Tear gas fired at Peru protesters as thousands try to ‘take Lima’

 Police estimate some 3,500 people participated in the protests in Lima though others doubled that estimated number.

Firefighters have been working to put out a raging inferno that broke out in a building near a protest site in Peru’s capital Lima where police fired tear gas as thousands of protesters poured into the city to demand the removal of President Dina Boluarte.

Demonstrators gathered on Thursday in Lima’s historic downtown area where scuffles broke out with the security forces who battled to stop the protesters from reaching key government buildings, including Congress, as well as business and residential districts of the capital.

A relationship between the fire which raged late into Thursday night and the demonstrations was not immediately clear. Images showed people rushing to get their belongings out of the building that was close to several government offices. The National Police of Peru shared dramatic footage of the fire on social media and called on people to stay away from the area.

For much of the day on Thursday, the protesters played a cat-and-mouse game with police, some of whom threw rocks as they tried to get through police lines while officers responded with volleys of tear gas that sent protesters fleeing.

Police estimated that about 3,500 people participated in the protests, but others claimed the figure was double that estimate.

Al Jazeera’s Mariana Sanchez, reporting from Lima, said many people protested peacefully but some clashed with police during the demonstration that participants said was to “take Lima”.

“This is the march of the taking of Lima, and that’s exactly what President Dina Boluarte said: They could come to take Lima but peacefully and that she would be waiting for them at the presidential palace,” Sanchez said.

The protesters were angry as they “want justice” for the nearly 50 people killed in the protests so far and have committed to continue their demonstrations until Boluarte resigns.

The mounting death toll from the protests, which broke out last month, now stands at 45, according to the government ombudsman. Another nine deaths have been attributed to accidents related to the demonstrations, which were sparked by the December 7 removal of Peru’s left-wing former President Pedro Castillo after he tried to illegally shutter Congress and consolidate power.

By bringing the protests to Lima, demonstrators hope to add weight to the movement that began when Boluarte was sworn in to replace Castillo.

Though the protesters are demanding that she step down, Boluarte was defiant on Thursday night in a televised speech alongside key government officials in which she thanked police for controlling the “violent protests” and promised to prosecute those responsible.

The president also criticised the protests for “not having any kind of social agenda that the country needs”, and accused them of “wanting to break the rule of law” and raised questions about their financing.

Police block demonstrators from getting closer to the airport in Arequipa, Peru, on January 19, 2023 

A total of 22 police officers and 16 civilians were injured on Thursday throughout the country, Interior Minister Vicente Romero Fernández said.

A video posted on social media showed demonstrators trying to storm the airport in southern Arequipa, Peru’s second city. They were blocked by police and one person was killed in the ensuing clashes, Peru’s ombudsman said.

That was one of the three airports that suffered attacks from protesters on Thursday, Boluarte said, adding it was not “a mere coincidence” they were stormed on the same day.

The weeks of nationwide protests have marked the worst political violence in more than two decades and highlighted the deep divisions between the urban elite largely concentrated in Lima and the poor rural areas.

Last week, Boluarte’s government extended a state of emergency in Lima and the southern regions of Puno and Cusco, curtailing some civil rights.

Boluarte maintains the situation in the country is “under control” and has called for dialogue, but she has also dismissed calls to resign.

Human rights groups have accused the police and army of using deadly firearms in the protests. The police accuse the protesters of using weapons and homemade explosives.

SOURCE: AL JAZEERA AND NEWS AGENCIES

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Rwandan government critic died in road crash – police

 A widely known journalist and government critic died in a road accident in the capital, Kigali, police have told his family.

John Williams Ntwali – who was the editor of The Chronicles news site – died on Tuesday night when a motorbike taxi he had boarded was hit by a car in Kimihurura area, his brother Emmanuel Masabo was told by the police.

Mr Masabo said he was called by police on Thursday afternoon to confirm the identity of the body in a mortuary.

“When I arrived, they took me to the mortuary. I saw that it was him and I confirmed to them,” Mr Masabo told the BBC.

He added: “They did not provide with me more details… maybe they will later. I also had no energy to ask for more [at that moment].”

The Chronicles news site has also confirmed the death of the 43-year old journalist in a tweet. He had been the publication’s editor since 2021.

Mr Ntwali was critical of the government and the ruling party in his reports that focused on injustice and social issues facing Rwandans through his YouTube channel, Pax TV-Ireme news.

Government sympathisers criticised him of being “an extremist” and repeatedly attacked him on social media.

Journalists and friends have expressed shock over his death.

He is survived by a wife and a daughter.

Source: BBC

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Google Parent To Lay Off 12,000 Workers

 Alphabet Inc (GOOGL.O) is eliminating 12,000 jobs, its chief executive said in a staff memo shared with Reuters.

The cuts mark the latest to shake the technology sector and come days after rival Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) said it would lay off 10,000 workers.

The job losses affect teams across the company including recruiting and some corporate functions, as well as some engineering and products teams.

The layoffs are global and impact U.S. staff immediately, Google said.

The news comes during a period of economic uncertainty as well as technological promise, in which Google and Microsoft have been investing in a fledgling area of software known as generative artificial intelligence.

Sundar Pichai, Alphabet’s CEO, said in the note, “I am confident about the huge opportunity in front of us thanks to the strength of our mission, the value of our products and services, and our early investments in AI.”

Reuters was first to report the news.

LONDON: Ghanaian Woman Dies At Home Following Two-Hour Wait For Ambulance

 

A mother died after waiting nearly two hours for an ambulance, before her nine-year-old daughter spent hours desperately trying to wake her up.

Victoria Louisa Maame Yamphet, 40, died at home in Dagenham, east London, last week after complaining of stomach pain as her terrified daughters, aged nine and 18, watched on.

Her daughter Emmanuela, 18, said her mother came home with a flu on Sunday, January 8, before her condition rapidly declined.

‘My mum complained about her ribs and belly hurting. I offered to call an ambulance because she isn’t really a sick person and I knew it was bad,’ Emmanuela said.

Victoria Louisa Maame Yamphet, 40, died in her home in Dagenham, east London, last week, in front of her terrified daughters aged 9 and 18

Her daughter Emmanuela (right), 18, said her mother came home with a flu on Sunday, January 8, and rapidly declined (pictured from right: Emmanuela, nine-year-old Emily, her mother Maame and her half-sister Priscilla)

During the night, Maame, as she was known to friends and family, became sicker, and at 6.09am on Tuesday, January 10, her daughter called for an ambulance.

Emmanuela (pictured) called the ambulance service four times before paramedics reached her mother, but it was too late. She said: ‘She just stopped breathing in front of me and my little sister. ‘I put her in a recovery position, I did CPR on her. I called the ambulance screaming and crying for them to get here quicker’

Emmanuela was initially told the ambulance was six to ten minutes away, but 20 minutes later there was still no sign of it.

The nationwide ambulance strike began the next day on January 11.

‘I called again and all of a sudden it was an hour wait’, she said.

‘I told them my mum can’t wait that long. I was in distress because I didn’t know what to do.’

She was told at 7.15am – more than an hour after her first call – that a taxi would be sent to her house to take her mother to the hospital.

‘Before the taxi got to us, her pain got worse. She just stopped breathing in front of me and my little sister,’ Emmanuela said.

‘I put her in a recovery position. I did CPR on her. I called the ambulance screaming and crying for them to get here quicker.

‘They literally got here within a minute, and it made me feel like when I really need them to come, they can, but they didn’t until I started screaming and crying.

‘When they came, they did everything they could but it was a bit too late. Because my mother was left for an hour and 45 minutes to be in pain, sadly … she didn’t make it.’

Emmanuela believes her mother suffered cardiac arrest and could not breathe properly.

Maame worked as a support worker for over 20 years. Her daughter said: ‘It’s very unfair. My mum was a support worker, she always looked after people, but when it was her turn, she wasn’t taken care of’

Maame worked as a support worker for more than 20 years. Her daughter said: ‘It’s very unfair. My mum was a support worker, she always looked after people, but when it was her turn, she wasn’t taken care of.’ 

There have been three ambulance strike days already in recent weeks. Last month, they took place on December 21 and 28, and this month on January 10.

The next strikes have been announced for January 23, February 6, February 20 and then again on March 6 and March 20.

The dispute between the unions (Unison and GMB) and the Government concerns pay, staffing and retention of staff in the health service.

Ambulance workers have been offered a 4 per cent pay increase by the Government – amounting to an additional £1,400 per head a year – but the unions have rejected it, with inflation at 10.7 per cent.

The unions do not believe the current pay offer increase is acceptable.

On top of her disappointment in the ambulance service, Emmanuela said she was very distressed when her mother’s body was left at the house with her and her nine-year-old sister Emily for six hours.

She said: ‘My little sister was on the floor next to our mum the whole time. She was crying, shaking her and trying to wake her up.’

Their father, who works in the NHS, rushed home to his children. When he was told his partner Maame ‘didn’t make it, he literally started breaking down’, his daughter said.

Maame’s daughters, who are both receiving counselling via their schools, are currently staying with their aunt Sally Andrews in south London.

Maame’s death comes after ambulance services announced further walkouts in February that are due to bring further chaos amid long NHS waiting times.

Dr Fenella Wrigley, chief medical officer for London Ambulance Service, said: ‘We are deeply sorry for the delay in responding to Mrs Yamphet.

‘We are investigating our response to this 999 call and the care provided, and as part of this thorough review, will contact Mrs Yamphet’s family to understand the circumstances of this incident.

‘On behalf of London Ambulance Service, I offer my sincere condolences to the family and loved ones of Mrs Yamphet.’

The cause of Mrs Yamphet’s death is yet to be determined. In the meantime, her daugher Emmanuela has set up a fundraising page for her mother’s funeral: ‘We want to give her a befitting burial’, she said.

Source: dailymail

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