International
Brazil’s Bolsonaro snubs new lockdown calls
AFP/Editor
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro doubled down on his opposition to lockdown measures to contain Covid-19 Wednesday, as experts warned a large-scale stay-at-home was “absolutely necessary” to slow a deadly surge of the coronavirus.
Hard-hit Brazil registered its deadliest day yet in the pandemic Tuesday with more than 4,000 deaths, fueling mounting calls for a lockdown — something Bolsonaro has vehemently rejected.
Leading public health institute Fiocruz recommended Wednesday the country adopt a strict lockdown to alleviate what it called the “collapse” of the health system.
“Lockdown measures are a bitter but absolutely necessary pill in moments of crisis and the collapse of the health system, such as the country is experiencing now,” it said.
But Bolsonaro reiterated his opposition to lockdowns, which he argues cause economic damage that is worse than the virus itself.
“We’re not going to accept these policies of ‘stay home, close everything, lock down,’” he said on a visit to the southern city of Chapeco.
“There’s not going to be a national lockdown. Our army isn’t going into the streets to force the Brazilian people into their homes.”
The far-right president has defied expert advice on containing the pandemic, criticizing lockdowns, face masks and vaccines even as the virus has claimed nearly 337,000 lives in Brazil — second only to the United States.
But he faces mounting pressure to get the situation under control amid a brutal new surge of the virus that has made Brazil the current epicenter of the pandemic, overflowing hospitals and forcing cemeteries to hold burials around the clock.
Fiocruz said intensive care units in hospitals were at “critical levels” of occupancy in 24 of Brazil’s 27 states.
Bolsonaro complained he was being treated unfairly by critics of his handling of the pandemic.
“I think I’m the only world leader taking all this criticism. It would be easier to just follow the masses. That way people don’t accuse you of ‘genocide’ just because I think differently,” he said.
He also renewed his backing for the so-called “Covid kit,” a package of medications such as malaria drug hydroxychloroquine and parasite drug ivermectin that he maintains is effective against the disease despite a raft of studies finding the opposite.
International
Erin brings strong winds and storm surge despite weakening offshore
Hurricane Erin weakened to a Category 2 storm on Tuesday but continues to pose a threat to parts of the U.S. East Coast with potentially dangerous flooding, according to meteorologists.
Although the hurricane’s eye is expected to remain offshore, experts are concerned about Erin’s size, as strong winds extend hundreds of kilometers beyond the storm’s center.
In its 18:00 GMT bulletin, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) lifted tropical storm warnings for the Bahamasand Turks and Caicos Islands, but kept them in effect for parts of North Carolina.
Erin was located several hundred kilometers southeast of North Carolina and was moving northwestward.
“This means there is a risk of potentially life-threatening flooding of 60 to 120 centimeters above ground level,” said NHC Director Michael Brennan.
He also warned of the possibility of destructive waves, combined with storm surge, that could cause severe damage to beaches and coastal areas, making roads impassable.
International
Three U.S. Warships deploy near Venezuela to combat drug trafficking
Three U.S. naval vessels are moving toward the coasts of Venezuela, according to international media reports on Tuesday, after White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt confirmed that President Donald Trump is ready to combat and curb international drug trafficking.
Reports indicate that the ships will reach Venezuelan waters within the next 36 hours as part of a recent U.S. deployment aimed at countering international narcotics operations.
The announcement coincides with Leavitt’s statement that Trump is prepared to “use the full extent of his power” to halt drug flows into the United States. The naval deployment involves approximately 4,000 military personnel.
“The President has been clear and consistent. He is ready to use every element of U.S. power to prevent drugs from flooding our country and to bring those responsible to justice. The Maduro regime is not the legitimate government of Venezuela—it is a narco-terror cartel,” the spokesperson said during a press conference.
International
Cuban authorities free salvadoran convicted in 1997 hotel bombing
Salvadoran national Otto René Rodríguez Llerena was released after serving a 30-year prison sentence for his involvement in a terrorist attack at a hotel in Cuba in 1997, the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported.
During his trial, Rodríguez Llerena admitted to placing an explosive device at the Meliá Cohiba Hotel under the orders of anti-Castro exile leaders. He was arrested the following year when he returned to Havana with another load of explosives that failed to detonate.
“The Cuban government reiterates its commitment to combating terrorism, respecting human rights, and the need for the international community to hold accountable those who promote such acts,” the statement read.
He was released on August 15 and is the second Salvadoran to complete his sentence. In December of last year, another Salvadoran, Ernesto Cruz León, was released after planting bombs at tourist centers, one of which killed an Italian tourist identified as Fabio Di Celmo.
A third Salvadoran, Francisco Chávez Abarca, also received a 30-year sentence from Cuban courts in 2010 after being extradited from Venezuela through Interpol for actions against Cuba.
Rodríguez Llerena had requested conditional release in 2016, arguing that his actions had not caused any direct fatalities, but no further information was released about his situation until now.
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