Article Link: https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2021/1/1/what-will-cubas-new-single-currency-mean-for-the-island The Cuban government has recently announced that it will be getting rid of its dual currency system and devaluing its peso, meaning that many people will encounter economic hardship in the coming months. A dual currency system is often used when a country’s currency is seen as unstable, subject to inflation, or untrustworthy. In these instances, people… Read more »
Article Link: https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2021/1/6/brazils-bolsonaro-accuses-syringe-makers-of-covid-price-gouging Though Brazil is a bit behind neighbors Argentina and Chile when it comes to COVID-19 vaccinations, they are planning to have the process underway by the end of this month. Unfortunately, there have been some setbacks, as Brazil’s president Jair Bolsonaro has accused syringe companies of increasing their prices after the government failed to participate in an… Read more »
Article Link: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/1/2/peru-farmworkers-lift-roadblock-as-govt-talks-begin In addition to the various strains placed on Peru’s economy from the pandemic and clashing groups of people, there have been a series of protests revolving around the low pay given to agricultural workers. The minimum wage for farm workers is around $11 US dollars per day, so workers organized demonstrations in order to bring light to… Read more »
Article Link: https://www.aljazeera.com/podcasts/2020/12/25/a-fight-for-survival-among-chiles-indigenous-people This year, the ongoing struggle between Chile’s indigenous Mapuche nation and the Chilean government has reached a peak as the two groups fight over land, recognition, and rights. As violence increases, the path to de-escalation becomes unclear. The tension between the Chilean government and the Mapuche is often considered an “eternal conflict,” as it has been ongoing… Read more »
Article Link: https://oilprice.com/Energy/Crude-Oil/Perus-Oil-Crisis-Is-Worsening.html In what can only be described as a series of crises, Peru’s economy is in serious danger of decline. As if the pandemic hasn’t been damaging enough, recent political instability has had serious impacts on the country’s economy, specifically in its oil economy. Following the impeachment of Vizcarra, Peru went through three presidents in only one week… Read more »
Article Link: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/12/19/venezuela-to-shut-all-powerful-legislative-assembly Venezuela’s president, Nicolas Maduro, has recently announced that Venezuela’s National Constituent Assembly (ANC) will disband by the end of this year. The ANC was initially founded by Maduro in 2017 following government opposition protests that killed over 100 people. It had the goal of reforming the constitution and promoting general peace, unity and stability within the country…. Read more »
Article Link: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/11/23/guatemala-suspends-budget-ratification-after-attack-on-congress The ratification of Guatemala’s proposed 2021 budget has been suspended after a series of violent protests. Many Guatemalans were unhappy with the proposed budget, as it planned to reduce spending on health, education, human rights, and criminal justice systems as well as increasing public debt. Thousands of Guatemalans took to the street to protest the budget and… Read more »
Article Link: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/mexico-says-it-won-t-allow-officials-accused-corruption-be-n1248276 After decades of the US trying high-profile Mexican drug-trafficking and corruption cases, Mexico has said that it will no longer allow this. Though the exact implications of this statement aren’t clear, it is likely a result of the US dropping a high-profile drug-trafficking and money laundering case against former Mexican defense secretary Salvador Cienfuegos. Lopez Obrador, the… Read more »
Article Link: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/11/24/inmates-killed-in-colombia-riot-shot-intentionally-hrw-report In March, towards the beginning of the Coronavirus pandemic, prisoners at Colombia’s La Modelo prison were concerned for their health. The prison put six prisoners in each cell, many were sleeping in hallways, and there was no effort to separate those who tested positive from those who tested negative. In what activists called a “peaceful protest” and… Read more »
