The floods affecting the state of Rio Grande do Sul have caused 154 deaths as of last Friday, 98 people are still missing and 806 are injured, according to the state’s Civil Defense. There are already more than 540,000 homeless people and 2.3 million citizens affected by the waters. Of these, more than 76,000 had to be rescued because they were marooned, most of them on the roofs of their homes. More than 12,000 animals were also rescued.
The biggest climate disaster in the Brazilian state began on April 29, with torrential rains that raised the levels of rivers, streams and lakes. Among the 497 municipalities in Rio Grande do Sul, 461 were affected by the storms.
In Porto Alegre, the state capital, the level of Lake Guaíba is decreasing and on Friday stood at 4.72 meters at Cais Mauá, according to the National Water and Basic Sanitation Agency. Even though this is the lowest level recorded since Monday (13), the lake is still higher than the flood level, which is three meters.
The capital of Rio Grande do Sul is expected to remain flooded for at least another 10 days, according to estimates by the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul. According to the forecast, the level of the Guaíba should drop to 4 meters next week, but it will remain above flood level until at least the 25th.
The federal government has announced financial aid of around R$5,000 for the families who lost their homes in the tragedy and the state government is distributing R$2,000 to around 23,000 families for the same purpose.
Israel, on the international stage, claims at the International Court of Justice in The Hague that to defend the existence of a campaign of “genocide” in the Gaza Strip is to be “disconnected” from reality. The response comes after an accusation by South Africa at the UN Court.
“There is a tragic war going on, but there is no genocide,” said lawyer Gilad Noam, who represents the State of Israel at the International Court of Justice. South Africa has appealed to the UN’s top court to order a halt to the attack on the Gaza town of Rafah, considered by Israel to be the stronghold of the last battalions of the Palestinian Islamist movement that has ruled the territory since 2007.
Israel has also previously stressed its “unwavering” commitment to international law and said that the South African accusations are “completely unfounded”. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had ordered an offensive on Rafah despite opposition from the United States, which fears the consequences for more than a million displaced Palestinians seeking refuge in the border town in the south of the Strip.
Netanyahu, on the other hand, defended the need for the operation and said that half a million civilians have already fled Rafah, which would prevent a humanitarian catastrophe. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said during the week that “more troops will enter” Rafah and that “military activity will be more intense”. The information comes from the AFP news agency.
In the world of sports, football star Cristiano Ronaldo surprised the world this week by making an unusual statement. He revealed a habit that he adopted some time ago and that works to keep fit and continue to seek a better quality of life.
“I never talk after 10pm, not even on the phone. Don’t call me after that time. I like to give my brain a rest. As a professional footballer, you need total dedication. It’s not just the two hours of training. I live for who I am, for my soccer career,” said Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Portuguese striker, who plays for Saudi team Al-Nassr and the Portuguese national team, is the highest paid player in the world over the last 12 months, according to a Forbes survey. The publication calculates that Ronaldo earned a total of 260 million dollars, or R$1.3 billion, in the period.
It’s worth noting that the total figure doesn’t just include his earnings on the pitch, but also his other businesses. At the age of 39, Ronaldo pocketed around 200 million dollars in wages from Al-Nassr, but also 60 million dollars from sponsorships, investments and other sources of income, according to the Forbes survey.
