International
Vaccine pass becomes mandatory in tourist hotspot Rio
AFP
Accessing Rio de Janeiro’s tourist sites became conditional Wednesday on presentation of a coronavirus vaccine certificate, as authorities seek to encourage people to get their shots.
The requirement also applies for access to other public spaces such as cinemas, theaters, gyms, museums, sports stadiums and conference venues, but not restaurants, bars or shopping malls.
Foreign visitors are allowed to present an international health pass.
On Wednesday morning, the queue for the cable car to the top of the iconic Sugarloaf Mountain advanced without incident, with most visitors clutching paper or mobile phone app versions of their vaccine records.
The move, Rio mayor Eduardo Paes said Tuesday, was “important for the city to be able to return to normal, for people to be able to frequent public places again.”
Earlier, he had said: “We’re going to make things difficult for those who don’t want to be vaccinated… It’s inconceivable for people who think they’re protected without the vaccine to have normal lives. They won’t.”
Rio, a city of 6.8 million people famous for its beautiful beaches and breathtaking views, has seen a surge of coronavirus infections recently because of the Delta variant.
The city has registered more than 30,000 Covid-19 deaths.
Rio is betting on widespread vaccination to bring back beloved events such as its annual carnival, the world’s largest, which had to be canceled this year because of the pandemic.
Brazil, a country of 213 million people, has registered more than 587,000 Covid-19 deaths, a toll second only to the United States.
Rio has a reported coronavirus death rate of 439 per 100,000 inhabitants — much higher than the national average of 280.
On Wednesday evening, the 78,000-seater Maracana Stadium will receive 20,000 people for a Brazil Cup quarter-final match between Flamengo and Gremio in a “test” event after many months of fanless matches.
A vaccine certificate was required for ticket purchases.
Brazil had a late start with coronavirus vaccination but is now the country with the fourth-most doses administered.
Nearly two-thirds of the population have received at least one vaccine dose, and 35 percent are fully immunized — in Rio, it is nearly 50 percent.
Sao Paulo, Brazil’s largest metropolitan area, already has a vaccine requirement in place since September 1.
Rio was also meant to implement the requirement on that date, but postponed it by two weeks due to technical problems with issuing the health passes.
International
U.S. and Mexico Reach Deal to Address Water Deficit Under 1944 Treaty
The United States and Mexico have reached an agreement to comply with current water obligations affecting U.S. farmers and ranchers and for Mexico to cover its water deficit to Texas under the 1944 Water Treaty, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said in a statement.
The department уточified that the agreement applies to both the current cycle and the water deficit from the previous cycle.
On Monday, U.S. President Donald Trump accused Mexico of failing to comply with the water-sharing treaty between the two countries, which requires the United States to deliver 1.85 billion cubic meters of water from the Colorado River, while Mexico must supply 432 million cubic meters from the Rio Grande.
Mexico is behind on its commitments. According to Washington, the country has accumulated a deficit of more than one billion cubic meters of water over the past five years.
“This violation is severely harming our beautiful crops and our livestock in Texas,” Trump wrote on Monday.
The Department of Agriculture said on Friday that Mexico had agreed to supply 250 million cubic meters of water starting next week and to work toward closing the shortfall.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, quoted in the statement, said Mexico delivered more water in a single year than it had over the previous four years combined.
Trump has said that if Mexico continues to fall short of its obligations, the United States reserves the right to impose 5% tariffs on imported Mexican products.
Mexico’s Deputy Foreign Minister for North America, Roberto Velasco, said that a severe drought in 2022 and 2023prevented the country from meeting its commitments.
International
Several people shot in attack on Brown University campus
Several people were shot on Saturday in an attack on the campus of Brown University, in the northeastern United States, local police reported.
“Shelter in place and avoid the area until further notice,” the Providence Police Department urged in a post on X. Brown University is located in Providence, the capital of the state of Rhode Island.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on his social media platform Truth Social that he had been briefed on the situation and that the FBI was on the scene.
At 5:52 p.m. local time (11:52 p.m. GMT), Brown University said the situation was still “ongoing” and instructed students to remain sheltered until further notice.
After initially stating that the suspect had been taken into custody, Trump later posted a second message clarifying that local police had walked back that information. “The suspect has NOT been apprehended,” the U.S. president said.
International
Colombia says it would not reject Maduro asylum request as regional tensions escalate
The Colombian government stated on Thursday that it would have no reason to reject a potential asylum request from Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro should he leave office, as regional tensions persist over the deployment of U.S. military forces in the Caribbean since August.
“In the current climate of tension, negotiations are necessary, and if the United States demands a transition or political change, that is something to be assessed. If such a transition results in him (Maduro) needing to live elsewhere or seek protection, Colombia would have no reason to deny it,” said Colombian Foreign Minister Rosa Villavicencio in an interview with Caracol Radio.
However, Villavicencio noted that it is unlikely Maduro would choose Colombia as a refuge. “I believe he would opt for someplace more distant and calmer,” she added.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro also commented on Venezuela’s situation on Wednesday, arguing that the country needs a “democratic revolution” rather than “inefficient repression.” His remarks followed the recent detention and passport cancellation of Cardinal Baltazar Porras at the Caracas airport.
“The Maduro government must understand that responding to external aggression requires more than military preparations; it requires a democratic revolution. A country is defended with more democracy, not more inefficient repression,” Petro wrote on X (formerly Twitter), in a rare public criticism of the Venezuelan leader.
Petro also called for a general amnesty for political opponents and reiterated his call for forming a broad transitional government to address Venezuela’s prolonged crisis.
Since September, U.S. military forces have destroyed more than 20 vessels allegedly carrying drugs in Caribbean and Pacific waters near Venezuela and Colombia, resulting in over 80 deaths.
U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly warned that attacks “inside Venezuela” will begin “soon,” while Maduro has urged Venezuelans to prepare for what he describes as an impending external aggression.
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U.S. and Mexico Reach Deal to Address Water Deficit Under 1944 Treaty
Several people shot in attack on Brown University campus
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