In Brazil, the ninth World Social Forum continues in the Amazon city of Belem. On Thursday, a panel of Latin American presidents criticized the US for its role in the financial crisis and its double standards in allowing massive state intervention in financial markets. Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa spoke alongside Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez, Paraguay’s Fernando Lugo and Bolivia’s Evo Morales.

Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa: “The guilty parties in this crisis try to give lessons on morality and good economic handling. The most powerful people on the planet have united to find a therapy for the dying. They’re getting together — the central bankers, the representatives of the large financial firms, the people primarily responsible for the crisis.”

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is also attending the forum, choosing to boycott the gathering of business leaders in Davos, Switzerland.