International

Water crisis continues in Uruguay despite July rains

Photo: Contrahegemonía web

August 10|

The Uruguayan Institute of Meteorology (Inumet) said Wednesday that the water deficit in Uruguay remains despite the rains recorded in July.

According to its report “evaluating the last year and the last quarter (May-June-July), the water deficit in the country is maintained, mainly in the center-south, southwest and east region”, although it specified that “on a national scale and in average terms, July 2003 culminated with 100.7 millimeters; value that is above the climatological normal expected for this month (83.6 millimeters)”.

The Uruguayan agency mentioned that the drought continues in the south of the country, especially in the departments of Montevideo, Canelones, Maldonado, Lavalleja, Rocha and Florida, as well as Durazno (center).

Although some regions in the departments of Colonia and San José, and Artigas (north) have received rainfall, it is insufficient.

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The worst drought in Uruguay’s history has brought the reservoir of the Paso Severino dam, on the Santa Lucia river and source of drinking water for Montevideo and the metropolitan area, to minimum levels.

In view of this situation, social organizations and popular platforms have denounced the government’s position in the country.

For her part, Silvia Ribeiro in an article shared on August 4 on the Contrahegemonía web platform asserted that “for almost three months now, Uruguay, a country known for its abundance of fresh water, has been without drinking water in its capital, Montevideo, and surrounding areas.”

“The public water system (OSE) distributes brackish water, with chemical residues above the permitted standards, which the government baptized drinkable water, not potable, while arbitrarily increasing to more than double, almost triple, the permitted presence of those substances,” he stressed.

The opinions held by Ribeiro state that “the country is experiencing a prolonged drought, but the government, instead of addressing the causes of vulnerability to it, is advancing in measures that will worsen it, such as handing over part of the water treatment to private entrepreneurs (Neptuno project), who will take water from wherever it is most profitable for them, whether saline or contaminated”.

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Adding that they also favor the installation of new transnational industries which are voracious consumers of fresh water: the production of green hydrogen and the installation of mega data centers of Google and other technological titans, Silvia Ribeiro added that “this water crisis is not a one-off anecdote nor is it the result of the drought, although the main policy of the Uruguayan government is to wait for rain”.

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.”