Despite expectations raised by the reopening of border crossings between the two countries and the normalization of relations, insecurity and violence persist in Cúcuta, Colombia’s largest city bordering Venezuela. The capital of the embattled department of Norte de Santander has seen a spate of twenty killings over the past week, largely over the scoreline in a dispute between criminal groups that has alerted civil society and human rights defenders. Local authorities are demanding a stronger presence from Gustavo Petro’s national government.

So far this year there have been 165 murders in the department, 128 of them in the capital – 35 of them within 30 days. “Cúcuta is very vulnerable due to our border situation, we have a commuting population of more than 68,000 people per day crossing the border in our territory and we have no cooperation with Venezuela,” Mayor Jairo Yáñez lamented Thursday after a safety tip. “The frontier requires more government attention,” I argue. From the Council, they have asked the President to declare a social emergency given the public order situation.

The city is shocked by a crisis caused by a combination of factors. “There is no strategy, feasibility or technical assistance to deal with crime amid a growing Mafia conflict,” laments Estefanía Colmenares, director of local newspaper La Opinión. In a year of regional elections, to the clashes over micro-commerce in several communities and extortion in various neighborhoods, we must add that the murders are being recorded by cameras, which arouses the security zeal of candidates who want to position themselves. The people of Cucuta will vote for Mayor Yáñez’s successor in October in a race that still has no favorites.

Nowhere else in Colombia are relations with the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela so intense, nor has it suffered so much from successive crises. The “gradual normalization” was one of the main focuses of the new Colombian diplomacy. The transport of goods through the binational bridges Simón Bolívar and Francisco de Paula Santander has been restored since September, while the symbolic Tienditas Bridge, a modern infrastructure renamed Atanasio Girardot, has been opened to the passage of vehicles from 2023, since it has never been had previously been dwarves. At the height of the mini Cold War that the two countries have been trying to put behind them since Petro took power almost a year ago, Venezuelan authorities have withdrawn the containers that were being crossed by soldiers loyal to Chavismo.

Cúcuta residents during a demonstration to demand an end to the violence. Ferley Ospina

The relief in Cúcuta, at least on the security front, is not yet felt. More than 2,200 kilometers long, the border line is permeable and full of informal routes through which all manner of contraband goods flowed in the past. Despite the reopening of the bridges, the secret boundary and traffic flow along the trails are still mandated. Crime has not given way to legality. “It is a dynamic that is taking place in the absence of the Colombian state and a clear security agreement between the Colombian and Venezuelan authorities. There is a lack of coordination,” says Ronal Rodríguez, a researcher at the Observatory of Venezuela at the Universidad del Rosario.

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Cúcuta has long been the epicenter of the violent episodes that preceded Petro’s rise to power. In mid-2021, a car bomb exploded in an army brigade, wounding dozens but not killing them, and in those days the helicopter carrying then-President Iván Duque was also shot. In December of the same year, further early-morning explosions at Camilo Daza Airport killed three people, two police officers and the man carrying the explosives.

In addition to the bi-national unrest, Norte de Santander is one of the places hardest hit by the armed conflict that has lasted for more than half a century and that Colombia has been trying to emerge from since signing a peace deal with the extinct FARC guerrillas in late 2016 The department is home to the Catatumbo region, which has one of the highest concentrations of coca leaf plants in the country. The dissidents of the FARC, the National Liberation Army – the last armed guerrilla – or the gang known as Tren de Aragua are part of the disorderly archipelago of criminal groups that operate in the region, fighting for illegal rents and arranged for the capsize

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A British foreign secretary, who has been accused of pressure for backing Boris Johnson in the Partygate affair, announced his resignation on Friday, accusing Prime Minister Rishi Sunak of having no interest in the environment.

In a very detailed letter, Zac Goldsmith, Under Secretary for Climate at the State Department, makes a serious charge against the current Prime Minister.

This close friend of Boris Johnson is among the Conservatives charged on Thursday with “unreasonable pressure” on the “Partygate” commission of inquiry.

This commission concluded that the ex-Prime Minister had lied to Parliament in the scandal surrounding the Downing Street parties organizing in defiance of health rules during the anti-Covid lockdowns.

Zac Goldsmith had retweeted a message with approval denouncing a “witch hunt” and accusing the commission of being a “puppet court”.

“The problem is not that the government is bad for the environment, it’s that you, our Prime Minister, just don’t care,” wrote Zac Goldsmith.

“That signal, or the lack of a signal, got into the ministries and caused a kind of paralysis,” he continued. “This administration’s apathy in the face of the greatest challenge we face makes it untenable for me to continue in office,” he concluded.

“It’s a ‘tsunami’: More than 200 dead dolphins and sea lions have washed up on California beaches amid a crisis of toxic algal blooms – and beachgoers are reporting 60 sea creatures in distress every HOUR

• Over 200 dead dolphins and sea lions have washed up on California beaches
• Experts believe a toxic algal bloom crisis is responsible for the deaths
• Volunteers receive more than 60 alerts per hour about animals in distress

By Stephen M. Lepore

Published: 6:44 AM, July 1, 2023 | Updated at 8:40 AM, July 1, 2023

Over 200 dead dolphins and sea lions have washed up on California beaches and hundreds more are in distress. Experts believe a toxic algal bloom crisis is to blame.

Experts said toxic algal blooms on the west coast had caused serious neurological problems in wildlife – while a local described seeing vicious attacks by sea lions that looked like they were on a “bad acid trip”.

According to CNN, the seaweed has killed more than 100 sea lions and nearly 100 dolphins, and organizations receive more than 60 reports of animals in distress every hour.

“It’s as if tsunami waves continue to sweep our local beaches and more sea lions and dolphins are suffering from domoic acid,” said Ruth Dover, co-founder and executive director of the Channel Islands Marine and Wildlife Institute.

Her organization has taken hundreds of calls over the past few weeks about the animals in distress, with the sea lions showing signs of eating domoic acid.

Over 200 dead dolphins and sea lions have washed up on California beaches and hundreds more are in distress. Experts believe a toxic algal bloom crisis is to blame

Domoic acid is a neurotoxin that is carried down the food chain via fish to larger mammals, leading to mass die-offs and sometimes turning the water purple – a phenomenon known as the “red tide”.

The Channel Islands Marine & Wildlife Institute (CIMWI) said it had received reports of sea lions biting surfers, divers and people in the sand and even attacking dogs.

CIMWI has told visitors not to pour water on the sea lions, even when it’s hot outside, as it could aggravate their “weakened condition” and even cause a seizure.

They also urged people not to touch the animals in any way, feed them, molest them, or get too close to take selfies.

CIMWI warned that all of these acts are federal offenses and are punishable by a fine of up to US$100,000 and up to one year in prison.

“Keep your distance and your dog’s distance. For your safety and the animal’s health, stay 50 feet (four car lengths) back,” said a spokesman for the institute.

A resident of the California coastal city of Ventura said she saw sea lions act like they were on a “bad acid trip,” including one biting a diver and another repeatedly throwing a paddleboarder off his board.

Justin Greenman, a stranding coordinator at NOAA Fisheries, said the “completely overwhelming” wave of dead or sick animals was “one of the largest in history” and showed no signs of slowing down.

Experts said toxic algal blooms on the west coast have caused serious neurological problems in wildlife – while a local described witnessing vicious attacks by sea lions that looked like they were on a “bad acid trip”.

The algae are believed to have killed more than 100 sea lions and nearly 100 dolphins

CIMWI has told visitors not to pour water on the sea lions, even when it’s hot outside, as it could aggravate their “weakened condition” and even cause a seizure

Justin Greenman, a stranding coordinator at NOAA Fisheries, said the “completely overwhelming” wave of dead or sick animals was “one of the largest in history” and showed no signs of slowing down

Organizations receive more than 60 alerts about animals in distress every hour

He and Dover both find that the volunteers are exhausted from trying to save these creatures.

‘[The groups] “We do get federal funding, but that’s really just a small drop in the ocean,” Greenman said.

“But we have a lot of people who put so much time and heart into it, and it’s started to take its toll.”

“Our team members are physically tired and emotionally drained,” added Dover.

“It’s really difficult to watch an animal suffering from domoic acid and we want to help every single one of them.”

A study published earlier this year found that the average annual number of observed blooms increased by 59.2 percent between 2003 and 2020 — equivalent to 2.19 percent per year.

This increasing bloom frequency was significantly correlated with sea temperature, suggesting that “blooming seasons have been lengthened in these temperate seas with warmer temperatures.”

What is an algal bloom?

An algal bloom is a rapid increase in the algal population in a body of water.

The phenomenon can occur in both freshwater and marine environments, causing the water to turn yellow, red, or light green.

Some algal blooms are caused by an excess of nutrients, which leads to the growth of algae and other green plants.

The more nutrient-rich food available, the more bacteria will multiply and consume the oxygen dissolved in the water.

When oxygen levels drop, many fish and aquatic insects cannot survive, resulting in a dead zone.

Algal blooms composed of phytoplankton that are known to naturally produce biotoxins are often referred to as harmful algal blooms, or HABs.

The Austrian newspaper Wiener Zeitung appeared on Friday for the last time as a daily newspaper in the capital Vienna and elsewhere.

Founded in 1703, the newspaper has appeared daily ever since and is one of the oldest surviving newspapers in the world.

“116,840 days, 3,839 months, 320 years, 12 presidents, 10 emperors, 2 republics, 1 newspaper,” read Friday’s front page in simple, large black type.

It was reminiscent of the April 27 issue, when news broke that the newspaper’s circulation was about to end, when the years 1703 and 2023 dominated the cover.

In April, the newspaper learned that its more than three-century-long era of daily print publication was coming to an end. Image: Helmut Fohringer/APA/picturedesk/picture Alliance

In its last issue, the newspaper interviewed Austrian bodybuilding, film and political pioneer Arnold Schwarzenegger and promoted his new biopic and Netflix partnership. He complained that unlike the “Terminator” character, the newspaper couldn’t claim “I’ll be back.”

What is the Wiener Zeitung?

The newspaper, which first appeared under the name “Wienerisches Diarium”, stated in its first edition on August 8, 1703 that it wanted to provide a sober presentation of the news “without oratory or poetic glamor”.

Deputy editors-in-chief Judith Belfkih and Thomas Seifert published an editorial on Friday citing the paper’s reputation for serious analysis of important issues, saying it was a loss for Austria’s daily media landscape.

“These are tumultuous times for quality journalism,” the editorial began. “On more and more platforms, serious content is vying for attention with fake news, cat videos and conspiracy theories.”

Is it the oldest newspaper in the world?

That depends in part on how you define the title, e.g. B. whether it must continue to be printed daily or whether it should continue to be printed in its original city.

The newspaper billed itself as the world’s longest running daily newspaper still in print, although several other European publications may be attempting to lay claim to this or a similar accolade, including but not limited to the Gazzetta di Mantova (established 1664) . in northern Italy, which has moved from Mantua to Milan in recent years.

But according to the Wiener Zeitung, the Hildesheimer Allgemeine Zeitung (founded in 1705) is now taking over in the German state of Lower Saxony, a claim that certainly seems undisputed among German-language newspapers.

Why is it downsized?

The Wiener Zeitung is editorially independent but owned by the Austrian government. Print circulation is solid but modest, about 20,000 copies on weekdays and about double that on weekends.

The company suffered a sharp drop in sales after a recent change in the law removed the obligation for companies to pay a fee to publish changes in the commercial register in the hard copy. This role as Official Journal had become its main source of income, but was relocated to an online government register as the Austrian government stated it was necessary to comply with EU standards for making public information available online.

This change ultimately forced the newspaper to cut a total of 63 jobs, reducing its journalistic staff from 55 to 20 people.

Belfkih and Seifert complained that the Austrian government had missed a “chance of the century” to find a new “financing model linked to quality criteria” that could have offered itself and the state broadcaster ORF, which had come under pressure, long-term security.

Nevertheless, the headline and conclusion of the article alluded to the German and English saying “Hope dies last” and asked rhetorically whether “a new government will seize this opportunity again/still/nevertheless”.

What’s next?

The newspaper does not dissolve completely. It will continue to be available online and a monthly print edition is planned, although the details are yet to be set in stone.

msh/nm (AFP, AP, dpa)