Author: attkley11

CNN  —  A new power couple has taken the stage. A former Miss Argentina and former Miss Puerto Rico shocked and delighted fans by announcing their surprise marriage on Instagram. Mariana Varela and Fabiola Valentín met at the 2020 Miss Grand International competition in Thailand, where they represented Argentina and Puerto Rico, respectively. After making it to the pageant top 10, the two beauty queens appeared to remain close friends on social media. What fans didn’t know is they were secretly dating the whole time. The pair posted matching Instagram Reels showing moments from their relationship, including romantic walks on the beach, candid cuddles, champagne toasts and a proposal with gold and silver balloons spelling out...

CNN  —  Brazilian authorities say they are investigating video of a rally in the Brazilian city of Sao Miguel do Oeste, in which people are seen performing a “Nazi salute.” The rally, which took place in front of a military office in the city, appeared to be one of several rallies organized outside military bases on Wednesday as supporters of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro protested the results of Sunday’s presidential run-off vote, which saw Bolsonaro’s bid for reelection defeated by leftist former leader Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. The video, which was posted to Twitter, shows a crowd of people, some carrying and others draped in the Brazilian flag, with many apparently performing a Nazi salute as the Brazilian national anthem ...

CNN  —  Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro said Tuesday that he would “continue to fulfill all the commandments of our constitution” in a short speech at the presidential palace in Brasilia, after days of silence following his election loss to the leftist former leader Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. He did not explicitly concede defeat, though the event appeared to signal his intention to cooperate with the transfer of power. Taking the podium after the President, chief of staff Ciro Nogueira said that he would work with the new government and is waiting for Lula da Silva’s transition team to begin the handover. “President Jair Messias Bolsonaro authorized me, when it is time, based on the law, to start the transition process,” Nog...

CNN  —  More than a day after Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was pronounced the winner of Brazil’s 2022 presidential election, incumbent Jair Bolsonaro has yet to publicly acknowledge his loss. The President’s delay in conceding Sunday’s race has contributed to fears that he will not cooperate with a transfer of power, amid scattered protests by his supporters. Ahead of the vote, Bolsonaro and some of his allies had made unfounded claims about electoral fraud and unfair treatment by the press. “Anywhere else in the world, the president who lost would have called me by now and conceded,” Lula da Silva told supporters on Sunday night, explaining that he was “part happy, part worried” about the transfer of power. “He still hasn’t call...

CNN  —  Here’s a look at Guantánamo Bay Naval Station and its detention facilities. The base, sometimes referred to as “Gitmo,” is located in southeastern Cuba, on the coast of Guantánamo Bay. The United States has been leasing the 45 square miles that the base sits on since 1903. The base shares a 17-mile fenced border with Cuba. The lease can only be terminated by mutual agreement. In response to the 9/11 attacks in 2001, and subsequent military operations in Afghanistan, existing migrant detention facilities at Guantánamo were repurposed to hold detainees in the “war on terror.” During the administration of President George W. Bush (2001-2009), the United States claimed that Guantánamo B...

Sao Paulo CNN  —  Luiz Inácio “Lula” da Silva has been elected the next president of Brazil, in a stunning comeback following a tight run-off race on Sunday. His victory heralds a political about-face for Latin America’s largest country, after four years of Jair Bolsonaro’s far-right administration. The 76-year-old politician’s win represents the return of the left into power in Brazil, and concludes a triumphant personal comeback for Lula da Silva, after a series of corruption allegations lead to his imprisonment for 580 days. The sentences were later annulled by the Supreme Court, clearing his path to run for reelection. “They tried to bury me alive and I’m here,” he said in a jubilant speech to supporters and journalists on Sunday...

CNN  —  Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is set to become the next president of Brazil, after defeating his rightwing rival, incumbent Jair Bolsonaro, by a razor-thin margin in a fiercely contested run-off election. The leftist former leader, widely known as “Lula,” received more than 60 million votes, the most in Brazilian history, breaking his own record from 2006. But despite the huge turnout from his supporters, his victory was by a narrow margin – according to Brazil’s electoral authority, Lula da Silva won 50.90% of the vote and Bolsonaro received 49.10%, denying him a second term. Lula supporters thronged São Paulo Avenida Paulista on Sunday evening after polls closed. The mood was celebratory even before the results were ca...

Sao Paulo CNN  —  The thundering sound of gunfire reverberates through a room during a seemingly endless barrage. It’s just after seven in the evening and the G-16 gun range in São Paulo is busy, as patrons file in to unwind after a busy day at work. Shooting ranges like G-16 have thrived and expanded in the past few years, gaining more members as sales of guns and ammunition rise. The credit, according to G-16’s co-owner, Daniel Pazzini, goes to Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro. “He basically did free advertising, encouraging people to buy guns and defend themselves that way,” Pazzini said, referring to Bolsonaro’s longstanding pro-gun message. Two large portraits of the President decorate the walls of his range,...

CNN  —  A Haitian politician has been shot dead outside his home, authorities have said, as international concerns intensify over the gang violence, political turmoil and humanitarian crises that have seized control of the country. Eric Jean Baptiste was killed on Friday night outside his home in the capital Port-au-Prince, local police told CNN. He was the leader of the Rally of Progressive National Democrats Party (RNDP), a minor political party in Haiti, and launched a longshot presidential bid in 2016. A security guard was also killed in the attack, the police spokesperson said. Baptiste survived an earlier attempt on his life in 2018, escaping with a bullet wound. The assassination is the latest killing in a c...

CNN  —  Can Joe Biden avoid the midterm elections curse? Republicans have the momentum going into Election Day on Tuesday, with high hopes of winning back the House. The Senate will be decided by a handful of close races. If the GOP takes one or both chambers, they will be in a position to kill Biden’s domestic legislative agenda. Still, they’ll struggle to get policies past the president’s veto, which requires a two-thirds majority to override. The next two years could see America run by a divided government, with angry standoffs, financial showdowns and partisan investigations. In the House, all 435 seats are up for grabs, where lawmakers serve two-year terms. Democrats currently narrowly control the chamber, but Republicans need o...