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Massive floods in Brazil’s southern Rio Grande do Sul state have killed at least 75 people over the last seven days, and another 103 were reported missing, local authorities have said. Damage from the rains also forced more than 88,000 people from their homes, state civil defence authorities said on Sunday. Approximately 16,000 took refuge in schools, gymnasiums and other temporary shelters. The floods left a wake of devastation, including landslides, washed-out roads and collapsed bridges across the state. Operators reported electricity and communications cuts. More than 800,000 people are without a water supply, according to the civil defence, which cited figures from water company Corsan. “I repeat and insist: the devastation to which we are being subjected is unprecedented,” state Governor Eduardo Leite said on Sunday morning. He had previously said that the state will need a “kind of ‘Marshall Plan’ to be rebuilt”. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva visited Rio Grande do Sul for a second time on Sunday, accompanied by Defence Minister Jose Mucio, Finance Minister Fernando Haddad and Environment Minister Marina Silva, among others. The leader and his team surveyed the flooded streets of the state capital, Porto Alegre, from a helicopter. “We need to stop running behind disasters. We need to see in advance what calamities might happen and we need to work,” President Lula told journalists afterwards. The Guaiba River reached a record level of 5.33m (17.5 feet) on Sunday morning, surpassing levels seen during a historic 1941 deluge, when the river reached 4.76m (15.6 feet). During Sunday mass at the Vatican, Pope Francis said he was praying for the state’s population. “May the Lord welcome the dead and comfort their families and those who had to abandon their homes,” he said. The downpour started on Monday and was expected to last through Sunday. In some areas, such as valleys, mountain slopes and cities, more than 300mm (11.8 inches) of rain fell in less than a week, according to Brazil’s National Institute of Meteorology, known by the Portuguese acronym INMET, on Thursday. The heavy rains were the fourth such environmental disaster in the state in a year, following floods in July, September and November 2023 that killed 75 people. Weather across South America is affected by the climate phenomenon El Nino, a periodic, naturally occurring event that warms surface waters in the Equatorial Pacific region. In Brazil, El Nino has historically caused droughts in the north and intense rainfall in the south. This year, the impacts of El Nino have been particularly dramatic, with a historic drought in the Amazon. Scientists say extreme weather is happening more frequently due to human-caused climate change. “These tragedies will continue to happen, increasingly worse and more frequent,” said Suely Araujo, a public policy coordinator at the Climate Observatory, a network of dozens of environmental and social groups. Brazil needs to adjust to the effects of climate change, she said in a Friday statement, referring to a process known as adaptation. Source: https://aljazeera.com/news/2024/5/5/at-least-75-killed-more-than-100-others-missing-in-brazil-floods

Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/5/6/israels-war-on-gaza-live-israel-pounds-rafah-as-truce-talks-stall

In a shocking incident, a highway police officer was killed and two others sustained bullet injuries when unidentified assailants, aboard a car, opened fire on them before a verbal brawl on a traffic challan. According to the police, the incident took place when the cops served a challan on the car driver at Bedra Interchange in Mansehra. The car was travelling from Peshawar to Mansehra. As per Mansehra District Police Officer (DPO) Shafiullah Gandapur, the surrounding areas were cordoned off after the firing and launched a search operation for the arrest of suspects. The deceased police officer was identified as Aamir Khan Swati. It may be noted that similar incidents of violence against the Motorway Police have surfaced in the recent past. On April 24, a woman rammed her car into a Motorway Police personnel and vented anger at the traffic wardens for being stopped for speeding. The entire incident was filmed and posted on social media, showing her arguing in an abusive manner with the Motorway Police officer for being pulled over for speeding. Later, another such incident took place near Kallar Kahar where two ladies “misbehaved” with Motorway Police personnel, threatening and hurling abuses at them during the quarrel. The video of the incident went viral on social media, in which they were heard alleging that the Motorway personnel hurt one of the women while trying to “snatch” her mobile phone while she was making the cops’ video. Source: https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/1185017-police-officer-shot-dead-two-wounded-over-challan-dispute-in-kps-mansehra

At least 12 people, including children, have been killed in twin bomb blasts that hit two camps for displaced people in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, according to government officials, the United Nations and an aid group. Friday’s explosions targeted the camps in Lac Vert and Mugunga, near the city of Goma, the capital of North Kivu province, the UN said in a statement. The attacks, in which at least 20 people were injured, were a “flagrant violation of human rights and international humanitarian law and may constitute a war crime”, it said. A resident of one of the camps told Al Jazeera that many of the victims were sleeping in their tents when the area was attacked. “We started running as the bombs were fired at the camp,” the resident said. The Congolese military and the United States accused the military in neighbouring Rwanda and the M23 rebel group of being behind the attacks. On Saturday, Rwanda denied the US accusations as “ridiculous”. Government spokesperson Yolande Makolo said the Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) is a “professional army” that would never attack displaced people. In a post on X, Makolo instead blamed the assault on militias supported by the Congolese military. Lieutenant-Colonel Guillaume Njike Kaiko, a spokesperson for the DRC’s army in the region, said the attacks were retaliation for earlier DRC strikes on Rwandan army positions in which arms and ammunition were destroyed. In a social media post, government spokesperson Patrick Muyaya also blamed the M23, which has taken over swaths of North Kivu in the last two years. The DRC, the UN and Western countries have said Rwanda is supporting the group in a bid to control mines and mineral resources. Rwanda has denied the allegations. Al Jazeera’s Fintan Monaghan reported that the shells were fired from an area controlled by M23. The group denied any role in the attacks and instead blamed DRC forces, in a statement posted on X.Play Video Video Duration 02 minutes 11 seconds02:11 The intensifying fighting in eastern DRC has forced hundreds of thousands of civilians to flee neighbouring towns towards Goma, which is located between Lake Kivu and the Rwandan border and is largely cut off from the country’s interior. International charity Save The Children said it was present at one of the camps when shells struck close to a busy marketplace. It said dozens were injured, mostly women and children, and the final death toll remained unclear. “A tent does not offer much protection from shelling,” said Greg Ramm, the aid group’s country director in the DRC. “Protection of civilians, especially children and families living in displacement camps, must be prioritised,” he said, and called for “all parties to the conflict to end the use of explosive weapons in the proximity of populated areas”. President Felix Tshisekedi, who was travelling in Europe, decided to return home on Friday following the bombings, a statement from his office said. Tshisekedi has long alleged that Rwanda is destabilising DRC by backing the M23 rebels. The bombings follow the group’s capture of the strategic mining town of Rubaya this week. The town holds deposits of tantalum, which is extracted from coltan, a key component in the production of smartphones. Condemning the attack, US Department of State spokesperson Matthew Miller said it was “essential that all states respect each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity”. Source: https://aljazeera.com/news/2024/5/4/at-least-12-killed-in-bomb-attacks-on-eastern-dr-congo-displacement-camps

Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/5/4/israels-war-on-gaza-live-talks-in-egypt-set-to-steer-wars-direction

At least three people, including journalist Mohammad Siddiq Mengal, were killed in a remote-controlled blast in Khuzdar, police told Geo News on Friday. Mengal, a local veteran journalist and president of the Khuzdar Press Club, was targeted in the deadly blast when he was going to university from his home, the station house officer said, adding that his car was the target. At least eight people were also injured as a result of the deadly explosion. Two injured individuals in the blast later succumbed to their injuries with the death toll rising to three, said the station house officer. The killed passers-by were seriously injured in the remote-controlled blast and were brought to the hospital, while the other eight injured in the blast are undergoing treatment in different hospitals, police said. According to the police, the remote-controlled blast was carried out on the Sultan Ibrahim Khan Road on the National Highway. This is not the first time Mengal has been targeted by attackers. Police said that the journalist — who was associated with a local newspaper — escaped an assassination attempt a few months ago. Balochistan Home Minister Mir Ziaullah Langau strongly condemned the Khuzdar blast and directed the relevant authorities to present a report. In the video, which Geo News has access to, shows that the explosion occurred as soon as Mengal’s vehicle turned towards the Sultan Ibrahim Khan Road. The attack on the journalist comes as the world honours the work of journalists around the world on Press Freedom Day today. Earlier today, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) on Friday said that journalism in Pakistan is “under threat” as the world commemorates Press Freedom Day. On the day, the IFJ has also launched its 22nd annual South Asia Press Freedom Report, according to which, journalists have become “punching bags” in the fight between former prime minister Imran Khan and the establishment. The report said that 60 journalists were issued legal notices while dozens were arrested and remain in custody. It said that about eight journalists were charged with sedition, terrorism and incitement to violence. Source: https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/1184944-journalist-among-three-killed-in-khuzdar-blast

Kenya and Tanzania have been bracing for a cyclone on the heels of torrential rains and floods that have devastated East Africa, killing nearly 400 people and forcing tens of thousands from their homes. Cyclone Hidaya is inching closer to the eastern coast of Tanzania, with an expected landfall later on Friday, according to the latest weather forecast. It is also likely to bring more rain to neighbouring Kenya, including in the major coastal city of Mombasa, just north of the eye of the cyclone. “Crucially, the coastal region is likely to experience Cyclone Hidaya, which will result in heavy rainfall, large waves and strong winds that could affect marine activities in the Indian Ocean,” the office of Kenyan President William Ruto said. Floods in Kenya have already claimed at least 210 lives since March, according to updated tolls from the Ministry of Interior and National Administration on Friday. It said 125 people have been injured, 90 are missing, and 165,500 people are displaced. Ahead of the expected cyclone, Ruto’s government also ordered mandatory evacuations for residents near 178 dams and water reservoirs in 33 counties, and the government warned citizens to remain on alert. The rains have been amplified by the El Nino weather pattern – a naturally occurring climate phenomenon typically associated with increased heat worldwide, leading to drought in some parts of the world and heavy downpours elsewhere. In Tanzania, at least 155 people have been killed in flooding and landslides in recent days. With the arrival of Hidaya, there are more fears of weather disruption. “The presence of Hidaya Cyclone … is expected to dominate and affect the weather patterns in the country including heavy rain and strong winds in some regions near Indian Ocean,” the Tanzania Red Cross Society said on the social media platform X. The heavier-than-usual rains have also killed at least 29 people in Burundi, with 175 people injured, and tens of thousands displaced since September last year, the United Nations said. More heavy rains expected Kenya’s capital Nairobi is among the areas expected to suffer heavy rains over the next three days, the Kenya Meteorological Department said on X, warning of strong winds and large ocean waves along the country’s coastline. The forecaster urged residents to be vigilant for flash floods and lightning strikes, adding that strong winds could “blow off roofs, uproot trees” and cause other damage. Earlier this week, Kenya’s Ruto announced he was deploying his country’s military to evacuate everyone living in flood-prone areas. In a bulletin released on Thursday evening, the Interior Ministry ordered anyone living close to major rivers or near 178 “filled up or near filled up dams or water reservoirs” to vacate the area within 24 hours, warning that they would otherwise face “mandatory evacuation for their safety”. The devastation has also affected Kenya’s tourism sector – a key economic driver – with some 100 tourists marooned in the famed Maasai Mara wildlife reserve on Wednesday after a river overflowed, flooding lodges and safari camps. Rescuers later managed to evacuate 90 people by ground and air, the Interior Ministry said. In the deadliest single incident in Kenya, dozens of villagers were killed when a dam burst on Monday near Mai Mahiu in the Rift Valley, about 60km (40 miles) north of Nairobi. The Interior Ministry said 52 bodies had been recovered and 51 people were still missing after the dam disaster. Al Jazeera’s Malcolm Webb, who is reporting from Kiambu County, said that residents in the area, which was also hit with heavy flooding, are asking “why the government has not done more” to prevent the disaster. He reported that one company, which was contracted to fix a bridge and flood-control infrastructure in the area, ran away with the money without finishing the project. Opposition politicians and lobby groups have also accused Ruto’s government of being unprepared and slow to respond to the crisis despite weather warnings. On Thursday, Human Rights Watch said “Kenya’s government has a human rights obligation to prevent foreseeable harm from climate change and extreme weather events and to protect people when a disaster strikes”. Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/5/3/kenya-tanzania-brace-for-cyclone-hidaya-amid-heavy-rain-and-floods

Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/5/3/israels-war-on-gaza-live-unprecedented-levels-of-death-and-destruction

 During the interim government’s tenure, a surplus quantity of wheat was imported under a systematic design which caused a loss of over Rs300 billion to the national exchequer, Geo News reported quoting sources. The sources said the Ministry of National Food Security told Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif about this during a briefing at the PM Office in Islamabad. They said crucial development had taken place in the wheat scandal’s probe launched on the orders of PM Shehbaz. The ministry, as per the sources, apprised that during the caretaker government’s tenure the private sector was given a complete exemption on import, on the ministry’s recommendation, instead of a cap, whereas wheat traders were also exempted from the customs duty and GST. In the briefing, it was apprised that 28.18 million tonnes of wheat was produced last year and the caretaker government decided to import 2.45 million tonnes more. The sources said Pakistan Agricultural Storage & Services Corporation Limited (PASSCO), the government’s main grain procurement and storage agency, and provincial departments could only buy 5.87 million tonnes of wheat instead of the required target of 7.80 million tonnes from the growers. The briefing said that after the approval of the interim cabinet, the Ministry of National Food Security sent a summary, ignoring the recommendations of the Ministry of Commerce and Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP). It should be noted that the wheat crop is ready in the country and the price per 40kg has also been set by the provincial governments. However, the Punjab and Balochistan governments are yet to start the purchase from the farmers. Due to the non-purchase of wheat by the provincial governments, wheat is being sold at a lower price than the official rate, which is worrying the farmers. Source: https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/1184589-surplus-wheat-import-caused-rs300bn-loss-to-national-exchequer

Tensions are high at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) campus where hundreds of police in riot gear have deployed in force, ordering peaceful pro-Palestinian protesters to leave or face arrest, less than 24 hours after their encampment was attacked by a violent pro-Israel mob. But hundreds of students, surrounded by police, were refusing to budge as the standoff continued into early Thursday.Source “The posture inside the camp is defensive,” UCLA professor Danielle Carr told Al Jazeera. “The students know that we are facing the possibility of serious violence from the police and counter-protesters, but … my understanding is that they will not resist arrest.” On Wednesday evening, campus authorities had broadcast a message to student protesters inside the Gaza solidarity camp telling them that they were in an illegal encampment and they had to disperse immediately or face arrest, said Al Jazeera’s Rob Reynolds, reporting from the scene. “It might look peaceful, but it is pretty tense,” Reynolds said. “It looks like the police are going to start arresting the students who haven’t actually committed any violent acts whatsoever.” Lines of armed police with batons and wooden clubs were seen patrolling sections of the campus in large numbers. Buses were parked nearby to ferry arrested students away, but Reynolds said there would be no resistance. “The entire emphasis of the encampment has been on peaceful protest. Even when they were attacked by several hundred Israel supporters … they defended themselves, but did not take offensive action against their attackers.” The violence started with the pro-Israeli mob hurling fireworks into the pro-Palestinian encampment. Masked and carrying Israeli flags, they tried to tear down the camp, assaulting students with pepper spray, sticks, stones and metal fencing. As police stood by, students used the metal fencing thrown at them to shield themselves. Police only intervened several hours after the attacks, allowing the assailants to leave without making any arrests. “It took several hours for the university to respond and secure the students’ safety and so, the irony that, in the name of the students’ safety, the encampment will be facing a militarised police invasion, probably including tear gas … it’s hard to say fully just how disgusting many of the faculty are finding this,” said Carr. Following the cancellation of classes on Wednesday, students spent the day reinforcing the barrier surrounding their camp to defend themselves from any further attack. More than 100 people were injured in the attack, some admitted to hospital, according to the protest organisers. Reynolds said the mob, which appeared to come from outside the university community, had been present on campus for days. It was “puzzling”, he said, that the police had taken hours to arrive. “There are Los Angeles Police Department vehicles and policemen, as well as the California Highway Patrol, at the disposal of the mayor and the governor to respond in very quick order to these types of disturbances,” he added. Independent review UCLA Chancellor Gene Block said in a statement that “a group of instigators” perpetrated the previous night’s attack, but he did not provide details about the crowd or why the administration and school police did not act sooner. “However one feels about the encampment, this attack on our students, faculty and community members was utterly unacceptable,” he said. “It has shaken our campus to its core.” The head of the University of California system, Michael Drake, ordered an “independent review of the university’s planning, its actions and the response by law enforcement.” The university faculty has harshly criticised the administration, with 200 members signing a letter making a series of demands, including that the police not be unleashed on the student encampment and that no student be disciplined for exercising their right to free speech. Muslim organisations in the US have also blasted university officials and police for failing to intervene and protect them from pro-Israeli attackers. “The community needs to feel the police are protecting them, not enabling others to harm them,” said Rebecca Husaini, chief of staff for the Muslim Public Affairs Council. US political analyst Eric Ham, co-author of The GOP Civil War: Inside the Battle for the Soul of the Republican Party, said the student-led university protests are just the latest sign of public disdain for the Biden administration’s role in Israel’s war on Gaza. “We have already begun to see the impacts that these protests, that these demonstrations [are having], but more importantly, the backlash that many people are feeling about President Biden’s handling of this conflict,” Ham told Al Jazeera. The chaotic scenes at UCLA came just hours after New York police burst into a building occupied by antiwar protesters at Columbia University on Tuesday night, breaking up a demonstration that had paralysed the school. A tally by The Associated Press news agency counted at least 38 times since April 18 where arrests were made at campus protests across the US. More than 1,600 people have been arrested at 30 schools. Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/5/2/tensions-high-at-ucla-as-police-order-pro-palestinian-protesters-to-leave