International
Fresh protests to mark anniversary of Chile revolt
AFP
Hundreds of Chileans, mainly students, protested in Santiago Tuesday, erecting burning barricades to mark three years since a social uprising they say has not yet yielded the desired societal change.
Demonstrators wearing goggles and facemasks as protection against tear gas stopped car traffic on the central Alameda avenue, and several metro stations were shuttered.
Police deployed 25,000 officers to keep the peace, and used water cannon to disperse trouble-making demonstrators in at least one venue.
Many shops closed early, or did not open at all, while schools sent pupils home early in a country where demonstrations in recent years have frequently been marred by clashes with the security forces.
“We have gained nothing” in the three years since the movement began, said Andrea Valdebenito, a 43-year-old social worker who was among those gathered.
The protests came exactly three years after the start of a mass revolt against a rise in metro fares in 2019 that quickly escalated into a general clamor for better conditions and social equality.
The government suspended the price hike but protests continued, and dozens were killed over months of clashes. Hundreds of people were injured.
The demonstrations kickstarted reforms that included the government’s agreement to the drafting of a new constitution to replace the one inherited from the military dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet and perceived as market-friendly.
Last December, Chile elected a leftist president in Gabriel Boric, who supported the constitution-writing process.
But last month, nearly two-thirds of voters rejected the proposed draft despite the new revolutionary mood, amid concerns that parts of the document were too far-reaching.
A constitutional provision to legalize abortion was a key stumbling block in the conservative, majority-Catholic country.
Boric, a former student leader who had supported the 2019 protests, on Tuesday called for a new social dialogue to give shape to much-needed social reform.
The 2019 uprising, he said, “was an expression of pain and fractures in our society that politics, of which we are a part, has failed to interpret or answer.”
Boric came to office with promises of turning the deeply unequal country into a greener, more egalitarian “welfare state.”
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A demonstrator takes part in a protest in the surroundings of the Baquedano square in Santiago, on the third anniversary of a social uprising against rising utility prices, on October 18, 2022. - The sustained movement forced then president Sebastian Pinera to increase tax spending and expand social programs, resulting in 2021 in the largest increase in public spending in the country's history at 33 percent. (Photo by Martin BERNETTI / AFP)
International
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum to meet Guatemalan leader Bernardo Arévalo next friday
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum confirmed on Monday that she will hold her first bilateral meeting with her Guatemalan counterpart, Bernardo Arévalo, next Friday.
During her press conference at the National Palace, Sheinbaum detailed that the August 15 meeting will include a brief visit to Guatemala, followed by a trilateral meeting with Belize’s Prime Minister, Juan Antonio Briceño, in Calakmul, Campeche, in southeastern Mexico.
Sheinbaum explained that the meeting was proposed by Arévalo during a phone call last Friday, in which the Guatemalan president invited her to visit Guatemala.
The agenda will begin on Thursday night when Sheinbaum travels to Chetumal to lead her morning press conference on Friday.
Afterwards, she will travel to Guatemala for the bilateral meeting with Arévalo, then return to Calakmul to meet Belize’s Prime Minister Briceño for a trilateral meeting with Arévalo.
Later, Sheinbaum will hold a bilateral meeting with the Belizean leader.
The president announced that many agreements will be announced during the meetings with the southern border countries but avoided providing details to keep them as a surprise for that day.
International
Mexico City airport resumes flights after heavy rain causes flooding and delays
Mexico City’s Benito Juárez International Airport resumed operations on Monday after heavy rains on Sunday evening forced a temporary suspension of flights.
In a statement released Monday morning, the airport explained that due to rainfall measuring between 50 and 77 millimeters, operations were halted amid reports of poor visibility and flooding that caused damage to terminals and a collapse of the airport’s drainage system.
The four-hour suspension to drain water affected 104 flights and nearly 14,900 passengers, who had to be redirected to other airports across the country.
To address the flooding in the airside areas, buildings, and surrounding roads, vacuum trucks and motor pumps were deployed to ensure safe conditions on runways, taxiways, and platforms, allowing flight operations to resume, the Navy Secretariat said.
By 6:00 a.m. local time (12:00 GMT), traffic on runway 05 right – 23 left had not yet fully normalized, nearly six hours after runway 05 left – 23 right had been cleared for use.
International
Mexico supports 81 nationals detained in Florida’s ‘Alligator Alcatraz,’ says president
Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum announced on Monday that the government is monitoring and providing support to 81 Mexican nationals detained at a facility in Florida known as ‘Alligator Alcatraz.’ She also expressed her opposition to this type of detention center.
During her morning press conference at the National Palace, Sheinbaum explained that the Mexican consulate in Miami has interviewed the detainees during visits between July 23 and August 11 and maintains ongoing communication with them.
“Our colleague, former Governor of Chiapas Rutilio Escandón, regularly visits the facility to check on the needs of those detained. At the same time, we are working diplomatically to ensure that they remain there for as few days as possible,” she said.
She also emphasized that legal support is provided to those wishing to expedite their deportation to Mexico, as well as assistance for those who choose to pursue legal proceedings in the U.S. before repatriation.
Sheinbaum noted that so far, there have been no reports of human rights violations and stressed the importance of constant communication with the nationals.
“Obviously, we do not agree with these types of detention centers. They are state-run, not federal; they belong to the state of Florida,” she added.
She also explained that in some cases, detainees are later transferred to federal facilities before deportation, provided there are no ongoing legal proceedings.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum to meet Guatemalan leader Bernardo Arévalo next friday
Mexico City airport resumes flights after heavy rain causes flooding and delays
Mexico supports 81 nationals detained in Florida’s ‘Alligator Alcatraz,’ says president
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