Latin America in Short: Tension Between Chile and Nicaragua | Escazú Agreement in Colombia

In global news, this week the reason for the death of Queen Elizabeth II was made public. In Latin America, the diplomatic tension between Chile and Nicaragua has been intensifying. In Colombia, meanwhile, the Escazú Agreement takes a step forward in Congress. Finally, in sports, Real Madrid collects a million dollars in aid for Ukraine. The most relevant of the week is gathered here.

The reasons for the death of Queen Elizabeth II are known

The British media Sky News revealed that the death certificate of Queen Elizabeth II specified that the reason for the death of the sovereign was "old age". Additionally, it was known that the time of his death was officially at 3:10 p.m. local time, on September 8. The certificate of his death is known 3 weeks after his death. Just after the head of state of the United Kingdom and several Commonwealth countries celebrated 70 years on her throne and 96 years of life. Elizabeth thus became the monarch with the longest reign in the history of England. The palace report stated that "The queen fell asleep peacefully at Balmoral". After the death of the queen, Charles III, her eldest son, is the new king of the British crown. However, the official coronation must take place later, and it is unofficially expected that it may be in 2023.

Diplomatic tension between Chile and Nicaragua grows

After Chilean President Gabriel Boric called for the release of political prisoners in Nicaragua in the framework of the 70th General Assembly of the United Nations, his Nicaraguan counterpart struck back. Daniel Ortega, president of Nicaragua, called Boric a lapdog, since his accusations, according to Ortega, seek to ingratiate himself and "receive applause from the Yankee empire." Likewise, he recalled that in Chile the Constitution of the dictator Augusto Pinochet is still in force. Boric has been a strong critic of the government of Daniel Ortega, even though he is one of the leaders of the left in South America.

For several months, human rights organizations have warned of the intensification of political persecution in Nicaragua against opponents. These facts increased before, during and after the most recent presidential elections, which once again gave Ortega the victory. However, there have been widespread imprisonments against opposition leaders and a systematic persecution of the independent press and against the Catholic Church, whose members have criticized Sandinismo.

Colombia: the Second Commission of the House of Representatives approved the Escazú Agreement

In this way, the agreement took another step to reach the Plenary in the House of Representatives, where a vote will be held that may define the ratification, or not, of this agreement, which has already been ratified by 13 countries. Colombia, Brazil and Costa Rica are 3 key countries that are still pending ratification of this agreement, a comprehensive Latin American environmental treaty. After these votes in the Colombian Congress, the agreement should go to presidential sanction. It is necessary to remember that support for the agreement was one of the banners of President Gustavo Petro during his presidential campaign.

Read also: 5 keys to understand what the Escazú Agreement is

The Pan American Health Organization renews its policies

PAHO is holding the 30th Pan American Sanitary Conference. This is a meeting held every 5 years to renew the general policies of the organization. It brings together representatives from all over the Americas to assess progress in health and determine the roadmap. On this occasion, it is a special conference for the moment in which it is presented, after a pandemic that has left great challenges. Also, on Wednesday, Jarbas Barbosa da Silva Jr. was elected as the new director of PAHO , who will lead the organization for 5 years, starting in 2023.

Real Madrid has raised more than 1 million dollars in aid for Ukraine

The famous Spanish football club announced the figure in its annual review of accounts last season, collected as part of the "All for Ukraine" campaign. The million was distributed among several Spanish humanitarian aid organizations in Ukraine, as well as some of their partners in that country. Several soccer organizations around the world have taken on the task of supporting Ukraine with donations. For example, the Premier League also donated €1 million to the Disasters Emergency Committee, in addition to donations from their individual clubs.