The Ex-Rebel Women Searching for Colombia’s Disappeared by Daniela Díaz Rangel
June 14 , 2022
Introduction:
(Latino Rebels) BOGOTÁ, Colombia — Yaritza, Mireya, Shirley, and Otilia travel the country searching for the bodies of those who were disappeared during the civil war.
During the more than five years since a peace deal was signed between the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and the government, their investigative unit of over 100 ex-FARC fighters searches for answers for the families of those who went missing—some of whom have waited decades for closure.
It is estimated that the Colombian conflict left approximately 80,000 people missing, including civilians, soldiers and guerrillas, although the exact figure is unknown.
“It is a way to help reconstruct the truth, which is part of our commitment to peace-building,” said Shirley, who spends her days interviewing potential witnesses in conflict-torn regions of the country. “It is a way of rebuilding the social fabric. It is a way of helping families, those of us who have missing loved ones from the war. It is a way of closing a cycle of anguish and pain.”
Shirley joined the FARC in 1980, in the department of Caquetá, after her family was displaced from Tolima. She was a fighter in the insurgent organization for 34 years. In 2014 she went to Havana, Cuba as part of the FARC delegation that negotiated the peace deal with the government. Since the peace deal was ratified in 2017, she has worked for the investigative unit.
Gustavo Petro wins the Colombian election, becoming the country's first Leftist president.
Source: New York Times
For the first time, Colombia will have a leftist president. Gustavo Petro, a former rebel and a longtime senator who has pledged to transform the country’s economic system, has won Sunday’s election, according to preliminary results, setting the third largest nation in Latin America on a radically new path. Mr. Petro received 50.57 percent of the vote with more than 97 percent counted Sunday evening. His opponent, Rodolfo Hernández, a construction magnate who had energized the country with a scorched-earth anti-corruption platform, won 47.16 percent.
Mr. Petro’s victory reflects widespread discontent in Colombia, with poverty and inequality on the rise and widespread dissatisfaction with a lack of opportunity, issues that sent hundreds of thousands of people to demonstrate in the streets last year. “The entire country is begging for change,” said Fernando Posada, a Colombian political scientist, “and that is absolutely clear.” The win is all the more significant because of the country’s history. For decades, the government fought a brutal leftist insurgency known as the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, with the stigma from the conflict making it difficult for a legitimate left to flourish.
But the FARC signed a peace deal with the government in 2016, laying down their arms and opening space for a broader political discourse. Mr. Petro had been part of a different rebel group, called the M-19, which demobilized in 1990, and became a political party that helped rewrite the country’s constitution. Both Mr. Petro and Mr. Hernández beat Federico Gutiérrez, a former big city mayor backed by the conservative elite, in a first round of voting on May 29, sending them to a runoff. Both men had billed themselves as anti-establishment candidates, saying they were running against a political class that had controlled the country for generations.
Among the factors that most distinguished them was how they viewed the root of the country’s problems. Mr. Petro believes the economic system is broken, overly reliant on oil export and a flourishing and illegal cocaine business that he said has made the rich richer and poor poorer. He is calling for a halt to all new oil exploration, a shift to developing other industries, and an expansion of social programs, while imposing higher taxes on the rich. “What we have today is the result of what I call ‘the depletion of the model,’” Mr. Petro said in an interview, referring to the current economic system. “The end result is a brutal poverty.”
weatheriscool wrote: ↑Mon Jun 20, 2022 12:48 am
Gustavo Petro wins the Colombian election, becoming the country's first Leftist president.
Source: New York Times
caltrek's comment: Interesting how Latin American elections more and more are ending on a note of civility while elections in the U.S. are leading to more and more sour grapes and even violence. In regards to the election in Columbia (from the Axios article):
Conceding defeat, Hernández said: "I wish Gustavo Petro the wisdom to know how to run the nation, that he fulfills his promises to fight corruption and that he doesn't let those who supported him down."
Ecuador deal reached to end weeks of deadly protests and strikes
Fri 1 Jul 2022
Ecuador’s government and the country’s main Indigenous group have reached an agreement to end 18 days of often-violent strikes that had virtually paralysed the country and killed at least four people.
The deal, which includes a decrease in the price of fuel and other concessions, was signed by government minister Francisco Jimenez, Indigenous leader Leonidas Iza and the head of the Episcopal Conference, Monsignor Luis Cabrera, who acted as mediator.
The agreement on Thursday sets out that gasoline prices will decrease 15c to US$2.40 a gallon and diesel prices will also decline the same amount, from $1.90 a gallon to $1.75.
The deal also sets limits to the expansion of oil exploration areas and prohibits mining activity in protected areas, national parks and water sources.
The government now has 90 days to deliver solutions to the demands of the Indigenous groups.
Latin America Venture Capital Investments Slow After Blowout in 2021 by Alex Wilhelm and Anna Heim
July 8, 2022
Introduction:
(TechCrunch) The global venture capital slowdown is upon us. It’s just not as bad — yet — as many anticipated, putting the world’s startup market into an odd position, forced to navigate waters that are somewhere between calm and stormy. An uncertain global macroeconomic future and rising interest rates are not helping to explicate the situation.
On a regional basis, however, a clearer picture emerges. In Latin America, for example, the venture slowdown started earlier than in other regions — and has continued, per recent data from Sling Hub and Crunchbase, two startup-focused data companies. Latin America, then, is not proving to be like Europe in Q1 or the United States in Q2 — regions where the general trend of declining venture capital deal value either bucked course or managed a slower-than-anticipated decline.
The 2024 Venezuelan Election by Jessica Dos Santos
July 18, 2022
Extract::
(Common Dreams) In recent weeks, I’ve started to pay more attention to opinion polls (in Venezuela). Two in particular stood out to me, the ones by Datincorp and Delphos (though I know they have a historical anti-Chavista bias). The former stated that 63 percent of those polled want a president that is neither from Chavista or opposition ranks. The latter claimed 48.3 percent don’t trust any political party.
The data rang familiar. Yet 10 years ago, 80 percent of Venezuelans identified either as opposition or (mostly) Chavista. More than that, the battle lines were clear and we were determined to defend our trench. That is hardly the case today, certainly not with a similar intensity.
One way or another, it seems most people have the same immediate goals: securing minimal conditions to live peacefully. In such a scenario, many analysts see fertile ground for the emergence of an “independent” or “outsider” figure, which usually are hardly one thing or the other. However, perhaps because of the polarization we’re so used to, it doesn’t seem all that probable.
I have no idea what is going to happen, but what really bothers me is not knowing what I want to happen. For one, I’m absolutely sure I don’t want any of the opposition “leaders” anywhere near Miraflores Palace. On the other hand, I feel that institutional Chavismo needs to change its way of doing politics. I write this down, read it again and I’m scared that I don’t want to erase it.
But I’m not sure I would welcome six more years like the ones we’ve been through. It’s not blasphemy, rather a sort of natural exhaustion. In the past three elections, the ruling Socialist Party (PSUV) ran on a platform that it is the only political outfit with the ability to run a country devastated by the crisis and the US blockade.
What Will Happen With Chile’s Radical Draft constitution? by James Francis Whitehead
July , 2022
Introduction:
(Courthouse News) — With the drafting of a new constitution complete, Chileans will vote Sept. 4 on whether to replace the current dictatorship-era document.
The 154 members of the constitutional convention, which included schoolteachers, scientists, social workers and Indigenous leaders, handed the draft to President Gabriel Boric on July 5. “Today, we begin a new phase,” said Boric at the nation’s former congress building in the capital of Santiago. “Once more, it will be the people who have the final say on their destiny.”
Chile’s draft constitution marks a radical shift from the current constitution that was approved by the military government of Augusto Pinochet in 1980. Despite heavy modifications, the current document preserves the neoliberal fingerprints of its writers, which restricts the role of the state, omits certain rights, emphasizes private property and promotes a market-led model.
The new 388-article draft would transform the state into a provider of a strong safety net and social services, guarantee greater regional powers and Indigenous rights, enshrine a host of rights such as free higher education and health care, and protect the environment. Although 78% of Chileans voted in favor of writing up a new constitution in 2020, support for it continues to dissipate, with the majority of people intending to reject the draft constitution.
Gustavo Petro: A Colombia of Possibilities and the Politics of Love Inaugural Address of Gustavo Petro
August 11, 2022
Introduction:
(Common Dreams) The following is the English translation of Gustavo Petro's full inaugural address delivered in Bogota's Bolivar Square after being sworn in as Columbia's president on Sunday, August 7, 2022.
To arrive here undoubtedly involves a life's journey. An immense life that is never travelled alone. My mother Clara is here, nothing would exist in my mind at this moment without her. My father Gustavo, of the Caribbean, is here. And so are my siblings, Adriana and Juan, who put up with me. My children are also here: Nicolás Petro, Nicolás Alcocer, Andrea and Andrés, and Sofía and Antonella, my little ones whose hearts and souls are blossoming. And so is Verónica Alcocer, my companion, who has given me children and so the gift of life itself. Her love has made everything possible. She is here not only to accompany me, but also to accompany the women of Colombia in their efforts to move forward, to create, to fight, to exist; to overcome violence inside and outside the family, to build the politics of love.
The people, just as they have been on the journey of my existence, are also here. The humble hands of the worker, the peasant women and those who sweep the streets. The hearts of labour are here, and the dreams of those who suffer. So are the working women who embrace me when I falter, when I feel weak. And love for the people, for those who suffer and are excluded. All of this has brought me here to unite and build a nation.
This is how One Hundred Years of Solitude by our beloved Gabriel García Márquez ends: "Everything written there was, and has and always will be, unrepeatable because the lineages condemned to one hundred years of solitude did not have a second chance on earth".
Many times in our history we Colombians have been condemned to the impossible, to the lack of opportunities, to a resounding 'No'. I want to tell all Colombians who are listening to me in Plaza Bolivar, in the surrounding areas, throughout Colombia and abroad that our second chance begins today. We have earned it.
Machu Picchu Ticket Sales Halted as Chaos Continues at Popular Peru Tourist Site by Selina Denman
August 13, 2022
Introduction:
(The National) Long lines and overcrowding at Machu Picchu have led authorities to halt the sale of tickets granting access to Peru’s most popular tourist site until next Friday.
The decision was made after numerous visitors voiced their discontent at not being able to enter the ancient Incan citadel. Hundreds of tourists blocked the train tracks close to Machu Picchu to protest the fact they have not been able enter Machu Picchu since the beginning of the week due to overcrowding and overbooking by local tour operators.
"I paid a tour company for my ticket for one day with a guide,” said Eduardo Ponce, a Mexican tourist. “We paid extra for the bus to bring us here to Machu Picchu and they won't allow us to enter because we don't have a ticket to enter. We have the train ticket and the bus ticket."
As travel rebounds in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, destinations around the world are struggling to handle surging demand. The challenge is particularly pertinent at historical sites where authorities must balance queues of tourists with preservation and protection.
Machu Picchu has a maximum capacity of 4,044 people per day, but Peru’s minister of culture warned tourists of possible disinformation campaigns by local tour operators selling fake tickets. Alternatively, travellers are being enticed to take the train and purchase tickets upon arrival at the site, often discovering there are none to be had after arriving.
Party of the Oppressed: The First Progressive Government in Colombia
by Daniela Díaz Rangel
August 18, 2022
Introduction:
(Latino Rebels) BOGOTÁ, Colombia — Two Sundays ago, the streets of Bogotá were filled with revelers—highly unusual for a presidential inauguration, which is usually a formal affair that concerns heads of state more than the public.
Newly-elected president Gustavo Petro and his running mate, Francia Márquez, set up giant screens throughout downtown Bogotá so those in the streets could view the ceremony. The historic moment was also reflected in the demographic makeup of those in the streets —the “nobodies,” as Márquez often referred to them on the campaign trail, using the term coined by the late Uruguayan journalist and writer Eduardo Galeano to describe the forgotten populations who hope the historic moment brings them greater representation in government.
Colombia has been governed for decades by white men from the upper classes and with a mainly right-wing ideology. Petro and Márquez won the election promising to represent populations that have historically been ignored by previous administrations.
Petro has said his priorities as president will be respect for human rights, environmental justice, and full implementation of peace—an important political agenda at this time in Colombia, as the two leaders are taking control of a country with extremely high rates of violence, particularly after the non-implementation of the Peace Agreement signed with the former FARC guerrillas in 2016, which led to the creation of “dissident” splinter groups and growing power of dozens of other criminal armed groups.
Conclusion:
With elections over, however, and the ceremonies complete, Petro and Márquez now begin the difficult task of governing. The outgoing administration of Iván Duque has left behind critical economic and security concerns, but for those who supported the Petro-Márquez campaign, representation of communities long ignored by the capital is enough to hope these challenges can be met successfully.
Political Alignment Powers Cooperation Across South America’s Lithium Triangle by James Francis Whitehead
August 27, 2022
Introduction:
(Courthouse News) — Latin America’s new wave of left-wing governments is increasing regional cooperation between the countries of the lithium triangle, an area home to the world’s largest lithium reserves, the white mineral fueling a new era of clean energy.
As global demand for the so-called ‘white gold’ increases, so does the potential regional power of Argentina, Chile and Bolivia — the lithium triangle countries that share a 154,000 square mile area roughly the size of the state of California.
Since the leftward swing across Latin America beginning in 2018, there has been rising expectations when it comes to developing domestic lithium industries as well as regional cooperation in mining and production.
"Argentina has the second largest lithium reserves in the world,” said Argentina President Alberto Fernandez during a visit to the country’s first lithium battery manufacturing plant on Aug. 16. “We not only have to export it, but also industrialize it. I have seen how the world demands lithium as an energy source and I believe we have the opportunity to provide it.
Conclusion:
Although currently politically aligned, the governments of Argentina, Chile and Bolivia face multiple challenges to accelerate lithium production and strategically position themselves in the global supply chain. The uneven development across the region, the level of state versus corporate control, the role of China and the potential environmental harm from inefficient practices are all pending issues that need to be resolved if the lithium triangle can realize its regional power and become a key part of the global revolution in clean energy.
Astro Emerges from Stealth to Connect Latin American Developers with U.S. Tech Companies by Kyle Wiggers
August 29, 2022
Introduction:
(TechCrunch) Astro, a startup helping companies to build and manage developer teams with talent from Latin America, today exited from stealth with $13 million in Series A funding contributed by Greycroft with participation by Obvious Ventures and other unnamed investors. In an interview with TechCrunch, CEO Jacqueline Samira said that today marks the public launch of Astro’s platform; previously, the only way to become a customer was via an existing referral.
It’s well-established that there’s a severe shortage of experienced software developers. In a February poll by Infragistics, more than half (53%) of software developers and IT professionals said that the biggest challenge this year will be recruiting developers with the right skills. If the worst-case scenario comes to pass, the talent gap could become more severe in the coming years, with the U.S. Labor Department estimating that the global shortage of software engineers could reach 85.2 million by 2030.
Samira and Astro’s second co-founder, Frank Licea, founded Astro after experiencing the effects of the developer shortage firsthand. Before starting Astro, they worked at the same company — OwnLocal — where they found it was tough to compete against top tech firms for talent. Samira and Licea ended up broadening their search beyond Austin, Texas, where OwnLocal was based, to work with outsourcing partners in Latin America. But this presented its own challenges. OwnLocal couldn’t dictate pay rates, benefits and perks, and had little visibility into the work that was being done beyond a monthly invoice.
Chile rejects draft constitution in blow to leftist President Boric
Source: Axios
Voters in Chile on Sunday rejected a progressive constitution that would have drastically changed the country.
Why it matters: It's a major blow to leftist President Gabriel Boric and his supporters who championed the draft text, which would have enshrined reproductive, education, housing and Indigenous rights.
It would have also required the country set up a national health care system, and made addressing climate change a constitutional state duty.
The draft text would have replaced the current constitution, which dates to 1980, when dictator Augusto Pinochet was in power.
'A Step in the Right Direction': How Colombia's President Plans to End 'the Failed War on Drugs' by Alex Henderson
September 7, 2022
Introduction:
(Alternet) Before the rise of the Sinaloa Cartel’s Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán in Mexico, Latin America’s most notorious drug lord was Medellín Cartel founder Pablo Escobar (who was killed in 1993). Colombia is one of the world’s top producers of cocaine, and yet, the U.S. government and the Colombian government have long been major allies in the War on Drugs—which critics on both the left and the right have been denouncing as an abysmal failure.
Critics of the War on Drugs include not only liberal groups like the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), but also, right-wing libertarians such as former Rep. Ron Paul of Texas, former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson and 2020 Libertarian Party presidential nominee Jo Jorgensen. These critics have long argued that the War on Drugs and the mass incarceration that goes with it haven’t ended drug use, but have encouraged drug-related violence.
One Colombian official who believes that his country needs to seriously rethink the War on Drugs is Colombia’s new president, Gustavo Petro. Christy Thornton, a professor of sociology and Latin America studies at John Hopkins University in Baltimore, examines Petro’s efforts in an op-ed/guest essay published by the New York Times on September 7. And she wonders how helpful — or unhelpful — officials in Washington, D.C. will be to the new Colombian president.
“Colombia, one of the world’s top producers of cocaine, has long been a key partner in Washington’s failed War on Drugs,” Thornton explains. “But Gustavo Petro, the country’s newly sworn-in president, has made good on a campaign pledge to take the country in a different direction. Last month, he said he would end forced eradication of coca, and support legislation to decriminalize and regulate cocaine sales in an effort to undercut illicit markets and the profit motive that drives them.”
Thornton continues, “Here at home, the Biden Administration has also signaled an important shift. In April, Dr. Rahul Gupta, the director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, introduced a new strategy that directs federal resources to harm-reduction services.
The Bewildering Vote in Chile that Rejected a New Progressive Constitution by Taroa Zúñiga and Vijay Prashad
September 11, 2022
Introduction:
(Alternet) On September 4, 2022, more than 13 million Chileans—out of a voting-eligible population of approximately 15 million—voted on a proposal to introduce a new constitution in the country. As early as March, polls began to suggest that the constitution would not be able to pass. However, polls had hinted for months at a narrowing of the lead for the rejection camp, and so proponents of the new constitution remained hopeful that their campaign would in the end successfully convince the public to set aside the 1980 constitution placed upon the country by the military dictatorship led by General Augusto Pinochet. The date for the election, September 4, commemorated the day that Salvador Allende won the presidency in 1970. On that date, those who wanted a new constitution suggested that the ghost of Pinochet—who overthrew Allende in a violent coup in 1973—would be exorcized. As it happened, Pinochet’s constitution remains in place with more than 61 percent of voters rejecting the new constitution and only 38 percent of voters approving it.
The day before the election, in the municipality of Recoleta (a part of Chile’s capital city of Santiago), Mayor Daniel Jadue led a massive rally in support of passing the new constitution. Tens of thousands of people gathered in this largely working-class area with the hope, as Jadue put it, of leaving behind the “constitution of abuses.” It, however, was not to be. Even in Recoleta, where Jadue is a popular mayor, the constitution was defeated. The new constitution received 23,000 more votes than Jadue had received in the last election—a sign that the number of voters on the left had increased—but the vote to reject the constitution was larger, which meant that new voters made a greater impact on the overall result.
On September 7, Jadue told us that he was feeling “calm,” that it was a significant advance that nearly 5 million Chileans voted for the constitution and that “for the first time we have a constitutional project that is written and can be transformed into a much more concrete political program.” There is “no definitive victory and no definitive defeat,” Jadue told us.
Stop Using ‘Latinx’ If You Really Want to be Inclusive by Melissa K. Ochoa
September 9, 2022
Introduction:
(The Conversation) Most of the debates on the usage of “Latinx” – pronounced “la-teen-ex” – have taken place in the U.S. But the word has begun to spread into Spanish-speaking countries – where it hasn’t exactly been embraced.
In July 2022, Argentina and Spain released public statements banning the use of Latinx, or any gender-neutral variant. Both governments reasoned that these new terms are violations of the rules of the Spanish language.
Latinx is used as an individual identity for those who are gender-nonconforming, and it can also describe an entire population without using “Latinos,” which is currently the default in Spanish for a group of men and women.
As a Mexican-born, U.S.-raised scholar, I agree with the official Argentine and Spanish stance on banning Latinx from the Spanish language – English, too.
When I first heard Latinx in 2017, I thought it was progressive and inclusive, but I quickly realized how problematic it was. Five years later, Latinx is not commonly used in Spanish-speaking countries, nor is it used by the majority of those identifying as Hispanic or Latino in the U.S.
caltrek’s comment: Not something that should really be argued about in the United States – lord knows we have plenty of other issues to argue about. Still, it may be worth keeping in mind.
Chile: A Case Study in Why It’s So Hard to Rewrite a Country’s Constitution by Jesus Rodriguez
September 17, 2022
Extract:
(Common Dreams) …sometime between October 2020 and September 2022, the effort to amend Chile’s social contract unraveled. According to official figures from Chile’s Servicio Electoral, the “approval” camp won in only eight of 346 municipalities, and even more liberal urban centers like Santiago rejected the text by 55 percent of the vote. In the voting district with the largest Indigenous population — the militarized Araucanía region — almost three-fourths rejected the reform, despite the proposed constitution’s promise of new protections for Indigenous people.
…
But Camila Vergara, a Chilean political theorist and legal scholar at the University of Cambridge, said that the outcome was not completely unexpected. The referendum, she said, was marred by a conservative disinformation campaign that lured centrists to the “Reject” camp as well as by a process that shut out everyday citizens from having meaningful influence over the revision. The rejecters’ victory was driven by conservatism, but even for some progressives on the ground, “they were going to reject [the proposed revision] because they saw it as legitimation of an elitist project,” Vergara said
…
A referendum on the president and the process, not the text
One explanation for the new constitution’s poor showing was that the referendum wasn’t about the constitution at all but the president in power. In the months since his election, (President) Boric has seen his approval shrink — which may well have doomed the constitution he promoted.
…
On social media, claims that the constitution would have permitted “late-term abortions” on demand, the secession of Indigenous communities from the body politic, and the expropriation of private property were prevalent. None of these claims were true, yet they spread like wildfire.
…
Julie Suk, a professor at Fordham Law School who studies gender violence and women’s rights, and a participant in the “Democracy Constitution” project, put it this way: The proposal “doesn’t become law today, but I think there are a lot of very interesting and innovative provisions in it that will reset the baselines from which the Chileans, and even people around the world, debate about what a constitution can do.”
Colombia's First Leftist President Charts a New Path on Venezuela by Omar Ocampo
November 22, 2022
Introduction:
(Foreign Policy in Focus) New Colombian President Gustavo Petro's plan to reestablish diplomatic relations with Venezuela was officially completed this November when Petro met his counterpart Nicolás Maduro in Caracas.
The two met privately, held a press conference together, and released a joint statement.
While critics derided the meeting as just another propaganda spectacle for Maduro, Petro has sent a signal to opposition parties in Colombia and the international community, particularly the United States, to rethink its approach if they hope to improve relations and achieve a successful political transition in Venezuela.
Former Colombian president Iván Duque's ideologically driven policy of putting political and economic pressure on Maduro via isolation and non-recognition—known as el cerco diplomático, or diplomatic siege—did not succeed in its desired goal of regime change. And Duque's recognition of Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó as interim president only brought Colombia international ridicule, especially after Duque submitted an extradition request for fugitive and ex-Congresswoman Aída Merlano to Guaidó despite the latter not having authority over any official levers of state power.
Petro, on the other hand, has a much more pragmatic albeit optimistic approach.
U.S. Provides Chevron Limited Authorization to Pump Oil in Venezuela by Sam Fossum
November 26, 2022
Introduction:
Washington (CNN) — The US has granted Chevron limited authorization to resume pumping oil from Venezuela following the announcement Saturday that the Venezuelan government and the opposition group have reached an agreement on humanitarian relief and will continue to negotiate for a solution to the country’s chronic economic and political crisis, including a focus on the 2024 elections.
A senior Biden administration official described Saturday’s announcements as “important steps in the right direction,” but noted that there is still much to be done as both parties work toward a more permanent solution to the ongoing crisis. The official also highlighted the license’s limited nature saying that they do not expect this to have a tangible impact on international oil prices and that the move is intended as an inducement for the negotiations – not a reaction to high global oil prices.
The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control on Saturday issued Venezuela General License 41, which authorizes Chevron to “resume limited natural resource extraction operations in Venezuela,” according to a news release from the Treasury Department. This is a 6-month license, and the US can revoke it at any time. Additionally, any profits earned will go to repaying debt to Chevron and not to the Maduro regime, according to the senior official, and states that the US government will continue to require significant reporting by Chevron on its financial operations.
Peru's president reportedly detained and accused of sedition
Source: The Guardian
Peru’s president has reportedly been detained and accused of sedition after he announced the dissolution of congress and the installation of a “government of exception” to rule by decree – just hours before he was due to face an impeachment vote.
The country’s national police tweeted on Wednesday that “former president” Pedro Castillo had been detained, shortly after the country’s congress voted to remove him from office on Wednesday and replace him with the vice president.
That vote came after Castillo ordered a night-time curfew and the reorganisation of the judiciary and prosecutor’s office, which is investigating him for alleged corruption and influence-trafficking – charges which he denies.
The congressional vote put an end to Castillo’s tumultuous 17 months in power which has already seen five cabinets, six criminal investigations and two failed attempts to impeach him.
