International
Age, health on the ballot in Brazil’s Bolsonaro-Lula runoff
AFP | Pascale Trouillaud
One is a 67-year-old who has been in and out of hospital over the past four years for gastric problems. The other is a 76-year-old ex-smoker and cancer survivor.
But both far-right incumbent Jair Bolsonaro and leftist rival Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva are bending over backwards to project an image of youthful energy as the grueling campaign for Brazil’s October 30 presidential runoff election enters the home stretch.
Battling for every last vote, the current and former presidents both face scrutiny over their age and health.
The issue has gained prominence in a relatively young country — median age: 32.8 — where many voters are frustrated over the lack of new options, given that the clash pits the man who has led Brazil for the past four years against the one who led it for eight in the 2000s.
A scroll through the candidates’ social media accounts betrays their campaigns’ concern, with numerous pictures and videos of the rivals — both grandfathers — looking vigorous as they straddle horses, a bull, jet skis and motorcycles (Bolsonaro) or hit a punching bag, lift weights, play the drums and pose in a Speedo-style swimsuit (Lula).
‘Spring chicken’
The age issue is most sensitive for Lula, who turns 77 three days before the runoff.
The veteran leftist, who served two terms from 2003 to 2010, has indicated he would not seek a fourth.
“I have four years to get everything done. Everyone knows an 81-year-old can’t possibly want to be re-elected,” he said in September.
But he has simultaneously laughed off the age issue as he runs his sixth presidential campaign.
“I’m a spring chicken compared to Joe Biden,” who was inaugurated as US president at 78, Lula quipped last year.
Lula, who smoked for five decades before quitting in 2010, was diagnosed with cancer of the larynx in 2011.
The ex-metalworker underwent chemo and radiation therapy, and doctors declared him in “complete remission” the following year.
But his gravelly voice has grown even hoarser on the campaign trail, to the point Brazilians struggle to understand him at times.
“I’m going to have to stop talking (for) a month to recover,” jokes the twice-widowed former president, who married 56-year-old Rosangela “Janja” da Silva in May.
Smelling blood, opponents have attacked.
“Lula is physically and psychologically weaker by the day,” center-left rival Ciro Gomes posted online in August ahead of the October 2 first-round vote, in which he placed fourth, behind Lula (48 percent) and Bolsonaro (43 percent).
Gomes later backtracked, deleting the post and saying he had been “very harsh.”
Bolsonaro backers have been particularly virulent online questioning the ex-president’s health.
Lula has been at pains to prove his doctor’s assessment that he has “the health of a bull,” crisscrossing the country giving fiery speeches, and hopping up and down at rallies.
“I wake up every day at 5:30 am to work out,” beams Lula, who says he started running nine kilometers a day when he was controversially jailed in 2018 on corruption charges — since overturned.
“I want to live to be 120.”
Stabbing after-effects
A decade younger, Bolsonaro has had his share of health issues, too.
The ex-army captain, who was stabbed in the abdomen at a rally during the 2018 campaign that won him the presidency, has had recurring problems ever since.
As president, he has been hospitalized multiple times for intestinal obstructions and undergone six surgeries since 2018: four stemming from the attack, one to remove a bladder stone, and a vasectomy.
When he was last rushed to the hospital, in January, his surgeon, Antonio Luiz Macedo, said the president arrived “crying in pain” and saying, “I’m going to die.”
Macedo said the problem was a shrimp the president swallowed without chewing.
During his hospitalizations, Bolsonaro maintains an active presence on social media, posting pictures of himself flashing a thumbs-up from bed or visiting with First Lady Michelle, 40, the twice-divorced president’s third wife.
His eldest son, Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, said after the last hospital stay that doctors had told his father he needed a regime of permanent dietary restrictions.
But the president has stuck to unhealthy eating habits, according to media reports.
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(FILES) (COMBO) This file combination of pictures created on October 4, 2022, shows Brazilian former president (2003-2010) and candidate for the leftist Workers Party (PT) Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (top) waving as he leaves the polling station after voting during the legislative and presidential election, in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on October 2, 2022, and Brazilian President and re-election candidate Jair Bolsonaro waving during a motorcade on the eve of the presidential election, in Sao Paulo, on October 1, 2022. - But both far-right incumbent Jair Bolsonaro and leftist rival Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva are bending over backwards to project an image of youthful energy as the grueling campaign for Brazil's October 30 presidential runoff election enters the homestretch. One is a 67-year-old who has been in and out of hospital the past four years for gastric problems. The other is a 76-year-old ex-smoker and cancer survivor. (Photo by ERNESTO BENAVIDES and CAIO GUATELLI / AFP)
International
Biden administration approves $8 billion arms sale to Israel ahead of Trump’s Presidency
The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden approved a weapons sale to Israel worth approximately $8 billion, which includes air defense ammunition, the State Department announced on Saturday.
The sale—which must be approved by Congress—was agreed upon just days before Republican Donald Trump assumes the presidency, also a strong ally of Israel in the Gaza conflict. Before leaving office, Joe Biden once again ignored pressure from human rights organizations and Democratic lawmakers who oppose the arms sale to Israel.
“The president made it clear that Israel has the right to defend its citizens in accordance with international law and humanitarian law, and to deter aggression from Iran and its allied organizations,” it was stated.
International
Scottie Pippen’s dream predictions about Bitcoin gain attention as market faces volatility
Financial analyst Jim Bianco commented on Monday about Scottie Pippen’s dream encounters with Satoshi Nakamoto, noting that the NBA legend’s predictions about Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) have been surprisingly accurate.
What Happened Bianco, president and founder of Bianco Research, stated in a post on X that Pippen’s predictions have gained followers due to their accuracy, despite the strange methods he claims to use, such as receiving messages from Bitcoin’s anonymous creator in his dreams.
Bianco also analyzed Pippen’s latest forecast, in which the basketball star said, “I just took a nap, and Satoshi whispered to me: ‘Bitcoin will get closer to the Black Mamba numbers before it returns to Chamberlain.'”
According to Bianco, the post referenced NBA legends Kobe Bryant and Wilt Chamberlain, who scored 81 and 100 points in a single game, respectively. Simply put, Pippen expected Bitcoin to drop to $81,000 before recovering to $100,000.
Why It Matters The world’s leading cryptocurrency has fallen below the key support level of $93,000 and is at risk of falling further. Since the Christmas rally, Bitcoin has dropped by up to 6.5%.
Earlier, Pippen grabbed attention by predicting Bitcoin would hit $84,000 on U.S. presidential election day. While the digital asset didn’t meet these predictions, it reached $84,000 a week later.
International
Ecuador Imposes 60-Day State of Emergency in Most Violent Provinces as Drug Gangs Clash
Ecuador, engaged in a war against drug trafficking gangs, has declared a new state of emergency in Quito and seven of its 24 provinces, which are considered the most violent, according to a presidential decree released on Friday.
The 60-day measure suspends the rights to the inviolability of the home and correspondence in the coastal provinces of Guayas, Los Ríos, Manabí, Santa Elena, and El Oro, as well as the Amazonian provinces of Orellana and Sucumbíos. This state of emergency has been in effect since Thursday and was implemented due to the severe internal turmoil and internal armed conflict declared last year because of drug-related violence.
The decree includes Quito (in the province of Pichincha) and the towns of La Troncal (Cañar) and the mining town of Camilo Ponce Enríquez (Azuay), as well as the prison system, now under military control.
The government of Daniel Noboa, which began in November 2023, has consistently used this measure in response to an escalating wave of drug gangs fighting for control of the streets and prisons.
“This declaration is based on… the increase in violence rates, the commission of crimes, and the prolonged intensity of the presence of organized armed groups,” states the decree released on the presidential website.
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