SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador (AP) — El Salvador closed 2024 with a record low 114 homicides, continuing notable security gains under a second full year of a state of emergency that has given the government extraordinary powers and curtailed some fundamental rights.
President Nayib Bukele said via the social platform X that the number announced Wednesday by the small Central American country’s Attorney General’s Office made it the safest nation in the Western Hemisphere.
Not all nations had published their 2024 annual homicide totals, but the 1.9 homicides per 100,000 in population that Bukele said had been achieved would put it below what any Latin American country had reported in 2023. El Salvador’s official total does not include the killings of five suspected gang members in shootouts with security forces.
In March 2022, El Salvador’s notoriously powerful street gangs killed 62 people in a matter of hours. The congress granted Bukele’s administration a requested “state of exception” to crackdown on the gangs that included suspending some Constitutional rights and giving police more powers to arrest and hold suspects.
More than 83,000 people have been arrested since, the majority jailed without due process. Bukele has said that 8,000 people who were innocent have been released.
Civil rights organizations have reported 354 people who have died in government custody during the crackdown.
Despite the restrictions, the improvements in security have contributed to Bukele’s extremely high popularity. For years, many Salvadorans lived in fear of the gangs that controlled swaths of the country, extorting, killing and forcibly recruiting.
In 2015, El Salvador had 6,656 homicides, making it one of the world’s deadliest countries. In 2023, there were 214 homicides. The advances have inevitably raised the question of whether the state of emergency can still be justified to which Bukele and his ministers have obliquely answered that they have not yet achieved all that they wish.
The congress, in which Bukele's party and allies hold a supermajority, continues to renew the special powers each month.
The gangs' repressive control made it difficult and dangerous for residents to travel between neighborhoods, including for work. Now residents say they can walk their neighborhoods without fear.
In February, Bukele romped to victory, winning an unprecedented second five-year term despite a constitutional ban on consecutive reelection. A friendly Supreme Court allowed it.
FILE - El Salvador President Nayib Bukele speaks after receiving Costa Rica's highest honor from President Rodrigo Chaves at the presidential palace in San Jose, Costa Rica, Nov. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Jose Diaz, File)
PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (AP) — Nicole Kidman gave a long-awaited dedication to her late mother Friday night at the Palm Springs Film Festival.
“I feel my momma right now. This is for you, momma,” Kidman said onstage in tears. The Australian actor and producer’s mother died last year shortly after Kidman arrived at the Venice Film Festival to promote “Babygirl."
“I didn’t get to do it at the Venice Film Festival," the actor said. "Thank you for giving me the chance to say this is for my mom. My whole career has been for my mom and dad.”
Kidman's “Scarpetta” co-star and friend Jamie Lee Curtis presented her with the International Star Award during the 36th annual International Film Awards at the festival in Palm Springs, California.
The intimate gala kicked off Hollywood’s whirlwind award season, honoring some of the film industry’s most anticipated award contenders.
Kidman was among notable A-listers including Adrien Brody, Zoe Saldaña, Isabella Rossellini and Angelina Jolie, who was presented with the Desert Palm Achievement Award-Actress by her godmother, acclaimed actor Jacqueline Bisset.
Jolie, who portrays opera singer Maria Callas in the Netflix biopic “Maria,” is nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Motion Picture.
“I’m all right today because when I walk off of this stage, I am more myself because of you, Zahara, and your brothers and sisters,” the Academy Award-winning actor said to her daughter while reflecting on Callas’ difficult life. Jolie's speech came days after finalizing a divorce settlement with Brad Pitt that reached over eight years.
The night was full of onstage reflection as recipients and presenters gave long, heartfelt speeches at the non-televised event.
Colman Domingo, who was presented with the Spotlight Award by good friend Demi Moore, reflected on art’s impact on him as a child and its power to transform lives. The speech was a nod to his recent film, “Sing Sing,” which tells the story of incarcerated men who find purpose while acting in a theater group.
“I found art when I really needed it to be a parachute to save my life,” Domingo said. “Art saves lives. It saved mine. It will save yours.”
While receiving the Chairman Award, Timothée Chalamet said he feels “clear-sighted” about his career and credits music icon Bob Dylan for indirectly providing him with the perspective he has to work as an actor out of love for the art form.
Chalamet stars as Dylan in “A Complete Unknown” and spent more than five years preparing for his transformation into the folk musician.
“A wise man once said, ‘They can hurt your feelings if they boo you, they can also kill you with kindness.’ I took my anxiety about tonight as a good sign that I’m actually focused on what really matters. The work and the opportunity to do the work again," Chalamet said.
Intermixed with the sentiment, stars also took the time to poke fun at themselves and their peers.
Jennifer Coolidge presented Ariana Grande with the Rising Star award, noting the “Wicked” actor and pop star was already a household name.
“Hasn’t Ariana already risen?” Coolidge said.
Grande, who endearingly almost dropped the heavy award onstage, said she expected to receive “the withering star” award at age 31 and playfully gave thanks to her “good friends Botox and Juvederm.”
Chalamet, who presented director Denis Villeneuve with the Visionary award alongside Amy Adams, reminded the director that he had worked more production days with the director than actor Jake Gyllenhaal.
“Perhaps if I could paint a throughline for Denis' movies is that they just keep getting bigger and better. Apologies to Jake Gyllenhaal once more, who was in the earlier, smaller movies,” Chalamet said.
Kieran Culkin cheekily pointed out he was receiving a Breakthrough Award-Actor for his work in Jesse Eisenberg’s “A Real Pain” after working in the industry for over 30 years.
“It’s weird to be here, to have been doing this for over 36 years. Perfect time to get my breakthrough award,” Culkin said.
Mikey Madison received the Breakthrough Award-Actress for her work in Sean Baker’s “Anora,” while Adrien Brody received the Desert Palm Achievement Award-Actor.
The ensemble cast from “Conclave” took home the Ensemble Performance Award, with director Edward Berger praising unique performances by each of his actors in the religious drama.
“Emilia Pérez” earned the event's Vanguard Award. Actor Alan Cumming lauded the film and said his immediate reaction was, “What the actual (expletive) is going on here?’ I stayed utterly mesmerized until the credits.”
The stars won’t spend too much time in the California desert before traveling two hours west to Los Angeles in time for the 82nd Golden Globe Awards on Sunday.
Timothee Chalamet poses with the chairman's award for "A Complete Unknown" in the press room during the 36th annual Palm Springs International Film Festival Awards Gala on Friday, Jan. 3, 2025, in Palm Springs, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)
Jacqueline Bisset, left, and Angelina Jolie, winner of the desert palm achievement award, actress for "Maria", pose in the press room during the 36th annual Palm Springs International Film Festival Awards Gala on Friday, Jan. 3, 2025, in Palm Springs, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)
Nicole Kidman accepts the international star award for "Babygirl" during the 36th annual Palm Springs International Film Festival Awards Gala on Friday, Jan. 3, 2025, in Palm Springs, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
Nicole Kidman accepts the international star award for "Babygirl" during the 36th annual Palm Springs International Film Festival Awards Gala on Friday, Jan. 3, 2025, in Palm Springs, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
