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

Two killed in shooting at restaurant near Frankfurt Airport

Two people were shot dead early Tuesday at a restaurant in Raunheim, near Frankfurt Airport, according to local police.

Preliminary findings indicate that an armed individual entered the establishment at around 03:45 local time (02:45 GMT) and opened fire on the victims, who died at the scene from their injuries.

The suspect fled and remains at large, while the motive behind the shooting is still unclear, German media reported. Authorities have launched a large-scale search operation.

International

U.S. counterterrorism chief resigns over opposition to war in Iran

Joe Kent, director of the National Counterterrorism Center, announced Tuesday that he has resigned from his post, citing his opposition to the ongoing war in Iran.

In a post on X, Kent said he could not, “in good conscience,” support the conflict, arguing that Iran did not pose an imminent threat to the United States. He also claimed that the war was driven by pressure from Israel and its lobbying influence in Washington.

In a resignation letter addressed to Donald Trump, Kent alleged that at the start of the current administration, senior Israeli officials and influential figures in U.S. media carried out a disinformation campaign that undermined the “America First” platform and fostered pro-war sentiment aimed at triggering a conflict with Iran.

Kent further stated that he could not support sending a new generation of Americans to “fight and die in a war that provides no benefit to the American people and does not justify the cost in American lives.”

Since the United States and Israel launched attacks against Iran on February 28, at least 13 U.S. service members have been killed, while 10 others have been seriously wounded and around 200 have sustained minor injuries, according to a report published by The Wall Street Journal.

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International

German president warns Iran war could spread and disrupt Strait of Hormuz

The president of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, warned Monday that the war involving Iran could expand and further disrupt shipping through the strategic Strait of Hormuz. He urged a swift end to hostilities between Iran, United States and Israel.

Speaking in Panama City during a joint appearance with Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino, Steinmeier said available information suggests Iran has significant capacity to disrupt maritime traffic through the key oil route.

“Iran has considerable potential to interfere with shipping through the Strait of Hormuz,” Steinmeier said through an interpreter. “We should therefore reach an end to the hostilities as soon as possible and call on all parties involved to make that happen.”

The remarks came during Steinmeier’s visit to Panama, the first by a German president to the Central American nation.

The German leader described the possibility of the conflict spreading as “very dangerous,” saying recent developments indicate that such a scenario cannot be ruled out.

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Over the weekend, U.S. President Donald Trump urged allied nations to help ensure safe passage for ships through the Strait of Hormuz after Iran moved to block the waterway in response to U.S. strikes. However, several allies—particularly in Europe—have shown little support for the proposal.

“Some are very enthusiastic, others are not, and some are countries we have helped for many years,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “We have protected them from terrible external threats, and they’re not that enthusiastic. And the level of enthusiasm is important to me.”

Meanwhile, Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s top diplomat, said the Strait of Hormuz falls “outside NATO’s scope” and stressed that “the war involving Iran is not Europe’s war.”