In the spotlight: deadly protests in Peru
Farm workers protest to demand higher incomes in Viru, 510 km north of Lima, December 30, 2020 © AFP / Gian Mazco
Text by: Marie Normand Follow
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For the second day in a row, protests by agricultural workers in northern Peru turn into clashes with the police.
Two people died on Wednesday, including a 16-year-old teenager, said
Correo
,
posting
the photo of the helicopter that transported two police officers and a civilian to hospital.
The Pan-American highway is indeed completely paralyzed by the demonstrators at the level of the city of Viru, 500 kilometers north-west of the capital Lima.
The movement began on the night of Tuesday to Wednesday, recalls
El Comercio
, since the approval of the new agrarian law by Congress, after 25 days of debate.
No substantive change in the new land law?
This law fixes in particular a new minimum wage.
It goes from around 11 to 13 dollars a day.
Still too low according to these demonstrators, who demanded a daily wage of 18 dollars.
These rural workers have been demonstrating for several weeks.
They had obtained at the beginning of December "
the repeal of an agricultural law which dated back to 2000
"
,
recalls
La Republica
,
and based a lot of hope on the text which would replace it.
But for an analyst questioned by this Peruvian newspaper, this text "
brings certain improvements
" without changing anything in substance.
Still not enough protection for agricultural workers, especially in the event of dismissal.
►
Also to listen:
Peru: a demonstration turns into drama
Andres Chavez, the mayor of the city of Viru where the epicenter of the movement is located, is now asking the authorities to urgently dialogue with the demonstrators to avoid further clashes.
It requires the new President of the Peruvian Republic to go there to listen to the demands of these agricultural workers, details
El Comercio
.
The elected representative also requests that a round table be set up from this Thursday between the ministries concerned and the unions.
They plan to continue their movement on Monday.
Minute of silence in Paraguay
All day Wednesday, reactions multiplied across the world after the announcement of the legalization of abortion in Argentina.
In Latin America, abortion
is only legal in Cuba, Uruguay, Guyana and Puerto Rico, as well as two states in Mexico (Mexico City and Oaxaca).
So if this Argentinian law was welcomed in some countries, it was also greeted by a minute of silence in the Paraguayan Chamber of Deputies,
clarin
wonders
.
The Argentinian newspaper also notes the reaction in Brazil of President Jair Bolsonaro.
He launched on Twitter that now "
the lives of Argentinian children
" could be "
mowed down in their mother's womb
" with "
the consent of the state
".
"
As long as it depends on me and my government
, he warns,
abortion will never be approved on our soil
."
Brazil, a country which "
unlike Argentina
, writes
Folha de Sao Paulo
,
continues to ignore the damage caused by clandestine abortions
".
Bolivia chooses Russian vaccine Sputnik V
It is on the front page of all the Bolivian press.
The government has purchased 5.2 million doses of the Russian vaccine developed to fight Covid-19.
6,000 doses of Sputnik V will be available from January, then 1.7 million doses will arrive each month between March and May.
But the newspaper
La Razon
explains that "
negotiations are still underway with pharmaceutical companies in India, China or the United States, to obtain more doses this year and the next years if necessary
".
Why the Russian vaccine and not another?
President Luis Arce explains that he was chosen because of “
his availability and 91% efficiency
”.
Bolivia recorded 1,485 new infections on Wednesday, writes
La Razon
.
Cuban media
Cubadebate
notes that this country is the third Latin American country to choose the Russian vaccine.
►
See also:
Covid-19: Bolivia buys millions of doses of the Russian vaccine Sputnik-V
United States: Will young people cause a miracle in Georgia?
D-5 before two senatorial elections in Georgia.
The ballot is decisive because if they won the two senatorial positions, the Democrats would find a balance in the Senate where for the moment the Republicans are in the majority.
In theory, Donald Trump's party wins in this conservative state.
But the Democrats want to believe in the miracle and rely in particular on the mobilization of young people, explains the
Washington Post on
Thursday.
Over 281,000 voters under 30 have already voted early, a historic turnout.
"
An unusual enthusiasm
", notes the newspaper, "
in particular for a second ballot, which historically attracts much less attention than the presidential races
".
The Washington Post
also notes that Democratic candidate Jon Ossoff, who is trying to snatch his seat from Republican David Perdue, "
has been particularly adept at generating viral videos on the TikTok social network
," "
with a focus on issues that resonate with younger voters, such as student loan debt relief, the legalization of marijuana and the increase in the minimum wage
”.
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