International

Brazil announces aid to population affected by drought in Amazonas

Photo: @geraldoalckmin

October 5 |

The vice president of Brazil, Geraldo Alckmin, traveled Wednesday to the city of Manaus, capital of the state of Amazonas (northwest) to assess firsthand the damage caused by the extreme drought affecting that region and announced several measures to help the population.

Alckmin met with several authorities, including Governor Wilson Lima and mayors. He visited affected communities, where he spoke with local leaders, businessmen and representatives of civil society. He also flew over the city of Manaus.

According to local media, the delegation sent by President Luiz Inázio Lula da Silva – who is recovering from surgery – announced a group of measures to combat the effects of the event. Among other measures, it was announced that two stretches of rivers will be dredged to clear flows and guarantee navigation, and protection insurance will be issued for affected producers.

According to the provisions, an 8 km stretch of the Solimões river will be dredged, a work that will last 30 days and will cost R$ 30 million (US$ 7.4 million). The second section, 12 km long and budgeted at R$100 million (US$19.48 million), will be dredged on the Madeira River. Both projects will seek to restore navigation capacity.

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The Minister of the Environment, Marina Silva, announced that 191 firefighters will be sent to reinforce the contingent dealing with the forest fires in the south of the state.

For his part, the Minister of Mines and Energy, Alexandre Silveira, explained that in Amazonas enough diesel oil has already been stored to supply transportation for the next 30 days to 169 isolated sectors – which depend on river navigation – and to provide them with food, water and electricity, as well as to guarantee electricity generation (they use diesel generators).

Through the social network X, Alckmin assured that 850 reais (US$ 165) will be allocated to small farmers, extractivists and fishermen (with incomes up to 1.5 times the minimum wage) who have lost production.

Also, R$800 (US$150) per person will be given in the form of housing aid to 200 residents of the municipality of Beruri whose houses were destroyed by a landslide.

Among other concrete measures, he added that basic food baskets and sanitary kits will be distributed to the population, who will also receive other social benefits.

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The Brazilian vice-president said that 55 of 62 municipalities are directly affected by the drought, which is having a negative impact on the lives of some 200,000 people, some 50,000 families. The drought is considered to be caused by the combined effect of the El Niño phenomenon and the warming of the North Atlantic.

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.