South America

Violent clash between peasants and police in Paraguay left 15 to 17 dead and 80 wounded and could have taken place in any Latin American country, except Cuba, Uruguay and Venezuela. In other regions there is a repeat of a pattern of rural entrepreneurship and investment of funds that attempt to appropriate public lands belonging to indigenous communities or occupy them.

In run-up to the UN Conference on Sustainable Development, the Government of Brazil is organizing, with support of the UN, Sustainable Development Dialogues – a forum for civil society – in Riocentro from June 16 to 19.
In the 4 days top representatives from civil society, private sector, NGOs, scientific community, etc.. will convene at the venue of the Rio+20 Conference

A large-scale march was staged by inhabitants of the northern city of Calama, mining capital of Chile, who demand the allocation of more resources to copper mining cities.
The “March for Dignity” went toward the city hall, there they presented a setter addressed to regional and national authorities, rejecting a funding project announced by authorities for mining municipalities

Despite being immensely popular among the people of Argentina, the Argentinean government’s decision to nationalize the YPF (Yacimientos Petrolíferos Fiscales) oil company has continued to come under attack by those who obstinately promote extractive capitalism. The measure would nationalize YPF and restore 51 percent of the company’s ownership to Argentina.

Humanists everywhere across the Earth celebrated yet another anniversary of the emergence of the Humanist Movement, launched on May 4, 1969, with public presentations and in particular that by its founder, Silo, a harangue known as “The Healing of Suffering”. This was given in the Andes, in Punta de Vacas, near the border between Argentina and Chile. A declaration follws:

“I have the feeling that justice has finally been done after the offensive launched against me,” provincial TV journalist Teobaldo Meléndez Fachín told RWB yesterday, referring to an appeal court ruling 10 days ago overturning his November conviction on a charge of [“aggravated defamation”](http://en.rsf.org/peru-decriminalization-of-press-05-01-2012,41631.html).

Will 2012 be as bad as last year for Chileans working in the media,
particularly news photographers and cameramen, as well as journalists and
bloggers close to protest movements? The fear is well-founded and has been
highlighted once again as support for the protest movement in the poor
southern region of Aysén has spread, and students have once again gone on
the march.

A photographer for the English-language news site “The
Santiago Times” was detained on Thursday while covering a protest related to the Aysén movement.
Jason Suder, a volunteer photojournalist for the news site and U.S.
citizen, was photographing a confrontation between Chile’s police force
and protesters when an officer detained and
placed him into a police vehicle.

The bridge over the Rio Rosselot that connects La Junta with the rest of Northern Patagonia, Chile, has been closed by La Juntan’s in solidarity with the “Tu Problem Es Mi Problema” Aysen Civil Movement. A report and the protestors set of demands is brought to Pressenza from participant local resident and “Earthwalker” Paul Coleman.

Criminal gangs are becoming a threat to the world’s glaciers, which are already receding as a result of climate change, the UN reported, citing a case in Chile where police are investigating the theft of some 5,000 kilograms of millennia-old ice from the Jorge Montt glacier.