Category: Journalism

Greenland and the Minerals That Could Decide Europe’s Green Dream

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Since Donald Trump once again said he was interested in Greenland, speculation has resurfaced about why the world’s largest island suddenly commands so much attention. One of many answers lies less in surface and military strategies, but beneath the ground. Literally.

“Rare earths and strategic metals are a hot topic right now because they are essential to technologies we already depend on,” explains Dr. Patrick Conway, PhD in physical metallurgy in metals and rocks. These materials are used in everything from smartphones and electric cars to wind turbines and semiconductors and “you really can’t use other elements for this”. Once a technology is built around them, replacing them is not simple. In simpler words: the raw materials that power modern life.

But what in the world are rare earths and why do they matter so much?

Often referred to as REEs, rare earth elements are small ingredients with an outsized impact. They are used in powerful magnets, batteries, electronics, semiconductors and defence systems. Most modern technologies depend on them in some way, and new uses are constantly being developed.

They are called “rare” not only because they are hard to find, but as Dr. Conway explained, they are really difficult to extract, hard to process and hard to replace — and incredibly expensive. If supply tightens or prices rise, entire industries feel the consequences.

An example of one strategic element that recently proved extremely valuable for new technology is Hafnium (Hf) — a mixture of metals used to make strong materials for electronics, machinery, and other applications. Until recently, it was affordable enough to use in these alloys. However, “in the last couple of years, Hf was found to be extremely good in semiconductors so the demand skyrocketed and so did the cost because of the limited amount. It meant alloys we designed and produced before 2018 with Hf are basically unsellable because of the cost of Hf in it”, as described by Conway.

A rare discovery in Northern Sweden

“But this tension with REEs isn’t new”, he says as he recalls a major discovery in 2023 in Northern Sweden when the state-owned mining company LKAB announced what could be the largest known deposit of rare earth metals in Europe, located near Kiruna, far north of the Arctic Circle. The discovery contains more than one million tonnes of rare earth oxides. This deposit was seen as a huge win for Europe to become less dependent on China for these elements.

Even Swedish leaders celebrated this news as a strategic breakthrough. At the time, Energy and Business Minister Ebba Busch said that electrification and Europe’s push for greater independence from Russia and China would begin “in the mine,” stressing hard that the green transition depended on access to minerals and that Sweden’s mining sector had an important role to play. 

Europe’s dependency problem 

Europe does not currently mine rare earths at scale. Despite Sweden’s discovery, the continent still imports nearly all of the rare earth elements and other critical minerals it uses, with China by far the dominant producer and processor worldwide.

This dependency has long worried European policymakers. Green technologies, from electric vehicles to wind power, require a steady supply of materials that Europe does not control. Even large discoveries like Kiruna take years to turn into actual production. Permits must be approved, infrastructure built and environmental reviews completed — a process that can take a decade or more.

For Sweden, the Kiruna deposit is a major opportunity, but also a reminder of how long and complex the path from rock finding to finished product can be.

Why pay attention to Greenland until now?

Europe’s interest in Greenland did not appear overnight. As demand for green technologies has surged, particularly in the Nordic countries with the green transition, so has the need for reliable access to raw materials.

Greenland is believed to hold large quantities of critical minerals, including rare earths and graphite, which is essential for electric vehicle batteries. According to geological assessments, 25 of the 34 raw materials classified as critical by the EU are found in Greenland. These resources remain largely untapped due to harsh weather conditions, limited infrastructure and high costs.

Greenland has already taken cautious steps. It recently approved a 30-year mining licence for an EU-backed graphite project at Amitsoq, a move seen as strategically important for Europe’s supply chains.

Trump and geopolitics makes the vulnerability visible… and kind of urgent

Europe’s reliance on China for critical minerals has become harder to ignore amid rising geopolitical tensions. That vulnerability moved even more into the spotlight when US President Donald Trump publicly suggested that the United States should take control of Greenland — comments that sparked alarm around the Globe, and especially among European countries.

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson made his position clear:

“We will not allow ourselves to be blackmailed. Only Denmark and Greenland decide on issues concerning Denmark and Greenland. I will always stand up for my country, and for our allied neighbors. This is an EU issue that concerns many more countries than those now being singled out. Sweden is now having intensive discussions with other EU countries, Norway and the UK for a joint response”, he wrote on X on January 17, 2026.

Kristersson described the rhetoric as unacceptable and made clear that only Denmark and Greenland have the right to decide Greenland’s future, warning against intimidation and economic pressure.

More than a mining story

Kiruna’s discovery showed Europe that the continent can uncover the resources it needs to power electric cars, wind turbines, and green technologies. Greenland, by contrast, illustrates how uncertain and complex this path remains.

For Europe, and for Sweden, the challenge is bigger than mining alone. It is about building a sustainable green transition that doesn’t compromise values, alliances, or the planet itself. In the end, the fate of Europe’s green ambitions may pivot not just on what lies underground, but on how wisely the continent navigates the road above it.

Accessing these materials involves politics, international cooperation, and environmental responsibility — but perhaps most critically of all, geopolitical stability. Which, it turns out, is also rare to find, to cultivate, and to maintain.

Co-working app takes on café life with one-hour slots

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Are you fed up with working from home? But also fed up with spotty wi-fi and glaring staff when you rock up to a café to work? Struggling to find an acceptable alternative workspace to the bedroom has been a headache for many laptop workers over the past few years. However, two start-up founders who met on Brighton’s storied beach in southeast England are hoping to change that.

Cameron Foskett and Connor Tagg are seeking angel, early-stage investors for their app, Werksy, which launched a year ago and is designed to make co-working far more flexible.

Co-working has become increasingly attractive to both big companies and small start-ups in the past few years, as The Sentinel reported earlier this year. The United Kingdom and Ireland are in the forefront of that co-working boom. In co-working, freelancers or employees of different firms share office space, and often lounge and leisure facilities.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, it has become more popular for people to use booking platforms to book co-working spaces for as short a time as a day, or even half a day. However, Werksy is going one step further by offering co-working space for as little time as one hour.

This short-term space is in direct competition to café life, and as Foskett told The Sentinel, there are some basic barriers to cross.

“Some people don’t even know about co-working, the number of times I’ve had to explain what co-working is, as a concept.”

However, as Tagg points out: “The problem with working from a café is that after about an hour you’re sat there with a cold cup of coffee that you’re trying to nurse and you’re feeling a bit awkward and the barista is making eyes at you.”

Some London café owners are discouraging laptop workers from using their space, because of the downer that a silent laptop worker can have on the café atmosphere.

Café frequenters argue that their working space is free, but Foskett says that this does not take into account that co-working spaces offer free coffee. No more making your one flat white last 60 minutes. Wi-fi in co-working space is also more reliable, Foskett adds.

Foskett, with a background in sales, and Tagg, with a background in product design, had a Eureka moment in a chance meeting on Brighton beach in 2020, when Foskett heard about Tagg’s idea to make popping into a workspace as easy as tapping in and out of a Brighton bus ride. Werksy already has more than 3,000 users. The founders have been financing the venture themselves, helped by income from their existing careers. More investment could enable them eventually to expand beyond Britain, they told The Sentinel. 

Screenshot from flexible workspace app showing image of co-working lounge, with payment and sign-in details.
Screenshot from the Werksy app, via https://werksy.notion.site/press

Once Werksy users are logged onto the app, entry to co-working space is via QR code.  Scanning in and out means there is no requirement for anyone to check whether app users have overstayed their time, unlike with conventional booking platforms, Foskett says.

Entry gives you access to co-working lounges, rather than to dedicated desk space.

However, lounge quality has improved in recent years, according to Nathan Carpenter, head of central sales at flexible workspace operator NewFlex, which offers Werksy users space in its co-working lounges.

“All of the lounges are fully kitted out with USB ports and plug sockets, you get coffee and you get refreshments and it’s a nice place to work. It makes a big difference for remote workers, who will have spent most of their time in a Costa or Starbucks trying to get signal, if you have a place which is really dedicated for you to work.”

Werksy user Aimen Chouchane, head of marketing for AI-powered video surveillance firm IntelexVision, says Werksy enables him to find reliable places to work in between meetings when he spends a day in London. He prefers this option to coffee shops, where “wifi can be unpredictable. Finding a perfect one can be hard, sometimes they’re too noisy.”

The nature of Chouchane’s work also means that security is important, that no one is looking over his shoulder.

Fashion designer Noemie Jouas, who also acts as an ambassador for Werksy, helping to promote the app, says the flexibility is ideal for workers with a varied schedule:

“The kind of work that I do is really, really different every single week. I might have photo shoots somewhere, or sometimes I have fabric shopping. My job takes me everywhere, Werksy saves a lot of time travelling in London.”

Prices can be a little more expensive than the cost of one coffee. The usual range for an hour in a Werksy space is between two and seven pounds, Foskett says, compared with £2.50 for a flat white in a London Starbucks. But users say the more appealing workspaces and the offer of free refreshments make up for that.

However, Fleura Bardhi, professor of marketing at City St George’s, University of London, told The Sentinel that short-term working risks removing the sense of community that co-working spaces have tried hard to foster:

“Booking for a day is a new development. Because it’s so flexible, it’s ‘why not?’ Then it comes with a damage to the community. A lot of people join so they are part of the community. If you have outsiders in and out for an hour and a day, it’s different.”

Foskett disputes that, pointing out that some Werksy users regularly use the same co-working space, and that a conventional co-working community that requires a monthly payment of several hundred pounds excludes many.

“We’ve got a lot of entrepreneurs, freelancers and people that just either don’t have the money, or don’t have the need to be restricted to one office.”

Brazilian Music Icon Milton Nascimento Awarded Honorary Doctorate

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In December 2025, Brazilian singer and songwriter Milton Nascimento once again received the title of Doctor Honoris Causa. In April of the same year, he had already received the same distinction from the University of Campinas (Unicamp). As one of the greatest names in Brazilian popular music, the recognition highlights the impact of his artistic work on the country.

The title of Doctor Honoris Causa is one of the highest honors that can be granted by universities and seeks to recognize exceptional individuals who have contributed directly to society, without the requirement of having completed an academic degree.

In addition to Milton Nascimento, emblematic figures such as Meryl Streep and Pelé have also been honored with the title of Doctor Honoris Causa.

In December, the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), the largest biomedical research institution in Latin America, awarded the honorary title to the artist. One week later, the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG) also granted him the same distinction. The events brought together academic authorities, researchers, and representatives from the cultural field.

With an approach focused on an expanded concept of health, Fiocruz emphasized during the ceremony the deep dialogue between art, culture, and health:

“One of the questions that always comes up is what a musician has to do with Fiocruz. The answer lies in our understanding of health, which includes social determinants and recognizes culture as a foundational element. Milton is not only an artistic icon; he is a reference for political engagement and the defense of social causes,” said Cristiana Brito, director of Fiocruz Minas, in her speech.

The award recognizes the artistic trajectory of Bituca, the nickname by which he is widely known, as an example of the use of art to confront social injustices. Throughout his musical career, the Minas Gerais-born musician has addressed diverse themes such as resistance, denunciation, and the affirmation of Black identity.

Speaking to The Sentinel, historian and professor at the State University of Minas Gerais, João Teófilo, highlighted the importance of the title:

“Milton Nascimento is one of the most important figures in Brazilian culture born in the 20th century. I dare say he is the greatest living artist in the country. His work presents a level of sophistication widely recognized by both musicians and scholars, in Brazil and abroad,” he stated.

“Brazilian music and culture would not be the same without the presence of an artist of Milton’s magnitude, whose influence crosses generations and borders. In this sense, the title of Doctor Honoris Causa is not only an individual tribute, but an institutional recognition of the centrality of his work to the understanding of Brazilian culture,” Teófilo concluded.

Having been recently diagnosed with Lewy body dementia (LBD), the artist was unable to attend the ceremony, and the award was received by his friend, musical partner and conductor, Wilson Lopes.

“Milton is an artist of immense greatness, not only musically, but humanly as well,” Lopes emphasized during the event.

Cultural Impact

During the period of the Brazilian military dictatorship, from 1964 to 1985, Milton Nascimento was one of the targets of censorship. His resistance to the system can be seen in several works, but especially in his album Milagre dos Peixes, released in 1973.

The album’s title criticizes the so-called “economic miracle” promoted by the dictatorship. At the time, the regime used television and radio to sell a narrative of a country in development, ignoring the aggressions and censorship imposed by the military.

Several tracks from the album had their lyrics banned or subjected to cuts that compromised their integrity. However, the singer decided not to exclude them, but rather to change the proposal. As a result, the censored songs were given vocalizations, screams, and other sound effects. According to accounts from the period, the idea was to express, through experimentation, everything that the dictatorship prevented him from singing.

The album liner notes made the censorship even more evident. In the credits, even the songs composed only of vocalizations still included the songwriter’s name. This way, his audience would know that, despite the experimental nature of the track, there had originally been a composition there.

In response to his resistance, not only the artist but also members of his family reportedly faced persecution during the dictatorship. As a result, he had to distance himself from his then-girlfriend and his adopted son for an indefinite period, losing contact for years.

Beyond the dictatorial period, Bituca explored throughout his discography themes related to racial inequality, the celebration of Black identity, and the valorization of women. Songs such as “Morro Velho,” “Maria, Maria,” and “Lágrimas do Sul (For Winnie Mandela)” are examples of this.

Also speaking to The Sentinel, João Teófilo, who researches themes related to the military dictatorship, culture, and memory, emphasized the musician’s importance beyond the Brazilian dictatorial period:

“Although Milton consolidated himself as an artist mainly in the 1970s, in the midst of the dictatorial regime, his work is not limited to the issues of that period. He is an artist who thinks about Brazil ‘from within,’ the deep Brazil, addressing structural themes such as Black identity, racism, Latin America, social inequalities, and Indigenous issues, among many others,” Teófilo noted.

Another major highlight of his career is his defense of Brazil’s Indigenous peoples. “Amor de Índio,” “Os Povos,” and “Yanomami e Nós (Pacto de Vida)” are some of his works that reflect on justice and the appreciation of nature and those who live in it.

“Milton is a political and engaged artist, even though, like any long trajectory, his career presents occasional contradictions. What stands out, however, is the fact that he has placed his work at the service of causes he believes in, combining aesthetics with social commitment. Thus, more than a virtuoso or a musical genius, Milton Nascimento is a sensitive interpreter of Brazil, someone who, in dialogue with various partners, has helped — and continues to help — think about and understand the country in its tensions, wounds, and possibilities,” Teófilo concluded.

Replica of the Statue of Liberty Collapses During Strong Winds in Brazil

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A replica of the Statue of Liberty, a symbol of the Havan retail chain in Brazil, collapsed during a severe storm in the state of Rio Grande do Sul on December 15. At the time of the incident, Civil Defense had issued a red alert for the region, with winds forecast to reach up to 90 km/h. Despite the impact, no one was injured.

The red alert issued by Civil Defense represents the highest level of severity, indicating an imminent risk to people’s lives. It is activated only in cases of extreme phenomena, such as heavy rain and strong winds, as well as flooding, requiring immediate action from authorities and citizens to ensure collective safety and survival.

The replicas of the U.S. monument, installed in front of the company’s stores, have become more than a commercial strategy, turning into a true Brazilian cultural icon. With more than 70 units across the country, these sculptures draw attention due to their scale and repetition, becoming easily recognizable urban landmarks embedded in the public imagination.

Images circulating on social media show the structure lying on the ground after the intense windstorm that hit the state. The episode occurred amid a scenario of climate instability, marked by wind gusts above the seasonal average.

In an official statement, Havan said that the company’s top priority is the safety of customers and employees. The retail chain also stated that all of its statues have an Anotação de Responsabilidade Técnica (ART), a document certifying that a qualified professional supervised the construction. According to the company, a thorough inspection will be carried out to determine the causes of the collapse.

“There were no injuries or damage to third parties. The area was immediately isolated, following all safety protocols, and the company’s construction team is expected to begin work in the coming hours to remove the structure,” the statement said.

Brazil’s National Institute of Meteorology placed the southern region under an orange alert, forecasting strong winds, hailstorms, power outages, and possible flooding.

According to geography professor Júlia Góes, in an interview with The Sentinel, the weather conditions are the result of the formation of an extratropical cyclone, a phenomenon caused by pressure differences between two distinct air masses.

The fall of the statue, although it caused no casualties, highlights the risks associated with intense meteorological events and brings renewed attention and level of preparation of the debate on urban safety and for catastrophic events, which are becoming increasingly common in today’s climate scenario.

Climate Issues in Brazil

Even after the cyclone passed, weather conditions in the region remained unstable, with heavy rainfall and strong winds. In recent days, tragedies have occurred in other parts of the country, revealing a broader pattern of atmospheric variation driven by global warming.

In the south, climate-related events have caused approximately six deaths and hundreds of injuries. In addition, other storms have been intensifying in the Southeast, especially in the state of São Paulo, resulting in power outages, fallen trees, and disruptions to essential daily services.

Brazilian named among the 10 most important scientists of the year

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The journal Nature has released its list of the 10 people who shaped science in 2025. Among them is Brazilian scientist Luciano Moreira. His work focuses on inhibiting the transmission of diseases carried by the Aedes aegypti mosquito through the use of the bacterium Wolbachia.

An agronomist engineer and a licensed researcher at the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), one of the most important biomedical research institutions in Latin America, Moreira has worked for over 30 years in the search for alternative methods to combat mosquito-borne diseases.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), insects are responsible for transmitting diseases that kill more than one million people every year worldwide.

In response to this challenge, Moreira developed the Wolbachia method, which consists of introducing the bacterium into mosquito eggs, thereby preventing the replication of pathogenic viruses.

The relevance of Luciano Moreira’s research becomes even more significant within the Brazilian context, where diseases such as dengue, chikungunya, and Zika continue to recur as annual epidemics, especially during the warmer seasons.

In 2024, Brazil recorded a historic peak, with more than 6 million cases of dengue throughout the year, 45 percent of which occurred during the summer months.

According to experts, the combination of a tropical climate, unplanned urbanization, and climate change favors the proliferation of the disease-carrying mosquito.

“The Wolbachia Method is one of the most promising and innovative strategies to reduce dengue transmission (as well as Zika and chikungunya). It is not a ‘treatment’ for people who are already ill, but rather a form of prevention that acts directly on the mosquitoes that transmit the viruses,” explains biologist Nathalia Costa.

She emphasizes that, despite major Brazilian scientific discoveries, the country still does not invest sufficiently in the biomedical field, causing many research projects to be interrupted.

Carolina Batista, a biomedical scientist at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), argues that instability in research funding leads to demotivation among professionals in the field.

“Brazil is recognized worldwide for training great scientists. I often say that we don’t do science, we perform miracles. Because of this great creativity in solving problems, Brazilians are highly sought after abroad in all areas of knowledge. What is missing? Beyond financial incentives, proper infrastructure. Power outages, lack of water, high taxes on laboratory reagents, everything discourages researchers. Many ‘brains’ have left the country in recent years.”

She also highlights the importance of the Wolbachia Method not only for the population but also for the environment.

“The project is wonderful because it found a natural way to combat mosquitoes while maintaining environmental balance, unlike what happens when a species is simply removed from nature. In addition, it is a cheaper health technology than vaccinating or treating the entire population.”

The so-called “anti-dengue” mosquitoes, still in the production phase, have become part of Brazilian public policy. The city of Niterói, in the state of Rio de Janeiro, is a pioneer in using these mosquitoes to reduce cases of epidemic diseases.

With a significant reduction of up to 89 percent in the tested neighborhoods, the experiment demonstrates the success of the method, proving to be a sustainable public health strategy that protects the entire community.

Recognized by the global scientific community, Luciano Moreira’s work goes beyond Brazil’s borders and influences public health policies around the world.

The Wolbachia Method is being implemented through the World Mosquito Program (WMP) in around 15 countries, including Australia, Colombia, Indonesia, among others.

Moreira’s presence on Nature’s list symbolizes not only an individual achievement, but also the recognition of the potential of Brazilian science to produce solutions capable of saving lives on a global scale.

Meet the other people on Nature’s list

In addition to Luciano Moreira, the magazine also highlights: 

  • Susan Monarez, from the United States, a leading advocate for science-informed public policy;
  • Achal Agrawal, an Indian scientist known for exposing scientific fraud and retractions;
  • Tony Tyson, from the United States, a pioneer in telescope development and leader of the Vera C. Rubin Observatory project;
  • Precious Matsoso, from South Africa, regarded as a key figure in negotiating the global treaty against pandemics;
  • Sarah Tabrizi, from the United Kingdom, for her efforts to advance treatments for Huntington’s disease;
  • Mengran Du, a Chinese geologist responsible for the discovery of new ecosystems in the deep ocean;
  • Liang Wenfeng, also from China, for innovations in collaborative artificial intelligence;
  • Yifat Merbl, an Israeli scientist, for breakthroughs in understanding the immune system; and
  • K.J. Muldoon, a baby born in the United States who has become a symbol of progress in hyper-personalized gene therapy, marking a milestone in the treatment of rare diseases.

Mega Police Operation in Rio Raises Concerns Over Public Safety

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On October 28, 2025, the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, was the scene of the deadliest police operation in the state’s history. The state government reported the deaths of 117 civilians, classified as “neutralized opponents,” and four police officers.

According to the state government, the objective of the operation was to apprehend members and leaders of the criminal faction known as Comando Vermelho (CV), associated with drug trafficking not only in the state of Rio de Janeiro but also in other states across the country.

The so-called “Operation Containment” took place in the Alemão and Penha complex of favelas, located in the North Zone of the city of Rio de Janeiro, and mobilized around 2,500 military and civil police officers, with the use of helicopters, armored vehicles, and support from special units. The operation reportedly lasted about 15 hours.

The final outcome of the action resulted in the arrest of 99 people—17 through the execution of court warrants and 82 caught in the act. Authorities also seized 122 weapons, including 96 assault rifles, 25 pistols, and one revolver, in addition to explosives and large-caliber ammunition.

In a public statement released by Amnesty International Brazil, dozens of human rights organizations in Brazil questioned the proportionality of the operation given the level of lethality recorded.

“There are no elements [in the operation] that effectively reduce the power of criminal factions in the territories. On the contrary, these actions deepen insecurity and fear, instill panic, disrupt the daily lives of thousands of families, prevent children from going to school, and impose terror as an expression of state power. Death cannot be treated as public policy.”

Impacts on the Community

The operation began at 6 a.m. on Tuesday, without prior evacuation warnings, and affected around 26 communities within the Alemão and Penha complexes. On the same day, the city entered level 2 of the risk system adopted by the Rio de Janeiro City Hall, requiring constant monitoring by the Civil Defense.

The city was immediately affected, most intensely in the areas where the operation unfolded. According to residents, the atmosphere resembled urban warfare, with intense gunfire, barricades, and widespread panic. Several public services were suspended, including schools and public transportation.

The administrator of the page “Pega Visão RJ,” who chose not to disclose his name, spoke exclusively to The Sentinel about his experience as a resident of the Penha complex and as the manager of a website that shares information about police operations in Rio de Janeiro’s favelas.

“Because I live here and didn’t go to work that day, for obvious reasons, I focused on passing information to residents and everyone else through social media,” he said. “There were many gunshots, arrests, police movements, deaths… People who live here are always afraid to go out on the street, apprehensive, and scared of stray bullets.”

He also admitted that he does not notice any reduction in crime levels after police raids like this. “Nothing changes; the police leave and everything goes back to normal.”

After the armed confrontation on the 28th, the removal of bodies was largely carried out by residents. Young people and even children took part in searching for and removing the bodies.

This occurred due to one of the strategies adopted by the Special Police Operations Battalion (BOPE), which involved entering through a forested area connecting the Alemão and Penha complexes, known as Serra da Misericórdia. This region had been identified by police as an escape route for criminals.

This area, known as the “BOPE wall,” was where most of the victims were later found. However, the military forces did not request the isolation of the site for forensic investigation, forcing residents to witness the violent scene in order to collect the bodies.

BODIES LINED UP AFTER THE POLICE OPERATION IN RIO DE JANEIRO. (PHOTO: EUSÉBIO GOMES)
BODIES LINED UP AFTER THE POLICE OPERATION IN RIO DE JANEIRO. (PHOTO: EUSÉBIO GOMES)

After more than 50 bodies were removed, residents transported them to “Praça São Lucas,” in the Penha Complex, where they were lined up so that family members and friends could identify them. During this process, the victims’ clothing was removed, leaving only underwear. Residents said the measure was taken to facilitate identification, including through tattoos.

The police strongly criticized the removal of the clothing, claiming that most of the bodies were wearing camouflage clothing, vests, and operational boots associated with combat, and that some were carrying ammunition, drugs, and cell phones in their pockets.

However, this narrative cannot be verified due to the absence of an official request for the collection of the bodies. This also compromised the possibility of a more detailed forensic analysis of the circumstances under which the deaths occurred at that location, which was isolated from other areas.

Following the removal of the bodies from the forest, reports and complaints regarding the high lethality of the operation increased. In the days that followed, residents and relatives of the victims took to the streets to protest, defending the right to due process without execution, in a country where there is no death penalty.

One of the most emblematic cases was that of 19-year-old Yago Ravel Rodrigues. The young man was found in the forest with his head hanging from a tree and was identified by his parents at the Legal Medical Institute (IML), with his body separated from his head.

In an interview with the newspaper Estadão, a family member who preferred not to be identified said: “We are not outraged because Ravel died—of course it hurts. We are outraged by the way it happened. If it were a shootout, we would understand; it’s a confrontation. Ravel was decapitated and placed in a tree. He was put there like a trophy.”

The family claims that the young man had joined the Comando Vermelho street gang about two months earlier, drawn by the financial promises offered by criminal factions to poor youth. “Ravel was dazzled by a life that people from the outskirts see. We’re not used to seeing lawyers or architects. We’re used to seeing ostentation,” the family member reported.

The governor of Rio de Janeiro, Cláudio Castro, said he considers it impossible that the decapitation was carried out by police officers involved in the operation and stated that the Civil Police are investigating the episode. “No one believes that a police officer cut off the bandit’s head. I believe the criminals themselves decapitated him to shift the blame onto the State,” he declared.

Epidemic Violence Against Women In Brazil

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The end of last year was bleak in Brazilian police news. On the last weekend of November 2025, three crimes against women drew national attention.

In the first, a teacher and a psychologist were murdered inside the Federal Center for Technological Education Celso Suckow da Fonseca (Cefet/RJ) while at work. It was the end of a workweek. Allane de Souza Pedrotti Matos (a teacher) and Layse Costa Pinheiro (a psychologist) were in a room at Cefet-RJ when fellow teacher João Antonio Miranda Tello Ramos Gonçalves shot both women and then himself. 

All three died inside the school where they worked, during the school term and with many students present. So far, the motivation for the crime appears to be João’s inability to accept the fact that his supervisors were women. João suffered from mental disorders, had previously been on medical license for four months, and had been transferred to another department, but none of this was enough to prevent the fatal attack against the two women.

In the second incident, a so-called “Red Pill influencer” (a term used to describe men who believe in male superiority over women and who often promote misogynistic discourse, advocating violence against women), already known to police for violence against women, assaulted his girlfriend.

Tainara Souza Santos, 31 years old, was at a nightclub in São Paulo with another man. Her ex-boyfriend, Douglas Alves da Silva, 26, allegedly got into a fight with this man, motivated by jealousy. Douglas then reportedly waited for Tainara to leave the nightclub, ran her over, and dragged her body for more than one kilometer attached to the structure of his car. Tainara’s body only became detached from the vehicle when it went over a raised section of the road. The young woman had to have both legs amputated. Douglas was arrested by the police. Tainara died at hospital on Christmas Eve. 

These cases are just a few among many that happen every day in Brazil. Although legislation provides for the punishment of men who kill women simply because they are women, aggressors remain undeterred. Not even protective measures—such as court-ordered minimum distance from the victims or monitoring with electronic ankle bracelets—intimidate some attackers.

In Brazil, many women suffer violence every day simply because they are women. Since 2015, Brazil has recognized this type of murder as “femicide,” a heinous crime. The report Elas Vivem, by the Network of Security Observatories, estimates that every 15 hours a woman is murdered in Brazil. Sixty-eight percent of these murders occur inside the victim’s own home, and in 70 percent of cases the perpetrator is a current or former partner. Some statistics point to a 26 percent increase in reports of violent incidents against women in 2025 compared to the same period in 2024. In the first half of 2025 alone, 683 children were left without their mothers due to violence, according to data compiled by the Laboratory for the Study of Femicide (Lesfem) at the State University of Londrina. The laboratory projects 950 femicide victims by December 2025. In the second half of December, the Federal Government promoted a meeting between the Executive and Judiciary branches to outline a strategic pact with measures addressing violence against women.

The increase in violence rates recorded in the country has drawn the attention of scholars. In an interview in early December 2025 with Folha de São Paulo, demographer Jackeline Romio stated:

“We are experiencing an epidemic of gender-based violence—whether femicide, sexual violence, homicide (the violent death of women), or suicide, which has also been increasing. All these types of violence against women have already reached levels that must be monitored. In Brazil, we have surveillance data on cases resulting from violence. We can say that gender violence, in its various forms, has already reached, since 2010, levels that should be monitored as epidemics. They go beyond any expectations we previously had. Regarding femicide, it only increases and will continue to increase.”

One concrete measure, which does not repair the violence but strengthens a support network for victims, was recently evaluated by the Supreme Federal Court: granting financial assistance in the form of paid work leave to women who are victims of violence, similar to what already exists for Brazilian workers who face illness. Employers will be responsible for the costs of these leaves during the first 15 days away from work, and the INSS—the federal agency responsible for worker and retirement benefits—will assume payment after this initial period. In this way, victims can take care of their health while maintaining their income. It is worth noting that, in many cases, these women even require prolonged hospital stays due to the severity of the violence.

In several cities across the country, protests against this “epidemic” of violence took place in the first days of December.

Rachel Ripani is a Brazilian actress, director, and feminist activist. She participates in lectures, podcasts, and social media content production, emphasizing the importance of feminism. Rachel spoke with The Sentinel about the epidemic of violence against women in Brazil in late 2025:

The year 2025 is not even over yet, but statistics point to an increase in violence against women compared to 2024. What do you attribute this rise to?

Experts say that the fact that assaults are now being recorded—on cell phones in public spaces or on internal security cameras, such as in elevators—may give this perception. We are also seeing a slow education of police forces to recognize femicide and gender-based violence, which increases reporting. But I believe violence is objectively increasing due to hate speech and anti-women’s rights discourse that is fostered and monetized digitally. The manosphere, incels, and red pills spread hatred and lies against women without any punishment. On the contrary—violent words become violent actions. This is obvious to us. But for the Senate and Congress, it seems the saying applies: those who hit forget, but those who are hit do not.

In the last weekend of November 2025, we witnessed episodes of violence against women that seemed to surpass the usual level of cruelty. In your experience, do men feel freer to commit even more cruel acts? What is your opinion on impunity or the lack of effective punishment for such serious crimes?

Violence against women is, in practice, authorized. If 98 percent of rapists never spend a single day in prison, how can we curb violence? If the prevailing culture doubts women who report abuse, if neighbors “don’t get involved,” if children have no sex education in schools, how will they know that what they experience is abuse? Punishment alone is not the solution, although I do support severe penalties. We also need education and a change in mindset.

What kind of discourse do repeat offenders use to keep their partners close, even after previous episodes of violence?

It’s the so-called cycle of violence. At first, the man is a prince; he puts you completely on a pedestal. Slowly, very slowly, he distances you from people who would warn you about the control he begins to exert over you. Then comes gaslighting. If an abusive relationship began with a punch, no woman would stay. But that’s not how it works. It’s like a staircase—you go down one step at a time. And when you realize it, you’re at the bottom of the pit.

Beyond the law that already exists, what other measures would you point to as medium-term solutions to violence against women? Is Brazil a sexist country? How can we correct this historical acceptance or leniency toward partners who beat their own companions inside their homes? Remembering that 70 percent of violence cases in Brazil occur inside the home and are perpetrated by the partner.

The first is the criminalization of misogyny, a bill that is stalled in the Senate. We have several other legislative proposals that we want to present to leaders of the executive and judiciary branches, listed in our policy framework document available on our profile, @levantemulheresvivas.

How do you reconcile what you call conciliatory feminism with the urgency faced by women suffering violence today? Is this conciliation a long-term solution? Until then, what would be your proposal to prevent cruel deaths like the one in the horrific case of Tainara, who was dragged for more than a kilometer attached to her ex-boyfriend’s car? This case recalls the level of cruelty of former basketball player Igor Eduardo Pereira Cabral, who assaulted his girlfriend Juliana Soares in an elevator in July 2025 in Rio Grande do Norte, punching her 60 times in the face, all recorded by security cameras. Juliana had to undergo facial reconstruction surgery.

Obviously, in such cases, conciliation is impossible. Against crimes, I advocate severe punishment. Conciliation lies in feminism no longer being seen as a dirty word, no longer being perceived as a movement against men. This imaginary gender war does not exist. Women do not hate men. But men need to understand and position themselves as allies of women. That is conciliation. It comes from a space of dialogue and care, not from exclusionary dogmatic certainties.

We know behavioral change comes through education. What suggestions would you give so that, in a few years, more men consider the idea of hitting a woman absurd? After all, hitting any human being is absurd, since we are rational animals living in an organized society governed by law.

The Maria da Penha Law already provides for educational actions, as is the case in England, which adopted them after the series Adolescence. Educational initiatives in schools would be a great start. For adults, men should begin speaking up in their groups when a colleague posts a joke that demeans a woman or shares nude images without consent. When men consider rape as unacceptable as cannibalism, we will be closer to safety.

What explains a certain normalization of violence by people who do not live close to cases of aggression against women? How can these people be sensitized to become active agents in spreading ideas against violence?

It is very hard to grasp the magnitude of the gender disparity we live with. It is painful for women and can foster a sense of guilt in men—and guilt is paralyzing. That is why I believe that bringing men into the debate allows for positive, not imposing, action with our partners. Awareness can happen in a sensitive way, not sensationalist or imperative. As a woman, at a certain point in my life, I could no longer ignore the cumulative violence I had experienced, and that motivated me to begin my activism. Each person has their own path.

Gal Costa’s Final Performance Released as Posthumous Album

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It premiered last October, the posthumous album that captured the final performance of the Brazilian voice of Gal Costa.

Titled As Várias Pontas de uma Estrela, the record brings together live recordings of her performance at the 2022 Coala Festival. This was her last show before her passing on November 9 of that same year, at the age of 77.

In addition to the songs already available on all streaming platforms, the label Biscoito Fino, responsible for the project, released an audiovisual of the performance, restored with artificial intelligence, on its YouTube channel.

In the year Gal would have turned 80, the release is part of a tribute to the singer. On October 1, an official TikTok profile for the artist was launched, aimed at bringing her legacy closer to new generations and reinforcing her importance in global music.

In a conversation with Yuvoice, John, an enthusiast of Gal’s work and curator of a digital archive dedicated to the singer, recalls that she always moved naturally between eras and sounds.

“Just like Caetano, Gal always knew how to renew herself and fit in with the new generation: in her choice of songs, her style, her thoughts, her ideology, and her behavior. In other words, Gal was always very current.”

For him, this attitude explains the singer’s connection with young audiences.

“She always wanted to be contemporary and spark ruptures, and she did that throughout her entire career. This rebellion in the form of art makes new generations identify with her ideas.”

The minimalist cover of As Várias Pontas de uma Estrela was conceived and created by Omar Salomão.

The real star of the artwork are Gal’s striking red lips, part of the singer’s visual identity and present in other works such as Fa-Tal – Gal a Todo Vapor (1971), Água Viva (1978), Gal Tropical (1979), and Profana (1984), as well as the compilation Minha Voz, Minha Vida (2000).

Tim Bernardes, who shared the stage with Gal in the performance of “Vapor Barato,” recalls the magnitude of the show.

“That show was different. Something happened, everyone was really electrified. It was the first time I played live with Gal. In the footage, you can see that I can’t hold back my smile. There was a rock and roll vibe, which was how Gal won me over when I first discovered her albums from the turn of the 1960s to the 1970s. I’m happy to know all of this will be available. It’s a show I’m very honored and happy to have been part of.”

The album brings together 20 tracks in total, mixing the singer’s own hits with reinterpretations of other major names in Brazilian music, such as Milton Nascimento, Caetano Veloso, and Gilberto Gil.

Check the tracklist of As Várias Pontas de uma Estrela below:

  • Fé Cega, Faca Amolada
  • Hotel das Estrelas
  • Divino Maravilhoso
  • Dom de Iludir
  • Quando Você Olha pra Ela
  • Palavras no Corpo
  • Nada Mais (Lately)
  • Paula e Bebeto
  • Desafinado
  • A História de Lilly Braun
  • Açaí
  • Lua de Mel
  • Sorte
  • Como 2 e 2 (feat. Rubel)
  • Tigresa
  • Negro Amor
  • Vapor Barato (feat. Tim Bernardes)
  • Baby
  • Um Dia de Domingo
  • Brasil

Importance of Gal Costa for the global music industry

The muse of the Tropicália movement was one of the main forces responsible for spreading the avant-garde spirit that blended elements of Northeastern Brazilian culture with international rock influences.

Especially during her time as part of Tropicália, her musicality reflected diverse influences: first through the transition from the Northeast to the Southeast of Brazil, then through the international references absorbed by Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil during their exile in Europe under the military dictatorship.

Her musical trajectory had an impact that went beyond Brazilian borders, with tours in the United States and Europe, as well as performances at festivals such as Montreux in Switzerland.

After her passing in 2022, The New York Times described her as “one of the greatest singers in the history of Brazil and the world,” highlighting the power of her voice on a global scale.

Gal Costa was the only Brazilian female singer to appear in the ranking of the 200 greatest singers of all time, published by Rolling Stone in 2023, placing 90th.

She is also, to this day, the only Brazilian figure with a photograph displayed in the Carnegie Hall Hall of Fame.

In an exclusive interview with Yuvoice, cultural producer Sofia Gianfelice highlights the artist’s symbolic strength.

“Precisely because she was a sex symbol and possessed a unique personality and posture, my perception of her as an artist only grew stronger, because I believe an artistic personality shouldn’t be based solely on musicality, but also on the body and everything that makes up a human being in all their complexity.”

For John, this attitude expanded the singer’s artistic power and turned her into a symbol of courage.

“The freedom with which she explored her voice, her body, her style, and her stage presence always showed that art and attitude can walk together. Freedom in Brazilian culture is owed in large part to Gal’s artistic boldness and the movements she was part of.”

Gal Costa’s figure holds an extremely strong representational role in Brazil, being one of the most versatile and inspiring artists for new names in the music scene. This is especially due to the fact that she became a symbol of autonomy and sexuality during the years of the military dictatorship.

The artist always kept her romantic life private, but her aesthetic stance and her freedom from gender conventions made her, over the decades, an important reference for the LGBTQIAP+ movement, at a time when such figures were rare in Brazilian public life.

All the courage that marked her trajectory takes on new form with the release of As Várias Pontas de uma Estrela, which goes beyond a posthumous record and asserts itself as a historical document immortalizing the final performance of one of Brazil’s greatest voices.

”The Secret Agent” and the memory of the dictatorship: Brazilian cinema wins the Golden Globes and revisits an authoritarian past

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The victory of “The Secret Agent”  in the Best Non-English Language Film category at the 2026 Golden Globes consolidates a recent movement in Brazilian cinema that has turned its gaze toward the country’s past, investing in narratives that address historical memory and criticize the silencing imposed by the regime.

All eyes are now on the Oscars, where the film is nominated for best picture and best international feature, among other awards. 

Starring Wagner Moura, who also won the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Drama and is nominated for this year’s Academy Award in the same category, the film stands out both for its international recognition and for its symbolic power in telling a story set during Brazil’s military dictatorship.

Set in a time of repression, censorship, and human rights violations, “The Secret Agent”  engages with a wound that remains open in Brazilian society. Even after 40 years, its marks continue to manifest themselves in institutional politics, in public discourse, and in the way society itself relativizes or denies the crimes committed by the state during that period.

The film’s consecration at an international award ceremony such as the Golden Globes extends this debate beyond Brazil’s borders. In addition to it’s Golden Globe win, “The Secret Agent”  was nominated for four Academy Awards: Best International Feature Film, Best Actor, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Production. By recognizing a work that addresses repression and the regime’s various surveillance mechanisms, the film industry validates the relevance of telling these stories as a way to contribute to memory and the construction of democracy around the world.

The film’s recognition directly dialogues with the recent impact of “I’m Still Here”, which gained prominence the previous year by portraying the same historical period through family memory and the scars left by censorship. That film strongly contributed to the rise of a new public debate about the dictatorship and, alongside “The Secret Agent”, highlights how authoritarian pasts are still poorly understood by large segments of society, not only in Brazil, but across several Latin American countries.

Julia Ramos, a historian and professor at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, states that the production of historical films is essential for fostering complex debates among mass audiences through simple and accessible language.

“In the Brazilian case, films about the military dictatorship take on even greater importance. The country went through a post-dictatorship process marked by political projects that encouraged forgetting, the idea of ‘turning the page,’ erasing the past, and moving on. This silencing directly contributed to the fact that, today, there are still sectors of society that relativize the violence of the period, defend the dictatorship, or simply do not understand what it truly represented.”

Unlike many works that revisit the dictatorship through intimate family memory and mourning, “The Secret Agent” chooses to expose the structural mechanisms of repression, showing how surveillance and control became normalized practices in everyday life at the time. This narrative choice directly confronts the historical erasure that marked Brazil’s post-dictatorship period. According to the final report of the National Truth Commission, released in 2014, at least 434 people were killed or disappeared between 1964 and 1985, a figure that highlights the systematic violence of the regime and reinforces the need for narratives that critically revisit this past.

Public shows strong support for existing transgender access to Hampstead ponds

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In a victory for those fighting for transgender rights, a large majority of respondents to a consultation want to keep existing arrangements for access to single-sex ponds on Britain’s beloved Hampstead Heath.

Eighty-six percent of respondents to the consultation carried out by City of London Corporation, the municipal body which operates the Kenwood Ladies’ Pond, Highgate Men’s Pond and Hampstead Mixed Pond, felt that the ponds should remain trans inclusive spaces, allowing trans men and women to use the pond of their choice. The two-month consultation opened in September and its results were published on January 29. It received more than 38,000 responses.

Transgender access has been a hot topic following a Supreme Court ruling in Britain, brought by campaigning group For Women Scotland versus The Scottish Ministers.

The court ruled in April 2025 that the terms “woman” and “sex” in the Equality Act 2010 refer only to a biological woman and to biological sex at birth, a ruling which has led to confusion about transgender access, for instance to single-sex toilets.

A photo of a trans rights rally on a sunny day in London, with protestors marching with signs and flags. Big Ben is visible in the background.
Protesters rally for trans rights following a Supreme Court ruling that only biological women are recognised under Britain’s Equality Act, in London, Britain, April 19, 2025. REUTERS/Chris J Ratcliffe TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

The ponds are popular with swimmers from Hampstead, an area known for both wealth and non-conformity, and beyond. Eighty-four percent of respondents to the survey had swum at the ponds, and 74 percent lived in London, City of London Corporation said in a press statement.

City of London Corporation also received feedback from pond users through a series of independently-run focus groups. These also showed that retaining current trans-inclusive arrangements received broadest support, the Corporation said in the statement to the press.

City of London Corporation has stated that the consultation findings will be presented to Corporation committees, which will consider them alongside legal duties, equality impact assessments, safeguarding responsibilities and operational considerations.

In addition, it reaffirmed that current admissions rules will remain in place until a final decision is reached regarding future access.

“The volume and tone of responses we received demonstrate very clearly just how much the ponds are valued as calm, safe, welcoming community spaces for all to enjoy,” City of London Corporation Policy Chairman Chris Hayward said in the statement.

“While we’ve been clear that the consultation was not a referendum, carefully reviewing the findings from it will form an important part of our wider decision-making process, which we will communicate clearly to the public in the months ahead. It’s important that we take the time to ensure future access arrangements are fair, lawful, evidence-based and, crucially, respectful to those who use the swimming ponds.”

“We are delighted with the consultation results,” Steph Richards, Chief Executive of TransLucent, which campaigns for transgender rights, told The Sentinel.

“London is a very inclusive city. If anywhere is going to take this view, it’s going to be London. It’s a global city and we are all the richer for it.”

One respondent to the consultation, who declined to be named due to the sensitivity of the issue, told The Sentinel that the results were “really heartening.”

However, consultation respondent Venice Allan told The Sentinel that she was “furious…that the Corporation of the City of London is continuing to welcome men (to the Kenwood Ladies’ Pond) who claim to be women or non-binary..”

“As the Supreme Court ruled last April, women are female and no internal feeling or gender recognition certificate can change that fact.”

Campaigning group Sex Matters, which opposes the current ponds access policy, separately lost a legal bid on January 29 for permission to initiate a judicial review into the existing arrangements.

“The fight for women’s safety, privacy and dignity in single-sex spaces will continue,” Sex Matters CEO Maya Forstater said in a press statement. 

“Just because this particular claim was ruled out on procedural grounds does not give any service provider the green light to allow trans-identifying males into female facilities.”