International

Brazilian unemployment rate drops slightly from record level

AFP

Brazil’s unemployment rate pulled marginally back from record levels to 14.6 percent in the rolling March to May quarter, according to official figures released on Friday.

Unemployment in Latin America’s largest economy had been at a record 14.7 percent since the January to March quarter.

It amounts to 14.8 million people being out of work, the IBGE statistics institute said.

Compared to the March to May period in 2020, when the rate was 12.9 percent, there are 2.1 million more people unemployed.

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Experts believe the only way to reactivate the economy would be through progress with the country’s coronavirus vaccination program.

Over the past 18 months since the pandemic appeared, more than 550,000 Brazilians have died of Covid-19.

However, it will take time for economic activity to catch up with increased immunizations.

“In a climate of increased uncertainty … business people are postponing investments and formal contracts,” said Paulo Peruchetti, from the Brazilian institute of economics at the Getulio Vargas foundation.

“This level of uncertainty will probably remain high due to financial risks and political turmoil, which should increase in 2022 with a highly polarized presidential election.”

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Far right President Jair Bolsonaro is expected to face fierce competition from leftist former leader Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

Peruchetti said the informal sector would be the one driving a recovery in employment. It includes people paid under the table, doing odd jobs, working in the street, and others who like them do not pay taxes.

The informal sector reached 40 percent of the workforce, or nearly 35 million people, in the March-May quarter.

International

Man arrested after deliberately driving into seven children in Osaka

Japanese police arrested a man on Thursday after he rammed his car into a group of seven schoolchildren in an apparent deliberate attack in the city of Osaka.

The children, who were on their way home from school, sustained injuries and were taken to the hospital. All seven remained conscious, according to local authorities.

An Osaka police officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the suspect is a 28-year-old man from Tokyo. The officer shared statements the man made after his arrest: “I was fed up with everything, so I decided to kill people by driving into several elementary school children,” the suspect reportedly said.

The man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.

The injured children, aged between seven and eight, included a seven-year-old girl who suffered a fractured jaw. The six other children—all boys—suffered minor injuries such as bruises and scratches and were undergoing medical evaluation.

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Witnesses described the car as “zigzagging” before hitting the children. One witness told Nippon TV that a girl was “covered in blood” and the others appeared to have scratches.

Another witness said the driver, who was wearing a face mask, looked to be in shock when school staff pulled him from the vehicle.

Violent crimes are rare in Japan, though serious incidents do occur from time to time. In 2008, Tomohiro Kato drove a two-ton truck into pedestrians in Tokyo’s Akihabara district, then fatally stabbed several victims. Seven people were killed in that attack.

Internacionales

Clashes erupt during may day protests across France amid calls for better wages

May Day protests in France were marked by a heavy police presence and clashes between demonstrators and law enforcement in several cities.

In Paris, Lyon, and Nantes, thousands took to the streets to demand better wages, fairer working conditions, and to voice their dissatisfaction with President Emmanuel Macron’s government.

While the majority of the demonstrations remained peaceful, isolated confrontations broke out in some areas. Protesters threw objects at the police, prompting the use of tear gas and resulting in several arrests.

Videos showing police crackdowns circulated widely on social media, drawing criticism from labor unions and human rights advocates, who denounced the authorities’ response to the protests.

International

Kristi Noem credits Trump for mass migrant deportations by mexican president

U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem claimed that Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has deported “more than half a million” migrants due to pressure from former President Donald Trump.

During a cabinet meeting highlighting the “achievements” of Trump’s administration in its first 100 days, Noem asserted that under the Republican leader’s influence, “Mexico has finally come to the table” to negotiate on migration and fentanyl trafficking.

“The president of Mexico told me she has returned just over half a million people before they reached our border,” Noem stated, criticizing media reports that suggest the Biden administration deported more migrants than Trump’s.

“I wish those deportations were counted,” Noem added, “because those people never made it to our border—she sent them back because you made her.” She went on to thank Trump: “They never made it here because they got the message—because you were so aggressive.”

Noem has made controversial claims about Sheinbaum in the past, prompting the Mexican leader to refute them.

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On April 1, Sheinbaum responded to one such statement by declaring, “The president answers to only one authority, and that is the people of Mexico,” after Noem said on Fox News that she gave Sheinbaum “a list of things Trump would like to see” and that Mexico’s actions would determine whether Trump granted tariff relief.