International
Portugal on alert over fears of fresh wildfire threat
AFP
Portugal, hit by a third heatwave after weeks of wildfires, was on a 24-hour national alert Monday to counter the threat posed by more blazes, authorities said.
Under its measures, the authorities have restricted access forests and banned fireworks displays, as well as stepping up the state of readiness of the emergency services.
Having only just brought under control a fire that destroyed more than 28,000 hectares (69,000 acres) in the Serra da Estrela national park, civil protection authorities said firefighters were tackling another blaze in the central northern Vila Real region.
“According to provisional estimates, this fire has burnt 4,500 hectares,” emergency and civil protection services head Andre Fernandes said of the blaze in a hard-to-access mountainous area.
Two Canadair water bomber planes sent by Greece under the terms of an EU-wide civil protection support mechanism were aiding firefighters’ efforts.
The government issued the alert Sunday after identifying a heightened risk of rural fires as temperatures look set to hit 40 Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) Monday and Tuesday amid an ongoing severe drought.
The latest heatwave comes with Portugal having experienced its hottest July in almost a century.
Since January, the country’s Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests says more than 94,000 hectares of land have been laid waste to in Portugal’s worst forest fires since 2017, when a series of blazes cost dozens of lives.
Portugal last Wednesday finally extinguished a fire which had burnt more than 25,000 hectares of land in the UNESCO-listed central mountainous area of Serra da Estrela, home to diverse wildlife species including wildcats and lizards.
Minister of the Presidency Marina Vieira da Silva said after meeting mayors of affected municipalities that Lisbon was declaring “a state of natural disaster” to allow the release of rapid aid.
The government is also drawing up a “revitalisation plan” for the Serra da Estrela park.
The consensus among scientists is that climate change has increased the probability of heatwaves, leading to drought and more forest fires.
International
Jamaica faces widespread destruction as hurricane Melissa hits the island
Jamaican authorities reported on Tuesday that Hurricane Melissa, which weakened to a Category 4 storm just hours after making landfall in Jamaica, caused damage to six hospitals and left roads flooded, along with downed power lines and fallen trees, according to preliminary data.
Videos shared by local media and social media users show strong gusts of wind impacting Kingston in the southeast and southern municipalities of the island, causing power outages and damaging the roofs of several homes.
Flooded roads and damage to several medical institutions have also been reported. The Bustamante Children’s Hospital in Kingston experienced blocked access after a utility pole fell onto its premises. Part of the Savanna-la-Mar Public General Hospital in Westmoreland also suffered severe damage when hurricane-force winds ripped off its roof.
Additionally, Health and Wellness Minister Christopher Tufton reported on Tuesday that four hospitals sustained “significant damage” due to Melissa. The affected medical facilities are Noel Holmes Hospital in Hanover, Black River Hospital in Saint Elizabeth, Cornwall Regional Hospital in Saint James, and Falmouth Hospital in Trelawny.
At Cornwall Regional Hospital, damage was limited to staff areas, which have since been repurposed for other uses. The Ministry stated that it is actively coordinating with the Southern Regional Health Authority and emergency services to stabilize hospital operations.
International
Colombian president Gustavo Petro denies alleged ties to criminal networks
Colombian President Gustavo Petro on Monday rejected claims made by Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo López, who suggested that the president might be involved in a criminal network linked to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Petro called the accusation “criminal and arbitrary” in a post on social media platform X.
“Leopoldo López’s attempt to link me to drug trafficking structures is criminal and arbitrary,” wrote the Colombian president, responding to statements made by López from Madrid, where he has been exiled since 2020.
During a press conference, López claimed that Petro “has become the first international spokesperson supporting Nicolás Maduro’s dictatorship” and suggested that this support could stem from a direct relationship or shared interest with what he described as a “criminal structure.”
President Petro responded that he does not have accounts or assets abroad and that his income comes solely from his salary as a public official. “Not a single peso more. I have no accounts abroad or assets. My only property is the house I built for my children, completed before becoming mayor; I owe money on it to the bank and no one lives there. I have no other assets in Colombia or abroad, so stop being foolish,” the president said.
These statements follow the U.S. Treasury Department’s inclusion of Petro, his wife Verónica Alcocer, his son Nicolás Petro, and Interior Minister Armando Benedetti on the so-called ‘Clinton List’ by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) due to alleged links to drug trafficking.
Being on this list blocks assets in the United States and prohibits financial transactions with U.S. entities.
Central America
El Salvador’s FGR prosecutes 89,875 gang members under state of exception
Records from the Office of the Attorney General of El Salvador (FGR) show that under the state of exception, 89,875 gang members from various criminal organizations have been arrested, of which 91.3% (82,078) are currently in the preliminary trial stage before the courts specialized in organized crime. The FGR anticipates favorable rulings with maximum sentences for all convicted criminals.
During a recent visit to the Legislative Assembly, Attorney General Rodolfo Delgado provided details about the work carried out under the state of exception. A dedicated team of 291 legal professionals has been assigned to these cases, including office chiefs, coordinators, assistant prosecutors, and legal collaborators.
“The team working on state-of-exception cases includes 291 professionals, plus personnel from the Telecommunications Intervention Center and supervisory staff, representing roughly 30% of the FGR’s total prosecutorial workforce,” Delgado explained.
The prosecutors have prepared 590 criminal cases with formal charges:
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299 cases against Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) members
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281 cases against the 18th Street gang
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3 cases against Mao Mao
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5 cases against Mara Máquina
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2 cases against Mirada Loca
The Attorney General emphasized that the investigation and prosecution of 89,875 gang members is unprecedented in the country’s history. “Over the next two years, we expect to gradually reduce the number of defendants in the preliminary trial stage and move them toward final convictions,” he said.
Delgado also highlighted the work of the Analysis Section, which has processed 25,412 pieces of evidence, of which 19,658 are related to the state-of-exception cases, while the remaining 5,754 belong to other cases, reflecting the unit’s dual role in defending the interests of both the state and society.
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