International
Brazil’s Bolsonaro snubs new lockdown calls
AFP/Editor
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro doubled down on his opposition to lockdown measures to contain Covid-19 Wednesday, as experts warned a large-scale stay-at-home was “absolutely necessary” to slow a deadly surge of the coronavirus.
Hard-hit Brazil registered its deadliest day yet in the pandemic Tuesday with more than 4,000 deaths, fueling mounting calls for a lockdown — something Bolsonaro has vehemently rejected.
Leading public health institute Fiocruz recommended Wednesday the country adopt a strict lockdown to alleviate what it called the “collapse” of the health system.
“Lockdown measures are a bitter but absolutely necessary pill in moments of crisis and the collapse of the health system, such as the country is experiencing now,” it said.
But Bolsonaro reiterated his opposition to lockdowns, which he argues cause economic damage that is worse than the virus itself.
“We’re not going to accept these policies of ‘stay home, close everything, lock down,’” he said on a visit to the southern city of Chapeco.
“There’s not going to be a national lockdown. Our army isn’t going into the streets to force the Brazilian people into their homes.”
The far-right president has defied expert advice on containing the pandemic, criticizing lockdowns, face masks and vaccines even as the virus has claimed nearly 337,000 lives in Brazil — second only to the United States.
But he faces mounting pressure to get the situation under control amid a brutal new surge of the virus that has made Brazil the current epicenter of the pandemic, overflowing hospitals and forcing cemeteries to hold burials around the clock.
Fiocruz said intensive care units in hospitals were at “critical levels” of occupancy in 24 of Brazil’s 27 states.
Bolsonaro complained he was being treated unfairly by critics of his handling of the pandemic.
“I think I’m the only world leader taking all this criticism. It would be easier to just follow the masses. That way people don’t accuse you of ‘genocide’ just because I think differently,” he said.
He also renewed his backing for the so-called “Covid kit,” a package of medications such as malaria drug hydroxychloroquine and parasite drug ivermectin that he maintains is effective against the disease despite a raft of studies finding the opposite.
International
Armed forces target illegal mines in Northern Ecuador with bombing raids
Ecuador’s Armed Forces carried out an operation on Monday — including airstrikes — against illegal mining in the town of Buenos Aires, in the country’s north, Defense Minister Gian Carlo Loffredo reported.
The mountainous, gold-rich area has been a hotspot for illegal mining since 2017, located in the Andean province of Imbabura.
In 2019, former president Lenín Moreno deployed around 2,400 soldiers to the region in an attempt to curb the illegal activity. “The operation began with mortar fire, followed by gunfire and bombing runs by Supertucano aircraft,” Loffredo said in a video released by the Defense Ministry.
He added that the operation would continue on Tuesday with patrols across the area to locate possible members of “irregular armed groups that may have crossed from the Colombian border.”
The Armed Forces stated on X that the intervention focused on the “complete elimination of multiple illegal mining tunnels” in the areas known as Mina Nueva and Mina Vieja.
The operation coincided with the deployment of a military and police convoy into Imbabura, which has been the epicenter of protests against President Daniel Noboa since September 22, following his decision to scrap the diesel subsidy.
International
Caracas shuts embassy in Oslo without explanation following Machado’s Nobel win
Venezuela has announced the closure of its embassy in Norway, just days after opposition leader María Corina Machado was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the Venezuelan diplomatic mission provided no explanation for its decision on Monday.
“It is regrettable,” a ministry spokesperson said. “Despite our differences on several issues, Norway wishes to keep the dialogue with Venezuela open and will continue to work in that direction.” The ministry also emphasized that the Nobel Committee operates entirely independently from the Norwegian government.
In its announcement, the Nobel Committee stated that Machado met the criteria established by Alfred Nobel, “embodying the hope for a different future, where the fundamental rights of Venezuelans are heard.”
International
Sheinbaum: Urgent to restore access to towns cut off by heavy rains
Thousands of military personnel and civilians in Mexico worked tirelessly on Tuesday to clear roads blocked by the torrential rains of recent days, which have left more than 300 communities cut off across central and eastern regions of the country. Authorities also launched mass fumigation efforts in several affected areas to prevent the spread of dengue fever.
The official death toll remains at 64, though dozens of people are still missing. President Claudia Sheinbaumacknowledged that the government does not yet know the full situation in many of the isolated villages, which range in population from 500 to 1,000 inhabitants.
“The reopening of roads is one of the greatest urgencies,” Sheinbaum said. “It’s essential to guarantee air bridges, food supplies, clean water, and a proper census of the isolated communities so we can determine the condition of every person living there.”
Private construction companies are also assisting the effort with heavy machinery and technical support to help reopen highways and reconnect rural areas.
Armed forces target illegal mines in Northern Ecuador with bombing raids
Caracas shuts embassy in Oslo without explanation following Machado’s Nobel win
Sheinbaum: Urgent to restore access to towns cut off by heavy rains
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
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