4 mins
The most visited Inca site in the world temporarily closed. It is no longer possible to visit Machu Picchu because of a social movement, we read on the front page of the Peruvian press. Last Thursday, tourist staff at the site went on strike to protest against what they call a privatization of entry tickets. In fact, the Ministry of Culture has decided to hire a private service provider to manage online ticket sales.
What the demonstrators consider to be a first step towards the privatization of the site. Yesterday, Monday January 29, the strikers suspended the movement for 24 hours in order to sit around a table with government representatives and find a way out of the conflict, we can read on the front page of the newspaper El Commerce. The demonstrators demand the cancellation of the contract with the private service provider and the resignation of the Minister of Culture. “ The dialogue is launched », headlines the newspaper The Republic, but it is impossible to know if it will bear fruit. Because according to the daily, there is no question for the government of going backwards and giving up the private service provider.
While waiting for the continuation and therefore the reopening of Machu Picchu, more than 1,000 tourists were evacuated from the site this weekend. Peruvian and foreign tourists like this Brazilian woman, interviewed by The Republic. Her name is Michelle and she says she is very sad not to be able to visit the Inca site, a destination she had chosen on purpose to celebrate her birthday.
In Brazil, pressure mounts on former President Jair Bolsonaro’s entourage
Monday January 29, one of his sons, Carlos, was the target of police searches. A highly publicized operation. It took place as part of an investigation into suspicions of illegal spying on political adversaries carried out under the mandate of Jair Bolsonaro. Concretely, according to Folha de São Paulo, police suspect the former president of having set up a parallel structure within the Abin intelligence services to obtain information on hundreds of politicians and public figures, using Israeli spyware. For the newspaper editorialist Estadãothese revelations are not really surprising.
Already during the victorious 2018 presidential campaign for Jair Bolsonaro, his son Carlos had manipulated information and created “fake news” in favor of his father. When the latter came to power, Carlos Bolsonaro became part of the government, using public agencies, personnel and equipment – even illegal ones, like the First Mile spyware. According to information on the site G1, Carlos Bolsonaro will be summoned by the police to explain the suspicions hanging over him. A case which can only confirm the trend noted by the NGO Transparency International in its latest report on corruption in the world. Brazil lost 10 points and fell to 104th place, at the same level as Serbia or Ukraine.
Anti-abortionists prepare for a possible Trump presidency
In the United States, the issue of abortion will be at the heart of the presidential campaign, constituting a “ important cleavage line » between Republicans and Democrats. If Donald Trump wins, existing restrictions on access to abortion could become even tougher. THE New York Times believes that for many Americans who favor abortion“November’s election will most likely come down to a choice between voting for President Biden and staying home.” According to the newspaper, “they will not vote for the man responsible for the cancellation of the federal guarantee of abortion”decided by the Supreme Court in 2022.
But, continues New York Times, “many of them are not enthusiastic about Joe Biden being the Democratic nominee again.” Still, next November’s election is the most decisive for the future of reproductive rights. As noted Politico, “Anti-abortion groups have yet to persuade Donald Trump to commit to signing a national ban on abortion if he returns to the White House. But, far from being discouraged, these groups are developing a large-scale anti-abortion program that the former president can implement as soon as he takes office. “.
All of the proposed measures have one thing in common: They do not need to be approved by Congress. According to Politico, the Heritage Foundation which is working on a governing program for Donald Trump, is also collaborating with anti-abortion groups. Together, they are “ draft executive orders to reverse Biden administration policies that expanded access to abortion “. Always according to Politicothe Heritage Foundation already selects candidates who apply for political positions or public jobs in an effort to restrict access to abortion.