International
Thousands in Brazil join anti-Bolsonaro protests
AFP
Thousands of Brazilians took to the streets Saturday to protest against President Jair Bolsonaro, who faces an investigation over an allegedly corrupt Covid vaccine deal.
It was the third day of demonstrations against the government, which is also confronting mounting pressure from a parliamentary inquiry into its handling of the coronavirus pandemic that has claimed more than 500,000 lives in the country.
Lima Mendes, a 47-year-old physician taking part in a Rio de Janeiro protest, squarely blamed the government for the high death toll.
“This government has killed more than 500,000 people through its spurious decisions, fake news, lies and now this absurd corruption scandal over the vaccines,” she told AFP.
There were rallies as well in the cities of Sao Paulo, Belem, Recife and Maceio, with protesters carrying signs saying things like “Genocidal Bolsonaro,” “Impeachment Already” and “Yes to the Vaccines.”
In its first two months of hearings, the parliamentary panel of inquiry focused on the government’s delays in ordering vaccine supplies even as it promoted ineffective drugs like hydroxychloroquine and as Bolsonaro belittled masking and social distancing measures.
The inquiry took a sudden turn, however, after a health ministry official, Luis Ricardo Miranda, said he had faced “atypical, excessive” pressure to approve the purchase of three million doses of the Indian-made Covaxin vaccine at a cost far higher than for other vaccines.
Miranda said he had personally conveyed his suspicions to Bolsonaro and that the president indicated he would raise the issue with the federal police. He apparently did not do so.
This led federal prosecutors to announce Friday that they were investigating to determine whether Bolsonaro had committed a crime by failing to denounce the alleged fraud.
Prosecutors are also investigating a businessman’s assertion that he was offered a bribe by a health ministry official while negotiating a vaccine purchase. The official, who was subsequently removed from his position, has denied the claim.
Bolsonaro, who came to power in 2019, has rejected all claims of government corruption, instead denouncing the parliamentary inquiry as a political “antic” aimed at forcing him from office.
The opposition this week presented a “super-impeachment-request” listing dozens of accusations, some old, some new, against the far-right leader.
International
Erin brings strong winds and storm surge despite weakening offshore
Hurricane Erin weakened to a Category 2 storm on Tuesday but continues to pose a threat to parts of the U.S. East Coast with potentially dangerous flooding, according to meteorologists.
Although the hurricane’s eye is expected to remain offshore, experts are concerned about Erin’s size, as strong winds extend hundreds of kilometers beyond the storm’s center.
In its 18:00 GMT bulletin, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) lifted tropical storm warnings for the Bahamasand Turks and Caicos Islands, but kept them in effect for parts of North Carolina.
Erin was located several hundred kilometers southeast of North Carolina and was moving northwestward.
“This means there is a risk of potentially life-threatening flooding of 60 to 120 centimeters above ground level,” said NHC Director Michael Brennan.
He also warned of the possibility of destructive waves, combined with storm surge, that could cause severe damage to beaches and coastal areas, making roads impassable.
International
Three U.S. Warships deploy near Venezuela to combat drug trafficking
Three U.S. naval vessels are moving toward the coasts of Venezuela, according to international media reports on Tuesday, after White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt confirmed that President Donald Trump is ready to combat and curb international drug trafficking.
Reports indicate that the ships will reach Venezuelan waters within the next 36 hours as part of a recent U.S. deployment aimed at countering international narcotics operations.
The announcement coincides with Leavitt’s statement that Trump is prepared to “use the full extent of his power” to halt drug flows into the United States. The naval deployment involves approximately 4,000 military personnel.
“The President has been clear and consistent. He is ready to use every element of U.S. power to prevent drugs from flooding our country and to bring those responsible to justice. The Maduro regime is not the legitimate government of Venezuela—it is a narco-terror cartel,” the spokesperson said during a press conference.
International
Cuban authorities free salvadoran convicted in 1997 hotel bombing
Salvadoran national Otto René Rodríguez Llerena was released after serving a 30-year prison sentence for his involvement in a terrorist attack at a hotel in Cuba in 1997, the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported.
During his trial, Rodríguez Llerena admitted to placing an explosive device at the Meliá Cohiba Hotel under the orders of anti-Castro exile leaders. He was arrested the following year when he returned to Havana with another load of explosives that failed to detonate.
“The Cuban government reiterates its commitment to combating terrorism, respecting human rights, and the need for the international community to hold accountable those who promote such acts,” the statement read.
He was released on August 15 and is the second Salvadoran to complete his sentence. In December of last year, another Salvadoran, Ernesto Cruz León, was released after planting bombs at tourist centers, one of which killed an Italian tourist identified as Fabio Di Celmo.
A third Salvadoran, Francisco Chávez Abarca, also received a 30-year sentence from Cuban courts in 2010 after being extradited from Venezuela through Interpol for actions against Cuba.
Rodríguez Llerena had requested conditional release in 2016, arguing that his actions had not caused any direct fatalities, but no further information was released about his situation until now.
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