Latin America in Short: Nicaraguans Ask for Asylum | Colombia to the Semifinals of the Copa America

This week Mario Draghi resigned as head of government and with this Italy is left without a prime minister. In the Latin American panorama, the UNHCR confirms that Nicaraguans ask for asylum around the world, they are the second nationality that does it the most. On the other hand, the Latin American and Caribbean Climate Week 2022 is taking place in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. In health news, the suspicion of many women is confirmed: the Coronavirus vaccine could have consequences on the menstrual cycle. Finally, in sports news, the Colombian Women's National Team advances to the semifinals of the Copa America.

Italy is left without a prime minister. Mario Draghi resigns as head of government

The President of the Italian Republic, Segio Mattarella, formally accepted the resignation of the nation's Prime Minister and Head of Government, Mario Draghi. This occurs after the three government coalition parties: Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia, Matteo Salvini's League and Giuseppe Conte's 5 Star Movement withdrew their trust in Draghi, and with this they left the ruling party without the necessary majorities to form a government. . In this way, now the fifth economic power in Europe will have to enter the electoral process to once again form a government. Early parliamentary elections must be called in order to achieve majorities and form coalitions. It is estimated that the next elections could be held in late September or early October, meanwhile, the current government will continue to carry out tasks.

After the 5 Star movement had announced its departure from the coalition, Draghi tried to rebuild the government coalition. Despite winning the motion in the Senate with 95 votes in favor and 38 against, it ended without the vital vote of M5S, FI and the League, leading to its dissolution. In recent weeks, different social movements, unions and even the Catholic Church had expressed their support for the current prime minister and encouraged his continuity so as not to fuel the economic and energy crises that Italy and Europe in general are currently going through.

Nicaraguans were the second asylum seekers in the world in 2021

The political and economic situation that Nicaragua is going through has the citizens of the Central American nation urgently seeking to emigrate. According to a recent report by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Nicaraguans ranked second in asylum requests in the world, only surpassed by Afghans, who today live in a country ruled by the Taliban. According to the organization, last year, more than 110,000 Nicaraguans applied for refuge outside the country, mainly in neighboring Costa Rica. In this way, the figure reached 5 times the number of requests during the same period in 2020.

The political persecution of opponents in Nicaragua has intensified since last year, when, in the midst of the electoral campaign, the candidate president, Daniel Ortega, used his state apparatus to persecute and imprison political opponents. According to UNHCR, during 2021, the nationality that made the most asylum requests was the Afghan, with 125,600 requests, followed by the Nicaraguan with 111,600 and the Syrian with 110,000 applications.

Climate Week in Latin America and the Caribbean 2022 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

From July 18 to 22, the Latin American and Caribbean Climate Week 2022 has been celebrated in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. This is a key moment ahead of COP27, to be held in Egypt in November. This event aims to develop resilience strategies against climate risks, accelerate the transformation towards an economy with low greenhouse gas emissions and generate alliances in the region to create strategies to solve the most urgent challenges in order to meet the objectives to mitigate the effects of climate change and curb the rise in temperature.

Confirmed: vaccination against Coronavirus affects the menstrual cycle

This has been pointed out by a study published in the Science Magazine that carried out an investigation with 39,129 people between 18 and 80 years old. It found that 42% of people with regular menstrual cycles bled more than normal and as many who do not menstruate regularly had intermenstrual bleeding: 66% in the case of postmenopausal people, 71% of people who take contraceptives and 39% of people taking gender-affirming hormones. Thus, it confirms the suspicion that many women and menstruating people had about vaccination. However, despite these alterations in the menstrual cycle, no greater risk has been detected linking the vaccine and menstruation.

The Colombian Women's National Team qualified for the semifinal of the Copa America

The Colombian National Team thrashed the Chilean National Team 4-0, and advanced to the semifinals of the Copa América, which is played in the coffee country. The "super powerful girls" had goals from Catalina Usme, Daniela Arias, Manuela Vangeas and Lina Salazar. With this match, Colombia secured its undefeated streak in the group stage. Colombia will play again on July 25 at the Alfonso López stadium in Bucaramanga. What is certain is that at least they have secured a spot for the World Cup.

Read also: Women's soccer in Latin America, between lights and shadows