The latest in Latin American politics today:
Peru’s president pledges to speed help to landslide victims
Sign up to receive the daily top stories from the National Post, a division of Postmedia Network Inc.
Thanks for signing up!
A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.
The next issue of NP Posted will soon be in your inbox.
The death toll from a massive landslide that struck southern Peru rose to at least 15 according to a government tally, after dozens of homes were swallowed by dirt and mud following heavy rainfall last weekend.
The landslide struck on Sunday near the riverside town of Secocha, about 125 miles (200 km) northwest of the city of Arequipia.
President Dina Boluarte flew over the disaster zone on Tuesday morning and at an afternoon news conference in Arequipa, she offered her condolences to the victims, ticked off early government efforts to help, and noted that past landslide clean up efforts have too often suffered major delays.
“We will now show a big difference on that so that in the shortest amount of time we can recover as fast as possible,” she said.
Chile heat wave could further fan the flames of wildfires
QUILLON – Chilean authorities warned of a “very complex” situation as a new heat wave in the country’s south-central region threatened to further fan the flames of dangerous forest fires that have already left 26 dead.
Over 290,000 hectares have been ravaged by fires this season and forecasts for higher temperatures stretching from Santiago to the southern regions that have been the focal point of the flames have raised concerns about the current 81 active fires.
Another 169 fires are under control. High temperatures are forecast through Friday and could rise above 35 degrees Celsius (95°F) in the central Maule y Nuble regions.
Ecuador says referendum results not a ‘dramatic’ setback
QUITO – Ecuadoreans’ rejection in a referendum of proposals including allowing extradition for organized crime were not a “dramatic” setback for the administration of President Guillermo Lasso, Government Minister Francisco Jimenez said.
Attempts to give the attorney general’s office more autonomy to choose prosecutors and reduce the number of legislators in the 137-seat assembly were among the proposals rejected.
Some voters said they did not think the proposals would do enough to tackle crime in Ecuador, while others framed their response as a more general rejection of Lasso.
In Peru’s Andes, anger hardens as fast election hopes fade
JULIACA, PERU – Protests and roadblocks in Peru’s southern Andes have hardened after Congress failed to bring forward elections, jamming up much of the region, which is rich in copper and historic Incan sites like Machu Picchu.
Congress has rejected multiple bills for early elections, a key demand by protesters, including shelving a proposal by President Dina Boluarte on Friday.
A wave of protests, the worst violence in Peru in two decades, have left 48 dead in clashes and threatened to destabilize one of region’s most reliable economies. (Compiled by Steven Grattan and Sarah Morland; Editing by Chris Reese)
