(2021-05-18). Chile: Election Results & Composition of the Constitutional Convention. orinocotribune.com 
This Saturday, May 15 and Sunday, May 16, Chileans participated in a mega-election in which they voted for the 155 members of the Constituent Convention, 345 mayors, 2,252 councilors, and 16 regional governors. Regional governors (called intendants) had been appointed directly by the president since the 1974 creation of Chile's regions by the Pinochet dictatorship. | More than 22,000 candidates disputed 2,678 positions. | The result was so clear that President Piñera had to acknowledge at the end of the day that the people sent a clear message that his government does not know how to tune in to the demands of the…
(2021-05-18). Colombian government ignores protesters' demands and orders full deployment of police forces. peoplesdispatch.org 
Organizations have condemned the government of Iván Duque for increasing the militarization of cities and repressive actions against protests amid negotiations with mobilized sectors…
(2021-05-18). Argentina — El problema del Gobierno para convencer. globalizacion.ca Si fuera por cantidad de noticias o hechos resaltados, que no son lo mismo, se viene de días pródigos. Pero ni la suma de todos esos episodios alcanza a cómo impresiona el dato sobresaliente. Ni la danza de reuniones presidenciales…
(2021-05-18). El neoliberalismo nació y murió en Chile. globalizacion.ca El resultado del plebiscito fue abrumador. Salvo muy pocos lugares, incluso aquellos donde ganaba la derecha, se pronunciaron por una Asamblea Constituyente Soberana. | Las elecciones celebradas en dos días (el sábado 15 y el domingo 16 de mayo) tuvieron como…
(2021-05-18). Colombia: "Peasants Throughout the Country Remain in the National Strike" libya360.wordpress.com Jorge López Peasant communities in all regions of the country have taken part in the National Strike. On the paths, trails and highways they have led marches, blockades and educational days in regions such as Antioquia, Nariño, Arauca and Casanare. In the latter, they have maintained their mobilization since April 28 without rest. We had…
(2021-05-18). New Murder Added to Over 40 Victims of Police Repression in Colombia. orinocotribune.com The Office of the Ombudsman of Colombia indicated that, in the midst of over 120 ongoing investigations against police officers for abuse of authority since the start of the national strike, 16 more people were injured and one was killed this Monday, May 17. | The information on the new murder was provided by John Jairo Santamaría, mayor of Yumbo, Valle del Cauca (just north of Cali), based on a report provided by an authority from the Yumbo municipality hospital. | According to videos posted on various social media networks, during a rally rejecting the government of Iván Duque the police fired and threw tear ga…
(2021-05-18). Repression Of National Protests In Colombia Is Backed By The United States. popularresistance.org Colombians have been on a national strike since April 28 with protests in 500 cities and blockades that have shut down the major highway. The protests were sparked by a proposed bill that would place the burden of financing the country's debt on the people while cutting taxes for the wealthy, but economic conditions for most people have been in decline for a long time. The government has responded to the protests with violent repression by its militarized police that are funded and trained by the United States. Clearing the FOG speaks with Charo Mina-Rojas, a human rights defender in Colombia who was a leader in…
(2021-05-17). Uruguay's trade union center calls for a national strike in June. peoplesdispatch.org Uruguay's trade union center, the Inter-Union Plenary of Workers – National Convention of Workers (PIT-CNT), has called for a 24-hour national strike on June 17 to demand measures to combat the economic and social crisis generated by the COVID-19 pandemic…
(2021-05-17). Headlines for May 17, 2021. democracynow.org Israel's Deadly Assault on Gaza Enters Second Week: 200 Palestinians Killed and Media Attacked, India, Nepal Battle Devastating COVID Wave as More Asian Countries Impose Restrictions Amid Surge, Nurses' Union Challenges New CDC Mask Guidelines; Judge Keeps Eviction Ban in Place for Now, Blast in Afghan Mosque Kills 12 as Fighting Intensifies Between Taliban and Gov't Forces, Chilean Voters Select Delegates to Draft New Constitution, Colombian Protests Call for End to State Violence After Suicide of Teen Sexually Abused by Police, GOP Replaces Liz Cheney with Trump Loyalist Elise Stefanik, Texas Set to Enact Draco…
(2021-05-17). Communist Party Wins Mayoral Race in Chile's Capital City. libya360.wordpress.com Kawsachun News Irací Hassler of the Communist Party of Chile has been elected Mayor of the Santiago borough in the country's capital city, Santiago. The win in one of the largest municipalities of the country comes as part of a wave of leftist victories in the country's regional elections and a victory in the constituent…
(2021-05-17). Chileans go to Polls on the Second Day of Elections. orinocotribune.com 
On Sunday, May 16, voting process continued on the second day of elections in Chile, after 20% of the registered voters cast their votes on Saturday. | Sunday was the last day of the so-called "mega-elections" in Chile, in which 14.9 million voters were eligible to elect 155 members of the Constitutional Convention that will draft the new Constitution, and also 16 governors, 345 mayors, and 2,252 councilors. 1,278 candidates belonging to more than 70 lists contested for…
(2021-05-17). FARC-EP: /The courageous struggle of the Colombian people. workers.org 
Reports from Colombia May 17 state the national strike that began April 28 continues and a national mobilization has been called for May 19. The strike has growing mass support from diverse sectors of Colombian society, despite vicious state and private death-squad repression that has killed at least 50 people, . . . |
(2021-05-17). Argentina, el infierno tan temido. globalizacion.ca El anterior gobierno -neoliberal de Cambiemos presidio por Mauricio Macri- reinstauró en la Argentina el modelo extractivista, agropecuario exportador y para ello enriqueció al sector mediante la deuda externa y su fuga, a la vez que dicha deuda condiciona toda…
(2021-05-17). South America's 'Business Friendly' Bloodbath. orinocotribune.com By Brasil Wire, May 12, 2021 | International business and banking support for the most repressive regimes in Latin America is even more evident than it was during the original cold war. Now, Wall Street ºs three main men in South America all face charges of crimes against humanity, even genocide, at the International Criminal Court. | Whilst the anglosphere regularly attacks governments of the left in Latin America on human rights grounds, it is its pliant business friendly US regional allies: Brazil ºs Bolsonaro, Chile ºs Piñera, and Colombia ºs Duque, who face being sent before the Hague.
(2021-05-17). Chile: Left, Independent Forces Win Majority Of Constituents. popularresistance.org While the nationwide results for governors, mayors and councilors will not be known until later Sunday night, and final results may not be known for another week, the vote for Chile's constitutional convention has been tallied and announced this Sunday night. | In a surprise for Chile's left and independent parties, the center-left Apruebo list has received 24 seats while the left-wing Communist-Broad Front Apruebo Dignidad list has finished in second with 28 seats. | With three milion votes counted, representing just 15% of the registered electorate, the Nueva Constitución list has received 9 seats whereas the D…
(2021-05-17). Progressive Forces Win Majority of Seats in Chile's Constitutional Convention. libya360.wordpress.com Tanya Wadhwa "I approve it for my class," reads the banner supporting the vote for a new constitution in Chile. Photo: Frente Fotográfico Independent and progressive candidates won more than a two-thirds majority in the Constitutional Convention, a body responsible for writing Chile's new constitution This weekend, on May 15 and 16, over 6 million…
(2021-05-17). The West is complicit in Colombia's police killings. zcomm.org The deadly violence by police and paramilitary groups against protesters in Colombia is made possible by the military aid of the government's Western allies…
(2021-05-17). Colombia es más importante para Estados Unidos que Puerto Rico. globalizacion.ca Colombia es más importante para "la totalidad de intereses" de los EEUU en la Región, que la neo colonia de Puerto Rico. Enormes intereses neocoloniales económicos y políticos del neoliberal complejo militar industrial y financiero actualmente gobernante. Intereses geoestratégicos locales…
(2021-05-17). Ex-Rebel Capitalizes on Colombia Unrest by Showing Restraint. latinorebels.com MIAMI (AP) — As the streets of Colombia smolder amid the biggest anti-government unrest in decades, a former rebel leader who would undo antinarcotics cooperation with the U.S. is looking to capitalize on the growing discontent and ride it to the presidency next year.
(2021-05-17). Colombia: Welcome to the Present. libya360.wordpress.com Piedad Córdoba Ruiz It seems that Colombia has awakened from its lethargy and from that eternal past to which we were bound. "The old has not finished dying while the new has not yet been born, and in this interregnum monsters emerge", the brilliant phrase of the Italian Antonio Gramsci, resounds with relevance in the…
(2021-05-17). Caribbean Organizations Condemn Israeli Campaign of Ethnic Cleansing. libya360.wordpress.com CARIBBEAN ORGANIZATIONS CALL ON CARICOM, THE US, BRITAIN AND EUROPEAN UNION TO TAKE URGENT ACTION The Caribbean Pan-African Network (CPAN), the Network for Defense of Humanity, Caribbean Chapter, Organization for the Victory of the People (Guyana), The People's Empowerment Party (Barbados) and the Caribbean Movement for Peace and Integration condemn what can only be described…