International
Indigenous woman wins award for campaign against mining companies in the Amazon
May 25 |
Alessandra Korap Munduruku, who spearheaded a campaign that forced large mining corporations to respect the indigenous territory of her people in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest, received the Goldman Environmental Prize.
The activist is among six 2023 winners from around the world in recognition of her achievements and on-the-ground environmental leadership awarded by the San Francisco-based Goldman Foundation.
In May 2021, Anglo American AAL.L agreed to withdraw 27 exploration applications for mining activity on indigenous lands, according to the foundation, including the territory of the Sawré Muybu – where Alessandra Munduruku is from – an area of 1,600 square kilometers in the Tapajós River rainforest.
“The award recognizes our struggle and tells the world ‘Here we are.’ Multinational companies cannot enter without consulting indigenous peoples,’” he told Reuters by phone.
Anglo American did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Goldman Foundation said the company told the Brazilian government at the time that it would abandon prospecting applications because of concerns raised by indigenous communities.
“Alessandra’s successful campaign represents a significant shift in private sector accountability around destructive mining in Brazil amid an intense government push for extraction in the Amazon,” the foundation said in a statement.
Following Anglo American’s decision, other major mining companies announced they would also withdraw prospecting permits on indigenous lands in Brazil, the foundation said, a fact corroborated by Brazilian lobby group Ibram.
The Sawré Muybu’s territory is still threatened by mining companies because it has not yet been formally recognized as an indigenous reserve. Alessandra called on the leftist government of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to process the recognition urgently.
Alessandra, 38, said she will use the prize money to finish her university studies and become a lawyer.
International
Singer seriously injured after knife attack in Tokyo’s Akasaka District
A woman in her forties was stabbed on Sunday by a man in Tokyo’s busy Akasaka district, leaving her with serious injuries, according to local media reports.
At around 10:25 a.m. (local time), police received an emergency call reporting that a woman was bleeding after being attacked with a knife by a man wearing a black hood in the basement of a building in Akasaka, police sources told Kyodo News.
The woman sustained severe injuries to her abdomen and hand but was conscious when she was transported to a hospital, Tokyo Metropolitan Police said, adding that the suspected assailant fled the scene with what appeared to be a knife.
The victim, believed to be a singer, was reportedly attacked while waiting alone outside a live music club where she was scheduled to perform.
Police stated that they are searching for the suspect and noted that the woman did not know him.
International
Ombudsman confirms deaths of six minors in bombing targeting FARC dissidents
Colombia’s Ombudsman’s Office reported on Saturday the deaths of six minors who had been recruited by guerrilla groups, killed during the deadliest airstrike ordered by President Gustavo Petro in an Amazonian region in the south of the country.
Amid pre-election criticism and pressure from the United States demanding stronger action against drug trafficking, Petro has intensified military operations against armed groups. Over the past week, a series of bombings have left 28 people dead.
The minors were killed in an airstrike announced on Tuesday against a camp belonging to dissident factions of the now-defunct FARC guerrilla in the department of Guaviare, resulting in 19 deaths—the largest operation of its kind under Petro’s administration.
“This is all deeply regrettable; it is war in its most painful and inhumane expression, harming the most vulnerable—minors recruited due to lack of protection and now turned into military targets,” said Ombudswoman Iris Marín in an audio message sent to the press, confirming the deaths of six minors without providing their ages.
Marín held the guerrilla group led by the country’s most-wanted man, alias Iván Mordisco, responsible for recruiting the children.
However, she also stressed that “the military forces must take every feasible precaution to protect children,” in accordance with international principles that require “careful evaluation of the means and methods of warfare to avoid disproportionate or unnecessary harm.”
International
Colombia reaches $4.5 billion deal to acquire 17 Gripen Fighter Jets from Saab
The Colombian government has finalized a negotiation agreement with the Swedish company Saab for the purchase of 17 SAP-39 Gripen fighter jets, valued at more than $4.5 billion, according to local media reports.
Colombian outlets indicated that payments are scheduled to begin in 2026, starting with an initial installment of 100 billion Colombian pesos. However, the aircraft will be delivered between 2027 and 2032, when the final jet is expected to arrive in Colombia.
This new contract represents the second-largest public purchase made by Colombia so far this century, surpassed only by the investment in the Bogotá metro system, local media noted.
The agreement is expected to be officially signed during the ceremony commemorating the 216th anniversary of the Colombian Aerospace Force, to be held in Cali on November 14 of this year.
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