International

‘Progress destroying nature’: Brazil dam fuels fears for river

| By AFP | Carlos Fabal with Joshua Howat Berger in Rio de Janeiro |

Holding a dead fish, Junior Pereira looks grimly at a puddle that used to be part of Brazil’s Xingu river, a mighty Amazon tributary that has been desiccated here by the massive Belo Monte hydroelectric dam.

Pereira, a member of the Pupekuri Indigenous group, chokes up talking about the impact of Belo Monte, the world’s fourth-biggest hydroelectric complex, which locals say is killing one of the most biodiverse regions on Earth and forcing them to abandon their way of life.

“Our culture is fishing, it’s the river. We’ve always lived on what the river provides,” says Pereira, 39, who looks like a man trapped between two worlds, wearing a traditional Indigenous necklace and a red baseball cap.

He gazes at the once-flooded landscape, which Belo Monte’s water diversion has made a patchwork of puddles dotted with stranded fish.

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“We’ve lost our river,” he says.

“Now we have to buy food in the city.”

‘Like a permanent drought’

Stretching nearly 2,000 kilometers (1,250 miles), the Xingu ebbs and flows with the rainy season, creating vast “igapos,” or flooded forests, that are crucial to huge numbers of species.

They are also crucial to an estimated 25,000 Indigenous people and others who live along the river.

Belo Monte diverts a 100-kilometer stretch of the Xingu’s “Volta Grande,” or Big Bend, in the northern county of Altamira to power a hydroelectric dam with a capacity of 11,233 megawatts — 6.2 percent of the total electricity capacity of Latin America’s biggest economy.

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Built for an estimated 40 billion reais ($7.5 billion) and inaugurated in 2016, the dam diverts up to 80 percent of the river’s water, which scientists, environmentalists and residents say is disastrous for this unique ecosystem.

“The dam broke the river’s flood pulse. Upstream, it’s like it’s always flooded. Downstream, it’s like a permanent drought,” says Andre Oliveira Sawakuchi, a geoscientist at the University of Sao Paulo.

That is devastating fish and turtle populations whose feeding and reproduction cycles depend on the igapos, he says.

Sitting by the Xingu’s breathtaking Jericoa waterfalls, which the Juruna people consider sacred, Indigenous leader Giliarde Juruna describes the situation as a clash of worldviews.

“Progress for us is having the forest, the animals, the rivers the way God made them. The progress white people believe in is totally different,” says Juruna, 40.

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“They think they’re doing good with this project, but they’re destroying nature and hurting people, including themselves.”

Lula under scrutiny

Proposed in the 1970s, Belo Monte was authorized under ex-president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (2003-2010) — who just won a new term in Brazil’s October elections.

As Lula, 77, prepares to take office again on January 1, the project is drawing fresh scrutiny from those hoping the veteran leftist will fulfill his promise to do a better job protecting the Amazon than outgoing President Jair Bolsonaro, who presided over a surge in deforestation.

Touted as a clean-energy source and engine of economic development, Belo Monte has not exactly lived up to expectations.

According to the company that operates it, Norte Energia, the dam’s average output this year has been 4,212 megawatts — less than half its capacity.

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A recent study meanwhile found its operations tripled the region’s greenhouse gas emissions — mainly methane released by decomposing forest that was killed by the flooding of the dam reservoir.

A new plan

In 2015, researchers from the Socio-Environmental Institute (ISA) conservation group teamed up with the Juruna to document the devastation.

They have devised a new, less-disruptive way for Belo Monte to manage water, the “Piracema” plan — named for the period when fish swim upriver to spawn.

Researchers say the plan is a relatively small tweak to the dam’s current water usage, adapting it to the natural flood cycles.

Brazil’s environmental regulator is due to rule soon whether to order Norte Energia to adopt it.

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The company declined to comment on the proposal, saying in a statement to AFP that it instead “recognizes the plan established in the plant’s environmental licensing.”

The decision is vital, says biologist Camila Ribas of the federal government’s National Institute for Amazon Research.

“When you completely alter the flood cycle, forests die,” she says.

“These are incredibly intricate, interlinked systems. If Belo Monte and other hydroelectric projects disrupt them too much, it could spell the end of the Amazon.”

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International

MS-13 Member Sentenced to 35 Years for Fatal Subway Killing in New York

A federal court in New York has sentenced Salvadoran national Víctor López, known by the alias “Curioso” and identified as a member of the Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) gang, to 35 years in prison for his role in the 2019 killing of Abel Mosso at a subway station in Queens.

The sentence was handed down by U.S. District Judge LaShann DeArcy Hall after López pleaded guilty in February 2025 to racketeering-related charges and causing the victim’s death through the use of a firearm. U.S. authorities also stated that López agreed to be deported to El Salvador upon completion of his prison sentence.

According to court records, the attack took place on February 3, 2019, when López and four other MS-13 members traveled to a New York City subway station with the intention of locating and killing Mosso, whom they believed to be affiliated with the rival Barrio 18 gang.

Investigators determined that López, along with Ramiro Gutiérrez and Tito Martínez-Alvarenga, followed the victim onto a Line 7 subway train. The group allegedly assaulted Mosso before forcibly dragging him onto the platform at the station located near 90th Street and Roosevelt Avenue in Jackson Heights, Queens.

During the confrontation, López reportedly drew a firearm. Prosecutors said Mosso briefly managed to wrestle the weapon away from him. As bystanders attempted to intervene, one of the gang members warned them not to interfere.

“Don’t get involved, we are MS-13, we’re going to kill him,” one of the attackers allegedly shouted in both Spanish and English, according to court documents.

The investigation found that Ramiro Gutiérrez later regained possession of the firearm and shot Mosso multiple times in the head, killing him at the scene.

Authorities also stated that after the attack, López burned the clothing he had worn during the assault in an effort to destroy evidence and avoid identification by law enforcement.

U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. for the Eastern District of New York said the sentence reflects the severity of a brutal gang-related murder carried out in broad daylight at a crowded public transportation hub.

Federal prosecutors described the case as part of ongoing efforts to dismantle violent gang networks operating in New York and to hold those responsible for acts of organized criminal violence accountable.

International

U.S. Launches Military Strikes on Iran Following Apache Helicopter Incident

The United States launched military strikes against Iran on Tuesday in what officials described as an act of “self-defense” following the alleged downing of a U.S. Army AH-64 Apache helicopter near the strategically important Strait of Hormuz.

The operation was confirmed by the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), which stated that the attacks began at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time under direct orders from President Donald Trump.

“U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces began conducting self-defense strikes against Iran today at 5:00 p.m., following the Commander-in-Chief’s instructions, in response to yesterday’s downing of a U.S. Army Apache helicopter,” the military command said in a statement.

According to U.S. authorities, the helicopter was involved in operations near the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical maritime routes for global oil shipments, when the incident occurred. Officials reported that the two service members on board were rescued alive approximately two hours later.

President Trump had earlier signaled that a military response was being considered, arguing that the incident amounted to a direct attack by Iranian forces amid rising tensions between Washington and Tehran.

CENTCOM described the military action as a proportional response to what it characterized as an unjustified act of aggression by Iran.

The escalation comes at a time of heightened instability across the Middle East, fueled by recent confrontations between Iran and Israel and the continued presence of U.S. military forces in the Persian Gulf to safeguard commercial shipping lanes and strategic operations.

Hours after the U.S. announcement, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi responded through social media, issuing a warning directed at foreign military forces operating near Iranian territory.

The latest developments have intensified concerns about the possibility of a broader regional conflict, as diplomatic and military tensions continue to rise across the Middle East.

Central America

Bukele Tops Latin America’s Presidential Approval Ranking in June, Survey Finds

President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador, President Claudia Sheinbaum of Mexico, and President Laura Fernández of Costa Rica are the three highest-rated leaders in Latin America, according to the latest June 2026 presidential approval survey conducted by CB Global Data. The study places Peru’s interim president, José María Balcázar, at the bottom of the regional ranking.

Bukele leads the list with a 69.1% approval rating and a 27.6% disapproval rate, improving on the 67.5% positive image recorded in May. The Salvadoran president has maintained a state of emergency since March 2022 as the cornerstone of his anti-gang security strategy, a policy that continues to shape public perceptions of his administration.

Sheinbaum, Mexico’s first female president, ranks second with a 65.5% approval rating and 31% disapproval. Although she remains among the region’s most popular leaders, her support declined from the 67.8% approval registered in May.

Completing the top three is Costa Rican President Laura Fernández, who recently assumed office and now records a 56.1% favorable rating against 37.1% negative opinion. Her approval has risen significantly from the 52.7% reported a month earlier.

At the opposite end of the ranking is Peru’s interim president, José María Balcázar, who received only 18.2% positive approval while 71.7% of respondents expressed a negative view of his administration. Despite remaining last in the survey, he showed a slight improvement compared to previous measurements.

Second from the bottom is Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodríguez, with a 29.5% approval rating and 64.8% disapproval. Nevertheless, she registered the largest increase in positive perception among all leaders surveyed, gaining more than five percentage points compared with the previous month.

Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo rounds out the group of lowest-rated leaders, posting a 33.1% approval rating against 63% disapproval. His support level declined from 36.9% in May.

Just outside the top three is President Luis Abinader of the Dominican Republic, who achieved a 54.8% approval rating and 42.2% disapproval, despite a decline from the 60.2% support recorded a month earlier.

Paraguayan President Santiago Peña follows with a 48.3% favorable rating and 48.2% disapproval, improving slightly compared with May. Meanwhile, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva ranks sixth with a 47.6% approval rating and 48.1% disapproval, down from 49.5% the previous month. Lula is expected to seek another term in Brazil’s presidential election scheduled for October 2026.

Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz fell to seventh place after experiencing the largest decline in the survey. His approval rating dropped to 46.4%, while disapproval climbed to 52.3%, representing a loss of more than nine percentage points compared with May.

The CB Global Data survey, conducted across 18 Latin American countries, reflects shifting public sentiment toward regional leaders and highlights the growing influence of Central American presidents among the continent’s most highly rated governments.