International
Bolsonaro disapproval rating surpasses 50% for first time
AFP
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro’s disapproval rating passed 50 percent for the first time, according to a poll published by the Datafolha Institute, marking a new low in the far-right leader’s declining popularity.
Bolsonaro’s gap to former leftist president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva ahead of next year’s elections also increased from 18 to 21 percentage points.
The percentage of people that consider Bolsonaro to be doing a “bad” or “terrible” job increased from 45 percent in May to 51 percent in the poll conducted among more than 2,000 people from July 7-8 and published overnight Thursday to Friday.
Bolsonaro’s approval rating also remained at its lowest mark of 24 percent, set in May.
His highest approval rating of 37 percent came in December 2020.
But his popularity started to plummet from January 2021, when the government stopped handing out subsidies to mitigate the economic crunch caused by the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic in the country of 212 million people.
And the fall continued as Brazil entered a second, and more lethal, pandemic wave at the beginning of 2021, followed by corruption allegations surrounding Bolsonaro’s handling of the health crisis, which has claimed the lives of 530,000 Brazilians.
In the election opinion polls, Bolsonaro’s share increased from 23 percent in May to 25 Percent, but the uptick fell short of Lula’s jump from 41 to 46 percent.
Former trade unionist Lula, 75, was denied the possibility of running against Bolsonaro in 2018, as he was serving a 12-year graft sentence linked to the Petrobras corruption scandal.
But he was released 18 months later and in March had his convictions quashed on procedural grounds.
The Datafolha poll found the popular Lula would defeat 66-year-old Bolsonaro by 58 percent to 31 percent in a second round election run-off — another four percent increase on the difference in May.
Both men have their detractors, however, with Bolsonaro’s personal rejection rating rising from 54 to 59 percent and Lula’s creeping up from 36 to 37 percent.
Bolsonaro is the subject of a senate investigation over his handling of the pandemic, the seriousness of which he repeatedly downplayed.
He’s also being investigated by the public prosecutor for allegedly failing to act on an embezzlement tip off regarding coronavirus vaccine purchases.
The opposition is pushing for the chamber of deputies president to open impeachment proceedings against Bolsonaro.
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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