International
“I had to swim out of the house,” says one of those affected by floods in Brazil
Entire neighborhoods in southern Brazil remained underwater this Monday, due to the unprecedented floods that have caused the death of 84 people and forced thousands to leave their homes by helicopter, boat or directly swimming.
More than 46,000 people have been rescued and about 150,000 have had to leave their homes, according to the most recent official data, since the worst floods in the history of Rio Grande do Sul, a state bordering Uruguay and Argentina, began.
After spending four days in isolation, Suzana Martins, a 50-year-old commercial representative, had to “swim out of her house” located in a residential neighborhood of the regional capital of Porto Alegre, a city of 1.3 million inhabitants.
The neighbors gave her an inflatable mattress of those used in the pool to put backpacks with clothes and the dog on top, while she and her son were still swimming.
“The water reached up to the neck and there were not enough boats or help to get us out of there,” he explained to EFE Martins, who assured that there were still many elderly people trapped in his neighborhood without being able to leave.
With more luck than Martins, Regina Ribeiro, a 62-year-old housewife, was rescued by boat after the water flooded the door of the building in the living for 14 years.
“On the way I got scared because the boat was swinging. If I had overturned, I don’t know how to swim…,” this neighbor of Porto Alegre told EFE, who plans to rent an apartment in another place further from the river when everything has happened.
Ribeiro’s husband didn’t want to leave and stayed in the apartment with two gallons of water, a few kilos of rice and pasta and a cell phone in case he had to ask for help.
“I’m hypertensive and I’m very nervous, wanting to cry. I never imagined that water would enter the building, ever,” she says incredulously.
Rescue work continues in forced marches with the participation of 42 aircraft, 243 boats and 15,000 soldiers, which are added to the teams of the regional and local authorities.
The flood in Porto Alegre began last Friday, the level of the Guaíba River reached its all-time high this Sunday, a level of 5.31 meters, more than two meters above the overflow level, and since then it has dropped only three centimeters.
However, the authorities believe that the floods will continue for several days because there is still a lot of water to evacuate.
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.
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.
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.
Man arrested after deliberately driving into seven children in Osaka
Clashes erupt during may day protests across France amid calls for better wages
Kristi Noem credits Trump for mass migrant deportations by mexican president
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