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Chilean women hold 'march of silence' for those killed in unrest

March kicks off another day of major protests across the country over growing inequality.

    Santiago, Chile – About 1,000 women dressed in black, carrying flowers marched silently through Santiago’s streets on Friday, calling for justice for the nearly two dozen people who have died, and thousands more who have been injured during the volatile unrest that has gripped Chile for two weeks.

    The “march of silence” kicked off another day of major protests against inequality across the country, as Chile’s government struggles to handle a historic social uprising that was sparked by a rise in Santiago’s metro fares in October.

    More: 

    • Chile protests: What prompted the unrest?

    • Chile unrest: Pinera backs out of hosting APEC and COP25 summits

    • Chile protests: More than one million bring Santiago to a halt

    More than 20,000 people took to the streets surrounding Plaza Italia in central Santiago on Friday afternoon, while thousands more marched on cities across the country, just one week after the capital witnessed a protest of more than a million people.

    “This is not going to stop,” said 29-year-old English teacher Sebastian, who wished to only give his first name. “Today is a bank holiday in Chile, but you see all these people here, they don’t care about the holiday, all they want is dignity, a new life.”

    ‘Living on the edge’

    Protesters are calling for drastic social and economic changes in one of Latin America’s most unequal countries.

    Many are furious over poor pensions, the almost complete privatisation of healthcare and education, a widening gap between rich and poor, low wages and the high cost of living. Calls for the resignation of president Sebastian Pinera have now become louder chants for a new constitution. The current one was written during the 17-year military dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet.

    Pinera has tried to appease protesters by ending the state of emergency and military curfew, which was a painful reminder of Pinochet’s regime. Earlier in the week Pinera announced a cabinet reshuffle alongside new social reforms, including a 20 percent rise in basic pensions, and a monthly minimum wage increase from $413 to $481.

    But for many Chilean protesters, the planned reforms just scratch the surface of what the country needs.

    As the marches continued in full force, Pinera backed out from hosting two major international conferences, the APEC trade summit and the COP25 climate change meeting. The president said it was a “painful decision”, but his government needed to “prioritise re-establishing public order”.

    But teacher Sebastian said protesters are “telling the Chilean government that things are not ok”.

    “We need serious improvements in society,” he said. “I have come here almost every day since this started and I intend to come here until we get the new constitution.”

    Saladin Meckled-Garcia, a senior lecturer in political science at University College London, said the protests showed that people are “suddenly waking up to their conditions and the fact that people in power aren’t doing anything about them”.

    “While Chile is more developed than other countries in the region, and economy quite powerful, that doesn’t translate into standards of living,” Meckled-Garcia told Al Jazeera. “There isn’t a foundational safety net in society that protects people from falling through. People suffer, and the cost of living is continuously rising. They are living on the edge.”

    ‘This is social justice’

    Nelly Meza, who stood in Plaza Italia banging a pan in a “cacerolazo” protest alongside her husband and son on Friday, said that the government “has done nothing”.

    “So far their response has been like an aspirin, but Chile doesn’t need a tablet, it needs real change,” she said.

    Meza and her husband had to sell their house to be able to pay for their son’s healthcare when he was diagnosed with cancer.

    “This is not political. This is social justice,” she said.

    Charlie, Meza’s 19-year-old son, who is now studying nursing, said: “If we don’t keep fighting and moving to the streets, this won’t go anywhere. But if we organise, we can go forward, and we can change the reality of the country.”

    The crowd of peaceful protesters in central Santiago on Friday waved flags bearing the sign of the Mapuche indigenous community and the national colours. The police helicopter overhead was deafened by the whistles and chanting on the street, as demonstrators jumped along to cries that Chile has “woken up”.

    But the bandanas covering the faces of the demonstrators, including families and children, were a reminder of the darker side to this unrest.

    People ate lemons or doused their scarves in water with baking soda to stem the effects of teargas, as a constant stream of gas canisters were thrown into the crowd by nearby police vans.

    At least 20 people have died in the unrest, with more than 1,000 people currently in hospital due to pellet and rubber bullet wounds. Thousands have been arrested. 

    The country’s human rights institute, the INDH, has so far filed 167 judicial cases against armed forces over violence including sexual assault and torture.

    UN investigators arrived earlier this week to probe the rights abuse allegations. Chilean officials, including the president have welcomed their presence, saying they “have nothing to hide”. 

    Meanwhile, protesters have said they will continue to take to the streets until “the very end”. 

    “At first [the government] thought everything was going to change when the military was going to the streets,” said teacher Sebastian, his eyes wet from tear gas. “But people were not afraid of them. You see that Chilean society has woken up. And we want them to know that we will be here until the very end. We’re not scared. We are all united, because this is something that affects everyone in Chile.” 

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    Your Saskatchewan: November 2019

    Photographers across the province are capturing photos for Your Saskatchewan.

    Each day, Global Saskatoon and Global Regina feature a viewer submitted picture for the Your Saskatchewan photo of the day.

    It is also highlighted on Global News Morning, Global News at 5, Global News at 6 and Global News at 10.

    Please email us if you have a picture to submit for Your Saskatchewan.

    Photos should be at least 920 pixels wide and in jpeg format.

    Here is the Your Saskatchewan photo gallery for November:


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    Legault open to idea of ‘Amazon Quebec’ to promote local retailers

    Premier François Legault is open to the creation of a Quebec version of Amazon, which his economy minister described Wednesday as a way to serve nationalist customers.

    Legault and Pierre Fitzgibbon spoke Wednesday about an “Amazon Quebec” ahead of a meeting with representatives of the online giant’s Canadian division.

    The premier told reporters he is concerned about the lack of Quebec-made products available on Amazon and wants to make sure the company isn’t just selling American products to Quebecers.

    The idea of a Quebec-focused platform was first floated in 2017 by businessman Alexandre Taillefer, who later became campaign director for the Quebec Liberal Party.

    Fitzgibbon went further than the premier, saying the province could “absolutely” invest in a Quebec platform, as long as it was sustainable.

    Any such platform, he added, would also have to a include a homegrown delivery mechanism to ensure goods reach their destinations quickly.

    “We have products, we have nationalist clients who like to buy in Quebec, so maybe it’s time to look more closely at having a structure,”‘ he said, adding that he was a big believer in Amazon’s model.

    Fitzgibbon said Quebec has the capacity to deliver groundbreaking solutions. “I keep hammering on how we need to innovate,” he said.

    Legault, for his part, said his priority is finding a way to reassure Quebec suppliers.


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    ‘Unlucky’ Bomber fan hopes third time’s the charm as she heads to Grey Cup final

    A dedicated Bomber fan is hoping her luck changes on Sunday after seeing her team lose – in person – in the Grey Cup final in both 2007 and 2011.

    Chris Morash told 680 CJOB that she bought ’07 Grey Cup tickets for her husband a year in advance, as a Christmas present, and was pleasantly surprised to see her hometown Bombers make it to the big game.

    “We booked a year in advance, so we were the envy of all the people we used to tailgate with,” she said.

    “We were going to that game and it turned out to be Winnipeg/Saskatchewan.”

    Of course, that game, which was held in Toronto, didn’t have the outcome Morash wanted. The Riders took home the hardware in a 23-19 win.

    Morash and her husband decided to make the Grey Cup an annual pilgrimage, attending 12 of the last 13 finals including another devastating Winnipeg loss in the 2011 championship game.

    The couple are playing things a little more cautiously this year, as the Bombers have a chance to win their first cup in almost three decades. Morash said she hopes she’s not a bad-luck charm for the team.

    “We’re kind of torn,” she said. “Is it our fault (the team lost) because we’ve been there in 2007 and 2011?

    “We’re going to Grey Cup, but we actually don’t have tickets to the game at this point. We decided to go for the indoor tailgate party.

    “We haven’t decided if we’re going to find some fans that have tickets up for sale.”

    Whatever she decides, Morash isn’t giving up the opportunity to be in Calgary, the big game’s host city, to watch her team attempt to make history by defeating the favoured Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

    “I was hopeful (all season),” she said, “but after that last win in the regular season against Calgary, I thought… we actually have a chance to do this!”

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    Manitoba golfer Aaron Cockerill lands European Tour card

    Manitoba golfer Aaron Cockerill has earned a European Tour playing card for the 2019-20 season.

    The native of Stony Mountain, Man., finished Wednesday’s sixth and final round tied for fifth at the tour’s final qualifying tournament, putting him well inside the top-25 cutoff for a full card.

    “I’m just excited,” Cockerill said. “I thought I’d probably be a little bit more emotional. I’m happy it’s done with. It’s a stressful week, especially when it’s as close as it is.”

    Cockerill, 27, was 16 under for the tournament, nine strokes behind winner Benjamin Poke of Denmark.

    Cockerill played on the Challenge Tour, the top feeder to the European Tour, this year. He finished 49th in the standings.

    The Canadian also played three events on the European Tour this season, making the cut in two.

    “I think my game will transfer maybe even better to more difficult golf courses,” Cockerill said.

    Cockerill made the trek overseas after spending the past three years on the Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada following a four-year NCAA run at the University of Idaho.

    The European Tour often is called the second best tour in the world, behind the PGA Tour.

    Traditionally, few Canadians play the European Tour.

    The most recent winner of a European Tour event not affiliated with the PGA Tour was Jerry Anderson at the 1984 European Masters Swiss Open.

    Mike Weir won the 2000 WGC-American Express Championship and 2003 Masters, which were included on the European Tour schedule but also had many PGA Tour players.

    Cockerill is planning to return home to Manitoba on Thursday before returning overseas.

    “(His phone) hasn’t stopped buzzing,” Cockerill said. “I’m excited to talk everyone back home and just looking forward to next year.”

    The 2019-20 season begins Nov. 28-Dec. 1 with the Alfred Dunhill Championship in South Africa.

    The schedule includes a minimum 46 events in 29 countries.

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    Gwen Stefani defends ‘Harajuku Girls’ era, denies cultural appropriation

    Fifteen years ago this month, Gwen Stefani released her debut solo album, Love. Angel. Music. Baby. (2004).

    The five-time Canadian platinum album spawned not only some of the former No Doubt frontwoman’s biggest hits — including What You Waiting For? and Hollaback Girl — but also marked the beginning of the singer’s highly controversial Harajuku Girls era.

    Harajuku is a popular fashion district located in Tokyo’s Shibuya ward in Japan. It’s best known as one of the world’s trendiest hotspots for youth culture.

    Stefani, now 50, seemingly adapted to the Harajuku culture and utilized it as her own before officially launching the Harajuku Lovers clothing line in 2005.

    First, however, she released the Harajuku Girls single before enlisting four women of Japanese descent — the Harajuku Girls — as both her entourage and backup dancers on the extensive Harajuku Lovers tour in 2005.

    Over the years, Stefani’s so-called “bow-down” to Asian culture has raised eyebrows across the globe, with many accusing her of cultural appropriation.

    When talking about the anniversary of Love. Angel. Music. Baby. with Billboard on Tuesday, Stefani defended herself, merely calling it a “concept” and denying accusations of cultural appropriation.

    On what initially inspired her to create her own “concept” about the culture, Stefani claimed that she “had a fascination from a young age” after learning that her father used to travel to Japan when he worked with Yamaha.

    “You take pride in your culture and have traditions and then you share them for new things to be created.

    “When the Harajuku Girls came out,” she said, “it was like, ‘You’re not even real, you’re a dream.’ It wasn’t like, ‘You’re not real because you’re Asian.’ Are you kidding me? That would be horrifying.”

    Mihi Ahn of Salon.com, thought otherwise, however. In 2005, she penned an article criticizing the Rich Girl singer, saying she had “swallowed a subversive youth culture in Japan and barfed up another image of submissive giggling Asian women.”

    Ahn described actual Harajaku girls as “funky dressers who hang out in the Japanese shopping district of Harajuku.”

    She later claimed Stefani’s backup dancers were “contractually obligated to speak Japanese in public,” saying it was rumoured the women were actually Asian-American and spoke English.

    Though she’s been criticized massively over the years for several different accusations of cultural appropriation, Stefani’s in-depth interview with Billboard seemingly prompted a new wave of anger, as many individuals took to social media to share their thoughts.

    Here’s what some Twitter users had to say:

    Back in 2005, Blender Magazine writer and Asian-American comedian Margaret Cho labelled Stefani’s take on Harajuku girls as a “minstrel show” that promoted the stereotyping of Asian women.

    Global News has reached out to a representative of Stefani seeking further comment.

    A 15th-anniversary reissue of Love. Angel. Music. Baby. will be released this Friday, Nov. 22.


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    Bolivia's ouster of Morales stirs tensions in left-leaning Nicaragua

    MANAGUA (Reuters) – Tensions have flared in Nicaragua since President Daniel Ortega’s leftist ally Evo Morales was toppled in Bolivia, encouraging the local opposition and prompting Ortega to arrest activists and ratchet up pressure on opponents.

    Morales resigned on Nov. 10 as the military urged him to step down and police officers defected to join massive street protests over vote-rigging allegations.

    The ripple effect has been felt across Latin America, unnerving incumbent governments and re-energizing opposition movements across the continent.

    In Nicaragua, where more than 300 people were killed during protests in 2018, months of relative calm have been punctured this month. Mothers of political prisoners launched two hunger strikes, which were met with arrests of activists and clashes by government supporters in the cathedral in the capital, Managua.

    Ortega has warned there will be no repeat of Bolivia under his watch.

    “The Bolivia situation was a shock for the government,” said a Western diplomat in Managua, who asked not to be identified.

    “It has impacted the government and completely diminished their desire to negotiate. It’s hardened their stance,” added the diplomat, referring to stalled talks over electoral reforms and early elections to end the grinding political crisis.

    Within days of Morales’ departure from Bolivia, the tone from the ruling Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) party hardened. Ortega gave a speech lamenting the toppling of his socialist ally and warning Nicaraguan opposition it is “playing with fire”.

    Opponents meanwhile welcomed Morales’ fall, which the United States said sent a signal to other “illegitimate regimes” such as Nicaragua and Venezuela.

    Last week, a group of mothers of political prisoners began a hunger strike in a church in the city of Masaya, close to Managua. Police responded by surrounding the church, then cutting off its water and electricity.

    In Managua, police have beefed up their presence on the streets. On Tuesday the government announced a five-year extension to the mandate of the army chief Julio Cesar Aviles.

    “They are pursuing a strategy of…direct intimidation of opponents to make them refrain from taking to the streets and being emboldened by what’s going on in Bolivia,” said Tiziano Breda, a Central America researcher at the International Crisis Group (ICG).

    “They also want to show they Nicaragua is different from Bolivia and they still control security forces, police and the judiciary system”.

    On Monday, police accused 16 activists of planning “terrorist” attacks and the prosecutor charged them with arms trafficking. The activists’ families said they were bringing water and medicine to the mothers waging hunger strikes to demand the release of more than 150 political prisoners.

    A second hunger strike was broken up when the Managua’s cathedral was stormed by a group of people activists say are linked to the ruling Sandinista party. A priest was beaten, according to the Catholic church and video footage shared on social media.

    One of Ortega’s sons last week led a protest outside headquarters of the COSEP business association which is part of the anti-Ortega Civic Alliance coalition, denouncing the private sector as “enemies of the people” and democracy.

    Analysts have called the government’s strategy risky, saying inflamed tensions can fuel unrest. They pointed to April 2018, when a heavy-handed crackdown against retirees protesting social security taxes triggered wider dissent against Ortega’s increasingly authoritarian rule.

    “Should there be any unforeseen events, like death in a hunger strike, that could backfire and embolden the opposition,” added ICG analyst Breda.

    The events in Bolivia have given new hope to the movement against Ortega, said Haydee Castillo, a member of the political council of the opposition Blue and White National Unity party, which is calling for a national strike.

    But Castillo struck a word of caution.

    “It’s a very dangerous moment,” he said. “The dictatorship is on the defensive”.

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    Thanksgiving at War

    Good morning. Here’s something worth thinking about as we zoom inexorably toward next week’s feast, toward family and friends, the warmth of the kitchen, the buzz of the dining room: America has been at war for the past 18 years. Next week will mark the 19th Thanksgiving during which service members and civilians have celebrated the holiday in conflict zones while engaging in what the Pentagon calls the global war on terrorism.

    I got to thinking I wanted to know a lot more about that, about what it’s like to spend this day devoted to Thanksgiving in places far from home, under threat of enemy fire, for reasons that evade easy explanation.

    So I asked my colleague Lauren Katzenberg for help. Lauren runs At War, a department of The New York Times Magazine that’s devoted to exploring the experiences and costs of combat. She turned to her readers and audience, asking them to share with us memories and photographs of their time spent in harm’s way, when all was turkeys and gravy at home. And then she asked our C.J. Chivers, one of the great conflict journalists of his or any age, to write about the experience, based on his own, and on his reporting.

    The result is “Thanksgiving at War,” the centerpiece of the Food section this week. I hope you’ll read it closely and think about the dark notes in the song, and pass it along when you’re done.

    Meanwhile, specific Thanksgiving advice is coming fast and furious. Melissa Clark’s darting left and right, with a brilliant recipe for lemony cauliflower with garlic and herbs (above) that you could make on Thanksgiving morning and another for crisp-roasted brussels sprouts with shallots that you could make while the turkey rests.

    Here’s Margaux Laskey with a roundup of our best vegan Thanksgiving recipes. Here’s the chef Clare de Boer with an awesome shortcut to crisp, tender pie crust. Here’s Eric Asimov on selecting Thanksgiving wines. And here’s Yotam Ottolenghi, brilliantly putting rice at the center of the holiday table with a sweet-spiced mushroom and apricot pilaf.

    Have a small kitchen? Follow Alison Roman’s lead! Need a menu planner? We have you covered. Gravy? Would you like my simple pan gravy? Or Steven Raichlen’s version, made with Madeira? (Here’s a vegan mushroom make-ahead gravy, if you need it.)

    Just visit our Thanksgiving page, and find your best holiday yet.

    As for dinner tonight? You don’t need a recipe, not on a Wednesday before Thanksgiving when all you’re thinking about is recipes. Instead, here’s a freestyle: Roasted cauliflower soup with artichoke cream. It’s simple. Roast a head of cauliflower in a pot in a hot oven under a drizzle of olive oil, with some salt and pepper. (You could add a couple of anchovies if you like that umami pop, two feathers in the vegetable’s cap.) When it’s all soft and crisp and good to go — about 45 minutes or so — whiz it up in a blender with some stock or milk, and hit the mixture with one of those little jars of artichoke cream that you can find in Italian specialty markets, in rough proximity to the roasted red peppers. That is a fine dinner indeed.

    Thousands and thousands more ideas for what to cook tonight and in coming days are waiting for you on NYT Cooking. Yes, you need a subscription to access them. Subscriptions are our business model! (You can give extra support to our endeavor by purchasing gift subscriptions, if you like.)

    You can visit us on Facebook, of course. We’re on there, same as the Boomers. We’re on Instagram, too, just like the teens. Speaking of, I hope you’ll subscribe to our YouTube channel. (Have you seen this episode of “Home Cook vs. Food Stylist?” You’ll love Jasmine.)

    And if something goes wrong along the way, with your cooking, with our technology, with anything to do with our common pursuit of the delicious, please reach out for help. Write us: [email protected] We will get back to you.

    Now, nothing to do with food, but someone was talking about the cartoonist Peter Arno the other day, and I went down a rabbit hole and found this cool series of photographs Vanity Fair ran of him and his milieu a few years ago. Consider those, and I’ll see you on Friday.

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    Nova Scotia pond billed as the ‘cradle of hockey’ put up for sale

    A small pond in Nova Scotia’s Annapolis Valley, billed as the “cradle of hockey,” is up for sale.

    Long Pond, on the east side of Windsor, N.S., is recognized by some historians as the birthplace of the game, with evidence indicating a crude version of the sport was played there in the early 1800s.

    The asking price for the 10-hectare site is $1.38 million.

    The pond and surrounding land are owned by the Dill family, who operate a nearby farm famous for its giant pumpkins.

    Danny Dill, who owns the pond with his brother Andrew, says it’s time for the family to focus on the farm – a 45-minute drive north Halifax.

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    UK's Johnson says Conservatives would raise payroll tax threshold

    LONDON (Reuters) – British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Wednesday that his Conservative Party would raise the threshold at which workers start to pay the National Insurance payroll tax to 12,000 pounds ($15,487) a year.

    National Insurance is currently payable on earnings over 8,632 pounds a year, and the increase in the starting threshold would bring it in line with income tax.

    “We’re going to be cutting National Insurance up to 12,000,” Johnson said in response to a question at a campaign event ahead of a general election on Dec. 12.

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