The death toll from the hurricane that struck the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil has risen to 36 people, while the state governor said that thousands of people are waiting to be rescued, adding that "many families are still stuck on the roofs of their homes."
The death toll from the hurricane and floods that struck the state of Rio Grande do Sul in southern Brazil has risen to at least 36 people, according to statements by state authorities.
Flood waters forced residents to the roofs of their homes, while the authorities launched a large-scale rescue operation, and one official said that more than a thousand people were still stranded, waiting for help.
The storms that began on Monday caused entire neighborhoods in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul to be submerged in water, and flash floods and landslides swept vast areas of land, leaving behind the wreckage of destroyed homes and muddy water.
Most of the town of Mokum, with a population of 5,000, was submerged in floodwaters, where 14 bodies were found, up from 15 previously reported.
Authorities there and in the nearby Roca Sales area had to use a refrigerated truck to transport the bodies of the victims, according to local media.
This disaster is the latest in a series of deadly natural disasters that hit Brazil, and experts are likely to be exacerbated by climate change.
State Governor Eduardo Leite, who went to the affected areas, said thousands of people were waiting to be rescued, adding that "many families are still stuck on their rooftops."
The governor, who declared a state of emergency, described this disaster as the most violent ever to strike Rio Grande do Sul, while hundreds of rescue workers, police and volunteers continued their efforts to reach areas isolated by the floods.
The authorities reported that more than 5,300 people were forced to leave their homes, and at least 52,70 towns were affected.
Leite warned that the situation could worsen with more rain expected from late (Wednesday) into (Thursday), the day Brazil celebrates its independence.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva announced that he had spoken with the governor and promised him support for his state.
"I reaffirmed that the federal government is at the disposal of the citizens of Rio Grande do Sul to face this crisis," Lula wrote on the X platform.
This disaster is the latest in a series of deadly natural disasters that hit Brazil, and experts are likely to be exacerbated by climate change (AFP)
Brazil has witnessed bad weather in recent years, and experts do not rule out that it has links to climate change.
The absence of civil organization increases the effects of climate disasters, as many poor people live in unsafe dwellings on the slopes of the hills.
At least 65 people died last February in floods and landslides caused by torrential rains in the state of São Paulo, southeast of the country.
About 9.5 million of the 203 million Brazilian population live in areas prone to floods and landslides.
America : The US Embassy excludes two extremist Israeli ministers from the Hebrew New Year celebration
The US embassy excluded the Israeli Minister of Security, Itamar Ben Gvir, and the Minister of Finance, Bezalel Smotrich, from a party it was holding on the occasion of the Hebrew New Year, noting that the invited ministers had close working relations with it.
The US Embassy in Israel has excluded Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich from inviting a celebration to be organized next week on the occasion of the Hebrew New Year.
And the Israeli news channel "13" confirmed , on Wednesday evening, that the US embassy will hold a party on the occasion of the Hebrew New Year and has invited many ministers, "but not among them the ministers of the Jewish Power (led by Ben Gvir) and religious Zionism (led by Smotrich)."
She said: “Acting Ambassador Stephanie Hallet distributed invitations to many Israeli government ministers, and Itamar Ben Gvir, Bezalel Smotrich and other members of their parties were not among the invitees.”
Regarding the reasons for excluding the two ministers, the Israeli channel quoted the American embassy as saying that “the ministers on the list are those who have close working relations with the embassy.”
Also, there have been no meetings between American officials, Ben Gvir and Smotrich since the formation of the current government at the end of last year, according to the same source.
Washington previously boycotted Smotrich when he visited the United States of America last March.
Last May, the European Union mission in Israel canceled a ceremony after Ben Gvir insisted on participating in it.
It is known that Ben Gvir and Smotrich head two extreme right-wing parties, and Ben Gvir is seen as an example of the phenomenon of the rise of the extreme right in Israel.
The Hebrew New Year falls on the 15th of September.
Former US President Donald Trump was convicted in a defamation case against a writer who accused him of sexually assaulting her
Former US President Donald Trump has been judged again for his responsibility in a defamation case brought against him by writer Jane Carroll, who had previously accused him of sexually assaulting her, in a decision that opens the door to her obtaining compensation.
On Wednesday, a court in New York issued a ruling on the responsibility of former US President Donald Trump in a defamation case brought against him by writer Jane Carroll, who previously accused Trump of sexually assaulting her, in a decision that opens the door for her to obtain compensation.
Carroll also filed a separate civil complaint against Trump over statements he made in 2019 in response to her accusation that he sexually assaulted her in a book she published.
Trump said at the time that Carroll had made up the story and was "just trying to sell a new book," adding that the author was "not my type."
The case witnessed several delays, before it was finally decided to refer it to a jury trial in January 2024.
Only a jury will decide how much additional compensation Trump owes to Carroll for his 2019 comments, following Judge Lewis Kaplan's ruling on Wednesday that based on the May ruling, the president's statements were "defamatory," "false" and were motivated by "actual malice." ".
For her part, Alina Haba, Trump's lawyer, commented on the ruling, saying, "We remain very confident that May's ruling will be overturned on appeal, which makes this decision moot."
The trial scheduled for January before a jury adds to a group of issues weighing on Trump in the midst of his presidential campaign, while the former president faces federal criminal charges for mishandling confidential documents and “conspiring” to overturn the results of the 2020 elections.
In May, the court convicted the Republican candidate leading in opinion polls to run in the 2024 elections, in a civil case for sexually assaulting Carroll in 1996 and defaming her in statements last year, when the court ordered Trump to compensate her with $5 million.
Trump also faces charges in New York of paying money to buy the silence of a porn actress, and in Georgia of pressuring state officials to overturn Joe Biden's victory in the 2020 elections.
Very dispiriting.
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