International
COP16 recognizes the contribution of indigenous people to the care of biodiversity
The United Nations Conference on Biodiversity (COP16) approved in the early hours of Saturday by consensus the recognition of the contribution of Afro-descendant peoples and local communities to the care and preservation of biodiversity.
The approval was given at the last minute at the COP16 held in Cali and implies “the creation of a new subsidiary body of Article 8J” of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, according to the Colombian Foreign Ministry.
“Historical! We reached by consensus a great agreement on article 8J with 3 great achievements in COP16 Colombia,” said the Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development of Colombia, Susana Muhamad, president of the meeting, in her account of X.
With T-shirts printed with images of birds from the region and phrases in which they invite you to take care of nature, more than 2,000 people gathered in the historic center of Cali, in southwestern Colombia, to say goodbye to the COP16 of Biodiversity, whose celebration was a success for the city.
The party, to the rhythm of salsa, was lit in the Plaza de Cayzedo, heart of the Green Zone, in which, according to figures from the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development of Colombia, more than 900,000 people attended the activities of the COP over 12 days.
“We leave the name of our city high before the planet, we fulfill Colombia and we fulfill the world. This is because we are united in reconciliation with each other and with nature,” said the mayor of Cali, Alejandro Eder.
Applause to Cali
The invitation included a massive applause tonight to Cali, Colombia’s third city, in recognition of its civility and commitment to COP16, considered the most important event held in that city.
“I want us not to forget this feeling we are feeling, this joy, this pride of being from Cali because just as Cali organized the largest COP in history, every year we will have the Biodiversity Week and we will continue to take it (the ball) out of the stadium,” Eder insisted.
The salsa of traditional orchestras of the city, such as the Niche Group and Guayacán, rumbled in the square, while two dance teachers led the crowd.
The challenge was to create the largest class of sauce in the world, however, due to “logistical problems”, the task was not achieved.
“It doesn’t matter, no one takes away what we danced and enjoyed. We are ready as Caleños to keep trying and invite all the inhabitants of the different continents to come to this city, a city that we love and that opens its doors for them,” Juliana Álvarez, attendee to the street party, told EFE.
A COP16 that leaves positive figures
During the two weeks that COP16 lasted – from October 21 until today – Cali had visitors from more than 190 countries around the world, hotel occupancy exceeded 91% and even several delegations had to stay in motels for couples.
The Mayor’s Office of Cali also indicated that more than 15,237 tourists arrived in the city that increased the sales of businesses adjacent to the Green Zone by 290%.
The National Government also indicated that Cali reached the level of attendance of the climate COPs, surpassing a call of over 30,000 people.
The official information added that 1,000 businessmen attended the COP15 in Montreal (Canada), while more than 3,000 from around the world arrived at the COP16 in Cali.
“The world press talked about Cali. More than 5,588 portals from 149 countries in 51 languages and more than 23,000 articles with 91,700 impressions confirm that Cali is where the whole world should be,” concluded Mayor Eder.
International
Pope Francis meets former Gaza hostages
Pope Francis met on Thursday at the Vatican with 16 Israelis who had been held hostage in Gaza for months by the Islamist group Hamas, according to the official Vatican news website.
The group consisted of ten women, four men, and two children, as reported by the same source. Several of the former hostages showed the Argentine pontiff banners or photos of their loved ones who remain in captivity.
Francis had previously met with the families of hostages in April this year and November 2023, but this was the first time he had met with individuals who had personally endured captivity.
Since the conflict between Israel and Hamas began, the pope has repeatedly called for the immediate release of Israeli hostages, while also condemning the suffering of the Palestinian population.
The war erupted on October 7, 2023, when Islamist militants attacked southern Israel, killing 1,206 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapping 251, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures that include hostages who died in captivity.
Of the kidnapped, 97 are still being held in Gaza, but the Israeli military estimates that 34 of them have died.
The military offensive launched by Israel in response has killed at least 43,736 people in the Gaza Strip, mostly civilians, according to data from the Ministry of Health in the Hamas-governed territory.
International
Israeli airstrikes on Damascus kill 15 and injure 16, including women and children
Israeli forces carried out airstrikes on residential buildings in the Syrian capital, Damascus, and its surroundings on Thursday, resulting in at least 15 deaths and 16 injuries, according to Syria’s Ministry of Defense and state television.
The ministry stated that around 3:20 p.m. local time (12:20 GMT), the Israeli military launched an aerial attack from the direction of the occupied Golan Heights, targeting several residential buildings in the Mazzeh neighborhood in western Damascus and the Qudsaya suburb to the northwest of the capital.
The airstrikes “resulted in the death of 15 people and injuries to 16 others, including women and children,” based on initial estimates, in addition to significant damage to private property and civilian buildings, the ministry added.
Meanwhile, state television reported Israeli airstrikes on three buildings in Mazzeh and another on a building in an educational complex located in a residential area of Qudsaya.
Following the strikes, loud explosions were heard throughout the city, and thick plumes of smoke could be seen rising from the targeted locations. Ambulances and emergency services rushed to the scene to attend to the victims.
International
Drug trafficker dies after boat collision with Guardia Civil Vessel in Sanlúca
Three people were on the boat that collided with a Guardia Civil vessel around midnight at the mouth of the Guadalquivir River in Sanlúcar de Barrameda, near the Andalusian city of Cádiz, a spokesperson for the Civil Guard reported.
Two officers sustained “contusions,” the spokesperson explained.
The drug traffickers managed to bring the boat to shore, where one of them was “abandoned” severely injured. The other two fled.
The Civil Guard officers attempted to resuscitate the victim before transporting him to Sanlúcar de Barrameda, but he ultimately died early in the morning.
The other two suspects took advantage of the officers’ absence while they were taking the victim and returned to set their boat on fire.
The collision occurred very close to the site of another accident on September 1, where a drug trafficker died following a Guardia Civil pursuit.
The suspects’ boat traveled “400 meters” before crashing head-on and “at full speed” into the riverbank, where a hundred bundles of hashish were found.
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