AMERICAS PRESS REVIEW
In the spotlight: arrest of Luis Fernando Camacho, opposition figure in Bolivia
Luis Fernando Camacho, governor of the Santa Cruz region and one of the main opponents of the Bolivian government, was arrested on Wednesday December 28 by the Bolivian police.
© Juan Karita/AP
Text by: Marie Normand Follow
6 mins
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In Bolivia, the governor of Santa Cruz, the right-wing elected Luis Fernando Camacho, was "
forced out of his vehicle
" by hooded members of the police on Wednesday, December 28, when he was about to to get home, reports
Los Tiempos
.
The left-leaning president's pet peeve Luis Arce was then transferred by helicopter '
to the El Alto military airbase, from where he was taken to the Special Force Against Crime facilities in La Paz , the
capital
.
All in just five hours, as
La Razon
notes .
“
The news spread like wildfire
,” continues the Bolivian newspaper.
People close to the governor say he was tied up and arrested at gunpoint.
The word "
kidnapping
" has flourished on social networks.
It was enough for demonstrations to be organized.
Several public buildings were burned down, notes
El Deber
.
Supporters of Luis Fernando Camacho even visited the two Santa Cruz airports.
They "
forced the pilots and passengers to get off to check if the governor was in one of these devices
", explains
La Razon
.
National and international flights have been suspended, which “
could lead to sanctions against Bolivia at the international aeronautical level
”, maintains this same daily.
Prosecutions for “
terrorism
”
The Attorney General's Office denies any "
kidnapping
" or "
political persecution
".
In a press release taken up by
La Razon
,
he indicates that the former presidential candidate was arrested "
in accordance with an arrest warrant (...) in the context of the case known as the
"Coup d' State" ".
This case dates back to the overthrow of President Evo Morales in November 2019, when he resigned, suffocated by allegations of electoral fraud and protests that spread across the country.
Luis Fernando Camacho was at the head of this movement.
“
His pressure brought to power Senator Jeanine Áñez
“, who is behind bars, prosecuted in the same case.
Los Tiempos
devotes its entire front page to the arrest of the opposition leader and stresses that his party, the pro-Santa Cruz Civic Committee, demands his immediate release.
Luis Fernando Camacho “
claimed his right to remain silent
,” says the daily
Opinion
.
► To read also: Bolivia: demonstrations in Santa Cruz after the arrest of the governor of the region
Record arrival of Cubans in the United States
Cubans have never been so numerous to leave the island for the United States.
270,000 irregular migrants from Cuba have been detained trying to enter the United States this year.
This is twice as much as during the historic exodus of the 1980s.
14ymedio
portrays one of these Cuban candidates for exile. For the opposition media, he is one of the faces of the year 2022. At 29, Rubén Martínez has become "
a hero for all those who seek to flee Cuba
“, with his departure full of panache.
On October 21, this pilot simply flew a small Antonov plane, managed to circumvent the air surveillance of his country, flying at water level.
He crossed the Florida Strait to finally land in an American airport.
Since then, the Cuban has been detained in a federal prison;
the study of his asylum application is still in progress.
“
If he is deported to the island
, writes
14ymedio
,
he will be severely punished by the regime, which has already accused him of piracy for the theft of the plane
”.
► To read also: Cuba: "very discreet progress" with the United States, according to President Diaz-Canel
United States
: the Santos scandal embarrasses the Republicans
In the United States, George Santos, this newly elected Republican from New York who
admitted having lied on a good part of his CV
and his biography, is now the subject of a preliminary investigation.
This scandal “
interferes in the battle for the presidency
” of the House of Representatives,
Politico
headlines .
It will become in a few days with a Republican majority, and the party is therefore looking for a leader.
Kevin McCarthy, Minority Leader so far, wants to get elected.
He needs 218 votes.
Not sure, according to
Politico
, that he chooses to disavow George Santos.
He will "
need all the support
" even if it comes
from "an elected official steeped in scandal
".
► To read also: Republican MP George Santos admits to having lied about his career
Misunderstanding within the Venezuelan opposition
In Venezuela, the so-called interim government with which Juan Guaido challenged President Nicolas Maduro, after the latter's disputed re-election in 2019, faces its probable end.
An opposition vote was due to be held on Wednesday to dissolve it, but
it was eventually postponed
to January 3.
The decision was taken, says Juan Guaido in a press release, "
in accordance with the criteria
" of its board of directors and several deputies "
to extend the discussion in order to reach a broader agreement for the country
".
But as
Tal Cual
points out , the factions of three opposition parties say they were not consulted on this.
"
Faced with this scenario of disagreement, civil society actors (...) called on the opposition to urgently begin a process of internal dialogue,
”continues the Venezuelan media.
► To read also: Venezuela: the decision on the "interim presidency" of the opponent Juan Guaido postponed
Yellow underwear for the 31st
?
Online media
Efecto Cocuyo
strolled along the main commercial artery Sabana Grande, in Caracas.
“
Few stores had yellow lingerie
” in stock, “
few sizes and few models
” of boxer shorts and other bras on the shelves.
Questioned by the Venezuelan media, some passers-by explain that they no longer believe in this tradition supposed to bring luck.
But other rituals continue.
“
One of the end-of-year customs that I respect is
to walk around the house with a suitcase in the hope of traveling next year
,” said one of these passers-by, for example.
Venezuela is not the only country where it is customary to wear clothes of a certain color at the end of the year.
Same thing in Mexico, Ecuador or Peru.
El Comercio
returns today to the origin of this tradition.
La Republica
even provides personalized color advice based on your astrological sign...
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