Rodrigo Chaves left through the back door of the World Bank to fully enter Costa Rican politics as Minister of Finance during the government of the centrist Carlos Alvarado. PhD in Economics, he worked for 27 years in 45 countries in that or

The deadline for Niger's military junta to reinstate the country's ousted president was Sunday, though the regional group that has threatened military intervention faced strong calls to seek more peaceful means.

The Senate of neighboring Nigeria took a position on Saturday against the plan of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and urged the president of Nigeria, the current president of the bloc, to seek alternative options to the use of force.. ECOWAS can still go ahead as final decisions are made by consensus of member states, although the warning before the deadline raised questions about intervention.

Algeria and Chad, two neighboring countries that are not part of ECOWAS and have strong armies, have said they oppose the use of force or will not intervene militarily, while Mali and Burkina Faso, governed by military juntas, have said that the intervention would be taken as a “declaration of war”.

The president of Niger, Mohamed Bazoumsaid, said he was being held “hostage” by the mutinous soldiers.. Now the junta has contacted the Russian mercenary group Wagner for help, while cutting security ties with the country's former colonial power, France.

Hours before the deadline on Sunday, hundreds of youths joined security forces in the dark streets of Niger's capital, Niamey, to stand guard at a dozen roundabouts until morning, checking cars for weapons and weapons. fulfilling the junta's call to watch out for spies and foreign intervention.

Some passing cars honked their horns in support. Others called for solidarity among African nations.

At first it was not clear what the regional organization would do. “The bloc should have given 48 hours, instead of a week, to reinstate Bazoum, said Peter Pham, former US special envoy for the Sahel region and senior member of the Atlantic Council.. “Now it has been extended, which gives the Board time to entrench itself,” he said. “The most favorable scenario for an intervention would be an aided force within the country,” he said.

Setback for the West

The coup has been a severe setback for the United States and its allies, which saw Niger as the last important partner they had in their fight against terrorism in the Sahel, a vast region south of the Sahara desert and where jihadists associated with Al Qaeda and the Islamic State group have expanded their presence and threaten coastal countries such as Benin, Ghana and Togo.

Meanwhile, uncertainty in Niger has made everyday life worse for some 25 million people in one of the world's poorest countries.. Food prices are rising since ECOWAS imposed economic and travel sanctions after the coup. Nigeria, which provides 90% of the electricity in Niger, has cut part of the supply.

“Simply eating is a problem for us. So if there is a war, that won't fix anything,” said Mohamed Noali, a Niamey resident who was patrolling the streets.

Demonstration in the capital

Tens of thousands of people demonstrated again this Sunday in Niamey to express their support for the coup junta a few hours after the expiration of the ultimatum.

The protesters gathered at the Seyni Kounche stadium – the main one in the African country with a capacity of more than 30,000 seats – which was completely full, and also in the surroundings of the complex, while chanting slogans in support of the coup junta, which calls itself the National Council. of the Safeguard of the Homeland (CNSP), according to EFE.

“Niger is a sovereign country!, “Cedeao, get out!”, “Down with the illegal and illegitimate sanctions of Cedeao!” and “The people are behind their army for a total emancipation” were some of the slogans that shouted protesters waving the flags of Niger, Russia, Algeria, Mali, Burkina Faso and Guinea-Conakry.

The protesters warned that they are ready to fight and sacrifice themselves in the face of any foreign military attack against their country.

They also considered as “traitors” the politicians of the deposed government who rejected the military rebellion and described as a “shame for Africa” the Nigerian president, Bola Tinubu, who supports a military option against the coup leaders.

Those attending the protest expressed their willingness to resist the commercial and financial sanctions of ECOWAS, such as the power cuts (supplied from Nigeria) suffered in recent days by several cities in the African country and the closure of some countries such as Nigeria its border with Niger.

And they shouted slogans against France, a former colonial power that currently has a strong military presence in the African country under bilateral cooperation agreements in the fight against terrorism.

In this sense, they called for the immediate withdrawal of the French and Western anti-terrorist forces, and demanded the nationalization of the uranium mines in Niger (a country that is considered one of the main suppliers of this metal to France and the European Union).

The Government of Slovenia formally requested this Sunday the European Union and NATO for help to alleviate the catastrophic damage caused by floods and landslides caused by torrential rains that have devastated the country in recent days. The emergency services have verified “enormous” damage to the country's infrastructure (roads, railways, bridges, sewage systems and buildings) in the last few hours..

The country's prime minister, Robert Golob, has described the floods as the biggest natural disaster in the last 30 years and estimates a cost of 500 million euros to repair the damage caused by the rains..

With the activation of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, Slovenia has requested 30 excavators between 7.5 and 17.5 tons and 30 special vehicles to regulate watercourses, as well as the dispatch of engineering teams for all the equipment and of 20 precast bridges of up to 40 meters each.

It has also requested five heavy military helicopters with a five-ton load capacity and 200 soldiers to carry out protection and rescue tasks from NATO..

For its part, Croatia has already lent aid to its neighboring country, providing assistance with a military helicopter to help close and secure a breached dam on the Mura River..

“Given the latest request for assistance from Slovenia due to the flood emergency, we have immediately activated the Civil Protection Mechanism,” the European Commissioner for Emergency Management, Janez Lenarcic, explained in his X account.. “The first list of needs has already been sent to our member states, which mainly comprises heavy machinery and engineering units to operate them,” he added.

The attendees did not hesitate to camp overnight -in sleeping bags along the esplanade on the banks of the Tagus, in the Tagus Park, just after the Vasco de Gama bridge- to be able to hear the words of the Pontiff at the grand finale. World Youth Day (WYD). The head of the Church told the young people that “they are the hope for a different world”. In addition, he announced that the next WYD will take place in Seoul, in 2027.. He also had words, once again, for peace in Ukraine.

“With the Angelus we place the future of humanity in the hands of Mary, Queen of Peace,” the Pope said.. “You are the hope of a different world”, Francis told them at the end of the last mass of World Youth Day. It was a sunny and windy day, there was a party at the vigil on Saturday night, but now the young people listen attentively to the Pope who, as in Fatima, once again prays for the world in danger: “In particular, we accompany with our thoughts and prayer to those who have not been able to come because of conflicts and wars. In the world there are many. Thinking of this continent, I feel great pain for the beloved Ukraine, which continues to suffer a lot,” he continued.

And then he looked up at the young people who fill the park along the mouth of the river as far as the eye can see: “Friends, allow me, old man, to share with you, young people, a dream that I carry inside: it is the dream of the peace, the dream of young people who pray for peace, live in peace and build a future of peace”. Francis entrusts the future of humanity to Mary and concludes: “On the way home, keep praying for peace. You are a sign of peace to the world, a testament to how nationalities, languages and histories can unite rather than divide.”

After the Angelus, the Pope announced that the next World Youth Day will be in 2027 in Seoul (South Korea), again in Asia after WYD in the Philippines in 1995: “Thus, from the western border of Europe we will go to the Far East. It is a beautiful sign of the universality of the Church and of the dream of unity of which you are all witnesses.”

In the meantime, “I hope to see you in Rome in 2025 to celebrate the Youth Jubilee together!” he exclaimed.. For Francis, who returns to Rome this Sunday evening, it has been an important journey.. During the Mass, in his homily, he invited young people “not to be afraid” and to fight to change the world: “To you, young people, who cultivate big dreams but are often clouded by the fear of not seeing them come true; to you , young people, who sometimes think that you cannot achieve it, that you are not capable, with a little pessimism; to you, young people, tempted at this time to become discouraged, to judge yourselves inadequate or to hide your pain by masking it with a smile; to you, young people, who want to change the world, and it is good that you want to change the world, and you fight for justice and peace; to you, young people, who put effort and imagination but it seems to you that they are not enough; to you, young people, who The Church and the world need like the land of rain; you, young people, who are the present and the future; yes, to you, young people, Jesus tells you: do not be afraid! “.

Pope Francis, in Fatima ANTONIO COTRIM / POOL Visit to Fatima

Before the massive closure, the Pope was on Saturday at the sanctuary of Fatima. There, as soon as he arrived, Francisco prayed for a long time in silence, with his eyes closed and his head bowed, before the statue of the Virgin. The Pope prayed “with pain, for peace,” Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said afterwards.. Since the pope's return to Fatima was the most anticipated moment of the trip, a solemn prayer was expected to implore help and consecrate to Mary the world in danger of conflict, what he repeatedly called “the third world war in pieces.”

Francis had everyone repeat a Hail Mary and prayed the Rosary with the faithful: “Let us pray for peace, so that the Blessed Virgin who asked in Fatima: 'I want you to say the Rosary to obtain peace, present our prayers to the Lord and be grant the world a lasting time of peace”. The Bishop of Fatima, José Ornelas Carvalho, also spoke about this when greeting Francis: “We also associate ourselves with Your Holiness's prayer for peace, with which this sanctuary is deeply identified, thinking in particular of the war in Ukraine and in so many other sources of conflict in the world”. Then, remaining in his wheelchair, he greeted the moved faithful at length, before leaving for Lisbon, where on Saturday night he presided over a vigil with young people in the Tagus Park.

Bergoglio had already been to Fatima in 2017, on the centenary of the apparitions. Three children had taken their sheep to graze and told that they had seen “a beautiful lady” who appeared in an oak tree.. It was May 13, 1917 and, according to his account, the first apparition was followed by five others, one per month, until October 13 and the phenomenon of the “dance of the sun” before 70,000 people.. That day, Bergoglio proclaimed the brothers Francisco and Jacinta Mart saints, the first children in two thousand years to be canonized without having suffered martyrdom.. They died from the Spanish flu pandemic, Francisco in 1919 and his sister the following year. The third pastor, Lucía Dos Santos, their cousin, became a nun and lived in the monastery until her death in 2005, at the age of 97.. The transcription of the account of the apparitions and the words they said they heard from the Virgin is attributed to her.

Francis recited a prayer in which he spoke of himself as a “bishop dressed in white”, words that recalled the text of the “third secret” made public in 2000, the vision of a “bishop dressed in white” tottering among ruins and corpses until he is assassinated by a group of soldiers, in front of a Cross, while bishops, priests, religious, faithful die like him. In the prayer, Bergoglio also spoke of the “Church dressed in white”, as if echoing the symbolic interpretation given by Joseph Ratzinger, the image of the bishop dressed in white recalling the “different Popes” who shared the sufferings of a “century of martyrs”, of “sufferings and persecutions of the Church”, of the two world wars and “of many local wars”.

The first anniversary as ruler of the Colombian Gustavo Petro comes amidst the political earthquake in the coffee country after the revelations of his eldest son, which dot the former guerrilla in full. What seemed like a plot of corruption centered

The failed government of Alberto Fernández is heading towards its end in Argentina and some deeply established ideas are beginning to be reviewed. One of them points to a key issue: is Cristina Kirchner still the all-powerful woman in national politics?

In September 1960, 15 years after the Hiroshima and Nagasaki nuclear catastrophes, Robert Oppenheimer traveled to Japan.. The father of the atomic bomb did not set foot in either of the two cities bombed by the United States. He stayed in Tokyo and Osaka, where he had been invited to give lectures.. But what the physicist did do was hold a press conference for a small group of Japanese journalists, knowing that they were not going to be easy to answer the questions that would fall to him.

– “I would like to ask you, although the question may be a bit naive, to say a few words about your feelings on coming to Japan as the man responsible for the development of the bombs that were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.”

(Dressed in a suit and smoking his usual pipe, Oppenheimer smiled at the journalist, quickly answered that it was by no means a naive question and took a few seconds to reflect) “I don't think coming to Japan has changed my sense of anguish over my role in this whole part of the story. It's not that I don't feel bad. It's just that today I don't feel worse than last night.

The 78th anniversary of the atomic bomb that the Enola Gay dropped on Hiroshima, leaving 140,000 dead, has coincided with the worldwide boom in Christopher Nolan's film that addresses the figure of the American scientist who directed the Manhattan Project, the research and development plan of the first nuclear weapons, including Little boy and Fat Man, the bombs that fell on Japan, where Oppenheimer's film curiously continues without a release date.

Too sensitive a film for Japanese audiences? You don't think so Peter C. Another film that received many awards was Shhei Imamura's Black Rain (1989), which refers to the color of the acid rain that followed the nuclear explosion in Hiroshima,” explains Pugsley.. “The anime has also directly shown the damage caused by Oppenheimer's device,” he adds.

Analysts such as Gearoid Reidy, from the chain specializing in Asia CNA, think it would be important for Japan to give the green light to Oppenheimer's projection to reopen a much-needed debate in society.. “As long as the public can have a say in the film, it may spark a debate about Japan's ambiguous, if not contradictory, stance toward nuclear weapons, a technology it publicly opposes but relies on. simultaneously for their survival in an increasingly hostile world. As the country prepares for a historic shift in defense spending, now is the time for that debate.”

Specifically, Reidy refers to the historic rearmament that Tokyo has announced this year, which little by little is breaking with its pacifist policy inherited from the postwar period, at a time of special geopolitical upheaval (and nuclear fear) at a global level.. Russia threatens to use its tactical nukes in Ukraine and China expands its nuclear weapons; North Korea is advancing its atomic program and US nuclear submarines are docking for the first time in 40 years in the ports of neighboring South Korea.

“The only guarantee against the use of nuclear weapons is their complete abolition. However, the world's powers continue to expand and modernize their arsenals and reaffirm the role of nuclear weapons in their security planning,” said former Irish President Mary Robinson, who currently heads an international influence group, The Elders, which It was founded by Nelson Mandela and has long advocated an agenda for nuclear disarmament.

“The risk of using nuclear weapons is higher than at any time since the Cold War.. The big picture is that we have had more than 30 years of declining numbers of nuclear warheads, and we see that process now coming to an end,” said Dan Smith, a researcher at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). ), during the presentation of a recent study that indicated that the United States and Russia continue to account for almost 90% of all nuclear weapons. “The world is adrift in one of the most dangerous periods in human history,” insisted Smith.

“While there are good reasons to be alarmed by the current dangers, we must not fall into despair. History shows us that progress can be made to reduce nuclear risks through international cooperation, as Oppenheimer hoped,” says Robinson, trying to lower the ominous forecasts of many experts a little.. “The number of nuclear weapons has decreased from about 65,000 in the mid-1980s to about 12,500 today thanks to the historic Non-Proliferation Treaty drafted 50 years ago.”

Last May a very symbolic G7 summit was held precisely in Hiroshima. In one of the meeting breaks, the leaders of the world's most advanced democracies took a half-hour walk through the Peace Museum, where thousands of photos and items are kept, including burned and tattered clothing, charred backpacks and remains. human hair. There they had a luxury guide, Keiko Ogura, an 85-year-old woman who is one of the survivors of an explosion that had its epicenter exactly 2.4 kilometers from her home.. Ogura, a direct witness to the first atomic bomb in history, pleaded with leaders to do everything possible so that humanity will never experience a nuclear disaster again.

“It is news that will surely have international repercussions, because Bolivia is consolidated as the world's first lithium reserve on the planet.. Today we have not 21, we have 23 million tons of lithium in Bolivian territory. We have

The President of Ukraine, Volodímir Zelenski, today accused Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of “agreeing with the narratives” of Russian leader Vladimir Putin, after the Brazilian president stated that neither Russia nor Ukraine want the peace “while people keep dying.

“I don't know why it has to coincide with the narratives” of Putin, Zelenski said during an interview with EFE and several Latin American media in Kiev, when asked about the statements made this week by the Brazilian president.

Zelensky said that Putin “is no different from any colonizer,” saying that he “constantly lies and manipulates” and “is killing our children and raping our women.”

“I hope that (Lula) has his own opinion. It does not seem necessary to me that his thoughts coincide with the thoughts of President Putin”, added Zelenski, who affirmed that statements like those of the Brazilian leader “do not help to bring any peace”.

The Ukrainian head of state insisted on inviting Lula to meet with him to talk in person about what is happening in Ukraine, something to which the Brazilian president has not agreed for the moment.

“To be honest, if President Lula wants to tell me something, let him sit down (with me) and tell me,” Zelenski said, adding: “I thought he had a broader understanding of the world.”

The Brazilian president has been postulated on several occasions as a potential mediator between Ukraine and Russia. While Lula calls for the talks to start now under the current circumstances, Zelenski refuses to sit down to talk until Russia withdraws its troops from the territories it occupies in Ukraine.

Zelenski asks for patience with the counteroffensive

On the other hand, Zelensky has asked for “patience” given the pace at which his country's army's counteroffensive is advancing, while stressing the importance of his troops having taken the initiative on the battlefield.

“We have to be patient if we want to win, and we do,” said the Ukrainian head of state.

“The counteroffensive is complicated and it is possible that it will be slower” than expected, Zelenski said when asked about the possible urgency of recovering territory more quickly in view of the 2024 elections in the United States, which could bring to the White House an Administration less willing to continue sending military aid.

Despite this, Zelenski highlighted as “a very positive fact” that Ukraine has gone “on the offensive” and has taken “the initiative” on the battlefield since the beginning of July, when the Kiev troops began their campaign. ground to recover territories occupied by Russia.

The Ukrainian leader also affirmed that, while in the eyes of the Ukrainians one can see “tiredness” after almost half a year of war, in those of the Russians one can see “fear” before the Ukrainian advance.

The Russian Army carried out a massive attack on targets in western Ukraine on Sunday, which responded with offensives against the supply routes of Russian forces in the annexed regions of Kherson and Crimea, in the south of the country.

“The Russian Armed Forces carried out a massive strike with high-precision, long-range airborne and naval weapons against Ukrainian Army airbases in the towns of Starokonstantiniv in the Khmelnitsk region and Dubno in Rivna,” Igor Konashenkov said. , spokesman for the Russian Defense Ministry.

According to the military spokesman, the attack achieved its purpose and “all the intended targets were hit.”

The Ukrainian President, Volodimir Zelensky, denounced that these attacks were aimed at the “Motor Sich” factory in Zaporizhia, which produced engines for combat aircraft for the Ukrainian Air Force, including drones, and others, without specifying, in the region of Ukraine. Khmelintsk.

Zelensky pointed out that this will not lead Russia to victory because “we will in any case defend the freedom of Ukraine, of all our people. Russia will not be able to supplant international law with terror.”

The Ukrainian Air Force reported that there were several waves of attacks with “Iranian Shahed-136/131 air- and naval-site missiles and assault drones.”

During the first wave of the Russian attack, 14 Kalibr naval-based missiles were launched, twelve of which were shot down, and three Kinzhal missiles, the destination of which was not specified by the Ukrainian side.

Subsequently, Russia again launched drones and Kalibr missiles from the south, to which were added X-101/X-555 cruise missiles “launched by Tu-95M strategic aircraft from the Caspian Sea.”

According to the Ukrainian Air Force, all the drones were shot down, as were 5 of the 6 Kalibr missiles and 13 of the 20 X-101/X-555 missiles.. “In total the enemy launched 70 aerial shells,” the Ukrainian side said.

In addition, Kiev denounced a Russian bomb attack directed against a blood bank in the Kharkov region, in the east of the country, as a result of which two people died and four others were injured.

“The Russians launched a bomb directed at a building in the town of Kruglákivka, in the Kupiansk district, and a big fire broke out,” reported the head of the Kharkov military administration, Oleg Sinegúbov, quoted by UNIAN.

Answers from Ukraine

The Ukrainian Army responded by launching several missiles on Sunday against the Chongar bridge, one of those that connects the annexed Ukrainian regions of Kherson and Crimea.

“The enemy carried out a missile attack in the vicinity of the Chongar bridge in northern Crimea,” Crimean leader Sergei Axionov said on Telegram.

According to the pro-Russian representative, “part of the missiles was shot down, but one hit the target. There are no victims.”

For his part, the acting governor imposed by Russia in Kherson, Vladimir Saldo, said the attack was carried out with British Storm Shadow missiles.