On Wednesday, the Brazilian Supreme Court ruled that former President Fernando Collor (1990-1992) be imprisoned for 8 years and 10 months after he was convicted of financial corruption and money laundering charges in the framework of the Petrobras scandal.
Eight of the court's ten judges voted last Thursday in favor of convicting the former president of the charges against him.
And on Wednesday, the Supreme Court issued the sentence against the convict, noting that the court’s rapporteur, Judge Edson Fashin, had announced, following the conviction verdict, that the penalty for the charges of which the former president was convicted amounted to 33 years in prison.
Collor, 73, is the first Brazilian president to be democratically elected by direct universal suffrage after the end of the military dictatorship that ruled the country from 1964 to 1985.
The former president is accused of taking bribes worth 20 million riyals (about 3.8 million euros) between 2010 and 2014 when he was a senator.
Judge Fashin ruled that Collor used his "political influence to facilitate the signing of contracts."
According to the Public Prosecution, Collor received about 40 payments in return for facilitating, in an "irregular" manner, the conclusion of these contracts between a construction company and a subsidiary of the state oil group "Petrobras".
The defense attorneys for the former president denied all charges against him.
The investigation into this case was opened in the context of the "Petrobras" scandal that, starting in 2014, shook the entire Brazilian political class.
"To avoid a world war." The White House announces its position on Kiev's attacks on Russian territory : John Kirby
The US White House Strategic Communications Coordinator, John Kirby, confirmed that Washington wants to avoid a third world war, and that, accordingly, "we oppose Ukrainian strikes on Russian territory."
Today, Wednesday, Kirby responded to a question by reporters about the reason for the United States' opposition to Ukrainian strikes on Russian soil, saying: "In order to avoid a third world war."
And Kirby expressed his hope to reach a common understanding that the conflict in Ukraine has already escalated.
And he indicated that the United States is confident that Ukraine will not use the American-made "F-16" aircraft - which are scheduled to be transferred to Russian territory - in order to launch strikes on Russian territory.
And he continued in his press conference at the White House: "Yes and we have received assurances from different levels, not only from the President (Vladimir Zelensky), but also from other high-ranking military leaders in Ukraine."
Yesterday morning, the Russian capital, Moscow, was attacked by drones, and the Russian Ministry of Defense said that Kiev tried to attack Moscow with 8 drones, and confirmed that the air defenses managed to destroy them all.
For its part, the Kremlin stressed that the attack that took place is evidence of the need to continue the special military operation in Ukraine.
Zuhair Khuzaym : The return of flights with Damascus will reconnect a million Syrians to their motherland
Syrian Minister of Transport, Zuhair Khuzaym, stressed the importance of resuming flights between Syria and Venezuela, noting that it opens horizons in various fields and facilitates communication for Venezuelan citizens of Syrian origin with the homeland.
Khuzaym said that there will be discussions to develop a joint cooperation mechanism between Syria and Venezuela, to reactivate all previously concluded agreements, and the need to overcome obstacles and develop relations between the two countries, "because we in both countries are in dire need to strengthen economic relations and stimulate tourism."
The Syrian Minister of Transport also appreciated the noble Venezuelan stances of the Venezuelan people and government on the side of Syria in the various stations it went through during the crisis.
The minister considered that restoring Venezuelan flights to Damascus is "a message to the powers of global arrogance, that we in Syria and Venezuela are determined to break this blockade, and work to find formulas for exchanging experiences in the fields of aviation and maritime transport."
Yesterday, the first plane landed on a direct flight from Venezuela to Syria coming from Caracas airport, marking the return of air traffic between the two countries, which had been suspended for about 11 years.
This is a practical step to break the blockade imposed on the two countries for several years.
For his part, Venezuelan Minister of Transport Ramon Pelasquez Aragoyan affirmed that the resumption of flights between our two countries "constitutes a victory for our peoples and an embodiment of the will of the leaderships of the two countries," noting that there are more than a million Syrian citizens residing in Venezuela, and that the return of flights will contribute to the restoration of commercial links between the two countries.
Tzachi Hanegbi : Israel warns of Saudi military superiority and addresses Washington
Israeli National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi said that Israel is "in a state of uncertainty" about any possible diplomatic progress with Riyadh.
"I am revealing this in order to be clear within the framework of uncertainty that we have," Hanegbi was quoted as saying by i24 news. He continued, "We are not aware, at the present time, of what is happening in the Saudi-American talks."
And he believed that "any new American weapons for Riyadh must comply with Washington's commitment to maintaining Israeli military superiority in the region," stressing that "when the issue becomes relevant to Israel's security, the Americans will certainly not make progress without close contacts with the Israeli government."