Brazil, the world's leader in gun-related murders, went to the polls yesterday to decide on a proposal to ban the sale of firearms and munitions.
In a world first, the South American country's 122 million voters will decide in a national referendum whether to ban the trade and sale of guns and munitions.
crime level
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who pushed through a gun control measure in 2003, is backing the measure that is pitting farmers who are worried about defending themselves against business executives who say that the level of crime in Latin America's biggest economy is unacceptable.
The results are expected to be close.
According to a poll this month of 2,200 people by Rio de Janeiro-based Ibope, 49 percent oppose the change and 45 percent favor it.
gun deaths
A gun-related death occurs once every 15 minutes in the South American country.
According to recent UNESCO statistics, Brazil, with 21.71 gun deaths per 100,000 people, is world second behind Venezuela, with 34.30 deaths.
In comparison, Spain has a rate of 0.78 and Britain has 0.29.
Between 1979 and 2003, 550,000 people have died from gun deaths in Brazil.
The measure is backed by prominent stars and rappers such as the pop music star Lulu Santos, who was robbed of his car, money and documents recently in his upscale neighborhood in Rio.
`long overdue'
"This was long overdue. Brazil holds the record. We have an undeclared civil war. In my city Rio, an armed robbery takes place every 90 seconds," he said.
The Roman Catholic Church also supports the referendum.
In another country where uncontrolled gun use is a problem -- the US -- a bill that would shield gun manufacturers from crime victims' lawsuits cleared another hurdle on its way to approval.
The US House of Representatives approved the law that cleared the Senate in July, and sent it to US President George W. Bush for certain signature.
The bill's passage was hailed as a "historic victory" by the gun lobby.
SEEKING CHANGE: A hospital worker said she did not vote in previous elections, but ‘now I can see that maybe my vote can change the system and the country’ Voting closed yesterday across the Solomon Islands in the south Pacific nation’s first general election since the government switched diplomatic allegiance from Taiwan to Beijing and struck a secret security pact that has raised fears of the Chinese navy gaining a foothold in the region. The Solomon Islands’ closer relationship with China and a troubled domestic economy weighed on voters’ minds as they cast their ballots. As many as 420,000 registered voters had their say across 50 national seats. For the first time, the national vote also coincided with elections for eight of the 10 local governments. Esther Maeluma cast her vote in the
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
HYPOCRISY? The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday asked whether Biden was talking about China or the US when he used the word ‘xenophobic’ US President Joe Biden on Wednesday called for a hike in steel tariffs on China, accusing Beijing of cheating as he spoke at a campaign event in Pennsylvania. Biden accused China of xenophobia, too, in a speech to union members in Pittsburgh. “They’re not competing, they’re cheating. They’re cheating and we’ve seen the damage here in America,” Biden said. Chinese steel companies “don’t need to worry about making a profit because the Chinese government is subsidizing them so heavily,” he said. Biden said he had called for the US Trade Representative to triple the tariff rates for Chinese steel and aluminum if Beijing was