Latin America in Short: Dominican Minister Was Assassinated | WHO Warns About Monkeypox

In the Dominican Republic, the Minister of the Environment and Natural Resources, Jorge Mera, is assassinated. On global issues, the UN warns of possible famine as a result of the invasion of Ukraine. The WHO also warns about monkeypox, which has already reached Latin America. In Chile, meanwhile, there is massive poisoning due to contamination. Finally, in sports, several Latinos will participate in the MLB All-Star Game. All this summarized here.

The Minister of the Environment of the Dominican Republic was assassinated

While the body of Environment and Natural Resources Minister Jorge Mera is still being watched, investigations into his murder continue. As the investigations have been able to advance, and according to AFP sources, the main suspect, Fausto Miguel de Jesús Cruz, would have shot the politician in his office for not approving some permits. Information from the news agency affirms that Jesús Cruz, a childhood friend of the minister, served as an intermediary for companies seeking to advance business on the island. Apparently, a permit to export 5,000 tons of used batteries was recently rejected.

Police suspect that this led the suspect to enter the Environment Ministry offices and repeatedly shoot Mera. The businessman was a childhood friend of Minister Mera, which would have allowed him to easily enter his office where he was in a meeting with his deputy ministers. Information is even known that the attacker would have expressed his discontent at having supported the government party and not receiving business benefits. The authorities reported that more weapons with chargers, bullets and cash were found in the captured car. Jorge Mera was the son of former Dominican President Salvador Jorge Blanco and a member of a family linked to politics for decades.

UN warns current food crisis could be catastrophic by 2023

The United Nations warns that the recent consequences of the war in Ukraine could generate a humanitarian catastrophe in 2023. According to the organization, the costs of food, the rise in the price of fertilizer and gasoline and gas, make this a crisis food of catastrophic magnitudes. “This year's food crisis is due to lack of access. Next year's may be due to lack of food," said Antonio Guterres, secretary general of the United Nations, as he released the report on the impact of the war in Ukraine this week.

The head of the UN made it clear that despite the fact that currently the poorest countries are the most vulnerable, it cannot be ignored that the consequences will be seen throughout the planet. For Guterres, the main risk is that due to the shortage of fertilizers, there will soon be a reduction in food production, which will lead to widespread famines throughout the planet that will affect the most vulnerable communities the most and could send millions of people into poverty.

After Africa, Latin America is postulated as the region that will have the greatest consequences. According to the published report, 19 countries in the area will be exposed to a three-dimensional crisis. Only the largest nations will be able to cope with the coming crisis. Guterres says that the most effective solution will be to end Russia's invasion of Ukraine. However, until this happens, the planet will have to stabilize prices by putting Ukrainian food, as well as Russian food and fertilizers, back on the markets. Likewise, the UN leader asks to provide financial resources for the most vulnerable countries and thus counteract the difficult times ahead.

WHO issues alert on monkeypox

This disease that has already reached Latin America has more than 1,000 reported cases. On June 8, the World Health Organization warned that it is found in 29 countries outside of Africa and that, for this reason, there are strong reasons to think that it may establish itself in non-endemic countries. "We ask affected countries to make an effort to identify all cases and contacts to control this outbreak and stop its spread," said the WHO director. Given the situation, the organization assured that it is developing a mechanism for the distribution of antivirals and vaccines.

Also read: Infographic: This is everything you need to know about monkeypox

Mass poisoning in Chile due to contamination

This week, the levels of pollution, of sulfur dioxide among other things, increased in the town of Quintero-Puchuncaví, in the Valparaíso region of Chile. It is one of the most polluted areas of the southern country. In fact, Greenpeace has called the place "the Chilean Chernobyl". Due to increases in pollution, 14 schools had to be closed. The most affected in the community were children, who presented irritation in the respiratory tract, nausea and headaches. A commitment from the industry is urgently needed to support communities and curb pollution.

The MLB All Star has several Latino candidates

The next MLB All-Star game will have the participation of a large number of Latino baseball players. Especially, for this edition 26 Venezuelan players qualify, who could be chosen by the public. Among these the most prominent are Miguel Cabrera, Ronald Acuña Jr and Wilson Contreras. Miguel Cabrera in particular has been one of the best hitters for the Detroit Tigers, leading his team in batting average. Another name that is also ringing is that of Elvis Andrus, who is standing out as a hitter for the Oakland Athletics. On the Dominican side, Rafael Devers, José Ramírez and Juan Soto sound.