International
Brazil awards Bolsonaro ‘medal of indigenous merit’
AFP
The Justice Ministry awarded President Jair Bolsonaro Brazil’s “medal of indigenous merit” Wednesday, drawing criticism for granting the honor to a leader that indigenous groups accuse of “genocide” and “ecocide.”
Justice Minister Anderson Torres awarded the medal to his boss and 25 other honorees “in recognition of their significant altruistic service for the well-being, protection and defense of indigenous communities,” said a decree published in the official gazette.
Torres also granted the medal to himself, Agriculture Minister Tereza Cristina, Infrastructure Minister Tarcisio Gomes and Defense Minister Walter Braga Netto.
The announcement drew sharp criticism from indigenous leaders, many of whom accuse Bolsonaro of trying to force native peoples from their lands, promoting environmental destruction and allowing rampant deforestation in the Amazon rainforest.
“Absurd,” said Sonia Guajajara, national coordinator of the Association of Brazil’s Indigenous Peoples (APIB).
“As if all the setbacks we’re facing weren’t enough, this barbaric dis-government has now created another: a medal of merit to Jair Bolsonaro and his allies for their ‘significant’ services to indigenous peoples,” she tweeted.
Her organization brought a case against Bolsonaro before the International Criminal Court last year for his “anti-indigenous policies,” accusing the far-right president of “genocide” and “ecocide.”
Indigenous groups have staged massive protests against Bolsonaro since he took office in 2019 over his push to restrict the creation of new indigenous reservations, a surge in deforestation and fires in the Amazon, and his bid to legalize mining on indigenous lands.
Brazil is home to around a million indigenous people, about 0.5 percent of the country’s population.
The medal of indigenous merit had in the past traditionally been awarded to academics such as anthropologist Darcy Ribeiro or indigenous leaders such as iconic chief and environmental activist Raoni Matuktire.
International
Longest government shutdown in U.S. history deepens airport and aid crisis
The U.S. government shutdown reached a historic milestone on Wednesday, becoming the longest in the nation’s history as Republicans aligned with President Donald Trump continue to clash with Democratic opposition over the federal budget.
The shutdown entered its 36th day, surpassing the previous record set in 2019 during Trump’s first term in office.
Over the past six weeks, the budget impasse has left roughly 1.4 million federal workers without pay. Employees deemed “essential,” including air traffic controllers and law enforcement officers, have been required to continue working despite not receiving their salaries.
Conditions at airports are growing increasingly strained. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned that the federal government may be forced to partially shut down U.S. airspace due to staffing shortages.
“So if we go another week from now, Democrats, you will see massive chaos… you will see massive flight delays,” Duffy cautioned.
Social assistance programs have also been disrupted. On Tuesday, Trump stated that food aid relied upon by millions of Americans would not be distributed until the government reopens — contradicting earlier administration comments indicating that partial benefits could still be provided.
International
Deadly fire in bosnian nursing home leaves 11 dead and dozens injured
At least 11 people were killed and more than 30 others were injured after a fire broke out overnight at a nursing home in Bosnia, authorities reported on Wednesday.
The cause of the blaze, which started late Tuesday on the seventh floor of a residential building in the city of Tuzla, remains unclear. Local media reported that the upper floors of the facility housed elderly residents with limited mobility or medical conditions.
Tuzla Mayor Zijad Lugavić said that firefighters and rescue workers were among the injured. Municipal authorities convened an emergency meeting on Wednesday to assess the situation and coordinate response efforts.
Ruža Kajic, a resident living on the third floor, said she had just gone to bed when she heard “bursting sounds” and saw flames descending from the upper levels.
International
Former U.S. vice president Dick Cheney dies at 84
Dick Cheney, former U.S. vice president under George W. Bush and a chief architect of the 2000s “war on terror,” died Monday night at age 84.
According to a family statement, Cheney passed away due to complications from pneumonia and cardiovascular disease.
Cheney, who rose to political prominence as White House Chief of Staff under President Gerald Ford in the 1970s, went on to become one of the most influential vice presidents in U.S. history during the Bush administration (2001–2009). He was widely known as one of the strongest advocates for the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
In his later years, however, Cheney emerged as a vocal critic of the Republican Party under Donald Trump’s leadership.
“Dick Cheney was a great man who taught his children and grandchildren to love our country and to live with courage, honor, love, kindness, and a passion for fishing,” his family said in a statement.
Longest government shutdown in U.S. history deepens airport and aid crisis
Deadly fire in bosnian nursing home leaves 11 dead and dozens injured
Former U.S. vice president Dick Cheney dies at 84
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
Defense Minister commends salvadoran soldier for Central American Cross Country victory
Extension of the state of emergency approved in southern Chile
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