Chile expands emergency as deaths from wildfires rise

Chile has extended an emergency declaration to yet another region as firefighters struggled to control dozens of wildfires that have killed at least 23 people.

The latest emergency order on Saturday covers the southern region of Araucania, next to the previously declared Biobio and Nuble regions, located near the middle of the South American country’s long Pacific coastline.

loss of their "property" on Grenada – the equivalent of about £3 million in today's money.

"For me to be giving £100,000 almost 200 years later... maybe that seems like really inadequate," she said.

"But I hope that we're setting an example by apologising for what our ancestors did."

The Grenada National Reparations Commission described the gesture as commendable.

(Excerpt from BBC News)

The measure allows the Government to mobilise the military to help battle the fires.

“Weather conditions have made it very difficult to put out [the fires] that are spreading and the emergency is getting worse,” Interior Minister Carolina Toha told reporters at a news conference in the Chilean capital, Santiago.

“We need to reverse that curve,” she added.

At least 23 people have died in connection to the fires, while 979 have been reported injured. More than 1,100 have sought refuge in shelters.

Some 11 of the victims, or nearly half of those reported killed so far, died in the town of Santa Juana in Biobio, located some 500 kilometres (310 miles) south of Santiago.

The deaths also included a Bolivian pilot who died when a helicopter that was helping combat the flames crashed in Araucania. A Chilean mechanic also died in the crash.

(Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

Bahamian Police probe death threats to PM

Police Commissioner Clayton Fernander says a full investigation is now under way following death threats against Prime Minister Phillip “Brave” Davis.

Speaking during an emergency press conference, the Police Commissioner said two anonymous phone calls were made shortly after midday, threatening the Prime Minister’s life.

Tuesday, January 17, 2023 began as a regular day for Detective Constables Jahdiel Kennedy, Monic Ingram, and Andre Reynolds.

That, however, changed quickly when a citizen rushed into the May Pen Police Station to report that a woman was atop the May Pen bridge looking as if she was ready to jump.

The three young gumshoes — trained to expect the unexpected and fully aware that every day on the job comes with different challenges and experiences — rushed to the bridge within minutes and quickly switched into rescue mode.

"When we reached the bridge and saw the lady up there. It was very scary. However, Kennedy immediately climbed onto the top of the bridge and started pleading with the wom- an not to jump," Reynolds related.

Kennedy's effort to dissuade the distraught May Pen resident from plunging to a possible death was made more difficult by people in the large crowd that had gathered below encouraging the woman to jump.

"I pleaded with her to give life a chance. She reluctantly made up her mind for me to assist her down," Kennedy explained.

However, during the rescue Murphy's Law — "Anything that can go wrong will go wrong" — kicked in as the woman passed out, making Kennedy's task more difficult.

Police, though, are trained to remain calm amid adversity so that aspect of the training was promptly activated by Kennedy. The woman was taken safely to ground and rushed to hospital for treatment.

The speed with which Kennedy got to the top of a bridge and persuaded the woman not a jump remains a big puzzle to his colleagues, because he is not known to be a talker.

(Jamaica Observer)