SAO PAULO/BRASILIA (Reuters) - Antonio Galvan, head of soybean grower lobby Aprosoja, is part of a group of 10 people under investigation for their alleged role in a conspiracy against Brazilian institutions including the Supreme Court, according to court records seen by Reuters. According to authorities, the people under investigation have incited the population through social networks to practice criminal and violent acts on the eve of the Sept. 7 national holiday, when Brazilians observe Independence day. Supporters of President Jair Bolsonaro have called for protests at the Supreme Court that day, and officials fear they might try to force their way in to occupy the building. Brazil s powerful farm lobby helped elect Bolsonaro in 2018, supporting his law-and-order stance, his opposition to environmental protections and indigenous land claims. Galvan is head of an organization representing some 240,000 farmers. The federal police carried out 29 search and seizure warrants on Friday,
HONG KONG (Reuters) - China s top legislature has postponed a vote on extending an anti-sanctions law to Hong Kong, the South China Morning Post said on Friday, as global banks and other financial institutions fret over the impact it could have on their operations. Beijing was expected to formally approve the law for the Chinese-ruled city on Friday to counter actions by foreign governments amid escalating geopolitical tensions. The central government hopes to listen to further views on the matter, the newspaper cited a mainland source as saying. Financial firms have been closely watching a meeting this week of the National People s Congress Standing Committee, the highest body of China s parliament, for signs on how and when the legislation will be introduced in Hong Kong. Beijing introduced the law in mainland China in June under which individuals or entities involved in making or implementing discriminatory measures against Chinese citizens or entities could be put on a mainland ant
By Sangmi Cha and Minwoo Park SEOUL (Reuters) - Jin-hui, a cream-coloured Pomeranian, was buried alive and left for dead in 2018 in the South Korean port city of Busan. No charges were filed against its owner at the time, but animal abusers and those who abandon pets will soon face harsher punishment as South Korea plans to amend its civil code to grant animals legal status, Choung Jae-min, the justice ministry s director-general of legal counsel, told Reuters in an interview. The amendment, which must still be approved by parliament, likely during its next regular session in September, would make South Korea one of a handful of countries to recognise animals as beings, with a right to protection, enhanced welfare and respect for life. The push for the amendment comes as the number of animal abuse cases increased to 914 in 2019 from 69 in 2010, data published by a lawmaker s office showed, and the pet-owning population grew to more than 10 million people in the country of 52 million. S
MANILA (Reuters) - Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has included a bill seeking to ease the country s strict bank secrecy rules in his list of legislative priorities in his final year in office, the central bank said on Wednesday. The move comes weeks after a global dirty money watchdog - the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) - added the Southeast Asian country to its grey list of countries under increased monitoring https://www.reuters.com/business/global-dirty-money-watchdog-adds-malta-grey-list-keeps-pakistan-2021-06-25, along with Haiti and South Sudan. The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) has vowed to work to ensure compliance with FATF https://www.reuters.com/article/philippines-cenbank-fatf-idUSP9N2LN026 recommendations and exit the list no later than 2023. The Bank Deposits Secrecy Bill will give the BSP increased investigative powers, making it easier for the regulator to examine suspicious bank accounts, and impose heavy penalties. It will equip the BSP with tools neces
By Abhirup Roy MUMBAI (Reuters) - Twitter unblocked the accounts of India s main opposition party Congress, its leader Rahul Gandhi and other party officials on Saturday, a day after suspending the accounts over a tweet on the alleged rape and murder of a nine-year-old girl. Gandhi s account has 19.5 million followers. It was locked after he posted a photograph of himself with the parents of a girl who was allegedly raped and killed in New Delhi on Aug. 1, saying the family deserved justice. The accounts have been restored after Twitter reviewed Gandhi s submission of formal consent from people depicted in the image, the U.S. social media giant said in an emailed statement, adding that it has withheld the tweet in India. The tweet is available globally but withheld in India under laws relating to disclosure of the identity of children and victims of sexual assault, according to a notification from Twitter to a Congress leader, and seen by Reuters, after his account was reinstated. Cong