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Brazil’s president has sacked the country’s army chief over concerns the country’s democracy is under threat following an uprising of far-right protesters.

The official website of the Brazilian armed forces said General Julio Cesar de Arruda had been removed as head of the army.

He has been replaced by General Tomas Miguel Ribeiro Paiva, who was head of the Southeast Military Command.

Around 1,500 people have been detained after the invasion of Brazil’s congress, presidential palace and supreme court at the start of January.

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How Brazil’s insurrection unfolded

Rioters were seeking military intervention to either restore the far-right former president Jair Bolsonaro or oust the newly inaugurated leftist Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, known as Lula, who won the election with just 50.9% of the votes.

Supporters of the former president stormed through government buildings and destroyed public property.

Mr Lula said several times in public that there were definitely people in the army who allowed the rioting to occur.

Similarities to 6 January 2021 Congress riots

The riot bore strong similarities to the 6 January 2021 riots at the US Congress by mobs who wanted to overturn former president Donald Trump’s election loss to Joe Biden.

Mr Lula met defence minister Jose Mucio, chief of staff Rui Costa, and the new army commander in Brasilia later on Saturday.

Speaking afterwards, Mr Mucio said the 8 January riots had caused “a fracture in the level of trust” in the army’s top levels and the government decided a change was needed.

Read more on Brazil:
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Riots not a random outpouring of anger
Mob straight out of Trump’s playbook – with a difference

A woman reacts next to members of the military as supporters of Brazil's former President Jair Bolsonaro leave a camp outside the Army Headquarters, in Brasilia, Brazil
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A woman reacts next to members of the military

Former president under investigation

Mr Bolsonaro is now being investigated for allegedly encouraging his supporters.

Brazil‘s supreme court has now agreed to look at the ugly scenes, much as US politicians held an inquiry into Donald Trump’s role in those in Washington.

Agreeing to a request by federal prosecutors, Justice Alexandre de Moraes stated: “Public figures who continue to cowardly conspire against democracy trying to establish a state of exception will be held accountable.”

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Prosecutors say Mr Bolsonaro, who is in the US for medical treatment, will be investigated for possible “instigation and intellectual authorship of the anti-democratic acts that resulted in vandalism and violence”.

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Ukraine war: 14 killed as Russian missile and drone attacks strike Kyiv – including American citizen

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Ukraine war: 14 killed as Russian missile and drone attacks strike Kyiv - including American citizen

Russian missile and drone attacks have killed 14 people in Kyiv overnight, according to Ukrainian officials.

A 62-year-old US citizen who suffered shrapnel wounds is among the dead.

At least 99 others were wounded in strikes that hollowed out a residential building and destroyed dozens of apartments.

Emergency workers carry an injured firefighter following Russia's combined missile and drone attack in Kyiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, June 17, 2025
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Pic: AP

Emergency workers were at the scene to rescue people from under the rubble.

Images show a firefighter was among those hurt, with injured residents evacuated from their homes.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the attack as “one of the most terrifying attacks on Kyiv” – and said Russian forces had fired 440 drones and 32 missiles as civilians slept in their homes.

“[Putin] wants the war to go on,” he said. “It is troubling when the powerful of this world turn a blind eye to it.”

Emergency workers evacuate an injured resident following Russia's combined missile and drone attack in Kyiv, Ukraine, Tuesday, June 17, 2025
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Pic: AP

Ukraine’s interior minister, Ihor Klymenko, said 27 locations across the capital have been hit – including educational institutions and critical infrastructure.

He claimed the attack, in the early hours of Tuesday morning, was one of the largest on the capital since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in February 2022.

Drones swarmed over the city, with an air raid alert remaining in force for seven hours.

One person was killed and 17 others injured as a result of separate Russian drone strikes in the port city of Odesa.

Pic: Reuters
Image:
Pic: Reuters

It comes as the G7 summit in Canada continues, which Ukraine’s leader is expected to attend.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy was due to hold talks with Donald Trump – but the president has announced he is unexpectedly returning to Washington because of tensions in the Middle East.

Ukraine’s foreign minister says Moscow’s decision to attack Kyiv during the summit is a signal of disrespect to the US.

Moscow has launched a record number of drones and missiles in recent weeks, and says the attacks are in retaliation for a Ukrainian operation that targeted warplanes in airbases deep within Russian territory.

Kyiv’s mayor Vitali Klitschko says fires broke out in two of the city’s districts as a result of debris from drones shot down by the nation’s air defences.

Read more from Sky News:
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A multi-storey apartment in Kyiv was struck. Pic: AP
Image:
Pic: AP

On X, Ukraine’s foreign ministry wrote: “Russia’s campaign of terror against civilians continues. Its war against Ukraine escalates with increased brutality.

“The only way to stop Russia is tighter pressure – through sanctions, more defence support for Ukraine, and limiting Russia’s ability to keep sowing war.”

Olena Lapyshnak, who lived in one of the destroyed buildings, said: “It’s horrible, it’s scary, in one moment there is no life. I can only curse the Russians, that’s all I can say. They shouldn’t exist in this world.”

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Air India flight from Ahmedabad to London cancelled days after fatal crash

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Air India flight from Ahmedabad to London cancelled days after fatal crash

An Air India flight from Ahmedabad to London has been cancelled.

No explanation has been given for the cancellation so far, Sky News understands.

However, Indian-English language channel CNN News18 reported that the cancellation of the flight, which arrived from Delhi, was due to “technical issues”.

It comes after a UK-bound Air India flight catastrophically crashed shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad airport in western India on Thursday, killing 229 passengers and 12 crew, with one person surviving the crash.

Among the victims were several British nationals, whose deaths in the crash have now been officially confirmed, UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy said as he shared his condolences on X.

Yesterday, an Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner – the same type as the aircraft involved in last week’s tragedy – had to return to Hong Kong mid-flight after a suspected technical issue.

Air India flight 159, which was cancelled on Tuesday, was also a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner.

It was due to depart from Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport at 1.10pm local time (8.40am UK time). It was set to arrive at London’s Gatwick Airport at 6.25pm UK time.

Air India’s website shows the flight was initially delayed by one hour and 50 minutes before being cancelled.

As a result, passengers have been left stranded at the airport. The next flight from Ahmedabad to London is scheduled for 11.40am local time (7.10am UK time) on Wednesday.

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Israeli tank shelling kills 51 people waiting for aid in Khan Younis, Hamas-run health ministry says

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Israeli tank shelling kills 51 people waiting for aid in Khan Younis, Hamas-run health ministry says

Israeli tank shellfire has killed at least 51 Palestinians in Khan Younis, according to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza.

Hundreds of others have been injured, with “dozens of critical cases” arriving at a medical complex.

It is feared that the number of fatalities will rise.

People react as casualties are brought to hospital. Pic: Reuters
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Pic: Reuters

The strikes took place as people waited for United Nations and commercial aid trucks in the southern Gaza city.

Witnesses said that Israeli forces carried out an airstrike on a nearby home before opening fire toward the crowd.

“Emergency, intensive care, and operating rooms are experiencing severe overcrowding,” a statement said.

Officials say medical staff “are operating with limited supplies of life-saving medicines” – with the ministry renewing an “urgent appeal” to increase aid.

Pic: Reuters
Image:
Pic: Reuters

Hours earlier, Donald Trump had joined other G7 leaders to call for a “de-escalation of hostilities in the Middle East, including a ceasefire in Gaza”.

The Israeli military is yet to comment on this incident.

On Monday, Gaza’s health ministry said at least 34 people were shot dead near food distribution centres.

This was the highest reported daily total since Israel and US-backed aid centres opened last month, with thousands of Palestinians moving through Israeli military-controlled areas to reach them.

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