ISLAMABAD: Former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro underwent a medical procedure Saturday to treat recurrent hiccups he has been dealing with for months, according to his medical team. The 70-year-old ex-president, who is serving a 27-year prison sentence for an attempted coup, had been released from prison Wednesday to undergo surgery for a groin hernia at the DF Star Hospital in Brasilia. That surgery was performed Thursday without incident, and Bolsonaro remained hospitalized for several days for evaluation. During that time, Bolsonaro&#39;s medical team determined it was necessary to perform an anesthetic block of the phrenic nerve&mdash;which controls the diaphragm&mdash;to treat his recurring hiccups. Bolsonaro&#39;s doctor, Claudio Birolini, told reporters on Thursday that the procedure involved locating the nerve using an ultrasound machine and then injecting it with a local analgesic. The procedure on Saturday &quot;went well,&quot; according to another of the doctors, Mateus Saldanha. Birolini said the process took about an hour, adding that &quot;it&#39;s not surgery...it does not involve any incisions.&quot; The right side of the nerve was treated Saturday, and a procedure to treat the left side of the nerve is set for Monday. &#39;Months of struggle&#39; &quot;My love just went to the surgical center to have his phrenic nerve blocked,&quot; former first lady Michelle Bolsonaro wrote in an Instagram post Saturday. &quot;It&#39;s been nine months of struggle and anguish with daily hiccups,&quot; she added. The far-right former president, who was in power from 2019 to 2022, has for years been dealing with the aftermath of an abdominal stab wound he suffered during a 2018 campaign rally, requiring several major surgeries. In September, Brazil&#39;s Supreme Court found Bolsonaro guilty of conspiring to stay in power after losing the 2022 election to leftist Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, and handed him a 27-year prison sentence. The coup failed due to a lack of support from top military brass. The far-right ex-president has claimed his innocence, claiming he was being persecuted by the Supreme Court. Bolsonaro was under house arrest from August until his imprisonment on November 22. Once discharged from the hospital, Bolsonaro will return to serving his sentence at a federal police jail in the capital. Brazil&#39;s Supreme Court on Saturday also ordered house arrest for 10 officials from Bolsonaro&#39;s administration who were involved in planning the coup plot, sought legal justification for it, or spread disinformation about it on social media. The 10 officials had been convicted but were out of prison due to pending appeals. One of the officials, Silvinei Vasques, was detained in Paraguay on Friday after he allegedly tried to board a flight with false papers.

Americas

The former president, who is serving a 27-year prison sentence for an attempted coup, had been released from prison Wednesday to undergo surgery for a groin hernia.

Brazil's ex-president Bolsonaro treated for hiccups

BEIJING: Rare earths are minerals used to make magnets crucial to the auto, electronic, and defense industries, as well as in renewable energy. The US Treasury Secretary slammed export curbs imposed by Beijing last week on technologies used for rare-earth mining, smelting, and other processing steps. Scott Bessent said on Thursday that it was &quot;China versus the world&quot;. Here are some key things to know: <h2 style="line-height: 2;">Are they rare?&nbsp;</h2>Not really. With names like dysprosium, neodymium, and cerium, rare earths are a group of 17 heavy metals that are abundant throughout the Earth&#39;s crust. The United States Geological Survey estimated in 2024 that there were 110 million tons of deposits worldwide. That includes 44 million in China -- by far the world&#39;s largest producer. A further 22 million tons are estimated in Vietnam and 21 million in Brazil, while Russia has 10 million and India nearly seven million tons. High financial cost&nbsp;However, mining metals requires heavy chemical use, resulting in toxic waste and causing several environmental disasters. Many countries are also wary of shouldering the high financial costs for production. The minerals are often found in minute ore concentrations, meaning large amounts of rock must be processed to produce the refined product, often in powder form. <h2 style="line-height: 2;">Why are they special?&nbsp;</h2>The 17 rare earths are found in a wide variety of everyday and high-tech devices, from light bulbs to guided missiles. Europium is crucial for television screens, cerium is used for polishing glass and refining oil, lanthanum makes a car&#39;s catalytic converters operate -- the list of uses in today&#39;s economy is virtually endless. All have unique properties that are largely irreplaceable or can be substituted only at prohibitive costs. Neodymium and dysprosium, for example, allow the fabrication of almost permanent, super-strong magnets that require little maintenance -- making viable the placement of ocean wind turbines to generate electricity far from the coastline. <h2 style="line-height: 2;">China in the lead&nbsp;</h2>For decades, China has&nbsp;made the most of its reserves by investing massively in refining operations, often without the strict environmental oversight required elsewhere. Beijing has also filed a huge number of patents on rare earth production, an obstacle to companies in other countries hoping to launch large-scale processing. As a result, many firms find it cheaper to ship their ore to China for refining, reinforcing the world&#39;s reliance. Alarm in Washington&nbsp;Beijing began in April requiring domestic exporters to apply for a license, seen as a response to US tariffs that sparked alarm in Washington over slower supplies of rare earths. In June, US President Donald Trump hailed a deal that would see China provide the vital elements &quot;up front&quot;. But supply chains had not fully stabilized, with bureaucratic delays and selective approval still preventing many firms from ensuring timely access to the materials -- even before China expanded its restrictions. <h2 style="line-height: 2;">Strategy and supply&nbsp;</h2>The United States and the European Union get most of their supply from China. Both are trying to boost their own production and improve their recycling processes to reduce dependence on Beijing. At the height of a US-China trade dispute in 2019, Chinese state media suggested that rare earth exports to the United States could be cut in retaliation for American measures, sparking fear among manufacturers. Back in 2010, Japan saw firsthand the pain of a cut-off when China halted rare earth exports over a territorial conflict. Since then, Tokyo has pushed hard to diversify supplies, signing deals with the Australian group Lynas for production from Malaysia, and ramping up its recycling capabilities.

Asia

The US Geological Survey estimated in 2024 there were 110 million tons of deposits worldwide; 44 million in China, 22 million in Vietnam, 21 million in Brazil, and 10 million in Russia.

Rare earths: Strategic metals key to future tech

BRASILIA: Brazilian President Luiz In&aacute;cio Lula da Silva asked US President Donald Trump during a phone conversation Monday to lift the 40% tariff imposed by the US government on Brazilian imports.&nbsp;The leaders spoke for 30 minutes, exchanged phone numbers, and Lula reiterated his invitation for Trump to attend the upcoming climate summit in Belem, according to a statement from Lula&rsquo;s office.&nbsp;Later, Trump posted on Truth Social that he had had a good conversation with Lula. &ldquo;We discussed many things, but it was mostly focused on the Economy, and Trade, between our two Countries,&rdquo; Trump wrote, adding that the leaders &quot;will be having further discussions, and will get together in the not too distant future, both in Brazil and the United States.&quot;&nbsp;The Trump administration had imposed a 40% tariff on Brazilian products in July on top of a 10% tariff imposed earlier. Lula reminded Trump that Brazil was one of three G20 countries with which the US maintains a trade surplus.&nbsp;The Trump administration justified the tariffs saying that Brazil&#39;s policies and criminal prosecution of former President Jair Bolsonaro constitute an economic emergency. Earlier this month Bolsonaro was convicted of attempting a coup after losing his bid for reelection in 2022 and a panel of the Supreme Court sentenced him to 27 years and three months in prison.&nbsp;Lula also offered to travel to Washington to meet with Trump, to continue the conversation they started when they met at the United Nations General Assembly earlier this month.

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva asked US President Donald Trump during a phone conversation Monday to lift the 40% tariff imposed by the US government

Lula asks Trump to lift 40% tariff on Brazilian imports

 Brazil's former President Jair Bolsonaro stands at his home while under house arrest

Brazil’s Supreme Court sentenced ex-president Jair Bolsonaro to 27 years in prison for coup plotting, sparking deep political divisions and straining ties with the United States. The ruling follows his failed attempt to overturn Lula da Silva’s 2022 election win.

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Brazil's ex-president Bolsonaro treated for hiccups

Rare earths: Strategic metals key to future tech

Lula asks Trump to lift 40% tariff on Brazilian imports

Brazil's Bolsonaro given 27-year term for coup plotting

Brazil's ex-president Bolsonaro treated for hiccups