Regional Roundup: Environmental Concerns in Trinidad, Legal Developments in the U.S., and Political Turmoil in Brazil
Tiana Cole | HGP Nightly News
Hydrocarbon Leak Sparks Environmental Alarm in Trinidad and Tobago
Authorities in Trinidad and Tobago are on high alert following reports that a grounded cargo vessel near Monos Island is leaking hydrocarbons into the Chaguaramas Basin.
The ship, carrying a load of bricks, reportedly ran aground early Tuesday morning after its cargo shifted, causing it to destabilize.
Environmental group Fishermen and Friends of the Sea (FFOS) has issued an urgent appeal for the government to activate the National Oil Spill Contingency Plan. According to FFOS, while the hull has not been breached, hydrocarbons are leaking from the vessel’s underside, posing a serious threat to marine life and fishing communities in the Gulf of Paria.
Salvage operations are currently underway to refloat the vessel.
U.S. Court Temporarily Blocks Deportation Ruling on Venezuelans
In the United States, a federal appeals court has temporarily blocked a lower court ruling requiring the Trump-era deportation of hundreds of Venezuelan nationals to El Salvador to be reversed.
The migrants had been deported under the controversial 1798 Alien Enemies Act, a wartime law invoked by former President Donald Trump.
Earlier this week, Judge James Boasberg ruled that the deportees must be returned to the U.S. to challenge their detentions, but the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit issued a stay to allow more time for the government’s appeal. The legal fight over the use of this centuries-old law is far from over.
Former Brazilian President Bolsonaro Denies Coup Plotting
Meanwhile, in Brazil, former President Jair Bolsonaro has denied accusations that he led a plot to overturn the 2022 election results. Testifying before the Supreme Court, Bolsonaro admitted to attending meetings with senior aides where military intervention and the suspension of civil liberties were discussed as potential responses to the election defeat.
However, he claimed those plans were quickly dismissed.
Bolsonaro and seven co-defendants, including military officials, are facing charges linked to an alleged coup attempt aimed at preventing Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva from assuming office in January 2023.
The case follows a two-year investigation that culminated in riots by Bolsonaro supporters shortly after Lula took office.
