Latin America in Brief: Chaos in Ecuador’s Prison and Environmental Financing in Colombia

This week, a riot brought chaos to a jail in Ecuador, Afghan women have come out to protest peacefully, Colombia received EU funding for its environmental programs, Greta Thunberg appealed to world leaders and the NBA complicates things somewhat. unvaccinated players. All summarized here.

Chaos in jail in Ecuador

A riot in the Guayaquil jail leaves, so far, 116 fatalities. Apparently, the fight between criminal gangs detained in the largest prison in the country has left the most violent prison riot in the history of the Andean country.

According to the Ecuadorian Government, the resumption of the prison has been chaotic and violent, because the prisoners are mutinied with knives, firearms and grenades. These events are not new in Ecuador, since the presidency of Moreno and during that of Lasso himself, violent riots in prisons have left more than 300 dead in 2021 alone.

Also read: Will A European Union Be Possible In Latin America?

Women fight for their rights in Afghanistan

Afghanistan in the hands of the Taliban has made it clear with its measures that gender equality and female education are not its ideals. Due to the restrictions approved in recent weeks by the new government, which excludes women and girls from accessing education and employment, several have decided to march peacefully. Several groups of Afghans have taken to the streets, despite the harassment of the Taliban forces who, according to El País de España, have even used shots in the air to avoid protests that they consider illegal, as they do not have premises.

Greta Thunberg questions the "blah blah blah" of world leaders on climate change

Last Tuesday, September 28, the UN Youth Climate Conference began, which is taking place in Milan, Italy. Greta Thunberg made a presence with her speech, in which she accused world governors of not doing enough to mitigate climate change.

The 18-year-old began her speech by imitating certain leaders such as Joe Biden or Emmanuel Macron and their position on the climate crisis as a mockery. He focused on pointing out the actions that fall short, but above all the “blah blah blah” of which a false environmental discord has been constituted for decades that is, above all, passive. Likewise, the Swedish activist insisted on the importance of generating action in civil sectors and at the individual level and of demanding, as a society, climate guarantees for the future.

EU delivers 20 million euros to Colombia for environmental programs

The European Union recently disbursed 20 million euros to the Colombian Government as a prize for having fulfilled 100% of its rural proposals, which were consolidated in the "Rural Development in Colombia-Phase II" (DRET II) and "Development Sustainable Local in Colombia-Phase II "(DLS II) that had to be met before December 31, 2021, a goal that was reached. According to the EU, it is expected that this amount of money will finance programs for a sustainable economic reactivation in the coffee-growing country.

The NBA complicates things for players without a vaccine

The best basketball in the world this week established a series of restrictions for basketball players who are not vaccinated. Among these, the league will not pay for games missed by those not vaccinated for failing to comply with local health regulations. This would be a significant waste of money for those who still refuse to receive the biological. Although an estimated 90% of NBA athletes are already vaccinated, this is a powerful incentive for the rest to adopt this attitude.