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A30 world news
Diaranson 27 october 2021

Brazil senators to vote on urging charges for Bolsonaro

activity aimed at stopping of the points in Calheiros’ as it is received.
the virus’ spread, saying the report. They met Monday
economy needed to keep to hammer out final adjust- The report also contains
humming so the poor did not ments to the text. recommendations for two
suffer worse hardship. He counts of “crime of responsi-
also has insistently touted an Changes include recom- bility”, which are grounds for
anti-malaria drug long after mending charges for 13 addi- impeachment. Lower House
broad testing showed it isn’t tional people, many of them Speaker Arthur Lira, a staunch
effective against COVID-19, former or current Health Bolsonaro ally, would need to
assembled crowds without Ministry employees, as well bring a vote on whether to
wearing masks and sowed as the governor of hard-hit open impeachment proceed-
doubt about vaccines. Amazonas state, according to ings. That’s highly unlikely,
Calheiros. The final report considering Lira is currently
Bolsonaro has defended him- recommends charges against sitting on more than 120 oth-
self by saying he was among two companies and 79 peo- er impeachment requests, ac-
the world’s only leaders cou- ple, including Bolsonaro, cording to information from
rageous enough to defy po- current and former members the Lower House.
(AP) — A Brazilian Sen- whether to file charges would litical correctness and global of his administration, dozens
ate committee will vote be up to Brazil’s prosecutor- health recommendations, of allies and the president’s Bolsonaro’s son, Sen. Flávio
Tuesday on a report rec- general, a Bolsonaro appoin- and that he hasn’t erred in the three sons, who are politi- Bolsonaro, told journalists
ommending President Jair tee who is widely viewed as slightest. cians. Tuesday the report is legally
Bolsonaro face a series of protecting the president. The weak and politically moti-
criminal indictments for allegation of crimes against Report author Sen. Renan It also adds an additional vio- vated.
actions that allegedly add- humanity would need to be Calheiros first presented the lation for allegedly spreading
ed to the world’s second- pursued by the International nearly 1,200-page report last false news following Bolso- “The intent of some senators
highest COVID-19 death Criminal Court. week. It says that by insisting naro’s live broadcast on so- on the investigative commit-
toll. on treatment with the anti- cial media last week claim- tee is to cause the maximum
Regardless of whether the re- malarial drug hydroxychlo- ing incorrectly that people in amount of wear and tear on
The report is the culmination port leads to charges, it is ex- roquine as “practically the the U.K. who received two the president,” he said.
of the 11-member commit- pected to fuel criticism of the only government policy to vaccine doses are developing
tee’s six-month investigation divisive president, whose ap- fight the pandemic, Jair Bol- AIDS faster than expected, An earlier draft of Calheiros’
of the government’s handling proval ratings have slumped sonaro strongly collaborated the senator told the AP. report had recommended the
of the pandemic. It calls for ahead of his 2022 reelection for COVID-19′s spread in president also be indicted for
Bolsonaro to face charges campaign — in large part Brazilian territory” and as a Committee approval is need- homicide and genocide, but
ranging from charlatanism because of Brazil’s outsize result is “the main person re- ed before the report goes that was scrapped even before
and inciting crime to misuse COVID-19 death toll. The sponsible for the errors com- to the office of Prosecutor- its presentation last week.
of public funds and crimes investigation itself has for mitted by the federal govern- General Augusto Aras, who Some committee mem-
against humanity, and so hold months provided a drumbeat ment during the pandemic.” could ask the Supreme Court bers opposed their inclusion
him responsible for many of of damaging allegations. for authorization to carry the while others expressed con-
Brazil’s more than 600,000 Committee members in the investigation forward and cern that bombastic claims
COVID-19 deaths. Since the start of the pandem- so-called “G7” group of sena- eventually pursue charges. could undermine the report’s
ic, Bolsonaro has sabotaged tors who aren’t from Bolso- His office said the report will credibility.
If approved, the decision on local leaders’ restrictions on naro’s base agreed on most be carefully reviewed as soon
Iran says cyberattack closes gas stations across country

(AP) — A cyberattack crippled “I have been waiting a couple of hours Where is our gas?” Another said: woes.
gas stations across Iran on Tues- for the gas stations to reopen so that “Free gas in Jamaran gas station,” Subsidies allow Iranian motorists to
day, leaving angry motorists I can fill up,” said a motorcyclist who a reference to the home of the late buy regular gasoline at 15,000 rials per
stranded in long lines. gave his name only as Farzin. “There Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah liter. That’s 5 cents a liter, or about 20
is no fuel wherever I go.” Khomeini. cents a gallon. After a monthly 60-li-
No group immediately claimed re- The semiofficial ISNA news agency, ter quota, it costs 30,000 rials a liter.
sponsibility for the attack, which ren- which first called the incident a cy- State TV said Oil Ministry officials That’s 10 cents a liter or 41 cents a
dered useless the government-issued berattack, said it saw those trying to were holding an “emergency meet- gallon. Regular gasoline costs 89 cents
electronic cards that many Iranians buy fuel with a government-issued ing” to solve the problem. Some gas a liter or $3.38 a gallon on average in
use to buy subsidized fuel at the card through the machines instead stations that accept only cash and are the U.S., according to AAA.
pump. receive a message reading “cyberat- not in the subsidy card network con-
tack 64411.” Most Iranians rely on tinued pumping fuel. In 2019, Iran faced days of mass pro-
It bore similarities to another attack those subsidies to fuel their vehicles, tests across some 100 cities and towns
months earlier that seemed to directly particularly amid the country’s eco- The use of the number “64411” mir- over gasoline prices rising. Security
challenge Iran’s Supreme Leader Aya- nomic problems. rored an attack in July targeting Iran’s forces arrested thousands and Am-
tollah Ali Khamenei as the country’s railroad system that also saw the nesty International said it believes
economy buckles under American While ISNA didn’t acknowledge the number displayed. Israeli cybersecu- 304 people were killed in a govern-
sanctions. Those economic problems number’s significance, that number is rity firm Check Point later attributed ment crackdown. Tuesday’s cyberat-
worsen as the U.S. and Iran have yet associated with a hotline run through the train attack to a group of hackers tack came in the same month in the
to jointly re-enter Tehran’s tattered Khamenei’s office that handles ques- that called themselves Indra, after the Persian calendar as the gasoline pro-
nuclear deal with world powers. tions about Islamic law. ISNA later Hindu god of war. tests in 2019.
removed its reports, claiming that it
State television quoted an unnamed too had been hacked. Such claims of Indra previously targeted firms in
official in the country’s National Se- hacking can come quickly when Ira- Syria, where President Bashar Assad
curity Council acknowledging the nian outlets publish news that angers has held onto power through Iran’s
cyberattack, hours after it aired im- the theocracy. intervention in his country’s grind-
ages of long lines of cars waiting to fill ing war.
up in Tehran. Associated Press jour- Farsi-language satellite channels
nalists also saw lines of cars at Tehran abroad published videos apparently Cheap gasoline is practically consid-
gas stations, with the pumps off and shot by drivers in Isfahan, a major ered a birthright in Iran, home to the
the station closed. Iranian city, showing electronic bill- world’s fourth-largest crude oil re-
boards there reading: “Khamenei! serves despite decades of economic