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A6 WORLD NEWS
Thursday 23 March 2023
A quarter of world population lacks safe drinking water: U.N.

By EDITH M. LEDERER where it is currently abun-
Associated Press dant such as Central Af-
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — A rica, East Asia and parts of
report issued on the eve South America and worsen
of the first major U.N. con- in regions where water is al-
ference on water in over ready in short supply, such
45 years says 26% of the as the Middle East and the
world’s population doesn’t Sahara in Africa.”
have access to safe drink- On average, “10% of the
ing water and 46% lacks global population lives in
access to basic sanitation. countries with high or criti-
The U.N. World Water De- cal water stress” and up to
velopment Report 2023, 3.5 billion people live under
released Tuesday, painted conditions of water stress
a stark picture of the huge at least one month a year,
gap that needs to be filled said the report issued by
to meet U.N. goals to en- UNESCO, the U.N. Educa-
sure all people have ac- tional, Scientific and Cul-
cess to clean water and tural Organization.
sanitation by 2030. Since 2000, floods in the
Richard Connor, editor-in- tropics have quadrupled
chief of the report, told a while floods in the north
news conference that the mid-latitudes have in-
estimated cost of meeting A man fills cans with water from a water tank vendor at the Kibera slum in Nairobi, Kenya Tuesday, creased 2.5-fold, the report
the goals is between $600 March 21, 2023. Associated Press said. Trends in droughts are
billion and $1 trillion a year. more difficult to establish, it
But equally important, Con- According to the report, increase in demand is of all water globally, Con- said, “although an increase
nor said, is forging partner- water use has been in- happening in develop- nor said, irrigation for crops in intensity or frequency of
ships with investors, finan- creasing globally by rough- ing countries and emerg- has to be more efficient droughts and ‘heat ex-

ciers, governments and ly 1% per year over the last ing economies where it is as it is in some countries tremes’ can be expected
climate change communi- 40 years “and is expected driven by industrial growth that now use drip irrigation, in most regions as a direct
ties to ensure that money is to grow at a similar rate and especially the rapid which saves water. “That result of climate change.”
invested in ways to sustain through to 2050, driven by a increase in the population allows water to be avail- “Globally, 80% of wastewa-
the environment and pro- combination of population of cities. It is in these urban able to cities,” he said. ter is released to the envi-
vide potable water to the growth, socio-economic areas “that you’re having As a result of climate ronment without any treat-
2 billion people who don’t development and chang- a real big increase in de- change, the report said, ment,” he said, “and in
have it and sanitation to ing consumption patterns.” mand,” he said. “seasonal water scarcity many developing countries
the 3.6 billion in need. Connor said that actual With agriculture using 70% will increase in regions it’s pretty much 99%.” q

Brazil police foil gang plot targeting Carwash judge Moro

By LAÍS MARTINS nations and kidnappings of who as a judge presided notorious drug trafficking also elected president.
Associated Press public officials including a over the Carwash bribery gangs, known as the First Federal police last year in-
SAO PAULO (AP) — Federal former judge who presided and money laundering in- Capital Command. He vestigated a plan by the
police raided locations in over Brazil’s biggest corrup- vestigation that began in thanked the police forces First Capital Command to
several states Wednesday tion case. 2014, Justice Minister Flávio and said he would issue a kidnap federal public ser-
to crack down on a gang One of the suspects’ tar- Dino told reporters in Sao statement later Wednes- vants, aiming to exchange
accused of plotting assassi- gets was Sen. Sérgio Moro, Paulo. The suspects had day. them for the release of Mar-
rented out houses near From 2014 to 2018, Moro co Willians Camacho, the
Moro’s home and office in was the lead judge in the gang’s imprisoned leader,
Parana’s capital, Curitiba, Carwash trials, which led according to a report from
and had erected walls to to the arrest of prominent online media UOL.
create rooms that could be politicians including then Federal Police said in their
used for stowing hostages, former President Luiz Inácio statement Wednesday that
he said. Lula da Silva, who spent the criminals aimed to use
Dino told reporters that over a year in jail. Lula’s their kidnapped hostages
authorities are investigat- conviction was later an- for extortion.
ing whether the criminals nulled. In 2019, Moro be- Wednesday’s police op-
intended to kill or kidnap came former President Jair eration entailed 120 agents
Moro. The operation was Bolsonaro’s Justice Minister, carrying out 24 search and
launched Wednesday be- and quickly oversaw the seizure warrants and 11 ar-
cause investigators deter- transfer of the First Capital rest warrants in the states of
mined the suspects were Command’s leader and Sao Paulo, Parana, Mato
already setting up teams almost two dozen gang Grosso do Sul and Rondo-
to execute their plans, he members to federal prison. nia, police said in a state-
A poster shows former Federal Judge and former Justice Minister
Sergio Moro before a ceremony where he will join the Podemos added. Moro left the government ment, which did not name
party and present his intention to run in the 2022 presidential Moro said on Twitter he had in April 2020 and secured the suspects nor their in-
election in Brasilia, Brazil, Nov. 10, 2021. been targeted for retalia- a Senate seat in last year’s tended targets.q
Associated Press tion by one of Brazil’s most general elections. Lula was