International
Germany vows millions for Amazon as Scholz meets Lula in Brazil
January 31 | By AFP |
Germany on Monday outlined more than $200 million in contributions for environmental projects in Brazil as Chancellor Olaf Scholz visited the South American giant reeling from Amazon destruction under ex-president Jair Bolsonaro.
The package includes a brand-new $33.6 million in aid for Brazilian states for rainforest protection, on top of another $38 million already announced for an Amazon protection fund to which Germany and Norway had halted payments under climate-skeptic Bolsonaro.
Protection of the Amazon — a crucial sink for planet-warming carbon dioxide — was high on the agenda for talks between Scholz and Brazil’s leftist new President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva that also aimed to “deepen the resumption of relations,” according to the Brazilian presidency.
Scholz was the first German chancellor to visit Brazil since 2015, and the first Western leader to meet Lula since he became president on January 1 after four years of frosty relations with Brazil under far-right Bolsonaro.
Shortly before Scholz’s arrival in the capital Brasilia, German economic cooperation minister Svenja Schulze announced her country would make additional funds available for Amazon preservation after “difficult years”.
“Brazil is the lung of the world. If it has problems, we all have to help it,” Schulze said at a press conference in Brasilia with Lula’s new environment minister Marina Silva.
Bolsonaro’s four-year term was marked by a surge in fires and clear-cutting in the rainforest.
Average annual deforestation on his watch rose by 59.5 percent from the previous four years, and by 75.5 percent from the previous decade, according to government figures.
German funds for Brazil would also include $32 million for energy efficiency projects for small and medium companies, $9.7 million for “sustainable supply chain projects,” $5.7 million for renewable energy use in industry and transport and $14.2 million for reforestation of degraded areas, according to a Germany embassy statement.
$87 million would go towards low-cost loans for farmers to “reforest their land.”
Amazon destruction was a major sticking point in a trade deal between the European Union and the Mercosur grouping comprised of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay.
The blocs reached an agreement in 2019 following 20 years of talks, but it has not yet been ratified.
‘Very interesting partners’
Scholz, who visited Chile and Argentina before heading to Brazil, said in Buenos Aires on Saturday a “quick conclusion” was needed to the trade deal impasse, adding that with Lula in place, “we are in a better position.”
Lula had presided over a sharp drop in deforestation when he previously led Brazil from 2003 to 2010, and has vowed to reboot environmental protection.
He has said it was “urgent” for a deal to be concluded, but stressed on the campaign trail that further negotiation was needed to ensure Brazil can pursue “our interest in reindustrializing.”
Energy is also on the agenda for talks between the leaders of Europe and South America’s biggest economies.
German business is seeking new opportunities overseas following the economic shock caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and as concerns grow about reliance on China.
All three countries on Scholz’s itinerary — Argentina, Chile and Brazil — are rich in natural resources and “very interesting partners,” a government source in Berlin said.
In an interview Saturday with the Grupo de Diarios America (GDA) consortium of South American newspapers, Scholz said Germany wanted to boost cooperation with Latin America and the Caribbean on “renewable energies, green hydrogen and responsible trade in raw materials.”
A Berlin government source said Germany would use the Latin American tour to drum up further international support against Moscow as the war in Ukraine drags on.
Argentina, Chile and Brazil have criticized the invasion of Ukraine at the United Nations but have not adopted sanctions against Moscow.
Lula caused shock last year when he said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was “as responsible as” Russian President Vladimir Putin for the conflict.
International
“Promises delivered”: Milei celebrates milestone and pushes ahead with structural reforms
Argentine President Javier Milei marked the second anniversary of his victory in the November 19, 2023 presidential election on Wednesday, declaring that he has fulfilled “every campaign promise” even before reaching the halfway point of his term.
In a message posted on his official X account, Milei stated that his administration set out from day one to implement its political program without concessions. “We have dedicated ourselves to fulfilling every campaign promise, to the point that they were completed in less than two years, despite the entire status quo’s obstruction machine,” the president wrote.
Milei won the runoff election with 55.65% of the vote, defeating then–Economy Minister Sergio Massa, who received 44.35%. He officially took office on December 10, 2023, describing himself as the “first libertarian liberal president in the history of humanity.”
The head of state also highlighted the performance of his party, La Libertad Avanza (LLA), in the October 26 legislative elections, where it secured more than 40% of the votes. This result, he said, gives him the momentum to advance toward a new phase of “structural reforms.”
“We renew our commitment to all Argentines to implement all second-generation reforms so that, once and for all, we enter the path that will make Argentina great again,” Milei wrote, reaffirming his push for a deep transformation of the country’s economic model.
During his presidential campaign, Milei pledged to drastically shrink the size of the state, carry out sweeping labor and tax reforms, and radically overhaul economic policy through a “fiscal shock” plan aimed at controlling inflation and achieving a budget surplus.
International
Haitian authorities mobilize nationwide as gangs threaten confrontation with police
Haiti’s National Police (PNH) declared a state of maximum alert after the leader of the Viv Ansanm armed coalition, Jimmy Chérizier — known as “Barbecue” — urged the population to stay indoors amid the prospect of clashes with security forces carrying out an offensive against gang groups.
The threats came days after the PNH, the Haitian Armed Forces (FAD’H), and the Gang Suppression Force (GSF) launched a large-scale operation against the 400 Mawozo gang, which for years has controlled and kidnapped residents in Tabarre and Croix-des-Bouquets, north of the capital.
The police announced the suspension of all vacations and leave for officers “in order to mobilize all police personnel, with the goal of ensuring optimal security for the population and responding to any eventuality.” Authorities reported that operations will continue specifically in Croix-des-Bouquets, territory controlled by 400 Mawozo under the command of Lanmò Sanjou.
In recent days, security forces located and raided several hideouts used by criminal groups, managing to kill or force the retreat of gang members from strategic areas. Police Director General Vladimir Paraison visited the barracks of the units involved in the operations to express his “appreciation for the courage and commitment of the police in their relentless battles to restore order and uphold the law.”
Chérizier — for whom the United States has offered a $5 million reward — urged citizens on Sunday to remain in their homes so the gangs could confront police forces and “avoid becoming victims.”
“The time has come, Haitian people, to unite to liberate this country,” he declared in a message shared on social media.
International
U.S. House poised to approve bill requiring declassification of Epstein files
A group of lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives said on Tuesday that a bill requiring the Department of Justice to declassify documents related to the case of billionaire Jeffrey Epstein is expected to pass with “overwhelming” support.
Democratic Representative Ro Khanna, the sponsor of the proposal, urged the Senate not to allow delays or amendments. “I expect it to pass by an overwhelming majority in the House. I don’t want politicians playing games with this. They need to pass it in the Senate without changes,” he said from Capitol Hill, joined by Republicans Thomas Massie, Marjorie Taylor Greene, and several Epstein victims.
The vote is scheduled for Tuesday at 2:00 p.m. local time, after 218 lawmakers from both parties forced House Speaker Mike Johnson to bring the measure to the floor.
U.S. President Donald Trump, who has been criticized by Democrats for his past friendship with Epstein, stated that he would sign the bill if it passes both chambers of Congress. His support came after a shift in his position, following his name appearing in leaked documents.
Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, a frequent ally of the president, publicly confronted Trump in recent days over the issue. Standing alongside several Epstein victims, she defended her backing of the bill despite Trump calling her a “traitor.” “These women have fought the most horrible battle that no woman should ever have to fight (…) even against the president of the United States,” she said.
Taylor Greene added that the “real test” will be whether the Department of Justice complies with releasing the documents once the bill is enacted. “Or everything will remain sealed under the pretext of ongoing investigations,” she warned.
Haley Robson, one of the victims, also spoke during the press event. “I’m traumatized, I’m not stupid,” she said firmly, arguing that attempts by certain sectors to delay the process have caused tremendous emotional harm. “This is not political. This is America. This is the land of freedom,” she stated.
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