Brazil floods death toll rises to 146, including 26 children

Amid thick fog, rescue personnel continue to search using hand shovels to find missing persons 5 days after the disaster, while the death toll has reached at least 146.

The death toll from floods and landslides in Brazil has risen to at least 146, including 26 children, authorities announced Saturday.

Amid thick fog, rescuers continued to search using hand shovels, in an attempt to find the missing, five days after the disaster that toppled the Brazilian city of Petropolis, where bodies piled up under piles of mud.

On Tuesday, heavy rains fell on the city of 300,000 people, located 60 kilometers north of Rio de Janeiro, causing mudflows and landslides.

The level of rain that fell on Petropolis during the hours exceeded the normal average for the whole month of February.

On Saturday, more than 500 rescuers continued to search with the help of helicopters, excavators and sniffer dogs, despite the dwindling chances of finding survivors.

As in relief operations during earthquakes, rescue personnel from time to time blow strong whistles to call those present to silence as they try to detect signs of life.

Authorities in the area say the piles of mud and rubble are unstable, so searches are carried out using hand-held equipment.

For his part, the coordinator of the fire brigade in Petropolis, Roberto Amaral, confirmed that "it is impossible to bring heavy equipment here, we have to work like ants," according to his statement to Agence France-Presse.

Since the search began, 24 people have been found alive, but most of them were rescued in the hours following the disaster, according to the authorities.

The number of the missing is still not final, while the police estimated the number on Friday at 218.

Life is slowly beginning to resume downtown, with only food stores and pharmacies reopening, while staff try to clean other stores.

Experts attribute the heavy rains to the phenomenon of "La Niña", the widespread decrease in surface temperatures in the central Pacific Ocean, to climate change.

Trump is preparing to launch his own social network on the Apple Store Here is the date

Former US President Donald Trump is preparing to return to social media after being banned for more than a year, Reuters said, as he will launch his private social network (Truth Social) in the Apple App Store on Monday.

Former US President Donald Trump's new social networking project appeared to be rolling out to the Apple App Store on Monday, an executive posted on the beta version said.

And that could signal the former president's return to social media for the Presidents Day holiday.

This project will restore Trump's presence on social media more than a year after he was banned by Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, following the attack by his supporters on the US Capitol building on January 6, 2021, after he was accused of publishing messages inciting violence.

The Trump Media and Technology Group headed by former Republican Representative Devin Nunes, which is behind the "Truth Social" project, will join a growing group of tech companies that present themselves as champions of free speech and hope to attract users who feel their opinions are being stifled on platforms such as Twitter and Facebook. and YouTube.

A representative of the Trump Media and Technology Group did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

“He endangered its crew” Was an Australian plane subjected to a laser attack from a Chinese ship?

The Australian Ministry of Defense said that a Chinese navy ship aimed a laser beam at one of its reconnaissance aircraft, adding that "the Chinese ship's targeting of the laser beam towards the aircraft is a serious safety accident."

The Australian Ministry of Defense said that a Chinese navy ship aimed a laser beam at one of its reconnaissance planes, endangering the lives of its crew.

The ministry added that the accident occurred on Thursday when a P-8 Poseidon aircraft spotted a laser beam directed at it while it was flying over the northern coast of Australia.

Such incidents are common, as the United States and its allies accuse China of flexing its military might, and has taken steps to counter Beijing's growing influence in the Western Pacific and elsewhere.

The Australian Ministry of Defense said in a statement today, Saturday, that the laser beam came from a ship belonging to the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy.

She added that the two ships are now located in the Coral Sea in eastern Australia.

The ship was escorting another Chinese ship that crossed the Torres Strait.

"The Chinese ship's pointing of the laser beam towards the plane is a serious safety accident," the ministry said. We strongly condemn unprofessional and unsafe military behaviour. These actions could endanger the safety and lives of Royal Australian Defense Forces personnel.”

The laser beam is dangerous because when directed at aircraft it can injure or temporarily blind pilots, which can pose safety risks, especially during take-off and landing.

And two years ago, the United States also accused the Chinese navy of directing a laser beam at one of its Poseidon planes over the Pacific Ocean.

China denied this, saying the plane flew at a low altitude over its warship despite repeated warnings.

In 2019, Australian Navy helicopter pilots reported being hit by lasers while training in the South China Sea, forcing them to land as a precaution.

In 2018, the United States submitted a formal complaint to the Chinese government about the use of a high-quality laser near the military base in Djibouti that was aimed at aircraft and slightly injured two American pilots.

Tensions have risen remarkably in the South China Sea, to which Beijing claims full rights, while the United States and its allies insist on freedom of navigation and overflight in its international waters.