🌏 Brazil's Capitol Attack, Miss Universe Thailand's Moving Tribute To Her Garbage Collector Parents And More

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Supporters of Brazil’s far-right former president Jair Bolsonaro have stormed the country’s Congress, Supreme Court and presidential office to call for the newly elected president, Luiz Inácio Lula Da Silva – also known as Lula – to resign.

The attack was reminiscent of supporters of former US president Donald Trump storming the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

Bolsonaro, who was defeated by Lula in the election on Oct. 30, has yet to concede defeat.

His supporters have refused to accept his loss and have been camped outside military bases in Brasília, calling for the military to intervene and stop Lula’s inauguration so Bolsonaro could remain in power.

On Sunday Jan. 8, they decided to take matters into their own hands.

At about 6 pm, Bolsonaro’s supporters broke through police barriers and invaded the Congress and Supreme Court buildings and surrounded the presidential office.

They broke windows, toppled furniture and vandalized buildings.

Neither Lula nor Bolsonaro had been in the capital at the time; Lula was on a state trip to Araquara and Bolsonaro was in Florida.

By evening, police regained control of the buildings three hours after the initial invasion.

At least 1,500 people have been arrested, and authorities have launched an investigation into the riot.

Lula has declared a state of emergency until January 31, which will allow the government to implement “any measures necessary” to calm unrest, according to Vox.

Tens of thousands of people have held mass pro-democracy protests calling for punishment for the rioters and those who enabled the attack.

“Whoever did this will be found and punished,” Lula tweeted. “Democracy guarantees the right to free expression, but it also requires people to respect institutions. There is no precedent in the history of the country what they did today. For that they must be punished.”

Also Happening Around The World

🇳🇵 A Yeti Airlines plane crashed in Nepal and all 72 people on board are dead or missing.

🇦🇺 Western Australia has been hit by a “once in a century” flood that has submerged towns and left hundreds stranded.

🇲🇲 Myanmar’s military has freed 7,012 prisoners under an amnesty to mark the country’s independence day on Jan. 4.

Miss Universe Thailand Anna Sueangam-iam paid a meaningful tribute to her garbage collector parents at the Miss Universe 2022 pageant by wearing an upcycled dress made from used pull tabs from soda cans.

The child of a garbage collector and a street sweeper, 24-year-old Sueangam-iam grew up in a garbage dump in Bangkok.

Sueangam-iam has openly spoken about her childhood, telling Thai media most of her toys as a child had been salvaged from trash.

To help cover her tuition, she donated blood, collected plastic waste bottles and cleaned bathrooms, her Miss Universe bio reads.

Sueangam-iam went on to to graduate with first class honors from university and is now an actress and model.

In August, she was crowned Miss Universe Thailand 2022.

“This gown was inspired by the familiar surroundings of my childhood,” Sueangam-iam wrote on Instagram. “Growing up with garbage collector parents, my life as a child was among piles of garbage and recyclables.”

“This unique gown was purposefully tailored-made with discarded and recycled materials, namely the ‘Can Tab’ to present to the UNIVERSE that what’s considered worthless by many actually possesses its own value and beauty,” she wrote.

“Thank you all for seeing it, hearing it, and hopefully being that message of self-worth.”

Other Women You Should Know About

🇨🇴 Colombian singer Shakira broke the YouTube record for biggest debut for a Latin song for her new song, a diss aimed at her former husband, Spanish football player Gerard Piqué.

🇬🇧 British actor Kate Winslet gave an 11-year-old girl reporter a pep talk before her interview and it’s so adorable.

🇯🇵 Tennis star Naomi Osaka has announced she is expecting her first child.

A British woman surprised attendees at her funeral by having a dance group perform Queen’s “Another One Bites The Dust”.

Sandie Wood died at the age of 65 of tongue cancer on Sep. 19, 2022 and “wanted everyone to remember her funeral but not for sad reasons,” her friend Sam Ryalls told the BBC.

Video from her funeral in Bristol in the UK showed mourners initially looking confused when dancers emerged and began performing to the song, before joining in by clapping along.

Claire Phipps, the owner and manager of the Flaming Feathers, the dance troupe that performed at the funeral told Almost that she had jumped at the opportunity after Ryalls’ post on Facebook as she thought it would be a unique and special experience.

Phipps said that the dancers had been quite nervous about how people would react, but the reactions in the room ended up being really positive.

“I think the people that knew Sandie really well, they knew that she was a rebel and that was what she wanted, so it was amazing,” Phipps said.

“She left the world as she lived it and that was being herself,” Ryalls said.

More Good News For Your Week

🇨🇳 China’s official postal service has released a special rabbit-themed stamp to mark the upcoming year of the rabbit, and people are obsessed with how ugly it is.

🇬🇧 British Airways has unveiled a new uniform collection that include pants and hijab for women flight attendants.

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