A New York man who turned a rescued squirrel into a social media star called Peanut is pleading with state authorities to return his beloved pet after they seized it during a raid that also yielded a raccoon named Fred.

Multiple anonymous complaints about Peanut – also spelled P’Nut or PNUT – brought at least six officers from the state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to Mark Longo’s home on Wednesday, Longo said.

“The DEC came to my house and raided my house without a search warrant to find a squirrel!” said Longo,from Pine City. “I was treated as if I was a drug dealer and they were going for drugs and guns.”

The officers left with Peanut, who has amassed hundreds of thousands of followers on Instagram, TikTok and other platforms during his seven years with Longo. They also took Fred, a more recent addition to the family.

By Thursday night, Longo had gathered nearly 20,000 signatures urging the return of Peanut, and says he has hired a legal team to get Peanut back.

A spokesperson for the DEC said in a statement that the agency had started an investigation after receiving “multiple reports from the public about the potentially unsafe housing of wildlife that could carry rabies and the illegal keeping of wildlife as pets.”

Longo, who runs an animal refuge inspired by his squirrel buddy called P’Nuts Freedom Farm Animal Sanctuary, took to Instagram to mourn Peanut’s loss and said he fears that Peanut has been euthanised. “I don’t know if Peanut is alive,” he said in a phone interview on Thursday. “I don’t know where he is.”

The DEC spokesperson did not respond to a question about whether Peanut had been euthanised.

Longo said he took in Peanut seven years ago after seeing Peanut’s mother get hit by a car in New York City. Longo brought Peanut home and cared for him for eight months before trying to release the squirrel. “A day and a half later I found him sitting on my porch missing half of his tail with his bone sticking out,” Longo said.

Longo decided that Peanut lacked the survival skills to live in the wild and would remain an indoor squirrel.

Internet fame followed, after Longo posted videos of Peanut playing with his cat.

An Instagram account dedicated to Peanut shows the animal leaping on to Longo’s shoulder, wearing a miniature cowboy hat, and eating a waffle while wearing crocheted bunny ears.

Over the years Peanut’s story has been featured on TV and newspapers including USA Today.

Longo, who works as a mechanical engineer, was living in Norwalk, Connecticut, until he decided to move to upstate New York last year to start an animal sanctuary. P’Nuts Freedom Farm Animal Sanctuary opened in April 2023 and now houses about 300 animals including horses, goats and alpacas, said Longo, who runs the sanctuary with his wife, Daniela, and other family members.

Longo is aware that it’s against New York state law to own a wild animal without a licence. He said he was in the process of filing paperwork to get Peanut certified as an educational animal.

“If we’re not following the rules, guide us in the right direction to follow the rules, you know?” Longo said. “Let us know what we need to do to have Peanut in the house and not have to worry about him getting taken.”

As for Fred, Longo said he had had the raccoon for only a few months and was hoping to rehabilitate the injured creature and release him back into the woods.

Longo is not the first animal owner to protest against the confiscation of a pet by New York authorities. A Buffalo-area man whose alligator was seized by the DEC in March is suing the agency to get the 750lb (340kg) reptile back.

Flanked by a turquoise lagoon, a newly rebuilt US military runway slices through forest in southern Palau. Completed just months ago, the airfield is the latest example of a push by the United States to build its presence in the Pacific as concerns around China’s reach in the region grow.

The small Pacific country is one of 12 in the world that has diplomatic ties with Taiwan instead of China and will head to the polls on 5 November, the same day as the US.

Voters are mostly concerned about a weak economy and cost of living crisis. But outside Palau, the election symbolises the growing tussle for influence by Washington and Beijing playing out across the Pacific.

The contest is an unlikely battle between brothers-in-law – President Surangel Whipps Jr will take on former president Tommy Esang Remengesau Jr. Whipps, a staunch pro-US candidate, wants to reform Palau’s economy and strengthen security ties with Washington. Remengesau, a Palauan chief known for his environmental achievements, has signalled a willingness to work more closely with China and other partners on climate action and to meet Palau’s economic needs.

The archipelago of about 18,000 people lies just east of the Philippines. Dr Michael Green, chief executive officer at the United States Studies Centre in Sydney, says Palau’s strategic position has made it a focal point in a geopolitical tug-of-war.

“These small islands that few people know about suddenly become the objects of major strategic competition,” he says.

_______

On the east coast of Babeldaob, Palau’s largest island, truck driver Aiu Andres says it is getting more difficult to make ends meet.

“Life today is a little bit harder,” the 33-year-old says from his home as he pats his baby to sleep. “The prices are going up, but usually it’s because we import a lot of our products, so we cannot even really control the prices.”

Most of Palau’s goods – worth about $70m each year – are imported from the US. Palau was fully administered by America until independence in 1994, and it continues to have deep ties with the US under a Compact of Free Association. The agreement sees the US provides more than 10% of Palau’s annual budget, and gives Palauans the right to work and live in the US. In return, Washington has full control of defence and military operations over land, air and sea in this strategic string of islands.

Palau’s president, Whipps, has welcomed US support and sought to extend its military presence in the country over his four-year term.

“We see what’s happening around our region, we see what’s happened in the Philippines, China has just moved into those reefs, no respect for sovereignty” Whipps said, referring to China’s contested incursions into the South China Sea.

“As a small nation … I think it’s a benefit for Palau to have that special relationship with the United States.”

Even before he was a politician, Whipps’ name was well known to Palauans. He served as CEO of the massive family company started by his father, Surangel & Sons. Its logo – a smiley face wearing a crown – emblazons the country’s only mall, the diggers that crisscross a massive quarry site near the national airport, the shirts of grocery store workers, a local bakery, a car rental company and countless other local businesses.

Whipps no longer works for the company since becoming president in 2021. Over the past four years, Surangel & Sons’ construction arm has won at least 37 US defence contracts, valued at more than $5.8m.

Whipps’ rival for the presidency, Remengesau Jr, calls this a “conflict of interest”.

“There seems to be no equal opportunities or opportunities for other companies to get the benefits of government projects or military projects,” Remengesau said, adding that if he were elected president, he would look to break up the size of tendered projects so that smaller Palauan companies could compete for them.

Whipps dismisses such criticisms as “sounding like a Chinese narrative”.

“We have never cheated, never taken advantage of any situation that we’ve been in, from when we started our business 40 years ago, until now,” the president told the Guardian.

Remengesau served as president of Palau for 16 years, on-and-off between 2000 and 2020. Under his administration, Palau became known globally for several ambitious environmental policies – from creating the world’s first shark sanctuary to converting 80% of Palau’s waters into a marine sanctuary.

Sitting at his home in the main town of Koror, while his young granddaughter leans against his shoulders and a small white kitten nips at his legs, Remengesau says he never intended to get back into politics. But a petition signed by more than 6,000 Palauans and delivered to him earlier this year convinced him otherwise.

Remengesau doesn’t oppose US military involvement in Palau but says it should not be a priority for Palau. He wants more consultation with traditional and community leaders to ensure the projects don’t harm Palau’s environment.

“China and the US are trying to outdo each other with their defence and military strategies in the Pacific,” Remengesau says. “But security for us is not about defence and militarisation. Security for us is about climate change and global warming.”

It’s highly unusual in Palau for family members to run against each other, and both Whipps and Remengesau say it’s “unfortunate” that they are in opposition, especially at a time when Palau faces mounting economic pressures.

The president says a 10% goods and services tax (PGST) introduced last year provides necessary revenue for the government, while Remengesau and his supporters have criticised the levy for worsening the financial burden on Palau’s low-income households.

“The problem with our economy is we have only one source of revenue, and that is the tourism industry,” the country’s only female senator, Rukebai Kikuo Inabo, says.

“China was our main tourism market prior to Covid when we reached like 100,000 [visitors], but because of the Pacific politics, they have used tourism as an economic tool to try and change our foreign affairs.”

In 2017, the Chinese government ordered tour operators to stop selling packages to Palau in what many Palauans locals call “the China ban”. More recently, shortly after Palau’s government accused China of being behind a cyber-attack, Beijing issued a travel advisory for the Pacific country citing safety concerns.

China’s foreign ministry was contacted through regional embassies but did not respond.

Tourism makes up an estimated 40% of Palau’s GDP, and both presidential candidates have accused China of using economic pressure to influence its foreign and domestic policies. Whipps also believes the biggest opponents to the PGST are from businesses “affiliated with a lot of Chinese [nationals]”.

China maintains active commercial interests in Palau despite not having formal diplomatic relations with the country. At night-time in a downtown Koror bar, a group of Chinese businessmen play darts. They are in the country for the week, drafting the plans behind a new hotel on the island, one of several owned by Chinese nationals.

But not all Palauans see China’s activity in the country as a bad thing. Newspaper publisher Moses Uludong, who recently dropped out of Palau’s presidential race, struck a deal with Chinese businessmen in 2018 to create a new media group aimed at building ties between the two countries.

The initiative never came to fruition, but Uludong is still keen for Palau to better benefit from China’s lucrative market, saying it is wise for the country to “make friends with the biggest bully”.

“How come the Chinese can do business here and we can’t do business there?” Uludong tells the Guardian. “We want to promote Palau in China so tourists can come.”

While there’s no indication Palau will shift its alliance away from the US and Taiwan following the election, Green says its leaders’ ability to resist China’s overtures depends on the strength of its governance.

“It’s more about how well governed the country [is] … and how accountable its leaders are,” Green says. “[Otherwise] leaders will do things for short-term political gains, with long-term consequences.”

Palau’s alliance with Taiwan is popular among many of its voters. Taiwan provides the Pacific country a range of support – scholarships to study at Kainan University, visits from health staff to provide free medical checks to Palauns, and other modest agricultural and infrastructure projects.

The former president is open to working more closely with China, as long as Palau can maintain its existing diplomatic relationships, especially with Taiwan.

“To be honest, we would have relations with China and Taiwan if it was possible,” Remengesau said. “If China wants to become our friends, yes, we’ll accept them.”

Two former police officers who confessed to the murder of Rio city councillor Marielle Franco have been sentenced to decades in prison for their part in a crime that shook Brazil and cast a harsh spotlight on the links between politics and organised crime.

Ronnie Lessa admitted to firing 14 shots in the 2018 drive-by shooting that killed Franco and her driver Anderson Gomes, 39, and was sentenced to 78 years and nine months. Élcio de Queiroz, who confessed to driving the getaway car, was sentenced to 59 years and eight months.

In addition to the double homicide, they were convicted for the attempted murder of Fernanda Chaves, Franco’s press officer at the time, who was in the car.

Lessa and de Queiroz, who were arrested in 2019, had previously signed plea bargains, but the jury in Rio de Janeiro had final word on their guilt.

Prosecutors at the two-day trial had argued each man should be sentenced to the maximum possible 84 years.

By signing plea bargains – which led to the May arrests of the masterminds: two politicians and a former police chief – the defendants will have their sentences reduced. However, prosecutors declined to specify by how much, citing confidentiality of the previously signed agreements.

The crime was one of the most shocking and high-profile murders in Rio’s history: Franco, a gay Black woman, was a rising political star, and an outspoken critic of police violence and corruption.

Thursday’s verdict offered a measure of solace to her family and supporters, but marked just the first step towards justice: a second trial is yet to come for the men accused of ordering Franco’s death.

The case against the masterminds – two influential Rio politicians, Domingos and Chiquinho Brazão, and Rivaldo Barbosa, a former police chief – is under way in the supreme court and no trial date has been set yet.

Announcing the sentences, Judge Glioche said: “The jury is a democracy – a democracy which Marielle Franco defended.”

Addressing the two defendants she said: “This sentence is directed at the defendants here, but also at the many Lessas and Queirozes who exist in Rio and remain at large.”

Members of the two victims’ families hugged each other as the sentence was declared.

At a press conference afterwards, Franco’s daughter, Luyara, said the trial outcome “is a victory for Brazil’s democracy”. She added: “There are still many steps ahead in this case, but today the first step toward justice for them has certainly been taken, and we will keep fighting.”

Marielle’s widow, Monica Benicio, said the convictions are “a message that politicians cannot use murder as a means to conduct politics”.

During the trial, Lessa – whom the federal police accuse of being a contract killer – again admitted to the crime, speaking coldly about the murder.

According to him, the Brazão brothers – long accused of involvement with paramilitary mafia groups known as militias – ordered the killing after becoming frustrated by Franco’s efforts to disrupt profitable housing development plans.

“The masterminds saw Franco as an obstacle and wanted to deal with her at any cost,” he said, at times referring to the councillor not by name, but as “the target.” Lessa claimed he would receive land plots valued at 25m reais (£3.3m) as payment.

The now-convicted men participated in the trial via video link from the prisons where they are held.

Before Marielle Franco’s mother, Marinete Silva, testified, prosecutors asked if she wanted Lessa and Queiroz removed from the broadcast. She declined, and during her statement, she called both men “cowards”.

“I’m not here to talk about Marielle as a councillor or as a symbol of resistance for Brazil and the world,” she said. “I’m here as a mother who has suffered all these years from the loss of her daughter.”

Also invited to testify, Franco’s widow, Benicio, said that she was living “the happiest moment of her life”, shortly after becoming Rio de Janeiro’s fifth-most-voted councillor in her first election.

Gomes’s widow, Ágatha Arnaus, recounted that her husband – who left behind a son who was one year and eight months old at the time of the crime – was in the final stages of a selection process to work as an aircraft mechanic, his childhood dream.

The sole survivor from that night, Fernanda Chaves, also testified by video call – she had to leave Brazil in the following months, and since returning has lived outside Rio.

She celebrated Franco’s legacy; Chaves had been Franco’s press officer and friend for 15 years. “These people took Marielle from us, but they couldn’t interrupt what Marielle stands for. They [the killers and masterminds] will spend the rest of their lives in misery, having to hear ‘Marielle lives’ … and seeing her face on walls around the world,” she said.

Lessa and Queiroz were tried by a jury made up entirely of men (seven in total), all middle-aged. During the preliminary selection, the defence used its veto to block the only two women who had been chosen.

Following the verdict, Franco’s sister and Brazil’s current minister for racial equality, Anielle Franco, said that “people need to stop normalising so many bodies falling across the country”. She added, “When they murdered my sister, with those four shots to the head, they could not have imagined the strength with which this country and the world would rise up.

“What happened today is just part of the response we expect. Justice began to be served today,” she said.