The former director of Brazil’s Federal Highway Police, Silvinei Vasques, was arrested in Paraguay on early Friday morning (Dec. 26).

Sentenced by the country’s Supreme Court to 24 years and six months in prison for his involvement in the coup plot aimed at keeping onetime President Jair Bolsonaro in power after his electoral defeat in 2022, he was arrested at an airport in Paraguay while attempting to board a flight to El Salvador.

According to the prosecution, Vasques participated in a group that coordinated the use of police forces to support Bolsonaro’s illegitimate permanence, ordering agents to set up checkpoints that would hinder voters on their way to the polls to vote for then-candidate Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva during the second round of the 2022 elections, held on October 30 of that year.

Vasques is also said to have attended the meeting of October 19, 2022, in which the use of highway police operations to prevent voters from voting in the second round was discussed. He is credited with the phrase, “the time had come for the Federal Highway Police to pick a side in the dispute.”

During the trial of the former police director and other defendants in the so-called Nucleus 2 of the criminal case involving the coup plot, by the first panel of the Supreme Court, on December 9, Vasques’ lawyers argued he did not act to prevent Lula’s voters from traveling to the polls in the second round of the 2022 elections.

Vasques had his preventive arrest ruled in August 2023 and spent a year in custody until Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes granted him provisional release upon compliance with a series of precautionary measures – such as the use of an ankle tag and the cancellation of his passport.

In a report published on the G1 website, journalist Andréia Sadi attributes to the current director of the Federal Police, Andrei Rodrigues, the information that Vasques left Brazil without judicial authorization after breaking his ankle tag. When approached and arrested by Paraguayan authorities, Vasques reportedly had an original Paraguayan passport with false personal information.

The Federal Police were reached by our team and had not commented on the information reported by G1 as of the publication of this article.

Even more worryingly, this samarium dump can supply the US defense industry for barely a year; beyond that, there are no credible alternative supply plans in place. How the US got into this rabbit hole, despite pioneering the technology of samarium processing and its various uses in the defense industry in the 1960s, is a story as bizarre as today’s situation, where some of the world’s largest defense giants are living on a thread, not sure how long their supply of critical heavy rare earth magnets will last.

The Making Of Samarium Supply Bottlenecks

The US pioneered the development of samarium-cobalt (SmCo) permanent magnets, the primary defense-related use of samarium. These high-performance magnets, which offer strong magnetic fields, excellent resistance to demagnetization, and superior high-temperature stability, were invented based on work by Karl Strnat at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and Alden Ray at the University of Dayton. Due to their remarkable properties, Samarium Cobalt magnets are used in aircraft and satellite systems, as well as missile guidance and control systems. However, the industry moved to China in the 1980s for a variety of reasons, including the presence of rich rare-earth deposits, lax environmental regulations (samarium processing is extremely polluting), and heavy state subsidies from the Chinese Communist government. Today, China mines, processes, and sells such massive quantities of rare earths that it can keep prices artificially low, knocking out any foreign competition. Over the decades, all Western companies that processed rare earths went out of business, unable to compete with China’s prices. Today, China mines nearly 60% of the world’s rare earths and processes almost 90% of rare-earth magnets. However, China controls nearly all of the world’s supply of Samarium Cobalt magnets.

Earlier this year, in response to US President Donald Trump’s punitive tariffs on China, Beijing imposed strict restrictions on the export of rare-earth magnets. Subsequently, China removed restrictions on the export of several light and medium rare-earth magnets; however, restrictions on the export of heavy rare-earth magnets, including Samarium Cobalt magnets, remained in place. China began requiring export licenses for samarium and six other rare-earth metals in April this year, choking the supply for US defense giants. Underscoring the criticality of samarium supply chains for the US, the U.S. Geological Survey named samarium the No. 1 critical mineral at highest risk of supply chain vulnerabilities in October in its proposed 2025 Critical Mineral List. The chokehold China exerted on the supply of samarium could have halted production of many critical defense systems in the US. However, a decades-old samarium dump in a bankrupt factory in France gave the US defense giants a lifeline.

Samarium Dump In A Bankrupt Factory That Gave Lifeline To US Defense Giants

New York-based Arnold Magnetic Technologies, a subsidiary of US conglomerate Compass Diversified and manufacturer of samarium-cobalt magnets with factories in Switzerland, Thailand, and China, had over a year’s supply of the metal on hand when China announced its export controls on April 4, said Aaron Williams, the company’s chief commercial officer. However, as months passed and their supply plummeted, the company began to worry. Arnold contacted UK-based Less Common Metals, one of the last remaining manufacturers of rare-earth metals in the Western world. Less Common Metals contacted Solvay, a Belgian chemical company that was once one of the world’s largest producers of rare-earth oxides. Luckily, Solvay had a factory in France that still had a decades-old, abandoned samarium dump. Solvay had stopped separating rare-earth elements in France two decades ago because it had become “uneconomical,” a company spokeswoman told the New York Times. Samarium processed outside China is five to eight times as expensive. But Solvay kept its stock of semifinished materials and still had the know-how and equipment to refine it. Solvay’s entire inventory was around 200 tons, enough to supply the US defense industry for a year.

The U.S. defense industry requires less than 200 tons per year, according to estimates by Jack Lifton, co-chair of the Critical Minerals Institute, an industry advisory organization. Less Common Metals (LCM) brought Solvay’s samarium to Britain, where the company is turning it into metal that will be melted into alloys. These alloys will be cut into magnets at US factories, which will in turn be supplied to US defense giants for use in fighter jets and missile systems. “As market demand accelerates for sustainable, Western-sourced magnet materials, Arnold is taking decisive action to guarantee supply and provide commercial flexibility for our customers,” Aaron Williams, chief commercial officer of Arnold Magnetic Technologies, said. “We are very pleased to partner with LCM and Arnold Magnetic Technologies to provide essential resources for high-performance applications, particularly in the strategic domain of the European Aerospace Industry,” An Nuyttens, president of GBU Special Chem at Solvay, said. Notably, to further secure supply chains, the UK-based LCM was acquired by American miner USA Rare Earth on November 18. The acquisition demonstrates vertical integration strategies aimed at securing Western-origin material sources.

Even though these samarium magnets are much more expensive than the prices at which China was supplying the US until months ago, they provided a lifeline to the US defense-industrial complex at a critical time. For now, the US has secured its supply of samarium magnets for at least a year, and the industry is confident that new samarium sources will be found before Solvay’s stash runs out. China might also relax its export restrictions in the meantime. However, as a popular saying goes, “Once burned, twice shy,” the US will be extremely cautious in the future, avoiding entirely depending on China for the supply of such a critical mineral.

A new Pentagon Inspector General report says that the Army and Navy misrepresented the academic qualifications of some recruits, allowing both services to exceed federal limits on low-scoring enlistees. The report, released earlier this month, is based on a yearlong review of the services’ Future Soldier and Future Sailor preparatory courses, which are new “pre-boot camps” created in recent years. The programs have helped the Army and Navy enlist more recruits amid a national recruiting crisis by taking applicants with low entrance exam scores or fitness shortfalls and aiming to prepare them for service — addressing the deficiencies — in a matter of weeks or months. The Defense Department Inspector General found that the Army and Navy miscalculated the number of low-scoring recruits they enlisted by counting test scores earned after applicants completed the preparatory courses, rather than the scores they received before entering those programs. That approach allowed both services to exceed federal limits on low-scoring recruits without notifying the Secretary of Defense, as required by the rule. The secretary has the authority to raise those limits, but must also inform Congress.

The Pentagon disputed the report’s findings, arguing that the scores that should count are those earned at the end of the preparatory courses, not those taken beforehand. “Improving a recruit’s academic skills is a primary reason for creating the [Future Soldier and Future Sailor Preparatory Courses],” William Fitzhugh, the acting assistant secretary of defense for manpower and reserve affairs, wrote in a memo to the inspector general. “Improved academic skills, and the resulting AFQT scores, enable such recruits to pursue a broader range of occupations, which benefits them and the Military Services.” Federal law caps the number of recruits who score low on the Armed Forces Qualification Test, known as Category IV applicants, at 4% of the total number of recruits who ship to boot camp each year. Category IV applicants score between the 10th and 30th percentiles on the exam, which assesses subjects such as reading comprehension, math, and mechanics. Such recruits “tend to exhibit below average trainability and on-the-job performance,” the report said. The cap is intended to ensure the services attract enough high-scoring recruits to fill technically demanding roles, such as cyber operations, intelligence, and special operations, as well as many logistics and administrative jobs that also require strong academic performance.

Had the services used applicants’ original test scores, the Navy would have classified more than 11% of its 2025 enlistments as Category IV recruits, compared with just over 7% when counting scores earned after the preparatory course. The Army also exceeded 10% of Category IV recruits, though the report did not say by how much. The findings come as the Army and Navy begin to emerge from a yearslong recruiting crisis that left both services thousands of recruits short in recent years. Nearly three-quarters of American youth do not meet either the military’s fitness or its academic requirements to qualify for service, and fewer than ever are likely to consider military careers, making innovative recruiting efforts critical. A previous inspector general report raised concerns about “less restrictive testing standards” in the Army’s preparatory course and found that some participants struggled with English as a second language. The Pentagon also disputed those findings.

With the opening of the Xi’an–Yan’an high-speed railway in Northwestern China’s Shaanxi province on Friday, the country’s high-speed rail network has surpassed 50,000 kilometers, marking a major milestone in China’s railway development and reinforcing its position as the world’s largest high-speed rail operator.

The new line, cutting travel time between the two cities from over two hours to about one, brings both historical regions and modern communities closer, highlighting the transformative power of high-speed rail.

The 299-kilometer line runs north from Xi’an, the provincial capital, to Yan’an, a city that served as the base of the Communist Party of China leadership between 1937 and 1947.

Traversing Shaanxi’s Loess Plateau, it links towns and cities that are part of China’s revolutionary base areas, with 10 stations including Fuping South, Tongchuan, and Luochuan. The line not only shortens travel times but also connects the region more closely to the rest of the country, reinforcing its role in China’s high-speed rail network.

Councilors of the CNE who answer to the two-party system of Honduras declared Nasry Juan Asfura Zablah as president-elect for the period 2026-2030, without concluding the special scrutiny or resolving the challenges presented.

Councilors Ana Paola Hall García and Cossette Alejandra López Osorio of Honduras’ National Electoral Council (CNE) consummated the electoral coup and declared Nasry Juan Asfura Zablah, of the National Party, as president-elect on Wednesday, December 24, for the term from January 27, 2026, to January 27, 2030.

The recognition of Asfura, a candidate publicly supported by Donald Trump, comes amid serious allegations of irregularities during the vote counting process, strong foreign interference, and a conspiracy orchestrated before the November 30 elections.

The allegations were supported by both the ruling Liberty and Refoundation Party (Libre) and the Liberal Party, as well as CNE councilor Marlon Ochoa, who, among other points, objected to the councilors’ refusal to conduct a recount.

Earlier, Liberal Party presidential candidate Salvador Nasralla rejected the National Electoral Council’s (CNE) eventual proclamation of election results. Nasralla strongly criticized the body’s decision, asserting that a large majority of citizens do not support the way the process is taking.

In a message addressed to council members Ana Paola Hall and Cossette López, Nasralla stated that the electoral institutions respond to interests other than the popular will and maintained that the system favors figures linked to corruption. He insisted that his candidacy represents a break with these practices and reiterated that the population rejects the way in which the electoral process is being concluded.

Meanwhile, former Foreign Minister Enrique Reina warned on Wednesday, December 24, about the CNE’s intention to declare a “de facto president-elect” in Honduras without completing the official vote count, thus consolidating the electoral coup. Reina posted on social media: “This is how Honduras wakes up, with an electoral coup underway and a National Electoral Council (CNE) comprised of two illegal members, marching toward declaring a de facto president-elect.”

Reina’s accusation comes after a CNE plenary session held on Tuesday, December 23, where magistrates Ana Hall (Liberal Party) and Cossette López (National Party) rejected the review of approximately 10,000 tally sheets with inconsistencies, thus dismissing the challenges.

For his part, CNE council member Marlon Ochoa described the measure as an electoral coup, arguing that the declaration was made without the completion of the special recount and without resolving the nearly 288 challenges filed, in addition to the approximately 10,000 tally sheets with inconsistencies still pending a vote-by-vote recount.

Ochoa filed a formal complaint with the Public Prosecutor’s Office in Tegucigalpa against the National Electoral Council (CNE) for its intention to declare the results without completing the vote count. As part of his complaint, Ochoa presented 10 new audio recordings that “prove the electoral fraud orchestrated by the two-party system.” These recordings, he indicated, contain the voices of a former president, a former presidential candidate from the Liberal Party, a foreign presidential advisor, the Argentinian Fernando Cerimedo, and other unidentified voices.

The CNE council member emphasized the “most vulgar and blatant foreign interference in the country’s history,” directly pointing to the United States government. Ochoa denounced a campaign of threats by the U.S. to influence the elections, and specifically the candidacy of Nasry Juan Asfura Zablah.

Ochoa highlighted “the litany of actions by the United States government,” including threats of economic sanctions if their preferred candidate, Nasry Juan Asfura Zablah, did not win. He also referred to the sending of millions of text messages to remittance recipients warning of the loss of their funds if the candidate of then-US President Donald Trump did not prevail, which Ochoa concluded constituted a “violation of respect for the sovereign will of the people.”

Marlon Ochoa reiterated that it is a “crime” to declare a president with hundreds of tally sheets still unprocessed and with evidence of inconsistencies. Upon leaving the Public Prosecutor’s Office, he detailed the illegal scheme seeking to sabotage the election results, stating: “What is even more serious is that when one analyzes the universe of tally sheets where the number of voters on the tally sheet matches the number of voters registered on the biometric device, the winner of the election is not the person they are now trying to declare as president of the Republic.”