International

Drought affects 62 municipalities in Brazilian Amazon

Photo: EFE

October 30 |

The severe drought in the Brazilian state of Amazonas extends to its 62 municipalities, of which 60 have already been declared in an emergency situation and the remaining have entered a state of attention which has affected 608,000 people and 152,000 families, authorities in the area reported on Sunday.

According to witnesses, this is the longest drought recorded in 121 years in the city of Manaus, the state capital, while the elevation of the Rio Negro has remained since Friday at 12.7 meters, the lowest recorded since 1902. The record for the highest elevation of the riverbed was 30.02 meters on June 16, 2021.

According to the Civil Defense, from January to October 25, 2023, 18,170 hot spots have been registered throughout the state, 2,500 of them in the metropolitan region of Manaus, and in the last month alone there have been 3,368, more than double the number of the same period in 2022.

The scenario responds to the increasingly marked influence of the El Niño phenomenon, characterized by the weakening of the trade winds and the abnormal warming of surface waters in the eastern portion of the equatorial region of the Pacific Ocean, which influences behavioral changes and sudden death of animals.

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These variations in the interaction between the ocean and the lower atmosphere occur at time intervals that vary between three and seven years, bringing negative consequences for the climate in different parts of the planet.

This phenomenon is also due to the adoption of new patterns of moisture transport, affecting the temperature and distribution of precipitation of air masses in the Pacific Ocean.

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.”