World Tour - Landslides in Brazil and a Middle East ceasefire

NICK EICHER, HOST: Coming up next on The World and Everything in It, World Tour with Africa reporter, Onize Ohikere.

ONIZE OHIKERE, REPORTER: Brazil landslides—We start today in South America. 

At least 32 people have died in Brazil since Sunday as heavy rains lash the area. The extreme weather has triggered mudslides in several coastal cities, toppling homes and buildings. 

AUDIO: [Brazil landslide cleanup]

Rescue workers are still clearing debris and searching for survivors. More than 5,000 people have been displaced and dozens are still missing. 

Brazil has been suffering from historically heavy rains this year. One city saw six inches of rain in 36 hours. That’s more than it usually receives in an entire month. 

Harry and Meghan’s last royal appearance—Next, we go to the United Kingdom. 

AUDIO: [Harry and Meghan’s last royal appearance]

Prince Harry and Meghan joined the royal family at Westminster Abbey on Monday for the annual Commonwealth Day celebration. The couple briefly spoke with other dignitaries before taking their seats for the ceremony.

The event was the couple’s last official appearance as working royals. Harry and Meghan announced their plans in January to step back from their royal duties. The couple plans to establish a non-profit and to earn a living partly through speaking engagements.

Prisoners in Italy protest coronavirus restrictions—Next we go to Italy. 

A dozen prisoners climbed to the roof of a jail in Milan Monday to protest coronavirus restrictions. They hung a sheet painted with the Italian word for “pardon.” A crowd of demonstrators gathered outside the prison, chanting, “Freedom!”

AUDIO: [Prisoners in Italy protest coronavirus restrictions]

The Italian government announced Sunday that it would restrict jail visits in an effort to contain the spread of the virus. Under the new measures, prisoners are only allowed to contact family members remotely. Those restrictions sparked inmate protests that have left at least six dead.

Turkey Russia Syria ceasefire—Next we go to the Middle East. 

AUDIO: [Displaced Syrian villagers]

Displaced Syrian villagers began cautiously returning home after a ceasefire went into effect last week. They drove down bombed-out streets, scoping out the damage to their homes. 

Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian president Vladimir Putin agreed to a deal on Thursday to end fighting in northwestern Syria.

The Russian-backed Syrian regime has been waging a campaign to retake Idlib, the last major outpost held by opposition fighters in Syria. In response, Turkey sent reinforcements to the area. The conflict has forced about 1 million people to flee the region since December 2019.

The ceasefire deal establishes joint Turkish and Russian patrols in the area. It also gives the Syrian regime control of several key highways.

Last Ebola patient in DRC—And finally, we end today here in Africa. 

AUDIO: [Last Ebola patient in DRC]  

The last Ebola patient in the Democratic Republic of Congo went home from a treatment center last week. Health care workers sang and danced to celebrate her release. 

The woman was released from a treatment center in Beni, one of the hotspots of the outbreak that began in August 2018. The World Health Organization estimates that over 2,000 people died in the epidemic.

In February, four African nations licensed an Ebola vaccine that is nearly 98 percent effective. 

That’s this week’s World Tour.

Reporting for WORLD, I’m Onize Ohikere in Abuja, Nigeria.

(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth) Britain’s Harry and Meghan the Duke and Duchess of Sussex arrive to attend the annual Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey in London, Monday, March 9, 2020. 

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