International
Journalists in Latin America lack protection due to weak laws and few resources
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) criticized on Tuesday that journalists in Latin America lack protection due to “weak” legal frameworks and “insufficient” resources from States to guarantee the safety of media professionals.
That is why the biggest challenge for the region is to turn the protection of journalists into a “political priority,” says RSF in its report ‘Protection mechanisms in Latin America: how to strengthen this fragile shield for journalists’.
The organization recalls that 338 journalists have been murdered in Latin America since 2000.
The “systematic violence” they suffer translates into deaths, threats, arrests and persecutions by involving themselves in the denunciation of cases of corruption, organized crime and abuse of power.
The countries analyzed: Guatemala, Ecuador and Peru
RSF analyzes the situation of countries that have recently implemented mechanisms to strengthen the safety of journalists (Guatemala, Ecuador and Peru) and those that are in the process of approving measures of this type (Chile and Paraguay).
In Peru, the allocated budget does not grow at the same rate as requests for protection by journalists, whose situation has worsened due to the political and social crisis in the Andean country.
In just two years, these demands have multiplied by six (247 in 2023, compared to 40 in 2021), while the budget has only increased by 40% in the same period.
RSF criticizes Guatemala’s limited action to protect journalists, accentuated by the lack of parliamentary support of the current president, Bernardo Arévalo, which makes it even more difficult to approve specific and effective mechanisms.
In Ecuador, the state of emergency declared by its president, Daniel Noboa, after a wave of unprecedented violence has worsened the economic, technical and institutional endowment of the Interinstitutional Committee for the Protection of Journalists, which is currently trying to get support from embassies and associations.
Projects for the protection of journalists in Chile and Paraguay
With regard to the draft new legislation, the Chilean Senate has received the draft of a new protection law for journalists and media, a text that RSF considers devoid of detail in terms of budget and legal framework.
“It does not explicitly mention any department, agency or institution that is held responsible,” he highlights in his report.
In Paraguay, another protection law is also pending ratification by the Senate since April 2023. It is a text that provides for the formation of an independent committee that has the highest authority to evaluate the situation.
According to RSF, the current conservative majority in the Upper House of Paraguay is an obstacle to maintaining the main provisions of the law that journalists are trying to maintain based on political support.
Central America
El Salvador extends condolences to Turkey following deadly hotel fire
The Government of El Salvador extends its condolences and expresses solidarity with the Government of Turkey following the death of at least 76 people and more than 50 injuries in the fire at the Grand Kartal Hotel in Bolu Province on January 21.
“El Salvador offers its hopes for the swift recovery of those affected and expresses its deepest sympathy to the families of the deceased due to this tragic event,” said a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“Our country reaffirms the strong bonds of friendship shared with the Republic of Turkey, especially during this time of profound sorrow.”
The Turkish government began burying the victims on Wednesday, amid accusations of negligence.
International
Trump’s decree to halt electric vehicle subsidies and support combustion engines
A presidential decree signed on Monday after the inauguration aims to bring internal combustion engines back to the forefront and suspend federal subsidies for the installation of electric vehicle charging stations in the United States.
Other measures could follow, such as the elimination of a federal tax credit for those purchasing electric vehicles, or the cancellation of an exemption that allows California to have stricter automotive standards than the rest of the country.
Upon taking office, Trump stated that he intends to end the “Green New Deal,” an initiative that includes the incentives promoted by Biden to stimulate electric vehicle sales.
Shares of electric vehicle manufacturers like Rivian and charging equipment providers such as EVgo fell on the stock market. Tesla, owned by billionaire Elon Musk, a close ally of Trump, also saw a decline.
For Kathy Harris, director of the NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council), which focuses on clean energy vehicles, Trump is seeking to please “the big bosses of the oil industry.”
Harris insists that electric vehicles are better for the environment and allow for fuel savings.
The presidential decree on electric vehicles, like other ones signed since Monday, could lead to legal challenges.
International
Student killed, two injured in shooting at Nashville High School
A student was killed and two others were injured in a shooting that occurred this morning at a high school in Nashville, the capital city of Tennessee, in the southern United States, according to the Nashville Metropolitan Police Department.
The shooter, a 17-year-old student armed with a handgun, opened fire in the cafeteria of Antioch High School around 11:00 a.m. local time before taking his own life, police reported during a press conference.
One student was fatally shot. Of the injured, one student sustained a gunshot wound to the arm and is in stable condition at a hospital. Another student suffered a facial injury that was not caused by a gunshot and is receiving treatment, according to ABC News.
The school was placed on lockdown following the shooting. Students were transported by bus to an off-campus reunification site where distraught parents picked them up.
“Antioch High School is on lockdown due to shots fired inside the school building,” the school posted on social media. “Metro police are on the scene. The person responsible for the shooting no longer poses a threat.”
A SWAT team cleared the school, and authorities have launched an ongoing investigation.
Antioch High School serves approximately 2,000 students in grades nine through twelve, according to its website.
El Salvador extends condolences to Turkey following deadly hotel fire
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Student killed, two injured in shooting at Nashville High School
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