In the spotlight: in Haiti, the main market in the city of Jacmel ravaged by flames
A view of Jacmel in Haiti after the fire that ravaged the city's market, April 19, 2022. © RFI
Text by: Stefanie Schüler Follow
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This is the Beaudouin market, the largest public market in the city of Jacmel, which is the capital of the South-East department.
According to Haitian media, the fire broke out early this morning, around 4 a.m.
According to
Le Nouvelliste
, "
the firefighters are unable to contain the fire which has ravaged everything in its path
".
And in particular the part of the market "
sheltered under a large construction, partly metal, made by the public treasury
", reports the daily which continues: "
A huge crowd, made up of people from all over the city, attended with impotence to the destruction by fire of several hundreds of millions of gourdes of goods
”.
At least 40% of the goods went up in smoke, says the town hall of Jacmel.
Products, recalls
Le Nouvelliste
, "
purchased with money borrowed at very high rates from micro-credit institutions by these middle-class merchants
".
“
The origin of the flames remains unknown for the moment
,” explains the
Haiti 24
news site .
“
And no balance sheet has yet been communicated
”.
This morning, the population of the city is in shock, and the merchants and merchants in tears, according to
Le Nouvelliste
.
Mexico will nationalize its lithium deposits.
The Chamber of Deputies yesterday approved the mining reform, wanted by the left-wing president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.
“
The text reserves to the State the exploration, exploitation and use of this essential metal for the manufacture of electric batteries which will replace the heat engines of cars
”, reports
La Jornada
.
The reform still has to be passed by the Senate, where the ruling party also has a majority.
In the columns of the newspaper
Milenio
, the president of the Mexican Confederation of Employers issues this warning: "
Since the State alone is authorized in the future to explore and exploit lithium deposits, the government will have to allocate the necessary budget if he wants to take advantage of this strategic resource
".
► To read also: Chile: justice will decide on the controversial call for tenders for the exploitation of lithium
Presidential election in Colombia: Gustavo Pedro undertakes not to carry out nationalizations
The left-wing candidate for the presidential election Gustavo Petro has pledged not to carry out any nationalization if he is elected on 29th May next.
The favorite in the polls signed a document on Monday in which he guarantees to respect the private property of every Colombian.
"
All under oath and in a notarial office
," says
Semana
.
Thus "
Gustavo Petro hopes to reassure centrist voters and put an end to the controversy launched by his right-wing adversary
", explains the weekly.
“
Federico Gutierrez presents Gustavo Petro as an authoritarian populist and compares him to former Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who favors expropriations
”.
Venezuelan intellectuals close to the opposition call for an end to sanctions against the Maduro regime
In Venezuela, a group of intellectuals is calling for the lifting of sanctions against the socialist regime.
What is more surprising is that this proposal is gaining support among the country's opposition.
“
They are economists, academics, human rights activists, businessmen and journalists, all linked to Venezuela's moderate opposition, and they sent an open letter a few days ago to US President Joe Biden
,” reports
El Pais
.
The signatories note that “
the policy of maximum pressure has not achieved its objectives.
While economic sanctions are not the root cause of the humanitarian emergency in Venezuela, they have seriously exacerbated the living conditions of the average Venezuelan.
The vast majority of the population lives in poverty, suffers from food insecurity and is exposed to serious health deficiencies.
The electricity network and access to water are in a deplorable state
,” reads their letter.
The signatories propose instead of sanctions “
to reactivate political dialogue as quickly as possible.
These negotiations
, these intellectuals still claim,
must place humanitarian issues at the center and advance their solution with the urgency they deserve
”.
The statement stresses in particular that the talks should allow Venezuela to reactivate its oil production in order to regain the ground lost in recent years.
It is a spectacular break with what was the strategy of the opposition and which has been carried over the past three years by Juan Guaido, recalls
El Pais
.
The relatives of the man who has been recognized by part of the international community as interim president of Venezuela are also up in arms, reports the daily.
They accuse the signatories of the letter of "
resigning themselves to living in a dictatorship in exchange for an economic opening
".
The editorial writer for
Tal Cual
explains, however, that a partial lifting of sanctions “
would not exempt the government from its responsibilities
”.
But the newspaper
El Carabobeño
does not believe it and writes: "
To expect the regime to make concessions, to honestly manage other people's money, is to remain in an area where Chavismo remains king. , where the underlying tragedy continues, where freedoms do not exist and neither does the future
”.
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