Brazil’s Bolsonaro faces more corruption accusations - Al Jazeera English

President Jair Bolsonaro is accused of involvement in scheme to skim his aides’ salaries, news website UOL reported.

Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro has been accused of being involved in a scheme to skim salaries of his aides while a federal deputy, Brazilian website UOL reported on Monday, heaping more political pressure on the far-right leader.

Citing what it said were audio recordings of Bolsonaro’s former sister-in-law explaining his role in the alleged racket, UOL said the racket involved hiring close associates as employees and then receiving a cut of their public salaries back from them.

The UOL report is the first time Bolsonaro has been directly implicated in such a scheme, known locally as rachadinha.

Rio de Janeiro state prosecutors have formally pressed charges against federal Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, the president’s eldest son, over his alleged participation in a similar racket when he was a state lawmaker.

Monday’s report comes as Bolsonaro is facing widespread public anger and mass protests over his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic – and fielding questions about alleged corruption in the government’s vaccine procurement efforts.

The populist leader was elected in 2018 on a promise to root out corruption after several high-profile scandals rocked Brazil.

But Bolsonaro’s handling of the coronavirus, which has killed more than 524,000 people across the South American nation, has caused a steep decline in his popularity – and he faces a Senate commission investigation into his government’s pandemic policies.

Thousands of people protested across Brazil during the weekend to demand his resignation over the crisis.

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Rosa Weber also on Saturday authorised a criminal investigation into Bolsonaro’s response to allegations of potential corruption within his health ministry in the process of procuring an Indian COVID-19 vaccine.

He has been implicated in alleged irregularities surrounding a 1.6 billion reais ($315m) contract signed in February with a Brazilian intermediary of the vaccine’s maker, Indian pharma company Bharat Biotech, for 20 million doses. Bolsonaro has denied any wrongdoing.

The UOL report is based on audio recordings of Bolsonaro’s former sister-in-law, Andrea Siqueira Valle, provided by a source.

A woman holds a placard reading ‘Impeachment is little, more than 500 thousand deaths, #out Bolsonaro’ as she takes part in a protest in Rio de Janeiro on July 3 [Pilar Olivares/Reuters]

In one recording, Siqueira Valle explains that her brother, André Siqueira, who was also on Bolsonaro’s payroll, was fired for refusing to hand back the agreed amount to the now-president.

“André had a lot of trouble because he never returned the right money that had to be returned,” she said on the recording.

“Eventually, Jair said … ‘Enough. You can get rid of him because he never gives me the right amount of money’.”

Bolsonaro’s office declined to comment to the Reuters news agency. A lawyer representing Bolsonaro contacted by UOL denied illegalities.

The recent scandals could pose a problem for Bolsonaro as Brazil prepares for presidential elections next year.

Former left-wing President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is expected to run – but has not confirmed his candidacy – and recent polling shows Lula stands a good chance of defeating Bolsonaro.

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2021-07-05 19:07:51Z
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Afghanistan: UK could launch airstrikes from outside country against future terror threats, defence minister says - Sky News

Britain could launch airstrikes from outside Afghanistan against any future terrorist threats to the UK that emerge inside the country as troops withdraw, a defence minister has signalled.

James Heappey, the armed forces minister, drew on the example of how British warplanes fly from a base in Cyprus to attack Islamic State targets in Syria and Iraq when asked by an MP if the UK would similarly conduct military action in Afghanistan from a distance.

"We absolutely reserve the right to counter terrorist threats to the United Kingdom that may re-emerge in Afghanistan," Mr Heappey said.

"And he is absolutely right to point us towards an 'outside-in' model such as that prosecuted from Cyprus in support of Operation Shader," he said, referring to the counter-ISIS mission.

"I know that that is very much in the thoughts of those who are planning for that eventuality in Afghanistan."

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The comments came as the Taliban said it planned to present a written peace proposal to the UK and US-backed Afghan government side as soon as next month even as the militant group made major territorial gains across the country.

More on Afghanistan

A security vacuum has grown since US President Joe Biden pledged to withdraw all US troops from Afghanistan by 11 September - the 20th anniversary of the al Qaeda terrorist attacks on the United States that triggered the US-led invasion in the first place.

The exit announcement was made despite a failure to secure peace in the country.

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Afghanistan: What happens if Taliban return?

The US withdrawal has been relatively rapid, with the main US military base in Afghanistan handed over to the Afghan authorities last Friday without fanfare.

It means a hugely uncertain time for the Afghan police and army without their primary backers. In a sign of their nerves, more than 1,000 Afghan security force personnel fled into neighbouring Tajikistan on Sunday in the face of the Taliban advances.

Image: Afghan security forces keep watch after the American military left the Bagram airbase

Yet Taliban leaders renewed long-stalled talks with Afghan government envoys in Qatar's capital Doha last week.

"The peace talks and process will be accelerated in the coming days... and they are expected to enter an important stage, naturally it will be about peace plans," Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid told Reuters on Monday.

Back in the UK's House of Commons, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace was also asked about the UK's nearly 20-year military campaign in Afghanistan, which is quietly drawing to a close alongside the US exit.

Image: Taliban fighters have seized equipment and weapons

He said the US decision to pull its much larger force out of the country left the UK "in a very difficult position" and meant British troops were having to leave as well.

"We too are in that path of withdrawal with all the risks that that may leave for the future in the next 10 or 20 years," he said.

Image: The main US military base in Afghanistan was handed over to the Afghan authorities last Friday

The UK would continue to work with the Afghan government and "continue to focus on the threats that emanate from Afghanistan and that may grow to emanate towards the UK and our allies and we will do whatever we can".

Boris Johnson is set to chair a National Security Council meeting on Monday in which decisions are expected to be made about the future UK footprint in Afghanistan.

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2021-07-05 18:30:28Z
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Afghanistan: Soldiers flee to Tajikistan after Taliban clashes - BBC News

Reuters

More than 1,000 Afghan soldiers have fled to neighbouring Tajikistan after clashing with Taliban militants, officials have said.

The troops retreated over the border to "save their own lives", according to a statement by Tajikistan's border guard.

Violence has risen in Afghanistan and the Taliban have been making significant gains, particularly in the north of the country, in recent weeks.

The surge coincides with the end of Nato's 20-year military mission.

The vast majority of remaining foreign forces in Afghanistan have been withdrawn ahead of a September deadline. There are concerns that the Afghan military, who were supposed to take over security in the country, will collapse.

Under a deal with the Taliban, the US and its Nato allies agreed to withdraw all troops in return for a commitment by the militants not to allow any extremist group to operate in the areas they control.

But the Taliban did not agree to stop fighting Afghan forces, and now reportedly control about a third of the country.

• Who are the Taliban?
• How can the West fight terror after leaving?
• US troops must leave by deadline - Afghan Taliban

The retreat is the third time Afghan soldiers have fled to Tajikistan over the past three days and the fifth case over the past fortnight. In total, nearly 1,600 soldiers have crossed the border.

The latest group of Afghan troops sought refuge early on Monday morning after fighting with militants during the night, Tajikistan's National Security Committee said.

Badakhshan and Takhar provinces, which border Tajikistan, have seen a rapid Taliban advance, and the militants have now captured most of the territory.

"The Taliban cut off all the roads and these people had nowhere to go but to cross the border," one senior Afghan official told Reuters on Monday.

Zabihullah Atiq, a parliamentarian from Badakhshan, said the troops had used various routes to flee.

Tajik border guards said Afghan soldiers were being provided with shelter and food, but further details were not available.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani insists that the country's security forces are fully capable of keeping insurgents at bay, but there have also been reports of more soldiers seeking refuge in Pakistan and Uzbekistan to escape the fighting.

Neighbouring countries are bracing themselves for a potential influx of refugees if the fighting continues to intensify.

Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen told the BBC the group was not responsible for the recent increase in violence. He insisted that many districts had fallen to the Taliban through mediation after Afghan soldiers refused to fight.

For the people of Afghanistan, it is a worrying time, says Lyse Doucet, the BBC's chief international correspondent. The Taliban, who have been accused of various human rights and cultural abuses, support Islamic punishments - such as public executions of convicted murderers - as well as banning television, music and cinema, and disapproving of girls over 10 going to school.

"They are uncertain about where their country is heading, uncertain about their own village or town or city, and uncertain about their own lives and the futures of their families," she said.

Zahra, a 25-year-old resident of Kabul, is among those concerned about the future.

"Afghanistan's situation is really sensitive and people are expecting a wider than ever war. A lot of people in Kabul fear that the Taliban might reach us at any time," she told BBC OS on World Service radio.

Photo supplied

Jamshid, a student at Kabul University, said he did not plan to stay in the country if the Taliban took power.

There are also growing concerns about how to protect diplomatic missions in Afghanistan.

Russia on Monday announced that it had temporarily suspended operations at its consulate in the northern city of Mazar-e-Sharif because of the deteriorating security situation. Envoy Zamir Kabulov said Afghan troops had surrendered too many districts, making the situation unstable.

Turkey and Iran have also suspended operations in the city, moving diplomats to Kabul, according to reports.

US-led forces ousted the Taliban from power in Afghanistan in 2001. The group had been harbouring Osama Bin Laden and other al-Qaeda figures linked to the 9/11 attacks in the US that triggered the invasion. However, it has gradually regained enough strength to seize territory again.

The Taliban entered direct talks with the US back in 2018, and President Joe Biden has said the American pull-out is justified as US forces have made sure Afghanistan cannot become a base for foreign jihadists to plot against the West again.

However, former Afghan President Hamid Karzai told the BBC he believed the Nato and US military mission there had failed in defeating terrorism and extremism.

He called on both the Afghan government and the Taliban to "sit down and talk as soon as possible for peace".

Twenty years of conflict in Afghanistan – what happened when?

From 9/11, to intense fighting on the ground, and now full withdrawal of US-led forces, here’s what happened.

9/11

11 September 2001

Al-Qaeda, led by Osama Bin Laden in Afghanistan, carries out the largest terror attack ever conducted on US soil.

Four commercial airliners are hijacked. Two are flown into the World Trade Centre in New York, which collapses. One hits the Pentagon building in Washington, and one crashes into a field in Pennsylvania. Nearly 3,000 people are killed.

First air strikes

7 October 2001

A US-led coalition bombs Taliban and al-Qaeda facilities in Afghanistan. Targets include Kabul, Kandahar and Jalalabad. The Taliban refuse to hand over Bin Laden. Their air defences and small fleet of fighter aircraft are destroyed.

Fall of Kabul

13 November 2001

The Northern Alliance, a group of anti-Taliban rebels backed by coalition forces, enters Kabul as the Taliban flee the city.

By the 13 November 2001, all Taliban have either fled or been neutralised. Other cities quickly fall.

New constitution

26 January 2004

After protracted negotiations at a “loya jirga” or grand assembly, the new Afghan constitution is signed into law. The constitution paves the way for presidential elections in October 2004.

Hamid Karzai becomes president

7 December 2004

Hamid Karzai, the leader of the Popalzai Durrani tribe, becomes the first president under the new constitution. He serves two five-year terms as president.

UK troops deployed to Helmand

May 2006

British troops arrive in Helmand province, a Taliban stronghold in the south of the country.

Their initial mission is to support reconstruction projects, but they are quickly drawn into combat operations. More than 450 British troops lose their lives in Afghanistan over the course of the conflict.

Obama’s surge

17 February 2009

US President Barack Obama approves a major increase in the number of troops sent to Afghanistan. At their peak, they number about 140,000.

The so-called “surge” is modelled on US strategy in Iraq where US forces focussed on protecting the civilian population as well as killing insurgent fighters.

Osama Bin Laden killed

2 May 2011

The leader of al-Qaeda is killed in an assault by US Navy Seals on a compound in Abbottabad in Pakistan. Bin Laden’s body is removed and buried at sea. The operation ends a 10-year hunt led by the CIA.  The confirmation that Bin Laden had been living on Pakistani soil fuels accusations in the US that Pakistan is an unreliable ally in the war on terror.

Death of Mullah Omar

23 April 2013

The founder of the Taliban, Mullah Mohammed Omar, dies. His death is kept secret for more than two years.

According to Afghan intelligence, Mullah Omar dies of health problems at a hospital in the Pakistani city of Karachi. Pakistan denies that he was in the country.

Nato ends combat operations

28 December 2014

At a ceremony in Kabul, Nato ends its combat operations in Afghanistan. With the surge now over, the US withdraws thousands of troops.  Most of those who remain focus on training and supporting the Afghan security forces.

Taliban resurgence

2015

The Taliban launch a series of suicide attacks, car bombings and other assaults. The parliament building in Kabul, and the city of Kunduz are attacked. Islamic State militants begin operations in Afghanistan.

Death toll announcement

25 January 2019

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani says more than 45,000 members of his country’s security forces have been killed since he became leader in 2014. The figure is far higher than previously thought.

US signs deal with Taliban

29 February 2020

The US and the Taliban sign an “agreement for bringing peace” to Afghanistan, in Doha, Qatar. The US and Nato allies agree to withdraw all troops within 14 months if the militants uphold the deal.

Date for final withdrawal

11 September 2021

US forces are scheduled to withdraw from Afghanistan by 11 September 2021, exactly 20 years since 9/11. There are strong indications that the withdrawal may be complete before the official deadline.

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2021-07-05 17:00:13Z
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Afghanistan: Soldiers flee to Tajikistan after militant clashes - BBC News

Reuters

More than 1,000 Afghan soldiers have fled to neighbouring Tajikistan after clashing with Taliban militants, officials have said.

The troops retreated over the border to "save their own lives", according to a statement by Tajikistan's border guard.

Violence has risen in Afghanistan and the Taliban have been making significant gains, particularly in the north of the country, in recent weeks.

The surge coincides with the end of Nato's 20-year military mission.

The vast majority of remaining foreign forces in Afghanistan have been withdrawn ahead of a September deadline, and there are concerns that the Afghan military will collapse.

Under a deal with the Taliban, the US and its Nato allies agreed to withdraw all troops in return for a commitment by the militants not to allow al-Qaeda or any other extremist group to operate in the areas they control.

• Who are the Taliban?
• How can the West fight terror after leaving?
• US troops must leave by deadline - Afghan Taliban

But the Taliban did not agree to stop fighting Afghan forces, and now reportedly control about a third of the country.

The retreat is the third time Afghan soldiers have fled to Tajikistan over the past three days and the fifth case over the past fortnight. In total, nearly 1,600 soldiers have crossed the border.

The latest group of Afghan troops sought refuge early on Monday morning after fighting with militants during the night, Tajikistan's National Security Committee said in a statement that was reported by the Tajik state-run news agency Khovar.

Badakhshan and Takhar provinces, which border Tajikistan, have seen a rapid Taliban advance, and the militants have now captured most of the territory. The group has also reportedly taken over at least one Afghan army checkpost on the border with Pakistan.

"The Taliban cut off all the roads and these people had nowhere to go but to cross the border," one senior Afghan official told Reuters on Monday.

Zabihullah Atiq, a parliamentarian from Badakhshan, said the troops had used various routes to flee.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani insists that the country's security forces are fully capable of keeping insurgents at bay, but there have also been reports of more soldiers seeking refuge in Pakistan and Uzbekistan to escape the fighting.

Neighbouring countries, including those in central Asia, are bracing themselves for a potential influx of refugees if the fighting continues to intensify.

Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen told the BBC the Taliban is not responsible for the recent increase in violence. He insisted that many districts had fallen to the Taliban through mediation after Afghan soldiers refused to fight.

For the people of Afghanistan, it is a worrying time, says Lyse Doucet, the BBC's chief international correspondent. The Taliban, who have been accused of various human rights and cultural abuses, support Islamic punishments - such as public executions of convicted murderers - as well as banning television, music and cinema, and disapproving of girls over 10 going to school.

"They are uncertain about where their country is heading, uncertain about their own village or town or city, and uncertain about their own lives and the futures of their families," she said.

There are also growing concerns about how to protect diplomatic missions in Afghanistan.

Russia on Monday announced that it had temporarily suspended operations at its consulate in the northern city of Mazar-e-Sharif because of the deteriorating security situation. Envoy Zamir Kabulov said Afghan troops had surrendered too many districts, making the situation unstable.

Turkey and Iran have also suspended operations in the city, moving diplomats to Kabul, according to reports.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to chair a National Security Council meeting to discuss the situation in the country.

US-led forces ousted the Taliban from power in Afghanistan in 2001. The group had been harbouring Osama Bin Laden and other al-Qaeda figures linked to the 9/11 attacks in the US that triggered the invasion. However, it has gradually regained enough strength to seize territory again.

The Taliban entered direct talks with the US back in 2018, and President Joe Biden has said the American pull-out is justified as US forces have made sure Afghanistan cannot become a base for foreign jihadists to plot against the West again.

However, former Afghan President Hamid Karzai told the BBC he believed the Nato and US military mission there had failed in defeating terrorism and extremism.

He called on both the Afghan government and the Taliban to "sit down and talk as soon as possible for peace".

Twenty years of conflict in Afghanistan – what happened when?

From 9/11, to intense fighting on the ground, and now full withdrawal of US-led forces, here’s what happened.

9/11

11 September 2001

Al-Qaeda, led by Osama Bin Laden in Afghanistan, carries out the largest terror attack ever conducted on US soil.

Four commercial airliners are hijacked. Two are flown into the World Trade Centre in New York, which collapses. One hits the Pentagon building in Washington, and one crashes into a field in Pennsylvania. Nearly 3,000 people are killed.

First air strikes

7 October 2001

A US-led coalition bombs Taliban and al-Qaeda facilities in Afghanistan. Targets include Kabul, Kandahar and Jalalabad. The Taliban refuse to hand over Bin Laden. Their air defences and small fleet of fighter aircraft are destroyed.

Fall of Kabul

13 November 2001

The Northern Alliance, a group of anti-Taliban rebels backed by coalition forces, enters Kabul as the Taliban flee the city.

By the 13 November 2001, all Taliban have either fled or been neutralised. Other cities quickly fall.

New constitution

26 January 2004

After protracted negotiations at a “loya jirga” or grand assembly, the new Afghan constitution is signed into law. The constitution paves the way for presidential elections in October 2004.

Hamid Karzai becomes president

7 December 2004

Hamid Karzai, the leader of the Popalzai Durrani tribe, becomes the first president under the new constitution. He serves two five-year terms as president.

UK troops deployed to Helmand

May 2006

British troops arrive in Helmand province, a Taliban stronghold in the south of the country.

Their initial mission is to support reconstruction projects, but they are quickly drawn into combat operations. More than 450 British troops lose their lives in Afghanistan over the course of the conflict.

Obama’s surge

17 February 2009

US President Barack Obama approves a major increase in the number of troops sent to Afghanistan. At their peak, they number about 140,000.

The so-called “surge” is modelled on US strategy in Iraq where US forces focussed on protecting the civilian population as well as killing insurgent fighters.

Osama Bin Laden killed

2 May 2011

The leader of al-Qaeda is killed in an assault by US Navy Seals on a compound in Abbottabad in Pakistan. Bin Laden’s body is removed and buried at sea. The operation ends a 10-year hunt led by the CIA.  The confirmation that Bin Laden had been living on Pakistani soil fuels accusations in the US that Pakistan is an unreliable ally in the war on terror.

Death of Mullah Omar

23 April 2013

The founder of the Taliban, Mullah Mohammed Omar, dies. His death is kept secret for more than two years.

According to Afghan intelligence, Mullah Omar dies of health problems at a hospital in the Pakistani city of Karachi. Pakistan denies that he was in the country.

Nato ends combat operations

28 December 2014

At a ceremony in Kabul, Nato ends its combat operations in Afghanistan. With the surge now over, the US withdraws thousands of troops.  Most of those who remain focus on training and supporting the Afghan security forces.

Taliban resurgence

2015

The Taliban launch a series of suicide attacks, car bombings and other assaults. The parliament building in Kabul, and the city of Kunduz are attacked. Islamic State militants begin operations in Afghanistan.

Death toll announcement

25 January 2019

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani says more than 45,000 members of his country’s security forces have been killed since he became leader in 2014. The figure is far higher than previously thought.

US signs deal with Taliban

29 February 2020

The US and the Taliban sign an “agreement for bringing peace” to Afghanistan, in Doha, Qatar. The US and Nato allies agree to withdraw all troops within 14 months if the militants uphold the deal.

Date for final withdrawal

11 September 2021

US forces are scheduled to withdraw from Afghanistan by 11 September 2021, exactly 20 years since 9/11. There are strong indications that the withdrawal may be complete before the official deadline.

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2021-07-05 14:36:36Z
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