SAO PAULO, April 24 (Reuters) - Brazilian Supreme Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes rejected former Brazilian President Fernando Collor de Mello’s challenges against a previous conviction and ordered his immediate arrest, a court decision showed on Thursday.

The order comes after the Supreme Court in 2023 sentenced Collor, the first president to win the popular vote after the end of Brazil’s last military dictatorship in 1985, to eight years and 10 months in prison on corruption and money laundering charges.

Collor’s legal defense showed “surprise and concern” by Moraes decision, his lawyer said in a statement, adding the former president will however comply with the order.

Moraes requested a session with the full Supreme Court to decide whether to uphold or reject his decision.

The 2023 conviction followed Brazilian prosecutor’s office accusation that Collor received around 30 million reais ($5.28 million) in bribes from a then subsidiary of state-run oil company Petrobras (PETR4.SA), opens new tab.

Collor took office as president in 1990, but did not finish his term as Congress decided to impeach him two years later amid a separate corruption scandal, from which Supreme Court acquitted him in 1994. He later was elected senator.

($1 = 5.6805 reais)

But a review of USAID programs shows that, while following the DOGE playbook in public, the secretary of state has quietly safeguarded Cuban regime change programs aligned with the island’s exile base that has long powered his rise.

One of these programs is the anti-communist publication CubaNet, based out of Miami, which saw its nearly $2 million grant cut, then restored. “Our goal has always been to counteract the propaganda of the Castro regime. Without this funding, the government in Havana will have greater freedom to intensify its propaganda and repression,” the news site’s director Roberto Hechavarría Pilia said before the cash was turned back on.:::

https://prospect.org/world/2025-04-24-gutting-usaid-marco-rubio-saved-cuban-regime-change-programs/

A new report from Denmark’s National Institute of Public Health reveals that children’s health outcomes are strongly tied to their parents’ education levels. Even before birth, disparities emerge: stillbirths, premature births, and low birth weights are significantly more common among mothers with less education. As children grow, those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds are less likely to receive vaccinations, have worse dental health, and face higher rates of obesity. Researchers emphasize the need for accessible preventive healthcare and support for families under economic stress.

New statistics show a slight decline in the area of organic farmland in Denmark—from 11.7% to 11.4% of total agricultural land—despite a 7.5% increase in organic product sales in 2024. The Danish Organic Association warns this undermines green transition goals and calls for political action to support organic farmers, including adjusting public procurement policies and tax incentives. They stress the urgency of aligning political ambition with practical support to reverse the trend.

Rents in Denmark, especially in Copenhagen, have surged by up to 40% since 2018, driven by private landlords taking advantage of deregulated pricing in newer buildings as well as “feigned” renovations intended to skirt rent control laws. The Danish Tenants’ Association (LLO) reports a spike in tenant distress and demands government action. They propose rent caps on new developments, more public housing, and collective bargaining rights for tenants—practices already used in countries like Sweden. LLO blames political inaction and real estate liberalization for worsening inequality and pushing ordinary citizens out of cities.

A new analysis shows that wealth inequality in Denmark has increased over the past three years, with a two percentage point rise in the gap between the richest and poorest. The disparity is largely driven by unequal growth in stock market investments and ownership in family businesses. Although pension savings have helped slow the trend somewhat, analysts warn the overall concentration of wealth is accelerating.

Efforts to stop pesticide use near drinking water wells are significantly behind schedule. Municipalities were required to implement bans in critical areas by April 1, but fewer than half have complied. The Danish Water and Wastewater Association (DANVA) says over-reliance on voluntary compliance and weak legal enforcement have hindered progress. They argue for stricter regulations and clearer deadlines to protect vital groundwater sources.

Numbers from the prison guards’ union shows that one in three prison guards in Jutland and Funen is a trainee. According to the union Danish prisons are overcrowded with the average occupancy rate being above 100 percent for the sixth year in a row.

Experts say delaying action makes no economic sense. Researchers found that preventative measures like dikes, flood walls, and sluices are cost-effective in every scenario. “It’s actually really simple math, that if the damage of flooding is greater than the costs of avoiding it then it is really stupid not to avoid it” said climate economy professor Kirsten Halsnæs.

Yet while risks to cities like Copenhagen and Aalborg mount, municipalities lack the resources to act. Many vulnerable areas are already struggling due to austerity-driven economic mismanagement, leaving local governments unable to launch the large-scale projects needed to shield communities.

The central government, meanwhile, refuses to step up. Proposals for a climate adaptation fund have been ignored, and debates over who should pay—homeowners, municipalities, the state, or private actors—remain unresolved. This policy vacuum leaves critical infrastructure, cultural heritage and citizens exposed.

Recently a group of prominent Danish climate scientists warned that sea level rise is accelerating faster than previously projected, due to polar ice melt and thermal expansion. The threat is growing—but political urgency is not.

Instead, Denmark’s leadership has prioritized an aggressive and costly military buildup, funneling billions into defense to confront imagined Russian and Chinese bogeymen while starving climate adaptation efforts of funding.

This reflects the regime’s ideological fixation on austerity and militarization at the expense of their own population’s needs. As the regime clings to outdated economic dogmas, vulnerable communities are left to face the coming storm alone.

— Source: Se kortene: Fremtidens stormfloder vil ramme over 175.000 danskere og koste milliarder i skader, DR (state media), April 24th 2025