NZ police end parliament occupation amid riots, fires, arrests | Main | Spanish edition

New Zealand Police on Wednesday evicted anti-vaccine mandate protesters who had occupied the grounds of parliament for 23 days, resulting in riots, fires and dozens of arrests.

Photographs and videos circulating on social media as well as local media livestreams of the operation, which began at 6am and was still going more than 12 hours later, showed protesters setting tents, a playground and various objects on fire, and throwing projectiles, including bricks ripped up from the pavement, at police.

Officers used pepper spray, sponge bullets and fire hoses as clashes and chaos spilled out of parliament grounds onto surrounding city streets.

At least 65 people were arrested for a range of offenses including trespass, willful damage and possession of restricted weapons, police said.

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Amazon fires, Venezuela, Haiti lead King of Spain journalism awards | Main | Spanish edition

The King of Spain International Journalism Prizes on Wednesday recognized the work of Spanish and Portuguese journalists across Latin America and their important coverage of social movements, the environment and humanitarian work.

The report “The broken promise: the collapse of social security in Venezuela” published on the Prodavinci news site won the prize for International Cooperation and Humanitarian Action Journalism.

Photographer César Luis Melgarejo Aponte scooped the International Photography Journalism award for his photograph “Resistir” (“Resist”) published in Colombia’s El Tiempo newspaper.

The report “The Assassination of the president of Haiti” broadcast on Colombian TV program Noticias Caracol won the Narrative Journalism Award “for sharing exclusive information about the assassination of Jovenel Moise in 2021”.

Spanish non-profit organization Civio was awarded with the Ibero-American Media award for its work based on “transparency, data veracity and accountability”.

The report “Daughter of Cotton: A Profile of Cristina Rivera Garza”, published in the Mexican magazine Gatopardo, was awarded with the Cultural Journalism prize “for its ability to reflect on the contribution of Hispanics to the creation of the culture of the United States .”

Finally, the Environmental Journalism award was given to the report “Engolindo Fumaça” (“Swallowing Smoke”) on the health effects of forest fires published in InfoAmazonia of Brazil.

Created by Spain’s news agency EFE and the country’s agency for international cooperation and development (AECID) in 1983, the annual media awards recognize some of the leading work done by Spanish and Portuguese-speaking journalists.

The jury for this 39th edition of the prize ceremony selected media outlets and reporters from 17 Ibero-American countries spanning topics ranging from humanitarian, social, cultural and environmental. EFE

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In Buenaventura they cry out for money to put out fires - Cali - Colombia

Bonaventurea district city with the most important port in southwestern Colombia, not only has problems with basic services, especially water, which still does not reach 400,000 Buenos Aires during the 24 hours of the day or rubbish that floats under the stilt houses.

The crisis reached the 150 firefighters for the entire district, who in a protest in the streets, demanded the payment of a debt of 400 million pesos to the Town hall of the town, since last year.

(Also read: Video of the robbery in a barbershop to Nelson Ramos, ex-Millionaires goalkeeper

Captain Guillermo Valencia, commander of the central barracks, said that the District Administration does not pay what corresponds to the relief agency from the money collected by the industry and commerce tax that is equivalent to the contribution of 10 percent by merchants.

“He pays us drop by drop and we have to be asking. That’s not enough for vehicle maintenance. We could buy more machinery or better equip the ambulance and other equipment,” said Captain Valencia.

(Also: For this reason, the Archbishop of Cali asks the Pope to enlist his replacement)

“The Mayor’s Office should send all the resources to the Fire Department account,” he said.

The District Administration reported that as of this week, the monies owed will begin to be disbursed.

“The financial situation of the Mayor’s Office affects everything and with Firefighters we have an agreement for the execution of the money,” said Mayor Víctor Vidal.

The president assured that some payments have been made and noted that firefighters are free to express their opinion.

CALI

Atlántico: alert in Barranquilla and municipalities due to forest fires - Barranquilla - Colombia

In the last hours, the Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology and Environmental Studies (Ideam) declared red alert in Barranquilla and the municipalities of the Atlantic due to the threat of forest fires.

(Also read: The scuffle between Gustavo Petro and Álex Char after a debate in Barranquilla)

The provisions also apply to territories of the Caribbean region, “due to the precipitation and maximum temperature that have occurred in recent days, there are high, moderate and low alert conditions due to plant cover fires,” the entity explained. .

He added that in the case of Atlántico, including the District, a red alert is declared for absence of rainwhich causes a greater threat for the occurrence of forest fires.

Ideam Recommendations

Keep fire prevention and attention plans active in order to prevent their occurrence and spread

Due to the foregoing, Ideam recommended that the community in general, tourists and walkers duly put out fires and not leave glass-type residues that serve as concentrating elements of solar radiation and also report to the authorities in the event of fires.

“To the departmental and municipal councils, the environmental, regional and local authorities, to keep fire prevention and attention plans active in order to prevent the occurrence and spread of fires, especially in forest reserve areas and the National Fire Protection System. National Natural Parks”, indicated the institute.

Likewise, he made a call to the regional and local firefighting systems, so that they have the necessary elements to timely care of vegetation cover fire events.

In the Caribbean region, the red alert also includes the departments of Bolívar, Cesar, Córdoba, Magdalena, La Guajira and Sucre.

(You may be interested in: Garbage that the Magdalena River drags to Atlantic beaches is now art)

Actions suggested by the Government

Meanwhile, the Government of Atlántico, through the Undersecretary for Disaster Prevention and Attention, also issued a series of recommendations, given the risk of drought fires.

Some of them are: Do not throw cigarette butts or matches on the ground, do not light fires in the bush, consider other types of strategies for preparing the land and do not use machinery or tools that can generate sparks.

BARRANQUILLA

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