday, June 30: Follow Al Jazeera English:...

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Futbol

What's Gone Wrong For Man City In Trophyless Season?

With their Women's Champions League qualification hopes hanging by a thread, an interim manager in charge and no silverware - what has gone wrong for Manchester City this season? It is not the way they pictured things after pushing Chelsea all the way in a pulsating Women's Super League title race last year, coming second only on goal difference. But when the full-time whistle went at the Joie Stadium on Sunday, ending City's last chance of winning a trophy this season, they had to stand and watch as rivals Manchester United celebrated reaching a third successive FA Cup final with their 2-0 win. An injury crisis, managerial upheaval and disappointing performances in the biggest moments have all contributed to what has been a season to forget. Any team without Vivianne Miedema, Khadija Shaw, Lauren Hemp and Alex Greenwood would drop their level. City's extensive injury list, which includes those key players, has severely impacted their campaign and thrust their lack of squad depth into question. Jill Roord, Aoba Fujino, Rebecca Knaak, Laura Coombs, Naomi Layzell and keeper Ayaka Yamashita have also missed a significant number of games this season as City currently sit fourth in the WSL, seven points adrift of Manchester United in the final Champions League spot with just four games left. They had only four outfield players on the bench in the second leg of their Women's Champions League quarter-final defeat by Chelsea, where the Blues overturned a 2-0 first-leg deficit, and have ended the season with academy graduates Gracie Prior and Lily Murphy starting almost every game. Interim manager Nick Cushing admitted the injury crisis "100% needs to be examined" in the summer - but it will not help his side now. "With so many injuries, they can't be all bad luck and they can't all be down to bad practise," he said. "We have to look at everything. We have to look at why we're sitting fourth in the league, why we've not won a trophy and why we've not got our best players [through injury]. "The review process will be covering everything. I think we should be competing in every competition right until the end." While City's misfortune is clear, they also failed to act, unlike their rivals. When Chelsea superstar Sam Kerr suffered an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury last year, they broke the then-British record to bring in Colombian forward Mayra Ramirez. The WSL leaders then splashed the cash in a world-record deal for defender Naomi Girma in January after losing Kadeisha Buchanan, also to an ACL injury. Meanwhile, despite a growing injury list, City only signed four players in January, one of which was 20-year-old midfielder Aemu Oyama and allowed England international Chloe Kelly to join Arsenal on loan. "Some of those [injured] players would walk into any team in the WSL," said former City and England captain Steph Houghton on BBC Two. "If you take away Shaw, Miedema and Greenwood, that is a spine of experienced players and also good quality players. "You've got a 20-year-old in Gracie Prior that has come through the academy and has played a lot of games recently. Should she be in the team? "This is not down to individual performances but ultimately we are trying to build a squad to go and win trophies. "We are missing some key players. That has proved the difference. Without a doubt the strength in depth isn't there and that is something we need to address." It has been a tough few months for City and underpinning it all has been a managerial change. Having already fallen away in the WSL title race, the dramatic circumstances surrounding forward Kelly's exit in January raised eyebrows. That led to divisions within the fanbase over former manager Gareth Taylor - but it was City's underwhelming performances that ultimately proved to be his downfall. The decision to sack Taylor was a bold one as it came just days before a crucial two-week period in which City would face Chelsea four times in three competitions. "Unfortunately we have just not had the rub of the green this season," Houghton added. "The managerial change adds another factor to the performances we have seen over the past few months. "Ultimately, this is a big learning curve and it's how we get better as a club going forward." Interim manager Cushing was brought back to the club to try to instil some stability and there were positive signs, but ultimately he did not have enough time to turn things around. At the end of an intense four-game battle with Sonia Bompastor's side, City had lost the Women's League Cup final, dropped further points in the WSL and were knocked out of Europe despite taking a two-goal first-leg advantage. It was a damaging period which left very little to play for and City's wounds were cut deeper when bitter rivals United punished them in the FA Cup. Asked if the semi-final defeat by United had effectively ended City's season, interim manager Cushing said: "In the sense of trophies, it is over. We can't win a trophy. "Mathematically we can still get third place [in the WSL]. I said after the game, 'we have to win out now'. We have to win every game. "If we do that and Manchester United slip up in a difficult run of games, then we have a chance [of qualifying for Europe]. "We have to play better and win at Old Trafford [in the WSL on 4 May]. We have to embrace the pressure and responsibility of that and fight through it." But what is most disappointing, is that City haven't competed with their rivals in the big games this season in the way many had expected. Their sole victory in those matches against Chelsea ultimately proved to be insignificant as it was in the first leg of their Champions League defeat. They were poor against Manchester United in the FA Cup semi-final, having already been beaten 4-2 by their rivals in the WSL at Etihad Stadium in January. And at the Joie Stadium in February, with a top-three WSL spot up for grabs, City conceded twice within eight minutes in a 4-3 loss to Arsenal. They have 11 points fewer in the league than they had at this stage last season, having scored nine goals less and conceding 11 more. "No matter how it looks, you should compete. I would take any 11 players in the world and think we can win in a certain way," said Cushing after Sunday's loss. "That might be our problem, that we don't have the toughness and desire to attack the game, however it looks. "There is a lot of conversation nowadays about the beautiful side of the game - tactics and systems. But you have to win tackles, win duels and compete. "We have to go away and figure that out so whoever we play and however we play, we can compete at the level our football club expects." Head here to get involved

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Worldnews

Ugandas President Museveni Confirms Bid To Extend Nearly 40-year Rule

The 80-year-old leader pledges economic growth from today’s GDP of $66bn to $500bn within the next five years. Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has confirmed he will contest next year’s presidential election, setting the stage for a potential extension of his nearly 40-year rule. The 80-year-old announced late on Saturday that he had expressed his interest “in running for … the position of presidential flag bearer” for his National Resistance Movement (NRM) party. Museveni seized power in 1986 after a five-year civil war and has ruled ever since. The NRM has altered the constitution twice to remove term and age limits, clearing the way for Museveni to extend his tenure. Rights groups accused him of using security forces and state patronage to suppress dissent and entrench his power – claims he denies. Museveni said he seeks re-election to transform Uganda into a “$500bn economy in the next five years”. According to government data, the country’s current gross domestic product stands at just under $66bn. Ugandans are due to vote in January to choose a president and members of parliament. Opposition leader Bobi Wine, a pop star-turned-politician whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi, has confirmed he will run again. Wine rejected the 2021 results, alleging widespread fraud, ballot tampering and intimidation by security forces. Tensions have risen in recent months after parliament passed a law allowing military courts to try civilians, a practice the Supreme Court ruled unconstitutional in January. The government insisted the change is necessary to tackle threats to national security, but rights organisations and opposition figures argued it is a tool to intimidate and silence critics. Uganda for years has used military courts to prosecute opposition politicians and government critics. In 2018, Wine was charged in a military court with illegal possession of firearms. The charges were later dropped. Human Rights Watch (HRW) has criticised Uganda’s military courts for failing to meet international standards of judicial independence and fairness. Oryem Nyeko, senior Africa researcher at HRW, said this year: “The Ugandan authorities have for years misused military courts to crack down on opponents and critics.” Follow Al Jazeera English:...