Elder Ulisses Soares held several meetings with government and religious leaders, humanitarian organizations and members and leaders of the Church from both Caribbean islands.
The Atacama Desert is by far the driest and oldest desert on Earth, showing a unique combination of environmental extremes (extreme dryness, the highest UV radiation levels on Earth and highly saline and oxidizing soils), explaining why the Atacama has been largely investigated as a Mars analog model for almost twenty years. Based on the source and the amount of water available for life and its analogy with Mars, two ecosystems are of interest in the Atacama; its Coastal Range and the much drier hyperarid core, which we here review in detail. Members of the three domains of life have been found across these ecosystems living at the limit of habitability, suggesting the potential dry limits for each domain, and also unveiling the highly patchy distribution of microbial life in its most extreme regions. The through study of the Atacama have allowed to understand how life has adapted to its extreme conditions, the specific habitats that life occupies in each case, (thus suggesting the mos
30 April 2021: Flames rise from a burning barricade behind a riot police officer during confrontations after a protest in Cali, Colombia, against neoliberal reforms and growing poverty. (Photograph by Luis Robayo/ AFP)
Colombian security forces have killed more than 40 people since recent protests began on 28 April, according to
Temblores, a Colombian non-governmental organisation (NGO) that documents state violence. Along with countless cases of torture and sexual assault, around 500 people remain missing since the protests began and could have been “disappeared”, a reality all too familiar to Colombians.
The actual number of deaths is likely higher as chaos and uncertainty unfolded during the continuing general strike, with President Iván Duque threatening to declare martial law if the protests continue. The military was deployed onto the streets of major cities across the country and distressing videos of police brutality continue to flood social media.
Supplies of grapes are still strong thanks to a combination of California supplies as well as imports.
“There are good supplies of California grapes through the end of this month and into January. I doubt we’ll have any by the end of January but this month we’ll still have plentiful supplies. It’s a normal timing for us to finish,” says Jim Beagle of Grapery based in Shafter, CA. He adds that the volume looks similar to last year at this time. “I was thinking all along it might be slightly down, but it looks like it’s going to come in pretty close to last year,” says Beagle.