Congress Failed to Allocate Relief Funding Ahead of Hurricane Helene, Skipped Town Early Due to the Storm

The U.S. South is contending with the trail of destruction left by Hurricane Helene, which has devastated the region, including the states of North Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, and South Carolina, moving across the Central Gulf Coast and reaching the southern Appalachian region. The extent of damage is only beginning to be revealed now as the death toll climbs to more than 130 people, with hundreds more still missing, according to an Associated Press September 30 report.

Some of the most impoverished areas of the U.S. are contending with what could amount to up to $160 billion in damages and economic loss. More than 1 million people are still without power.

Despite the unprecedented level of devastation, the federal money to dealwith disaster relief appears to have run out.

Thanks to the efforts of conservative lawmakers, the recently passed funding bill excluded disaster aid, even the Federal Emergency Management Agency(FEMA), which has depleted funds for the second year in a row, has run out of money before the peak of hurricane season.

This is despite the fact that members of Congress left Washington two days earlier than planned precisely because of the hurricane. This includes conservative lawmakers from Florida, Senator Rick Scott and Representative Matt Gaetz, who both opposed FEMA funding or skipped the vote to be in Florida ahead of the hurricane.

Congress is now in recess, but there is a possibility that lawmakers will cut their breaks short to provide special funding for disaster relief.

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Hezbollah Deputy Leader Delivers First Speech Since Nasrallah’s Assassination

Hezbollah’s Deputy Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem delivered a televised speech on September 30, two days after Hezbollah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah was assassinated by Israel in the Lebanese capital Beirut.

Qassem mourned Nasrallah. “We have lost a brother, father, and a great leader. Sayyed Nasrallah was the leader of the convoy of free fighters. His absolute priority was Palestine and Al-Quds,” he stated.

Qassem confirmed that “Hezbollah will go on with its goals and its battle.” He added that Hezbollah’s “system of command and control as well as the mujahideen [fighters] will continue to follow up and implement the alternative plans accurately, just like the late secretary-general used to do. All are ready on the battlefield.”

The Hezbollah leader confirmed that Israel was unable to harm the group’s military capabilities by assassinating Nasrallah and other leaders and warned that Hezbollah fighters are fully prepared for an Israeli ground incursion. Qassem stated, “the Israeli enemy is delusional when it thinks that the brutal massacres and the international backing will help achieve its goals.”

Qassem asserted the steadiness of Hezbollah despite Israeli attacks. “We have sacrificed a lot since the pager operations, the martyrdom of the commanders and the martyrdom of the leader [Nasrallah]. If this happens anywhere else with any organization across the world, it will collapse, but we did not. We are going on despite the pains and the sacrifices. We are going on because we have hope and we trust Allah almighty to be victorious,” he said.

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Right-wing Chilean University Finds Itself at the Center of Multiple Corruption Allegations

According to an investigation by the newspaper El Mostrador, the San Sebastián University (USS) may have paid an exorbitant and unjustifiedsalary of 17 million pesos per month (around $18,000 per month) to professor Marcela Cubillos, former minister of education in the second administration of former right-wing President Sebastián Piñera and current mayoral candidate for Las Condes, a municipality located northeast of Santiago. The report has drawn the attention of the Attorney General’s Office, which has decided to open an investigation for a possible criminal offense.

Thirty people linked to the Chilean right wing who held positions in the Piñera government were later hired by the San Sebastián University.

Also under investigation is an apparent conflict of interest by the Piñera government regarding USS, which, despite being a private university, received 45.5 percent of its income in 2023 from the Chilean state in the form of scholarships or Government Guaranteed Credit (Crédito con Aval del Estado). This has less to do with the allocation of scholarships or other items that USS received (aid that any Chilean university can ask for) and is more about the enormous amount of money the university received during the Piñera administration. For example, during the government of Michelle Bachelet, the USS received around 1.1 billion pesos. Under the Piñera government, that amount tripled, reaching more than 3 billion pesos in 2021.

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Unprecedented Rains Cause Floods and Landslides in Nepal, Killing More Than 200 People

More than 200 people have been killed or are missing in the floods and landslides caused by unprecedented rains lashing Nepal since September 27. Thousands have been displaced in different parts of the mountainous country.

The capital city of Kathmandu has been one of the most affected regions in the country, with a large number of neighborhoods flooded or covered with mud due to rainwater, which has also caused the water levels in the Bagmati River to rise. The flood and landslides have destroyed numerous homes, bridges, roads, and vehicles, leaving a large number of people stranded.

Many flooded areas are home to poor and working-class people. Their houses have been inundated with water and mud, which may take longer to clear, raising the risk of an epidemic outbreak after the water recedes.

Heavy rains during the monsoon season in South Asia are normal. However, in the last few years, local meteorological officials have claimed that the severity of rains has increased and the monsoon has been significantly prolonged. The usual duration of the monsoon has changed. Its withdrawal now stretches until October, which is quite unusual, resulting in larger repercussions for the region’s agriculture.

Mounting evidence suggests that Nepal has emerged as one of the most vulnerable countries in the context of climate change. The rise in the country’s average temperature is much higher than the global average (0.056 degrees Celsius against the global average of 0.03 degrees Celsius). The rise in temperature has caused the melting of several glaciers in the country, again endangering the local climate and the livelihoods of millions of people.