International
Rio de Janeiro’s Christ the Redeemer statue celebrates 90th birthday
AFP
The iconic statue of Christ the Redeemer that towers over Rio de Janeiro celebrated its 90th birthday on Tuesday, with a Mass, a new song and a Brazilian brandy label dedicated to it.
The religious ceremony was initially slated to take place at the foot of the giant statue, but because of bad weather it was performed at the Metropolitan Cathedral in central Rio.
“We Cariocas are used to looking to Christ who is often hidden in the clouds, but we know he is there,” city archbishop Orani Tempesta said during the Mass, referring to Rio de Janeiro residents.
“We are still going through the pandemic, but with an optimistic outlook thanks to vaccination. The dark clouds of last year are dissipating,” he added.
Brazil has the second worst death toll in the world from Covid-19, with over 600,000 people killed.
Before the outbreak, the 38-meter (125-foot) statue located at the top of Corcovado hill and known as one of the Seven Wonders of the modern world, attracted nearly two million visitors per year.
It was closed for several months last year due the pandemic and visitors must now present a vaccination certificate to access it.
Last month, Brazilian composer Moacyr Luz released a song, titled “Alma carioca, Cristo redentor” (Rio Soul, Christ the Redeemer), that he dedicated to the statue’s anniversary.
Another gift was the launch of the Redeemer cachaca, a line of the famous Brazilian drink with the image of Christ on the bottle. The idea belongs to Omar Raposo, the charismatic priest in charge of the Sanctuary of Christ the Redeemer.
“It’s a way of giving value to national products,” Raposo told AFP.
In 1921, the Catholic Church sponsored a contest for the construction of a religious monument to mark the centenary of Brazil’s independence from Portugal.
Brazilian engineer Heitor da Silva Costa and French sculptor Paul Landowski designed and built the statue that was inaugurated on October 12, 1931.
In 1973, it was declared a Historic Monument and in 2007 it was classified among the New Seven Wonders of the World.
International
Trump Raises Possibility of “Friendly Takeover” of Cuba Amid Deepening Crisis
The President of the United States, Donald Trump, reiterated Monday the possibility that Washington could pursue a “friendly takeover” of Cuba, amid the severe crisis facing the island following the oil blockade promoted by the U.S. government.
Speaking at a press conference in Miami, the president said that U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is currently “negotiating” with representatives of the Cuban government, although authorities in Havana have repeatedly denied that such talks are taking place.
Trump suggested that Washington could play a more direct role in the island’s future.
“It may be a friendly takeover. It may not be a friendly takeover. It wouldn’t matter because they’re really down to, as they say, fumes. They have no energy, they have no money. They are in deep trouble on a humanitarian basis, and we really don’t want to see that,” the U.S. president said.
The president also argued that the Cuban government had long depended heavily on support from Venezuela, particularly oil supplies.
According to Trump, that support has been drastically reduced following measures adopted by Washington.
“They were living off Venezuela. Venezuela doesn’t send them energy, fuel, oil, money, or anything anymore. They couldn’t survive without Venezuela, they couldn’t have made it, and we cut everything off,” Trump said.
International
Mexico, Brazil and Colombia left out of Trump’s “Shield of the Americas” summit
Left-wing governments in Latin America, including Mexico, Brazil and Colombia, were excluded from the “Shield of the Americas” summit convened by U.S. President Donald Trump.
The meeting, held in Miami, Florida, brought together 12 presidents from across the continent to discuss strategies to combat drug cartels and organized crime.
In Mexico’s case, President Claudia Sheinbaum had recently rejected the use of military force as a solution to the drug trafficking problem. She has argued that her administration’s security strategy is producing results and emphasized that force alone is not the answer.
During the summit, Trump said that most narcotics entering the United States come through Mexico and referred to his previous conversations with Sheinbaum on the issue.
“I like the president very much, she’s a very good person,” Trump said. “But I told her: ‘Let me eradicate the cartels.’ And she said, ‘No, no, no, please, president.’ We have to eradicate them. We have to finish them.”
The remarks highlighted ongoing differences between Washington and Mexico over how to confront drug trafficking networks operating across the region.
International
Trump announces 17-nation alliance in the Americas to “destroy” drug cartels
U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Saturday the creation of a 17-nation alliance across the Americas aimed at dismantling drug cartels, during a regional summit held at his golf club in Doral.
Speaking to a group of allied leaders at the Shield of the Americas Summit, Trump said the initiative would rely on military force to eliminate powerful criminal networks operating throughout the hemisphere.
“The heart of our agreement is the commitment to use lethal military force to destroy these sinister cartels and terrorist networks. Once and for all, we will put an end to them,” Trump told the assembled heads of state.
The Republican leader argued that large portions of territory in the Western Hemisphere have fallen under the control of transnational gangs and pledged U.S. support to governments seeking to confront them. He even suggested the potential use of highly precise missiles against cartel leaders.
Before making the announcement, Trump greeted the roughly twelve leaders attending the summit, including close allies such as Javier Milei, Daniel Noboa and Nayib Bukele, whom he described as a “great president.”
The meeting forms part of Trump’s broader regional strategy inspired by his reinterpretation of the Monroe Doctrine, which seeks to reinforce Washington’s influence in the Americas, strengthen security cooperation and counter the growing presence of powers such as China.
Trump pointed to recent U.S. actions in the region as examples of his administration’s approach, including the operation that led to the capture of former Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro earlier this year.
The summit also takes place amid escalating international tensions following the conflict launched last week by the United States and Israel against Iran.
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