World
Authorities In Brazil Probe Capital Uprising
Authorities in Brazil said Monday that they were investigating who was behind the stunning revolt that saw demonstrators pouring into the nation’s seats of power in a riot that had a remarkable resemblance to January 6, 2021, insurgency at the United States Capitol.
Thousands of supporters of ex-President Jair Bolsonaro flooded into Congress and the presidential palace on Sunday in an extraordinary demonstration for Latin America’s largest country. Many of them said they wanted Brazil’s army to topple the newly installed leftist president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and bring the far-right Bolsonaro to office.
Also, on Monday, police broke up a pro-Bolsonaro encampment outside a military building and detained about 1,200 people, according to the justice ministry’s press office. According to the federal police press office, the force has already planned to indict approximately 1,000 persons.
The heads of the Supreme Court all signed a statement condemning the attack and promising legal action.
According to Justice Minister Flávio Dino, police have begun following those who paid for the buses that took protesters to the city. He added at a news conference on Monday that rioters appeared to aim for their displays to have a domino effect across the country and that they may be prosecuted with a variety of felonies, including organized crime, plotting a coup, and violent eradication of the democratic rule of law.
“We believe the worst is behind us,” Dino said, adding that the administration is now focusing on punishing lawbreakers. “We will not compromise in carrying out our legal obligations because doing so is critical to preventing similar occurrences from happening again.”
Brazil’s Protests Continue
Rioters dressed in the national flag’s green and yellow shattered windows, knocked over furniture and threw computers and printers to the ground. They smashed other works of art and punched holes in a huge Emiliano Di Cavalcanti painting at the presidential palace. They threw a U-shaped table where Supreme Court justices meet, took a door off one of the justices’ offices, and destroyed a statue outside the court. The interiors of the buildings were left in ruins.
The arrests on Monday were in addition to the 300 persons arrested during the unrest on Sunday.
Police were noticeably reluctant to respond, even after more than 100 buses arrived, prompting many to question whether officials simply ignored multiple warnings, overestimated the protesters’ power, or were somehow complicit.
Prosecutors in the capital stated the local security forces were, at best, inept. The regional governor was provisionally suspended by a Supreme Court justice. Another justice chastised authorities for failing to respond quickly to the emerging fascism in Brazil.
Bolsonaro, who has since gone to Florida, has been fueling belief among his ardent fans that the country’s electronic voting system is prone to fraud, although he never presented any evidence. Eduardo Bolsonaro, his legislator son, met with former US President Donald Trump, Trump’s longtime supporter Steve Bannon, and his top campaign strategist, Jason Miller.
Brazil President Hospitalized
As word circulated that Bolsonaro was hospitalized in Florida with abdominal pain, the remaining Bolsonaro supporters dispersed by early afternoon Monday. Although his condition was unknown, a photo published by the Brazilian publication O Globo showed him smiling from a hospital bed. Since surviving a stabbing in 2018, he has been hospitalized several times. A phone call and text message were not immediately returned by a hospital representative.
US President Joe Biden, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau released a joint statement from Mexico City condemning the attack “on Brazil’s democracy and the peaceful transfer of power.”
Brazil’s election results – the closest in over three decades — were promptly recognized by politicians across the political spectrum, including some Bolsonaro sympathizers and dozens of governments. And, to almost everyone’s amazement, Bolsonaro quickly faded from view. He neither admitted loss nor declared outright fraud, despite the fact that he and his party filed a request to overturn millions of votes, which was quickly denied.
Brazilians have employed an electronic voting method since 1996, which security experts believe is less secure than hand-marked paper ballots since it leaves no auditable paper record. However, Brazil’s system is constantly monitored, and neither domestic authorities nor international observers have found proof of it being used to perpetrate fraud.
Nonetheless, followers of Bolsonaro refused to recognize the results. They stopped roads and camped outside military headquarters, pleading with the military to intervene.
Protests Mostly Peaceful
Dino, the justice minister, described the encampments as terrorist breeding grounds. Protests were mostly peaceful, but isolated threats, such as a bomb discovered on a fuel truck bound for Brasilia’s airport, raised security concerns.
Bolsonaro came to the United States two days before Lula’s inauguration on January 1, taking up temporary residence in Orlando. Many Brazilians were relieved that, while he declined to participate in the power transition, his absence allowed it to take place without incident.
That is, until Sunday’s devastation.
According to analysts, the disturbance could result in increased political support for Lula and his professed goal of pacifying the fragmented country. Many right-wing people and officials were disgusted by the events of Sunday and were eager to separate themselves from far-right radicalism. The insurrection was dubbed “an embarrassment” by the leader of Bolsonaro’s own party.
Brazil’s Extreme Fascists
“This could have been the start of the end. “The political system will attempt to isolate and distance itself from that radical movement,” said Mario Sérgio Lima, a political analyst at Medley Advisors. “I believe that what we will see today is the right attempting to develop new alternatives and leaders while the center distances itself.”
Lula read a freshly signed decree asking the government to take control of security in the federal district during a news conference from Sao Paulo state. He stated that “fascist extremists,” as well as those who fund their actions, must be punished. He also charged Bolsonaro with inciting the rebellion.
Late Sunday, Bolsonaro refuted the president’s accusation. On Twitter, he stated that while a peaceful protest is an important aspect of democracy, damage and invasions of public institutions are “exceptions to the rule.”
Unlike the 2021 attack in the United States, few officials would have been working on a Sunday in the major government buildings. In addition, videos indicated just a sparse presence of the capital’s military police.
In one video, demonstrators quickly pushed through a police roadblock, with only a few policemen employing pepper spray. Another showed officers standing by as demonstrators stormed the Congress, one of whom was filming the proceedings on his phone.
“This was a colossal oversight by the federal district’s government,” Thiago de Arago, director of a strategy at Brasilia-based political consultant Arko Advice, said. “Everyone expected them (the demonstrators) to arrive in Brasilia. The federal district’s government was expected to respond in order to secure the capital. They didn’t do any of those things.”
Source (AP)
World
Do Microplastics in the Atmosphere Endanger Your Fertility?
(VOR News) – It is quite possible that the presence of small microplastic particles in the air may be a contributing factor to a wide variety of health problems, including malignancies of the lungs and colon.
This is something that needs additional research to be determined. There is one more item to take into consideration, and that is the potential that this is the exact circumstance.
A recent study found that tires and debris that are decomposing shed minute fragments of plastic that go airborne, so creating a form of air pollution that is not particularly widely known. This type of pollution is caused by the degradation of plastic. An example of this type of pollution is that which is discharged into the atmosphere.
The industry refers to microplastic as “air pollution.”
According to the findings of a researcher named Tracey Woodruff, who is a professor of obstetrics, gynaecology, and reproductive sciences at the University of California, San Francisco, “These microplastics are basically particulate matter from air pollution,” and it is common knowledge that this particular type of air pollution is particularly hazardous.
The researchers who supplied background notes stated that the size of microplastics is less than 5 millimetres, which is smaller than a grain of rice.
This information was provided, according to researchers. These details were supplied by the researchers who conducted the study. These particulars were provided by researchers who were responsible for carrying out the study.
The amount of plastic that is created on a yearly basis by enterprises all over the world is roughly 460 million tonnes, as indicated by the data that were provided by academics all over the world. The forecasts indicate that by the year 2050, this quantity is anticipated to have increased to 1.1 billion tonnes.
Driving is a substantial contributor to the amount of plastic that is floating around in the atmosphere, according to the conclusions of the experts who conducted the study about the phenomenon. When tires are worn down to the point where they scrape against the surface of the road, they allow microplastics to be released into the environment.
As a result of the tires wearing down, this occurs. This impact is brought about as a consequence of the inevitable amount of wear and tear that tires are subjected to.
A study that was published on December 18 in the journal Environmental Science & Technology was the result of researchers conducting an examination of data collected from over 3,000 previous investigations.
The paper was published as a consequence of this procedure. The review was constructed with the help of this analysis that was carried out.
Microplastic used this analysis to put together the review.
A number of diseases, such as cancer, lung problems, and infertility, may be influenced by the presence of microplastics in the air, according to the data, which led to the conclusion that this may be the case.
Despite the fact that the vast majority of the studies that were incorporated into the study were carried out on animals, the researchers claimed that it is very certainly plausible that the findings can also be applied to people. The fact that the majority of investigations were conducted on animals does not change the reality that this is the case.
“We urge regulatory agencies and policy leaders to consider the growing evidence of health harms from microplastics, including colon and lung cancer,” stated Nicholas Chartres, the principal investigator and senior research fellow at the University of Sydney.
The organisation reported this comment. The University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) issued a press release on behalf of the organisation that contained this statement. The news release was disseminated to the public. We are convinced that state officials will act quickly to make sure that no leaks of this kind occur, which is of the highest importance.
SOURCE: USN
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World
Russian Oil Ships In The Kerch Strait Are Undergoing Rescue Operations.
(VOR News) – Following Sunday’s powerful storm, a Russian oil tanker carrying hundreds of tonnes of oil products ultimately broke apart, causing an oil spill into the Kerch Strait below. Additionally, Russian officials reported that the damage was causing problems for another vessel.
Sunday, Russian authorities announced an emergency rescue operation.
According to the Russian state news agency TASS, which claimed the Emergency Situations Ministry as its source, the Volgoneft-212 tanker, carrying fuel oil and carrying thirteen crew members, ran aground and suffered damage to its bow. A shipment of fuel oil was being transported by the tanker.
Authorities have told the public that the damage was brought on by the extreme weather conditions that are currently occurring.
A second tanker, the Volgoneft-239, was damaged during the storm and is currently stranded in the same area with 14 crew members on board, according to the Ministry of Emergency Situations. The tanker was discovered abandoned and alone in the same spot.
Additional tankers also suffered damage. The 132-meter-long cruiser, which was constructed in 1973, hangs the Russian flag around its neck.
The footage posted by state media showed the 136-meter Volgoneft-212 tanker, which was cut in two with its bow underwater, and waves crashing over its deck. At least one person lost his life as a result of this tragedy. This led to the opening of two distinct criminal investigations by the Russian authorities to look into potential violations of certain safety regulations.
Having flown the Russian flag since 1969, the yacht was finished.
Rosmorrechflot, the Russian government agency in charge of water transportation, reported a petroleum product spill.
It is believed that the cargo capacity of each tanker is around 4,200 tonnes of oil products.
The magnitude of the leak and the cause of the substantial damage one of the tankers received were not specified in the official remarks. This is in accordance with the official remarks.
Several news sites cited Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov as saying that President Vladimir Putin directed the formation of a working committee to handle the rescue effort and lessen the effects of the oil disaster.
Peskov recommended that the government appoint the working committee’s members. This comment was made public right after Putin met with the ministries responsible for ecology and disaster management.
The Russian government has said that it will be sending more than fifty individuals and pieces of equipment to the area in response to the current crisis. Mi-8 helicopters and rescue tugboats are examples of these people and tools.
The news that experts are presently investigating the damage at the event site was announced by Svetlana Radionova, who is in charge of Rosprirodnadzor, Russia’s natural resources regulating entity.
Kommersant reports that Volgoneft-212 used 4,300 tonnes of fuel oil.
The footage, which showed a partially submerged ship and murky water on rough seas, was posted to Telegram without the owner’s consent.
The warships were located in the Kerch Strait, which separates Crimea from the Russian mainland, when the distress signals were sent out.
The Kerch Strait is a crucial international marine passage that connects the Black Sea with the Sea of Azov, allowing for easier traffic between the two bodies of water. It also acts as a border between Russia and the Crimean Peninsula, which is under Russian occupation. The Kerch Strait is located in the centre of the two nations.
The peninsula has remained a major source of contention between the two national governments ever since Russia annexed it from Ukraine in 2014. Russia was the one who seized the peninsula. Ukraine brought legal action against Russia before the Permanent Court of Arbitration in 2016.
Specifically, the lawsuit claimed that Russia intended to illegally take over a location. The argument was supported by evidence pertaining to Russia’s conduct in the region. In 2021, the Russian Federation closed the strait for several consecutive months
SOURCE: VN
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World
Japan List Cannabis as Narcotic Criminalizes Recreational Use
TOKYO – Japan updated its cannabis and narcotics control legislation on Thursday, criminalizing cannabis (Marijuana) use and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), imposing a maximum seven-year prison sentence.
While the possession, transmission, and cultivation of cannabis and THC were already prohibited in Japan, the new rules will classify them as narcotics and criminalize their use as well, with a prison sentence of up to seven years for violations.
The amended regulations also legalize medical items containing cannabis-derived compounds that are beneficial and safe.
In 2019, 1.8 percent of the Japanese population had used cannabis at least once, making it the country’s second most popular illicit substance behind methamphetamine.
In 2023, a record 6,703 people were probed in cannabis-related criminal cases in Japan, topping methamphetamine cases for the first time, according to the Health, Labour, and Welfare Ministry. Seventy percent of instances involved people under the age of thirty.
A nationwide poll performed the same year by the ministry’s research group estimated that approximately 200,000 people had consumed marijuana within the previous year.
Japan previously did not penalize cannabis usage, apparently taking into account farmers who may have accidentally ingested the drug while producing cannabis plants for use in hemp products.
The amendments will also lift a restriction on cannabis-derived medicines, putting them under a licensing system similar to other drugs used for pain relief and other purposes.
Drugs derived from cannabis plants were only allowed in clinical studies in Japan, but patient groups have been advocating for access to cannabis-derived cannabidiol treatments already licensed in Europe and the United States for illnesses like severe epilepsy.
Cannabis cultivation dates back to the Jōmon period of Japanese prehistory, roughly six to ten thousand years ago (source: Wikipedia).
Cannabis hemp, as one of Japan’s first cultivated plants, provided an essential supply of plant fibre for clothing, cordage, and Shinto ritual goods, among other uses.
For much of Japanese history, hemp was common for fabric and food before cotton emerged as the country’s dominant fibre crop during industrialization during the Meiji period.
Following the end of World War II and the occupation of Japan, the Cannabis Control Law prohibited cannabis possession and manufacturing.
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