Global Briefs: Drought drains Colombian reservoirs

Colombia

Government officials announced water rationing in April for more than 9 million people who live in the nation’s capital. The measures, effective April 11, aim to slow the depletion of Bogotá’s reservoirs, as the city has less than 50 days before it runs out of water. Mayor Carlos Fernando Galán called the situation critical and has asked residents to help save as much water as possible. Bogotá broke its temperature record in January and has not recorded any rainfall for the last four months amid the ongoing climatic phenomenon known as El Niño, which should have subsided earlier this year. Colombia is the third most populous country in Latin America, and about 80 percent of its energy depends on hydroelectric power. —Carlos Páez

Zambia

Authorities raided a Chinese-run cybercrime syndicate on April 9 and arrested 77 people, including 22 Chinese nationals. The company, Golden Top Support Services, was located in Roma, an upscale suburb of Lusaka. It employed young Zambians who believed they were working for a call center. Instead, they were given scripted dialogues for money-laundering schemes. Zambia’s Drug Enforcement Commission headed up the raid after months of investigation following a rise in internet fraud cases that drained many Zambians’ bank accounts. The company also allegedly defrauded people in other countries, including Singapore and the United Arab Emirates. During the raid, police confiscated 13,000 SIM cards and devices used to disguise the origin of calls. Authorities released the Zambians involved in the scheme on bail so they can aid the investigation. —Elizabeth Russell

Bahrain

To celebrate his 25th anniversary on the throne, King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa surprised activists by declaring unconditional pardons for 1,584 prisoners held on criminal and riot charges. Some have been held since the 2011 Arab Spring uprising, when Bahrainis called for a constitutional monarchy and an elected prime minister. A government spokesman claimed the country holds no political prisoners, only those whose conduct involves or incites hatred or violence. Some detainees chanted “Free Palestine” upon their release, but others advocated for the release of a purported 600 other Bahrainis still in custody. The kingdom is a U.S. ally and the only Gulf state to support efforts to prevent Houthi attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. —Amy Lewis

Vietnam

A court in Ho Chi Minh City sentenced billionaire property developer Truong My Lan to death on April 11 in the country’s largest-ever financial fraud case. Communist-ruled Vietnam rarely uses capital punishment for financial crimes, typically reserving it for offenses like terrorism or murder. Judges convicted Lan, who is in her late 60s, of bribery, violation of bank regulations, and embezzlement that resulted in losses of $27 billion to the Saigon Commercial Bank. They have ordered her to compensate the bank, though prosecutors said the money may never be recovered. The sentence came amid an ongoing anti-corruption campaign. Lan has denied the charges and may appeal. —Joyce Wu

Nigeria

Mourners and activists rallied in Abuja and Lagos states on April 14 to remember the abduction of 276 schoolgirls a decade ago. Boko Haram insurgents stormed a boarding school in the town of Chibok in northeastern Borno state in 2014. Nearly 100 of the girls are still missing. In Lagos state, advocates read the girls’ names and urged authorities to secure their freedom. Kidnappings continue to occur regularly even beyond Islamist insurgents: Criminal groups in the northwest often stage kidnappings for ransom money. Nearly 1,900 people have been kidnapped in mass abductions in the first quarter of 2024. —Onize Ohikere

Switzerland

In a landmark ­decision, the European High Court of Human Rights ruled April 9 that nations have a duty to protect their citizens from the effects of climate change. The case was brought by Senior Women for Climate Protection, a group of 2,400 Swiss women whose average age is 74. They argued that because older women are more likely to die in heat waves, Switzerland has a responsibility to help stop global warming by implementing emissions targets listed in the 2015 Paris climate agreement. The court rejected a similar case brought by young people from Portugal. The Swiss case sets a legal precedent in the European court and likely will open the door to similar legal challenges in the 46 nations that belong to the Council of Europe. —Jenny Lind Schmitt