Latin America in Short: Diplomatic crisis in Peru | Colombia Seeks to Regulate Surrogate Pregnancy

This week, Peru is moving away from the positions of its partners in the Pacific Alliance, whose governments have expressed support for the protests. On the other hand, Colombia seeks to regulate surrogate motherhood. In global news, Russia and Ukraine are escalating the fight. In addition, Green Peace has published a petition letter calling for changing the president of COP28 at the time a group of scientists warn about how close humanity may be to its extinction. We summarize here the most relevant news of the week.

Peru separates itself from its partners in the Pacific Alliance

The Peruvian government not only has to solve the internal crisis it has been facing since the departure of Pedro Castillo, but now it is also facing a difficult diplomatic landscape. Its partners in the Pacific Alliance: Mexico, Colombia and Chile have directly and indirectly expressed their support for the protesters, the former president and have called on President Dina Boluarte to respect the will of the Peruvians and to guarantee legitimate protest.

For its part, Peru has responded to these actions with harsh diplomatic messages. Through their diplomatic corps or senior officials, they have called on the governments of Colombia and Chile to respect the laws and the legitimate actions of the current Peruvian president. This confrontational tone between trade and integration partners that are part of the Pacific Alliance demonstrates how difficult the relationship between the group's governments will be, which could hinder the group's regional integration plans.

Ukraine and Russia escalate combat

While the Ukrainian forces acknowledge having lost control of the valuable population of Soledar, the West announces the massive sending of war tanks. Poland, Germany and several other Western countries have approved and announced the arrival of dozens of German-made Leopard II tanks. The fight for the town of Soledar had lasted for several weeks, and the joint forces of the Russian army and the mercenaries of the Wagner group managed to gain control of this strategic location.

For its part, Russia responds by sending tanks and military equipment to its adversary with an increase in strategic bombing. Russian missiles report damage to the electrical network of several major cities in Ukraine: Kyiv, Odesa and Zaporizhia.

Government of Colombia initiates project to regulate surrogates

The lack of a clear regulation regarding surrogacy in Colombia has allowed a black market for this practice to develop in the Andean country. For this reason, the Constitutional Court of Colombia asked the government to implement regulations in this regard. The Minister of Justice, Néstor Osuna, and the Vice Minister of Justice, Jhoana Delgado, have announced that a bill is ready to present to Congress for approval. According to their statements, this bill aims to regulate this practice and protect women. However, it is a sensitive issue, in which there are various conflicting positions. However, a first step has been taken to address this phenomenon that is getting out of control.

450 organizations demand the dismissal of Sultan Al Jaber as president of COP28

450 civil society organizations have sent a petition to António Guterres, Secretary General of the United Nations, so that Sultan Al Jaber is not allowed to continue as president of the Abu Dhabi Climate Summit (COP28). This claim is due to Al Jaber's links to the oil industry, as he is the director of the National Oil Company of the United Arab Emirates. “It represents a threat to the legitimacy and effectiveness of COP28. If we have any hope of tackling the climate crisis, the COPs must not have any influence from the fossil fuel industry [oil, gas and coal]”, states the letter shared by Green Peace . Likewise, it questions the legitimacy of COP28 and points out to the organization to look after economic interests, more than environmental ones. Finally, organizations make requests for changes in how these types of events, so relevant to the fight against climate change, are addressed.

Also read: United Arab Emirates And COP28: Inclusion Or Greenwashing?

90 seconds from the apocalypse: this is what the symbolic clock of the end of the world says

A group of atomic scientists and researchers, with several Nobel Prize winners among their members, decided in 1947 to create a symbolic clock called "Doomsday Clock". It is a way of measuring global risks and warning about the dangers of destruction, especially due to atomic dangers, natural catastrophes or wars. This Tuesday, January 24, members of the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists at the University of Chicago decided to set the clock at 90 seconds from the end of the world, the closest to total danger that has ever been found.