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A12 WORLD NEWS
Monday 9 deceMber 2019
Students keep driving protests demanding change in Chile

By EVA VERGARA for nearly half the students
Associated Press in the country, and lower
SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — interest rates on student
Nearly two months ago, loans.
Catalina Santana jumped In several cases, student
a turnstile in the San- protesters went on to be-
tiago metro and helped come left-wing legislators
launch a movement that who are now pushing for
changed the course of the reforms demanded by
Chilean history. the street protesters.
Student protests over a fare “In 2006 and 2011 we won
hike morphed into a na- partial solutions,” said Fab-
tionwide call for socioeco- rizio Termini, a 31-year-old
nomic equality and better law student who went onto
social services that brought the streets for the third time
millions to the streets and this year. “Now the support
forced President Sebastián is widespread for all the
Piñera to increase benefits demands we made, some-
for the poor and disadvan- what timidly, for years, and
taged and start a process every sector of society is
of constitutional reform. hoping for solutions to their
But Santana, 18, isn’t problems.”
done. Although the head- In this Oct. 25, 2019 file photo, an anti-government protester holds out a Chilean flag during Piñera has already can-
lines have faded, she and clashes with police in Valparaiso, Chile. celed some interest pay-
thousands of other young Associated Press ments on student loans, but
people are still taking to protesters are demanding
the streets of Santiago and young protesters are hop- ger,” Santana said during later, Chile has been hit by more relief for education
other Chilean cities almost ing that this time around a recent protests in central regular, large-scale pro- payments and related
daily to demand the gov- they will be able to force Santiago. “If I go to a hos- tests led by young people debt. The largely peace-
ernment follow through on the government to make pital, I shouldn’t die wait- that have won conces- ful protests have been ac-
its promises of chance. deep-rooted structural ing for treatment. The pro- sions from the government. companied by vandalism
Two similar student-driven changes that address the fessor teaching my classes High school students’ pro- and violence at the hands
movements over the last fundamental causes of shouldn’t be paid so little tests won discounts on of masked young people
decade and a half led to inequality, economic in- money. It can’t be this public transportation and in cities across Chile, and
significant but limited re- justice and poor social ser- way.” the waiver of charges for use of tear gas and non-
forms in education policy, vices in Chile. Starting with high-school university entrance exams lethal ammunition fired by
including lower costs for “If my grandmother retires, students in 2006, then uni- for most students. University police that has wounded
university students. The she shouldn’t die of hun- versity students five years students won free tuition thousands. q

Minister: Brazil can’t stop deforestation without help

By DOROTHEE THIESING zil’s far-right president, Jair
HELENA ALVES Bolsonaro.
MARCELO DE SOUSA Bolsonaro has squabbled
Associated Press with some European lead-
MADRID (AP) — Brazil ers this year over his com-
can’t stop deforestation mitment to protecting the
in the Amazon without Amazon. He has worried
the help of rich countries, environmental activists
the country’s environ- and others by criticizing
ment minister said at the Brazil’s environment regu-
United Nations’ two-week lator and by calling for
climate change confer- more development in the
ence. Amazon region. He also
Ricardo Salles, who de- accused activists groups,
clined to set a target for without evidence, of hav-
limiting deforestation in ing set fires in that region
the coming year, said to undermine his admin-
in an interview Saturday istration. Deforestation in
with The Associated Press the 12 months through
that his country is com- July reached the highest
mitted to reducing illegal annual rate in 11 years.
activity, but needs the In this photo taken on Saturday Dec. 7, 2019, Brazilian environment Ricardo Salles stands outside Brazil’s annual defores-
support of developed na- the Brazil delegation room at the COP25 U.N. climate talks in Madrid, Spain. tation report released
tions. Associated Press in November showed a
“We are willing to do nearly 30% jump from the
whatever is necessary to ised many years ago and portional funds are really climate conference known prior year in the Amazon,
do so, but we need that we’re still expecting the are what are going to be as COP25, Salles is working which lost 3,769 square
back up,” Salles said. rich countries to partici- needed for that task.” to assure others of the en- miles (9,760 square kilo-
“That back up was prom- pate in a proper way. Pro- While participating in the vironmental policies of Bra- meters) of forest.q