International
Brazil announces aid to population affected by drought in Amazonas
October 5 |
The vice president of Brazil, Geraldo Alckmin, traveled Wednesday to the city of Manaus, capital of the state of Amazonas (northwest) to assess firsthand the damage caused by the extreme drought affecting that region and announced several measures to help the population.
Alckmin met with several authorities, including Governor Wilson Lima and mayors. He visited affected communities, where he spoke with local leaders, businessmen and representatives of civil society. He also flew over the city of Manaus.
According to local media, the delegation sent by President Luiz Inázio Lula da Silva – who is recovering from surgery – announced a group of measures to combat the effects of the event. Among other measures, it was announced that two stretches of rivers will be dredged to clear flows and guarantee navigation, and protection insurance will be issued for affected producers.
According to the provisions, an 8 km stretch of the Solimões river will be dredged, a work that will last 30 days and will cost R$ 30 million (US$ 7.4 million). The second section, 12 km long and budgeted at R$100 million (US$19.48 million), will be dredged on the Madeira River. Both projects will seek to restore navigation capacity.
The Minister of the Environment, Marina Silva, announced that 191 firefighters will be sent to reinforce the contingent dealing with the forest fires in the south of the state.
For his part, the Minister of Mines and Energy, Alexandre Silveira, explained that in Amazonas enough diesel oil has already been stored to supply transportation for the next 30 days to 169 isolated sectors – which depend on river navigation – and to provide them with food, water and electricity, as well as to guarantee electricity generation (they use diesel generators).
Through the social network X, Alckmin assured that 850 reais (US$ 165) will be allocated to small farmers, extractivists and fishermen (with incomes up to 1.5 times the minimum wage) who have lost production.
Also, R$800 (US$150) per person will be given in the form of housing aid to 200 residents of the municipality of Beruri whose houses were destroyed by a landslide.
Among other concrete measures, he added that basic food baskets and sanitary kits will be distributed to the population, who will also receive other social benefits.
The Brazilian vice-president said that 55 of 62 municipalities are directly affected by the drought, which is having a negative impact on the lives of some 200,000 people, some 50,000 families. The drought is considered to be caused by the combined effect of the El Niño phenomenon and the warming of the North Atlantic.
International
U.S. warns China over Taiwan during high-level defense talks in Kuala Lumpur
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth expressed concerns over China’s growing military activity near Taiwan during a meeting on Friday with Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun in Kuala Lumpur.
“It was a constructive and positive meeting,” Hegseth wrote on X. “I emphasized the importance of maintaining a balance of power in the Indo-Pacific and raised U.S. concerns about China’s actions around Taiwan,” the self-governed island that Beijing claims and does not rule out invading.
The meeting took place on the sidelines of the ASEAN Defense Ministers Meeting-Plus, one day after U.S. President Donald Trump met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Busan, South Korea. According to Trump, Taiwan was not discussed during their talks.
“The United States does not seek conflict and will continue to firmly defend its interests, ensuring it maintains the capability to do so in the region,” Hegseth added in his message.
Friday’s encounter followed a September 9 video call between Hegseth and Dong. Their previously planned meeting at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore was canceled due to Dong’s absence from the event.
Trump’s sit-down with Xi — their first since 2019 — resulted in some trade agreements but avoided addressing the issue of Taiwan, a long-standing source of tension between the world’s two largest powers.
Trump has taken a more ambiguous stance on Taiwan’s future compared with former President Joe Biden, who repeatedly stated that Washington would support Taipei if China launched an invasion. The Republican president has also criticized Taiwan for “stealing” the U.S. semiconductor industry.
International
U.S. considering airstrikes on military sites in Venezuela, reports say
The United States may soon carry out airstrikes on military facilities inside Venezuela as part of an escalating offensive against Nicolás Maduro’s regime, according to reports Friday from the Miami Herald and The Wall Street Journal, citing sources close to the Trump administration.
Airstrikes could take place “within days or even hours,” the Herald reported. The Journal noted that while the option is under serious consideration, President Donald Trump has not yet made a final decision on authorizing strikes on Venezuelan soil.
Potential targets allegedly include military-controlled ports and airports used in drug trafficking operations, such as naval installations and airstrips, officials told the Journal.
The Herald also quoted a source saying that “Maduro’s time is running out”, suggesting that more than one Venezuelan general may be ready to detain and hand him over. However, officials declined to confirm whether the Venezuelan leader would be among the military targets.
Trump has repeatedly vowed to block the flow of illegal drugs into the United States, following nearly two months of airstrikes against vessels in the Pacific and the Caribbean. Those operations have destroyed 15 boats and left 61 people dead and three survivors since September 1.
“We are finally waging a war against the cartels — a war like they’ve never seen before — and we are going to win that battle. We are already winning at sea,” Trump told U.S. troops during a speech in Japan.
The reports on possible airstrikes come on the same day the United Nations accused the U.S. of violating international law with its maritime operations, saying those killed at sea may have been victims of extrajudicial executions.
International
Pope Leo XIV revives Global Compact on Education to confront cultural crisis
Pope Leo XIV announced on Friday that he will revive and update the Global Compact on Education, an initiative launched by the late Pope Francis aimed at deeply transforming global culture through education.
The announcement was made during an audience in St. Peter’s Square, held on the occasion of the Jubilee of the Educational World, which this week gathers more than 20,000 participants from 124 countries in Rome.
During his address, the pontiff — who is of U.S. origin and Peruvian nationality — emphasized the importance of restoring the value of educators and reinforcing the principles that support the pact.
“We must be careful: damaging the social and cultural role of educators means mortgaging our own future,” he warned before thousands in attendance. “A crisis in the transmission of knowledge leads to a crisis of hope.”
The Global Compact on Education, launched by Pope Francis, seeks an integral and long-term cultural transformation. It is structured around five pillars: dignity and human rights; fraternity and cooperation; technology and integral ecology; education for peace and citizenship; and culture and religions. To date, the initiative has been joined by over 553 schools and nearly 410,000 students, according to Catholic Schools data.
Pope Leo XIV also expressed concern over the widespread inner fragility affecting both students and teachers — many of whom feel overwhelmed by bureaucratic burdens.
He additionally addressed the role of artificial intelligence in education, warning that it may worsen emotional isolation among learners: “It can further isolate students who are already isolated, giving them the illusion that they do not need others — or worse, the feeling that they are unworthy of them,” he said.
U.S. warns China over Taiwan during high-level defense talks in Kuala Lumpur
U.S. considering airstrikes on military sites in Venezuela, reports say
Pope Leo XIV revives Global Compact on Education to confront cultural crisis
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