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Tuesday, February 25, 2020

News of the day from around the world, Feb. 24

1 FOOD SHORTAGE: One of every three people in Venezuela is struggling to put enough food on the table to meet minimum nutrition requirements as the nation’s severe economic contraction and political upheaval persists, according to a study from the U.N. World Food Program. A nationwide survey based on data from 8,375 questionnaires reveals a startling picture of the large number of Venezuelans surviving off a diet consisting largely of tubers and beans as hyperinflation renders many salaries worthless. A total of 9.3 million people — roughly one-third of the population — are moderately or severely food insecure, said the study. Food insecurity is defined as an individual being unable to meet basic dietary needs. 2 PIPELINE PROTESTS: Canadian police moved Monday to clear an indigenous railroad blockade in Ontario that has crippled freight and passenger traffic in most of eastern Canada for nearly three weeks. Police arrested some protesters on Tyendinaga Mohawk territory near Belleville, Ontario, east of Toronto. Demonstrators have set up blockades in British Columbia, Ontario, Alberta and Quebec in solidarity with opponents of the Coastal GasLink pipeline project that crosses the traditional territory of the Wet’suwet’en First Nation in northwestern British Columbia. 3 REFUGEE CRISIS: Protest groups on three eastern Greek islands on Monday began setting up blockades aimed at stopping the government from building new migrant detention centers. The groups on Lesbos, Chios and Samos have received broad support on the islands, including from municipal authorities and farming associations. The government says it is determined to build detention centers on recently appropriated land to replace overcrowded camps on the islands — announcing that construction would...


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