International
Brazil responds to less than 3% of deforestation alerts: study
AFP
President Jair Bolsonaro’s government has responded to less than three percent of deforestation alerts, a sign that “impunity reigns” in the destruction of Brazil’s forests, an environmental monitor said Tuesday.
MapBiomas, a consortium that uses satellite images to track the destruction of the Amazon rainforest and other regions in Brazil, said it had launched a new platform to cross-check reported deforestation with government records on fines, arrests and other responses by environmental authorities.
It said that since Bolsonaro took office in January 2019, the federal government had responded to just 2.17 percent of deforestation alerts.
“Despite the abundance of information and evidence of environmental crimes, oversight measures from the government are still far short of what’s needed to curb deforestation,” Ana Paula Valdiones of the Center of Life Institute (ICV), one of the groups involved in the platform, said in a statement.
The cases in which federal authorities responded corresponded to 13.1 percent of the total deforested area from January 2019 to March 2022, MapBiomas said.
It is the latest awkward news on the environment for Bolsonaro, who has drawn international condemnation for a surge in clear-cutting and fires in the Amazon, a key resource in the race to curb climate change.
Under the far-right president, who has pushed to open protected lands to agribusiness and mining, average annual deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon has increased by more than 75 percent from the previous decade, according to official figures.
Environmental groups accuse the Bolsonaro government of encouraging deforestation with its pro-agribusiness policies and rhetoric, and of turning a blind eye to infractors.
According to the Climate Observatory, a coalition of environmental groups, Brazil’s environmental protection agency (Ibama) spent just 41 percent of its allocated policing budget last year.
The findings from the new MapBiomas platform “show that impunity still reigns when it comes to illegal deforestation in Brazil,” said Tasso Azevedo, general coordinator for the consortium of universities, environmental groups and tech companies.
The environment ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
International
U.S. Senate Rejects Budget, Bringing Government Closer to Shutdown Amid DHS Dispute
The U.S. Senate voted on Thursday against a budget proposal in a move aimed at pressuring changes at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), following the killing of two civilians during a deployment of immigration agents in Minneapolis.
All Senate Democrats and seven Republican lawmakers voted against the bill, which requires 60 votes to advance, pushing the country closer to a partial government shutdown that would cut funding for several agencies, including the Pentagon and the Department of Health.
The rejection came as Senate leaders and the White House continue negotiations on a separate funding package for DHS that would allow reforms to the agency. Proposed measures include banning Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents from wearing face coverings and requiring them to use body-worn cameras during operations.
The vote took place just hours after President Donald Trump said he was “close” to reaching an agreement with Democrats and did not believe the federal government would face another shutdown, following last year’s record stoppage.
“I don’t think the Democrats want a shutdown either, so we’ll work in a bipartisan way to avoid it. Hopefully, there will be no government shutdown. We’re working on that right now,” Trump said during a Cabinet meeting at the White House.
International
Trump Says Putin Agreed to One-Week Halt in Attacks on Ukraine Amid Extreme Cold
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he secured a commitment from Russian President Vladimir Putinto halt attacks against Ukraine for one week, citing extreme weather conditions affecting the region.
“Because of the extreme cold (…) I personally asked Putin not to attack Kyiv or other cities and towns for a week. And he agreed. He was very pleasant,” Trump said during a Cabinet meeting broadcast by the White House.
Trump acknowledged that several advisers had questioned the decision to make the call.
“A lot of people told me not to waste the call because they wouldn’t agree. And he accepted. And we’re very happy they did, because they don’t need missiles hitting their towns and cities,” the president said.
According to Trump, Ukrainian authorities reacted with surprise to the announcement but welcomed the possibility of a temporary ceasefire.
“It’s extraordinarily cold, record cold (…) They say they’ve never experienced cold like this,” he added.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky later commented on the announcement, expressing hope that the agreement would be honored.
International
Storm Kristin Kills Five in Portugal, Leaves Nearly 500,000 Without Power
Storm Kristin, which battered Portugal with heavy rain and strong winds early Wednesday, has left at least five people dead, while nearly half a million residents remained without electricity as of Thursday, according to updated figures from authorities.
The revised death toll was confirmed to AFP by a spokesperson for the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANPEC). On Wednesday, the agency had reported four fatalities.
Meanwhile, E-Redes, the country’s electricity distribution network operator, said that around 450,000 customers were still without power, particularly in central Portugal.
Emergency services responded to approximately 1,500 incidents between midnight and 8:00 a.m. local time on Wednesday, as the storm caused widespread disruptions.
The Portuguese government described Kristin as an “extreme weather event” that inflicted significant damage across several regions of the country. At the height of the storm, as many as 850,000 households and institutions lost electricity during the early hours of Wednesday.
Several municipalities ordered the closure of schools, many of which remained shut on Thursday due to ongoing adverse conditions.
Ricardo Costa, regional deputy commander of the Leiria Fire Brigade, said residents continue to seek assistance as rainfall persists.
“Even though the rain is not extremely intense, it is causing extensive damage to homes,” he noted.
In Figueira da Foz, a coastal city in central Portugal, strong winds toppled a giant Ferris wheel, underscoring the severity of the storm.
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