International

Uruguayan government rejects warnings about water crisis

Photo: EFE

July 14 |

A group of experts from the United Nations (UN) on Thursday urged the government of Uruguay to prioritize the use of fresh water for human consumption in the context of the water crisis that the South American country is going through, which was not favorably received by the government of Luis Lacalle Pou.

In a letter, whose signatories include the Special Rapporteur on the Human Right to Drinking Water and Sanitation, Pedro Arrojo-Agudo and the president of the Working Group on Business and Human Rights, Damilola Olawuyi, warns that 60 percent of the population has been affected by the increase in water salinity.

The specialists, with several years of experience, stressed that “although the high salt indices are attributed to the failure of water infrastructure, aggravated by abnormally long periods of water stress, the underlying problem is the overexploitation of water, especially by some industries in the country”.

For these reasons, they said, “it is necessary to deepen measures to ensure that all people have access to the water necessary for life,” because these high levels of salinity, for example, “significantly affect vulnerable groups, such as children and adolescents, pregnant women and people suffering from chronic diseases.

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The experts acknowledged the efforts made by the Uruguayan Executive, such as the exemption of bottled water from taxes; however, the government responded to the exhortation through a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in which it described the experts’ statements as “inaccuracies”.

For its part, the Uruguayan Foreign Ministry notified that the values of chlorine and sodium in the water “are not considered alarming, since the increase authorized in order to ensure the supply has been evaluated by the health and academic authorities, who have considered that the great majority of the population can continue consuming it”.

In the text, the diplomatic entity recalled that the Ministry of Social Development provided for its beneficiaries (supported by family allowances, old age assistance, passive people receiving minimum income) a monetary support to buy 60 liters of water per month, particularly pregnant women and children under 2 years of age.

The text also remarked that, as a way of preventing the water crisis and preserving the health of the population, the administration of Obras Sanitarias del Estado (OSE) and the Executive designed a strategy based on “maintaining the continuity of the public supply without making supply cuts”.

Likewise, “to maintain the sanitation service so that the more than 550,000 homes in the Metropolitan Region can evacuate domestic wastewater, and to keep the distribution networks continuously operational to fight and protect against fires and urban disasters”, it explained.

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The text in question emphasizes that “the Government never recommended reducing human consumption of water, but its reduction in non-essential activities in order to ensure better water quality for a longer period of time”. In this sense, it adds that “water is still drinkable”.

International

Hiroshima survivor who embraced Obama dies at 88

The emotional embrace between Barack Obama and Hiroshima survivor Mori—who was eight years old when the United States dropped the atomic bomb in 1945—resonated around the world.

According to Asahi Shimbun and other local media, Mori died on Saturday at a hospital in Hiroshima.

Mori, known for his research on the fate of American prisoners of war in Hiroshima, was thrown into a river by the force of the explosion on August 6, 1945, during the atomic bombing of the city.

In a past interview with AFP, ahead of his meeting with Obama at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial in 2016, Mori recalled the chaos and desperation that followed the blast.

He described how, after emerging from the water, he encountered injured civilians seeking help amid the devastation, an experience that stayed with him throughout his life.

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In 2016, Obama became the first sitting U.S. president to visit Hiroshima, where he paid tribute to the victims of the first atomic bomb used in warfare. During the visit, Mori was visibly moved as he met the president, sharing a brief but powerful moment that symbolized remembrance and reconciliation.

The bombing of Hiroshima resulted in the deaths of approximately 140,000 people, including those who succumbed to radiation exposure in the aftermath.

Three days later, a second atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, killing an estimated 74,000 people and contributing to the end of World War II.

International

Colombia seeks ‘total suffocation’ of armed groups with regional support

Colombia is advancing a strategy aimed at the “total suffocation” of illegal armed groups, seeking to corner them in border regions with the support of Ecuador and Venezuela, Defense Minister Pedro Sánchez said in an interview with AFP.

According to the minister, coordinated pressure from neighboring countries—backed by United States—aims to dismantle criminal networks that use cross-border routes to traffic Colombian cocaine toward North America and Europe.

For decades, armed groups involved in Colombia’s internal conflict have relied on border territories as strategic rear bases to evade military operations and maintain logistical support.

However, Sánchez said that dynamic is beginning to change.

“We expect a total suffocation between both nations so they have no spaces where they can live or feel safe […] to close off any room they might have,” he stated during the interview in Bogotá, less than five months before the end of President Gustavo Petro’s term.

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Regional developments have reinforced this strategy. Following the capture of Nicolás Maduro in a U.S. military operation, Washington has increased its influence in Caracas, where interim leader Delcy Rodríguez has implemented a renewed anti-narcotics policy.

Meanwhile, in Ecuador, President Daniel Noboa—a key U.S. ally in the region—has launched a two-week security plan under strict curfews to combat criminal gangs, with U.S. support.

Sánchez argued that these combined efforts leave illegal organizations with fewer escape routes and operational spaces, effectively placing them in a “dead end.”

International

Two killed in shooting at restaurant near Frankfurt Airport

Two people were shot dead early Tuesday at a restaurant in Raunheim, near Frankfurt Airport, according to local police.

Preliminary findings indicate that an armed individual entered the establishment at around 03:45 local time (02:45 GMT) and opened fire on the victims, who died at the scene from their injuries.

The suspect fled and remains at large, while the motive behind the shooting is still unclear, German media reported. Authorities have launched a large-scale search operation.