Month: October 2022

After a divisive campaign which saw two bitter rivals on opposite sides of the political spectrum go head to head, Lula won 50.9% of the votes.

It was enough to beat Jair Bolsonaro, whose supporters had been confident of victory.

But the division which this election has highlighted is unlikely to vanish.

It is a stunning comeback for a politician who could not run in the last presidential election in 2018 because he was in jail and banned from standing for office.

He had been found guilty of receiving a bribe from a Brazilian construction firm in return for contracts with Brazil’s state oil company Petrobras.

Lula spent 580 days in jail before his conviction was annulled and he returned to the political fray.

“They tried to bury me alive and here I am,” he said, kicking off his victory speech.

Opinion polls suggested from the start that he would win the election, but when his lead in the first round was much narrower than predicted, many Brazilians started to doubt their accuracy.

Jair Bolsonaro’s backers – encouraged by their candidate’s allegations that “the establishment” and the media were against him and therefore underplaying his support – had complete faith in his victory.

The left-wing leaders victory is likely to rankle with these Bolsonaro fans, who routinely label Lula “a thief” and argue that the annulment of his conviction does not mean he was innocent, just that the proper legal procedure was not followed.

And while Jair Bolsonaro has lost, lawmakers close to him won a majority in Congress, which means that Lula will face stiff opposition to his policies in the legislative body.

But Lula, who served two terms in office between January 2003 and December 2010, is no stranger to forging political alliances.

As his vice-presidential running mate he chose former rival Geraldo Alckmin, who ran against Lula in previous elections.

His strategy of creating a “unity” ticket seems to have paid off and drawn voters into the fold who may not have consider otherwise casting a ballot for his Workers’ Party.

In his victory speech, he struck a conciliatory tone, saying he would govern for all Brazilians and not just those who voted for him.

“This country needs peace and unity. This population doesn’t want to fight anymore,” he said.

Jair Bolsonaro has yet to concede. The campaign had in part been so tense because the far-right president had cast doubts – without offering any evidence – on the reliability of Brazil’s electronic voting system.

This fomented fears he might not accept the result if it went against him.

A day before the second round however, he stated that: “There is not the slightest doubt. Whoever has more votes, takes it [the election]. That’s what democracy is about.”

On election day itself, busses carrying voters to the polls were stopped by police in what Lula’s campaign said was an attempt to prevent them from voting.

The head of the electoral court, Alexandre de Moraes, ordered the highway police to lift all roadblocks and checks.

He said that while some voters had been delayed, none had been prevented from voting. But the incidents raised tensions considerably.

Now there is much expectation as to when and what Mr Bolsonaro will say now that it is official that fewer votes were cast for him than for Lula.

The election has not just been closely watched in Brazil, but also abroad, with environmental activists in particular worried that another four years of a Bolsonaro government would have led to further deforestation in the Amazon rainforest.

Lula referred to these fears in his victory speech saying that he was “open to international co-operation to protect the Amazon”.

“Today we tell the world that Brazil is back. It is too big to be banished to this sad role of global pariah,” he added in a dig at his rival.

But at the heart of his speech was a promise to tackle hunger, which has been on the rise in Brazil and which is affecting more than 33 million.

Key to Lula’s popularity during his first two terms in office was lifting millions of Brazilians out of poverty.

But in a post-pandemic economy, finding the finances to recreate that feat will not be an easy task, especially if he is hampered by a hostile Congress.

Among the victims “who were massacred [were] mothers with their children in their arms”, the AFP news agency quotes the president as saying.

He appealed for international medical help to deal with the 300 injured.

The president blamed the al-Shabab militant group for Saturday’s attack which targeted the education ministry.

The pro-jihadist Somali Memo website has reported that the group has said it was behind the blasts.

An affiliate of al-Qaeda, al-Shabab has engaged in a long-running conflict with the federal Somali government.

President Mohamud, in power for five months pledged “total war” against the Islamist militants after they attacked a popular hotel in Mogadishu in August killing at least 21 people.

Saturday’s blasts happened within minutes of each other, destroying buildings and vehicles in the vicinity.The plumes of smoke arising from the blasts could be seen across the city

The first hit the education ministry and then the second went off as medical teams arrived to deal with the aftermath, the Reuters news agency reports.

A lorry exploded at the same junction almost exactly five years ago, leaving more than 500 people dead – the worst such attack in the country’s history.

After Saturday’s attack, hundreds of people have gathered near the site, looking for missing family members.

Among those killed were a prominent journalist and senior police officer.

“I am here to tell the Somali people that such October attacks will not happen again, God willing,” President Mohamud said after visiting the scene of the attack.

“The bombings were a message sent by the militants to show that they are still alive, despite the fact that they were defeated in battlefield by government forces,” he added.

The African Union (AU) mission in Somalia said that the “attacks underline the urgency and critical importance of the ongoing military offensive to further degrade al-Shabab”.

The US, Turkey, Qatar and Germany have all condemned the attack.

Al-Shabab has been battling the AU-backed federal government for control of Somalia for around 15 years.

The group controls much of southern and central Somalia, but has also been able to extend its influence into areas controlled by the government based in Mogadishu.

A local official said most of those who had died were women, children or elderly. The bridge in Morbi had been reopened just a week ago after repairs.

There was overcrowding on the bridge at the time as people celebrated the Diwali festival, officials said.

The 230m (754ft) bridge on the Machchu river was built during British rule in the 19th Century.

The death toll is expected to rise further.

Police, military and disaster response teams were deployed and the rescue effort is continuing.

More than 177 people have been rescued so far, officials said.

“Many children were enjoying holidays for Diwali and they came here as tourists,” an eyewitness called Sukram told Reuters news agency.

“All of them fell one on top of another. The bridge collapsed due to overloading.”Rescuers searched for survivors at night

Videos on social media showed dozens clinging onto the wreckage as emergency teams attempted to rescue them. Some survivors clambered up the bridge’s broken netting, and others managed to swim to the river banks.

Reports said several hundred people were on the bridge when it collapsed at around 18:40 India time (13:10 GMT) on Sunday.

A video shot before the collapse showed it packed with people and swaying and many gripping the netting on its sides.

Gujarat is the home state of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has announced compensation for the families of victims. He said he was “deeply saddened by the tragedy”.

The authorities have promised a full investigation. Questions are being asked about whether safety checks were done before the bridge was reopened. It is a popular tourist attraction known locally as Julto Pul (swinging bridge).

Home Minister Harsh Sanghavi said a number of criminal cases had been registered over the incident.

Prateek Vasava was on the bridge at the time of the incident. He told 24 Hours Gujarati-language news channel how he had swum to the river bank.

Several children fell into the river, he said, adding: “I wanted to pull some of them along with me but they had drowned or got swept away.”

Videos showed scenes of chaos as onlookers on the river banks tried to rescue those trapped in the water as darkness fell.

From 1 October, households should have begun to receive the first instalment of the government’s Energy Bill Support Scheme.

But figures from one in-store payment company revealed that only half of the expected value had been redeemed.

A government spokesperson told customers to have their credit applied to their meter as soon as possible.

The Energy Bill Support Scheme was first announced by government in May and applies across England, Scotland and Wales.

Under the scheme. everyone’s energy bill will be cut by £400. This will be applied over six months, with a reduction of £66 in October and November, and £67 every month between December and March 2023.

For customers who have a traditional prepayment meter, which requires topping up via a key or card in a local newsagent or Post Office, the help with energy bills comes in the form of a voucher.

Payment company PayPoint told BBC News that it expected to process 800,000 vouchers in October, worth a total of £52.8m.

However, the business said only £27m had been redeemed.

PayPoint and fuel poverty charities are urging any prepayment customers to go through their post in case they have missed the delivery, particularly as the vouchers are only valid for 90 days.

The vouchers, which suppliers are sending out by post, email or text, can also be redeemed with the Post Office and Payzone.

More than four million people have a prepayment meter, and around half of those are the older, non-smart type of meter, according to the energy watchdog Ofgem.

“It’s so important that everyone gets the support they’re entitled to,” said Gillian Cooper, head of energy policy at Citizens Advice.

She also called on customers to ensure their contact details were up to date and reach out to their suppliers if they had not heard anything on the assistance yet.

Customers do not need to apply for the assistance, but how it is paid varies by supplier and payment method.

Fixed monthly Direct Debit: EonNext , Shell, Octopus Energy, SOEnergy and Bulb will deduct £66 or £67 from each monthly bill, meaning you may pay slightly less or could adjust your payments to build up credit for the winter months.

British Gas, Scottish Power, OvoSSE and Utilita will refund your money back to your bank account after you’ve made your monthly payment.

Monthly bills based on what you use: British Gas, Shell, Bulb, SOEnergy and Utilita will knock £66 or £67 off your bill, effectively as a discount.

EonNext, Octopus Energy and OvoSSE are applying the £66 or £67 as credit, which will likewise reduce the total bill.

Smart prepayment meter: Suppliers will add credit automatically to your meter – in most cases the electric one, but Shell splits it 50-50 between gas and electric automatically.

Most major suppliers told the BBC this is done in the first week of the month.

Traditional prepayment meter, topped-up at a shop: For these customers, vouchers will be sent in the post by all the main suppliers.

The vouchers are redeemable at Post Office, PayZone or PayPoint, where customers usually top up. For most suppliers, the voucher should arrive in the post by 17th of each month and is only valid for 90 days.

Research by comparison website Uswitch recently suggested that the energy crisis is pushing more people onto prepayment gas and electricity meters.

Suppliers may put customers on prepayment meters if they struggle to keep up with bills, because it helps them control how much and how often they pay for energy.

Tariffs on prepayment meters also tend to be more expensive, however, with Uswitch suggesting this leaves some customers more vulnerable and at risk of being disconnected.

In September, Citizens Advice also issued a warning that half a million more people could be forced onto prepayment meters due to debts to suppliers.

“Before winter has even hit, we’re seeing far too many people who can’t afford to top up their prepayment meter. That means going without access to the very basics like a hot meal,” Gillian Cooper at the charity added.

“If you’re in debt, your supplier has a duty to make sure you’re only paying what’s affordable. That includes reducing any debt repayments you’re making,” she advised.

A spokesperson for the Department for Business said that the “government has worked quickly to deliver the Energy Bills Support Scheme, helping a broad range of households struggling with energy bills this winter including £1,200 direct payments being made to vulnerable households.”

They called on customers to have their credit applied to their meter as soon as possible so that they can benefit from the scheme.

The home secretary faces demands from Labour and a senior Tory MP to address the Commons over the situation at the site in Manston.

Hundreds of people were moved there on Sunday after a fire attack at a separate migrant facility in Dover.

The government said it was controlling immigration and deterring traffickers.

Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick and Tory MP Sir Roger Gale visited the Manston centre on Sunday to discuss solutions to ease pressure on the site.

Sir Roger raised concerns over reports that Ms Braverman decided against moving more migrants to nearby hotels.

Speaking to BBC South East, Sir Roger said it was “wrong” for Ms Braverman not to commission more hotel rooms, and that it was causing a backlog.

He said he had been assured 650 migrants would be moved of Manston and into hotels or temporary accommodation this week.

Sir Roger and Labour MPs want the home secretary to answer MPs’ questions about this in the House of Commons later.

Ms Braverman described Sunday’s fire attack in Dover, in which two people were hurt, as “distressing”. The suspect was later found dead at a nearby petrol station.

Concerns over the conditions facing migrants at Manston came as dozens of charities called for a “kind and effective system” for migrants.

An open letter to Ms Braverman – signed by charities including Christian Aid and Save the Children – urged safer routes for people to come to the UK.

It said: “You have referred to this country’s proud history of offering sanctuary, so we ask you to make this happen with a fair, kind and effective system for refugees.

“Deal with the backlog in asylum cases, create safe routes, respect international law, and the UN convention on refugees, and give refugees a fair hearing, however they get here. Then you would have really done something worth dreaming about.”

Nearly 1,000 migrants crossed the English Channel in boats on Saturday, according to the government.

Last week, independent border inspector David Neal told MPs he had been left speechless by the “really dangerous” situation at Manston, a short-term holding facility where migrants were only meant to spend a few hours.

Sir Roger said about 4,000 migrants are currently housed at the former Royal Air Force base, which was designed to process up to 1,000. Some had been there five weeks, Sir Roger said.

So far this year 39,430 people have made the dangerous journey from France on small boats.

The UK is spending almost £7m a day on hotels for asylum seekers – and the cost is likely to rise, MPs heard last week.

The government has said in the year ending June 2022, there were 63,089 asylum applications, 77% more than in 2019.

The Guardian reported on Sunday there were now at least eight cases of diphtheria and a case of MRSA at Manston.

Labour’s shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper told BBC One’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme the government needed to “overhaul the whole system”.

She said: “We need a new agreement in place with France around the Channel crossings, and we need a significant increase in the activities of the National Crime Agency because we’ve got a proliferation of criminal activities in the Channel that has increased in the couple of years.”

A Home Office spokesperson said: “The UK has a proud history of providing protection for those who genuinely need it through our safe and legal routes, recently welcoming hundreds of thousands of people from Hong Kong, Afghanistan and Ukraine.

“The public rightly expects us to control immigration, at a time when the number of people arriving in the UK via small boats has reached record levels, placing pressure on the asylum system and stretching our capacity to support those in need.

“We are using every tool at our disposal to deter illegal migration, disrupt the business model of people smugglers and relocate to Rwanda, those with no right to be in the UK.”

Ms Braverman is also expected to be pressed by Labour on the security breach that led her to resign under Liz Truss’s cabinet on 19 October.

She was reappointed by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who said she had accepted she made a mistake, last week.