Chile: hundreds missing as wildfires rage
Wildfires have been ravaging Chile's Valparaíso region, leaving hundreds missing and over 120 dead. President Gabriel Boric has described them as the worst disaster since the 2010 earthquake. The fires erupted during a heatwave, engulfing seaside towns normally cooled by sea breezes. Strong winds fuelled the blaze, quickly engulfing hillside communities. Drone footage reveals widespread destruction, with many unable to escape. Authorities are prioritising rescue efforts, with volunteers assisting those displaced. Nearly 15,000 homes have been damaged, and entire neighbourhoods razed. Boric has declared a state of emergency and imposed a curfew. Investigations are under way to determine if the fires were intentional.
Zimbabwe: 62 men saved as hanging is abolished
Sixty-two death row inmates in Zimbabwe could have their sentences commuted to life in prison when the government abolishes the death penalty in 2024. This was revealed after a cabinet meeting chaired by president Emmerson Mnangagwa on 6 February. The abolition is due to come into effect through a private member's bill. At present, the constitution states that the death penalty may be imposed only for murder committed under aggravating circumstances, and only on men aged between 21 to 70. The last inmates to be hanged were two notorious criminals in 2005. Zimbabwe at present does not even have a hangman, despite interest in the job by applicants in 2022, two of whom were women. As of last year, the death sentence was still used in thirty countries on the continent - but the death penalty has only been used regularly in fourteen of those. Capital punishment has now been abolished in 26 African countries.
Philippines: peace talks falter as conflict continues
Efforts to restart peace talks between the Philippine government and the communist New People’s Army have faltered as clashes continue. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr surprised many when he initiated talks, facilitated by the Norwegian government, with the National Democratic Front (NDF), the rebels’ political front. These resulted in an agreement in which both parties acknowledged the underlying grievances at the heart of the conflict and agreed to seek reforms. However, military operations persist, including airstrikes in December in Mindanao which killed nine alleged rebels. The conflict, spanning more than fifty years, has claimed more than 40,000 lives, peaking during the martial law era of Ferdinand Marcos Sr. Peace talks have repeatedly collapsed over the years.
USA: bipartisan immigration bills stalls
Joe Biden and Donald Trump are blaming each other for the stalling of a bipartisan immigration bill. Despite support from Democrats and Republicans, the measure has been rejected by Congress and faces growing opposition in the Senate. Biden accused Trump of exploiting the issue rather than solving it, while Trump's campaign blamed Biden's policies for chaos in American communities. The proposed bill aims to address the influx of undocumented immigrants at the southern border by allocating funds for border wall construction, expediting asylum decisions, limiting humanitarian parole, and expanding deportation authority. In addition to allocating $20bn for border funding, it includes major financial support for Ukraine and for Israel. Trump denounced the bill, claiming only ‘fools’ or ‘radical left Democrats’ would support it, and described his border policies as ‘the most secure in history’. The Republicans narrowly failed to impeach Biden's homeland security secretary, Alejandro Mayorkas, blaming him for the recent surge in illegal migration: see
