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WORLD NEWS Friday 9 February 2018

Rio beefs up Carnival security amid wave of violence

By MAURICIO SAVARESE fore Carnival, several key
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Au- arteries were blocked by
thorities in Rio de Janeiro confrontations and there
state said Thursday that se- have been many victims.
curity is being beefed up as “This year alone we seized
the world-famous Carnival 65 assault weapons, 42
bash begins, following a policemen got injured
wave of violence caused and five died. This makes
by rival drug trafficking criminals feel powerful,” Sa
gangs. said. “We cannot accept
Gov. Luiz Fernando Pezao this and we will work even
said in a press conference more to stop them.”
that security forces will now Earlier on Thursday, mourn-
total more than 17,000 ers buried a 13-year-old
statewide per day. That in- boy who had been being
cludes 2,000 extra agents killed during a shootout be-
who were off duty and will tween police and suspect-
now work during the bash. ed drug traffickers in a Rio
Last year Rio used almost slum.
12,000 policemen during Jeremias Moraes da Silva
Carnival, but it also count- was walking home after
ed on the help of 9,000 playing soccer on Tuesday
members of the country’s when he was struck by a
armed forces. Brazil’s most stray bullet in the slum of
popular Carnival party Mare. He died shortly after
starts on Friday and ends being rushed to the hospi-
Tuesday. Friends and family surround the gravesite of 13-year-old Jeremias Moraes da Silva, during a burial tal. Also on Tuesday 3-year-
ceremony at a cemetery, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Thursday, Feb. 8, 2018. Jeremias was walking
Rio police spokesman Ivan home after playing soccer Tuesday, when he was struck by a stray bullet during a police opera- old Emily Sofia Neves Mar-
Blaz said that this time, mili- tion in the Mare slum. He died shortly after being rushed to the hospital. riel was shot dead during a
tary presence is not nec- (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo) robbery in Rio’s north zone.
essary. “This is the biggest On Wednesday a stray
increase Rio Carnival has Gov. Pezao also promised rise in state revenues. crisis like this in Rio,” the bullet wounded 4-year-
seen in the number of po- to pay policemen more Officers have said police’s governor said. “But now we old Joao Pedro Soares da
licemen on the streets, he than $20 million in delayed low morale was also stimu- have the money to say we Costa. According to Rio da
said. “That figure is what salaries and bring back a lating gangs to face off, can pay.” Paz, a group that works to
we need to give people a bonus program that was which could affect the Rio’s security secretary Ro- reduce violence, 44 chil-
safe Carnival without losing downsized due to the city’s biggest party. berto Sa said police face a dren have been killed by
presence in the most sensi- state’s financial crisis. He “It is not easy to face what war-like challenge from lo- stray bullets in Rio de Janei-
tive parts of the city.” said the decision is due to a we face with an economy cal gangs. In the weeks be- ro since 2007. q

Uruguay will extend aid to ex-Guantanamo inmates for a year

By L. HABERKORN will also pay their rent and and Arabic, and a fourth al-Qaida militants, had The most vocal of the men
Associated Press might pay so they can is selling Middle Eastern been held for more than 12 has been Abu Wa’el Dhiab.
MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay learn a trade, seek psycho- food. The others are unem- years in Guantanamo with- For years, the Syrian native
(AP) — Uruguay's govern- logical therapy and study ployed. out being charged. was at the center of a legal
ment has decided to ex- Spanish. The aid's extension "One of them took a course When the U.S. released battle at Guantanamo be-
tend for another year the has been approved by the to learn how to drive a them because they were cause of repeated hunger
economic aid that it has government and must now backhoe and passed it, but determined to no longer strikes launched to protest
given six former Guantana- be signed by Uruguay's for- he didn't get a job," Mirza represent a threat, they his indefinite detention.
mo Bay prisoners who reset- eign minister. told the Associated Press. were invited to Uruguay by Dhiab went on a hunger
tled in the country in 2014, The financial support was "The stigma of Guantana- former President Jose Mu- strike in 2016 to demand he
an official said Thursday. expected to end in Janu- mo is a very difficult wall to jica as a humanitarian ges- be allowed to leave Uru-
The government liaison ary 2018. But the former lift." ture. guay and join his family in
with the ex-Guantanamo inmates have struggled to The four Syrians, one Tuni- Despite the social and fi- Turkey or in another coun-
inmates, Christian Mirza, adjust in Uruguay. sian and one Palestinian nancial aid, the men have try. He also tried to travel
said they will receive a Mirza said that two of them were released from Guan- complained that the gov- to Russia in 2017 in one of
minimum salary of about work at a low-paying park- tanamo in December 2014 ernment needs to help at least four attempts to
$450 until January 2019. ing garage. and resettled in Montevi- them more and have leave the South American
Mirza said the government Another teaches English deo. The men, suspected staged protests. country.q