Press review Americas
In the News: Cubans demonstrate against their government
General view of Santiago, Cuba.
(Illustrative image) © Yamil Lage / AFP
By: Achim Lippold Follow
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Hundreds of people took to the streets to protest against the long power cuts that residents suffered at the end of the week.
According to the news site
14ymedio
, the protests took place in Santiago, in the southeast of the island.
People were shouting “
corriente y comida
”
,
“
electricity and food
”.
The population is facing significant power cuts and delays in delivery of the basic basket, according to 14ymedio.
After the first photos and videos of this demonstration began to circulate on social networks, the government, “
as usual
”, underlines 14ymedio, cut off the internet signal to prevent the publication of other content from this gathering.
The slogans heard and reported to the news site also reflected dissatisfaction with the government.
Thus, some demonstrators shouted
“
down with communism
” and “
down with Diaz-Canel
”, the name of the Cuban president.
The fault of the American blockade according to Havana
And the president was quick to react.
This can be read in
Granma
, the official newspaper of the Communist Party which, for once, has decided not to hide this act of opposition to the government.
According to Miguel Diaz-Canel, cited by
Granma
, "
several people expressed their dissatisfaction with the electrical service and food distribution
.
"
But the Cuban president, instead of recognizing any responsibility, denounced according to
Granma
“
the propaganda of the enemies of the Cuban Revolution with a view to provoking… chaos
.”
For the government, "
terrorists based in the United States
" would take advantage of the tensions caused by power outages and food shortages to destabilize the country, which finds itself in this difficult situation only because of "
the relentless policy of asphyxiation economic
activity
of the United States government against Cuba
.
Comment from Washington, through a
message
on X from the United States Embassy in Cuba: “
We call on the Cuban government to respect the rights [...] of demonstrators
.”
This provoked an immediate reaction from the Cuban Minister of Foreign Affairs,
Bruno Rodriguez
, who urged Washington not to “
interfere in the internal affairs of the country
”.
The fight against disinformation examined by the Supreme Court
In the United States, the Supreme Court is today looking into a delicate issue, that of disinformation.
The nation's highest court must decide how far the federal government can go to combat the publication of "fake news" on social media.
Does he have the right to force digital platforms to remove blatantly misleading content, such as Donald Trump's claims that the 2020 election was stolen from him?
According to the
New York Times
, what is at the heart of this affair is nothing less than the sacrosanct First Amendment, namely freedom of expression.
It all started with an “
avalanche of communications from administration officials who urged platforms to remove messages on topics such as coronavirus vaccines or allegations of electoral fraud
.”
Last year, recalls the
New York Times
, a federal appeals court had already severely limited the government's warnings.
Humor, a formidable weapon of Donald Trump
Disinformation is a very effective weapon of former President Donald Trump in the battle to win back the White House.
But it has another important tool, mood.
Yes, these speeches are full of funny anecdotes, at least anecdotes that make the audience laugh, explains the
Politico
website .
Certainly, it is a particular form of humor, it most often aims to ridicule the opponent, therefore to make him less credible.
The other of these cleverly measured jokes is also, according to Politico, to humanize Donald Trump and make his vulgar and violent remarks acceptable.
Deforestation in the Amazon down compared to previous years
It's on the front page of the
G1
site .
Deforestation during the first two months of the year reached the lowest level in six years, according to the Imazon institute.
According to the daily, between January and February 2024, almost 196 km2 of forest were cut down, which however represents an area equivalent to that of Salvador de Bahia, the fourth largest city in the country.
This is good news for President Lula, who has made the fight against deforestation one of his political priorities.
Lula who will also bring together all his ministers today to ask them to be more efficient.
The Brazilian president is facing a drop in popularity and according to
Folha de Sao Paulo
, he has decided to increase pressure on his cabinet with the aim of improving economic figures.
A few months before the municipal elections, Lula is concerned about his image.
These elections will take place halfway through his mandate and therefore have a testing value.
A bad result could compromise his chances for re-election, writes
Folha de Sao Paulo
.
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