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☆ Kidnapped in Mexico: I Am One of the Missing Who Survived - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-08 | by ( Manuel Bayo Gisbert | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +11 min

Scroll In June 2020 I was kidnapped by armed men and heldfor ransom. Photographs and text by Manuel Bayo Gisbert I was kidnapped by armed menand held for ransom. In Mexico we say that when you see or experience something painful it can make us sick with horror. I turned to the families of the missing people of Mexico. In Mexico, We Harvest Pain and DeathOn Aug. 19, 2023, three years after I was kidnapped, my uncle Fernando Bayo was taken by four armed men in Acapulco.

Persons: Manuel Bayo Gisbert, Manuel Bayo, Ivonne’s, Hilda, Cheli’s, Rafael, Miguel Ángel, Justina’s, Abelardo, Lucio Cabañas, Cirino, “, ”, Práxedes Giner Durán, Álvarez, Juárez, —, Felipe Calderón, Calderón's, she’s, …, Pachuca … It’s, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, López Obrador, Fernando Bayo Organizations: Mexico City, Mexican Army, Mexican, …, Pachuca …, National, Brigade, Residents, Inter, American, Human, Signals, National Search Brigade Locations: Leer, español, Mexico, Parres, Chilpancingo, Guerrero, El Conchero, El Ticuí, Ciudad Madera, Chihuahua, Atoyac, Ciudad Juarez, Texas, …, Pachuca, Veracruz, of Mexico, Ayotzinapa, U.S, Yecapixtla, Acapulco, Tihuatlán, Santiago, Mexico City

☆ Murders, imprisonment and violence: Threats to press freedom grow in Latin America
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-03 | by ( Esteban Campanela | Sol Amaya | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

These are just the tip of the iceberg of the challenges faced by many media workers in Latin America, where experts say the status of press freedom is increasingly worrisome. The Prosecutor’s Office confirmed in a press conference that they believed the crime was linked to his journalistic work. Last week, the Mexican president criticized the US State Department’s report on human rights in the world, which refers to concerns over press freedom in Mexico, saying that US authorities should “be respectful”. In a publication in social network X, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez said US officials are not concerned about the human rights of Cubans and that the United States has its own human rights violations. Nicaragua: Ortega-Murillo regime targets journalismHarassment of the press in Nicaragua has been widely reported on numerous occasions.

Persons: CNNE, Francisco Cobos, ”, Cobos, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, López Obrador, Enrique Peña Nieto, Felipe Calderón, Lourdes Maldonado López, Maldonado López, Séptimo Día, Roberto Figueroa, Xochitl Zamora, Lourdes Maldonado, Maldonado ´, Marco Ugarte, AP López Obrador, Andres Oppenheimer, Javier Milei, Lopez Obrador, Abraham Jimenez, Jimenez, civically, “, Miguel Diaz, Yamil Lage, Jiménez, Bruno Rodríguez, Ortega, Murillo, Juan Lorenzo Hollman Chamorro, Hollman Chamorro, Chamorro, Carlos Fernando Chamorro, Rosario Murillo, … provocateurs, Chávez, Vos, Chavez, ” Edgar López, López, Juan Pablo Lares, Maximiliano Bruzual, Ariana Cubillos, Nicolas, Maduro’s, Yván Gil, ” Jeannine Cruz, Gustavo Petro, Nayib Bukele, Gonzalo Zegarra, Rey Rodríguez, Manuela Castro, Ana María Cañizares, Ivonne, José Álvarez, Elvin Sandoval, Iván, Sarmenti, Español Organizations: CNN, Amnesty International, Protect Journalists, Univision, Televisa, Prosecutor’s, AP, CIA, Canel, Getty, Cuban Foreign, La Prensa, National Police, ”, El, Regional, Democracy, Nicaraguan, State Department, National College of Journalists, Venezuelan, TC Television, Communication, “ Locations: Mexico, Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Latin America, Mexican, American, Tamaulipas, McAllen , Texas, Tijuana, Morelos, Tijuana , Mexico, Spain, Cuban, Havana, AFP, United States, Costa Rica, El Confidencial, Managua, NIcaragua, Sur, Washington, Venezuelan, “, Caracas, ”, Ecuador, Guayaquil, America, Argentina, Colombian

☆ Khan Younis: Inside the underground compound where Israel says hostages were held
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-07 | by ( Ivana Kottasová | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Khan Younis CNN —The stale, damp air inside the tunnel smells of sewage. Inside this maze of tunnels under Khan Younis, there is a narrow room with an arched ceiling, divided in half by a barred metal gate. Any hostages held here would have had limited sense of time or place. The southern city of Khan Younis, which Israel considers one of the “main strongholds” of the group, is the current epicenter of fighting. Israel believes 132 hostages are still being held in Gaza in compounds like the one CNN was escorted to under Khan Younis.

Persons: Khan Younis, CNN Israel, Dan Goldfuss, Goldfuss, “, ”, Israel, Ivana Kottasová, – Sahar Calderon, Yaakov, Sapir Cohen, Nir Oz, ’, Yahya Sinwar, ” Goldfuss Organizations: Khan Younis CNN, CNN, Israel Defense Forces, IDF, Gaza, of Health, Hamas, United Nations Locations: Gaza, Khan, Israel, Israeli, Israel’s, ”

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — The U.S. government and nearly 30 conservative world leaders on Saturday condemned the decision of Venezuela’s highest court to block the presidential candidacy of opposition leader María Corina Machado. “The United States is currently reviewing our Venezuela sanctions policy, based on this development and the recent political targeting of democratic opposition candidates and civil society,” U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement. Machado insisted throughout the campaign that she never received official notification of the ban and said voters, not ruling-party loyalists, were the rightful decision-makers of her candidacy. The ruling came more than three months after Maduro and the U.S.-backed opposition reached a deal to work on basic conditions for a fair election. The deal led Washington to ease some economic sanctions on Venezuela's oil, gas and mining sectors.

Persons: María Corina Machado, Biden, Nicolás Maduro, Matthew Miller, Machado, Miller, Justice “, Maduro, ” Gerardo Blyde, Emmanuel Macron, Luis Inácio Lula da Silva, Gustavo Petro —, Blyde, Maduro’s, Hector Rodríguez, ” Rodríguez, Machado “, Iván Duque, Mauricio Macri, Vicente Fox, Felipe Calderón, ” Organizations: Saturday, U.S . State Department, U.S, Justice, Democratic Initiative of Spain Locations: CARACAS, Venezuela, U.S, United States, Washington, Barbados, France, Brazil, Colombia, Americas, Venezuelan, Spain, Latin America, Iván Duque of Colombia, Argentina, Mexico, Venezuela's

☆ Relatives of Gaza hostages say stop talk of execution for Hamas detainees
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( Dan Williams | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has called for the death penalty, which is dormant on Israel's law books. The hostages have already been threatened with execution by Hamas and are at risk of being hurt or killed in the military offensive launched by Israel in response to the Oct 7 attack. "CONFUSED PRIORITIES"The only court-ordered execution in Israel was of convicted Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann in 1962. The conservative Likud party of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has shown little interest in advancing it during its long rule. Linor Dan-Calderon, three of whose relatives are hostages, accused Ben-Gvir's party of having "confused priorities".

Persons: Israel, Itamar Ben, Gvir, Ben, Adolf Eichmann, Benjamin Netanyahu, Linor Dan, Calderon, You've, Eichmann, Timothy Organizations: Israel Defense Forces, REUTERS Acquire, Palestinian, Israel's, National, State, Likud, Timothy Heritage, Thomson Locations: Israel, Gaza JERUSALEM, Gaza

☆ Musk's Starlink secures $90 mln contract to offer free internet in Mexico
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SpaceX founder and Tesla CEO Elon Musk speaks on a screen during the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, Spain, June 29, 2021. REUTERS/Nacho Doce/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsMEXICO CITY, Nov 15 (Reuters) - Starlink, the satellite internet service of billionaire Elon Musk, has secured a 1.56 billion peso ($89.80 million) contract to offer free internet in Mexico until the end of 2026, a Mexican government official said on Wednesday. Mexico has signed contracts for free internet with nine companies, including Starlink, Calderon added. Starlink is also set to provide infrastructure for Mexico's state energy firm through December 2026, according to documents seen by Reuters. The contract to work with Mexico's Comision Federal de Electricidad (CFE) is valued at between 887.5 million pesos and 1.8 billion pesos.

Persons: Elon Musk, Nacho, Musk's, Carlos Emiliano Calderon, Calderon, Raul Cortes Fernandez, Sharon Singleton Organizations: SpaceX, Mobile World Congress, REUTERS, MEXICO CITY, Starlink, Reuters, Mexico's Comision, Thomson Locations: Barcelona, Spain, MEXICO, Mexico

☆ Steve Wozniak: Apple co-founder hospitalized in Mexico City, source says
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( Veronica Calderon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: 1 min

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☆ Mexico throws troops, aid into Acapulco as hurricane death toll rises
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-29 | by ( Josue Decavele | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

ACAPULCO, Mexico, Oct 29 (Reuters) - Mexico's government on Sunday intensified efforts to get the stricken coastal city of Acapulco back on its feet as the toll of dead and missing from a record-breaking hurricane that ravaged the iconic beach resort continued to rise. POLITICAL FALLOUT[1/7]Damaged boats are seen at the Caleta beach in the aftermath of Hurricane Otis, in Acapulco, Mexico, October 29, 2023. Former President Felipe Calderon, a longstanding adversary of Lopez Obrador, accused his administration of trying to exploit the situation by "rebranding" boxes of private aid contributions to Acapulco as "government" donations. Lopez Obrador said he expected electricity to be fully restored in the city by Tuesday. Reporting by Josue Decavele, Jose Cortes and Alexandre Meneghini in Acapulco; Daina Beth Solomon in Mexico City; Editing by Dave Graham, Marguerita Choy and Lisa ShumakerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Hurricane Otis, Otis, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, Lopez Obrador, Blanca Estela Morales, Quetzalli, Lopez, Felipe Calderon, Jesus Ramirez, Calderon, Guerrero, Evelyn Salgado, Luis Cresencio Sandoval, Sandoval, Josue Decavele, Jose Cortes, Alexandre Meneghini, Beth Solomon, Dave Graham, Marguerita Choy, Lisa Shumaker Organizations: REUTERS, . Defense, National Guard, Thomson Locations: ACAPULCO, Mexico, Acapulco, Hurricane, Mexican, Mexico's, Guerrero, Mexico City

More than half of Chileans, 54% of respondents surveyed before the draft text was completed this week, plan on voting against the new constitution, according to pollster Cadem. The current proposal makes a grammatical change to a constitutional clause which abortion advocates already view as restrictive. But Lagos says this change, combined with another proposal that would define a child as any human being under the age of 18, could clear the way for more restrictive abortion laws. With abortion rights expanding across much of Latin America, the latest being Mexico and Argentina, supporters are worried that a right-wing resurgence in the region, could halt progress or see rights backslide. At a rally commemorating the global day of action for access to safe and legal abortion last week in Santiago, 26-year-old student Isadora Calderón told Reuters she felt abortion rights were being threatened by the current proposals.

Persons: SANTIAGO, pollster, Catalina, Teneo, Gabriel Boric, Antonio Barchiesi, Isadora Calderón, Calderón, Agustina Ramón Michel, Ramón Michel, Natalia Ramos Miranda, Lucinda Elliott, Alexander Villegas, Christian Plumb, Lincoln Organizations: Republican, Reuters, American, Thomson Locations: Catalina Lagos, Lagos, Latin America, Mexico, Argentina, Santiago, Argentine, Chile

☆ Right-wing media fumes over Univision anchor’s debate questions
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-28 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Republicans are enraged that their safe space was punctured at the second GOP debate by a Univision anchor. After welcoming viewers in Spanish (the debate was simulcast on Univision), Calderón queried the Republicans through the night on weighty issues related to immigration, hate crimes, health care, and more. But unlike what is typical on Fox News, Calderón declined to frame her questions in a manner favorable for the Republican candidates. “The Univision anchor’s questions seem to come from the comments section of Salon and Vox,” talk radio host Buck Sexton said. “I think the Univision lady thinks she’s at a Democratic Debate,” Fox News commenter Tomi Lahren added.

Persons: Ilia Calderón, Calderón, “, ’ ”, Ron DeSantis, Mike Pence, I’ve, Bud Light, Dylan Mulvaney, Greg Gutfeld, ” Gutfeld, Buck Sexton, commenter Tomi Lahren, ”, Matt Schlapp, Donald Trump, bode Organizations: CNN, Univision, Fox News, Republican, Los Angeles Times, Gov, Department of Homeland Security, “ Fox, DNC, Fox, RNC, Republican Party

☆ Hawkins becomes first woman in five years to test an F1 car
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Sept 26 (Reuters) - Aston Martin driver ambassador and former W Series racer Jessica Hawkins has become the first woman in nearly five years to test a Formula One car, the Silverstone-based team announced on Tuesday. She alternated in the car with Brazilian test and reserve Felipe Drugovich. She joined Aston Martin as a driver ambassador in 2021. Formula One has not had a woman driver start a grand prix since Italian Lella Lombardi in 1976 but a number have tested the machinery. The last female driver to test before Hawkins was Colombia's Tatiana Calderon with Sauber, now Alfa Romeo, at Mexico City's Hermanos Rodriguez track in October 2018.

Persons: Aston Martin, Jessica Hawkins, Hawkins, James Bond, Felipe Drugovich, I’m, Mike Krack, Jessica, Lella Lombardi, Colombia's Tatiana Calderon, Mexico City's Hermanos Rodriguez, Alan Baldwin, Christian Schmollinger Organizations: Silverstone, Aston Martin, Sauber, Mexico City's, Thomson Locations: British, Budapest, Mexico

☆ Wild comedy 'Poor Things' wins top prize at Venice Festival
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-09 | by ( Crispian Balmer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/8] The 80th Venice Film Festival - Awards Ceremony - Venice, Italy, September 9, 2023. Director Yorgos Lanthimos poses with Golden Lion Award for Best Film for the movie 'Poor Things'. REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane Acquire Licensing RightsSummary Oscar favourites regularly emerge from VeniceActors strike loomed large over festivalTop actors' awards go to U.S. starsVENICE, Sept 9 (Reuters) - "Poor Things", a gothic, sex-charged comedy directed by Greece's Yorgos Lanthimos, won the prestigious Golden Lion award at the Venice Film Festival on Saturday. The runner-up Silver Lion award went to "Evil Does Not Exist", an enigmatic, rural drama directed by Japan's Ryusuke Hamaguchi -- the only Asian entry among the 23 films competing for the main prize. Collecting his award, Sarsgaard said AI had to be curbed, warning that the issue had implications that went far beyond Hollywood.

Persons: Yorgos, Guglielmo Mangiapane, Greece's Yorgos Lanthimos, Emma Stone, Willem Dafoe, Mark Ruffalo, Bella Baxter, Spaeny, Elvis Presley, Priscilla, Peter Sarsgaard, Japan's Ryusuke, Sarsgaard, Poland's Agnieszka Holland, Italy's Matteo Garrone, Seydou Sarr, Guillermo Calderon, Pablo Larrain, Conde, General Augusto Pinochet, Crispian Balmer, Roberto Mignucci, Clelia Organizations: REUTERS, Venice Actors, Golden Lion, Lion, ACTION, Thomson Locations: Venice, Italy, U.S, VENICE, British, Hollywood, Polish, Belarus, Senegal, Africa, Europe

[1/3] Carlos Sandoval and other construction workers work in temperatures that were over 100 degrees F (37 degrees C) as they install new sidewalk infrastructure in downtown Palm Springs, California, U.S. July 11, 2022. In Phoenix, Arizona, the high was expected to reach above 110 F (43 C) for the 13th successive day on Wednesday. "Just stay inside man, just stay in side," Materniak said as his advice for dealing with the heat. Phoenix residents were under "extreme heat risk, (an) increase in heat related illnesses, including heat cramps, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke," the service warned. That air blocks cooler air and storm systems from rolling through the area, so it's "just full sun and heat," he said.

Persons: Carlos Sandoval, Jay Calderon, Drew Materniak, Materniak, Ashton Robinson Cook, Cook, Brendan O'Brien, Rich McKay, Jonathan Oatis, Bill Berkrot Organizations: USA, Network, REUTERS, National Weather Service, Prediction, Twitter, Facebook, Thomson Locations: Palm Springs , California, U.S, Southern California, South Florida, Vermont, Las Vegas, Phoenix , Arizona, Phoenix, American, In Texas, Texas, Los Angeles County, VERMONT, Montpelier, Vermont's, Chicago, Atlanta

☆ Victor Wembanyama Buzz Has San Antonio Businesses Eager to Cash In
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-24 | by ( Santul Nerkar | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

“It felt in the city at that moment like we had won another championship,” he said. Brandon Gayle, chief operating officer of the Spurs, said the team had seen a sharp increase in demand for season tickets — and from a younger, more diverse demographic than usual. Gayle said the Spurs wanted to expand their reach further into Mexico and Austin, Texas, where the team has played several games in recent seasons. They were in the bottom five the past two seasonsCarly Tovar represents the second generation of a three-generation Spurs family. The Spurs won their first title in 1999, when Carly was in high school.

Persons: ”, Brandon Gayle, Gayle, San, Carly Tovar, Mario Calderon, Ralph Tovar, Carly Organizations: Spurs, . Census, T Center, The Spurs, Knicks Locations: Antonio’s, Mexico, Austin , Texas, San Antonio, Dallas

☆ Marianne Williamson keeps losing campaign managers as she wages a long-shot bid for the 2024 Democratic presidential nomination
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Marianne Williamson's latest campaign manager just parted ways with the long-shot Democratic candidate. It comes less than a month after her previous campaign manager resigned. POLITICO reported on Tuesday that Roza Calderon, who first joined Williamson's campaign as a fundraiser in April, has parted ways with the long-shot Democratic candidate and self-help guru's campaign. It was not clear whether Calderon was fired or resigned, and a spokesperson for Williamson's campaign did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment on the matter. Peter Daou, Williamson's previous campaign manager, announced his own resignation on Twitter in late May.

Persons: Marianne Williamson's, Williamson, Robert F, Kennedy, Jr, —, Roza Calderon, Calderon, Peter Daou, Daou, Hillary Clinton, Kennedy Jr, who's, Joe Biden, It's Organizations: Democratic, Service, Privacy, POLITICO, Twitter, Biden

☆ EU countries amend draft proposal on gig workers' rights, companies unhappy
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( Foo Yun Chee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Toby MelvilleBRUSSELS, June 12 (Reuters) - EU countries on Monday tweaked draft rules aimed at giving workers at online companies such as Uber (UBER.N) and Deliveroo (ROO.L) employee benefits, ahead of negotiations with EU lawmakers who want more comprehensive rules than both EU governments and the European Commission. In their draft version agreed on Monday, EU countries propose that companies will be considered employers if they meet three out of seven criteria. The EU executive said the rules would cover some 4.1 million of the 28 million workers at online platform companies across the 27-country European Union. Uber criticised the proposals from both EU countries and lawmakers. EU countries, EU lawmakers and the Commission will now thrash out the details before the draft becomes legislation.

Persons: Toby Melville BRUSSELS, Uber, Anabel Diaz Calderon, Glovo, Foo Yun Chee, Susan Fenton Organizations: Chopin, REUTERS, European Commission, EU, Union, Thomson Locations: Warsaw, Poland, Europe, EU

☆ Ex-Twitter janitors are suing Elon Musk's company for over $100,000 in back pay, saying they face 'extreme hardship' after being 'left jobless on Christmas Eve'
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

One of the janitors said she faced "extreme hardship" like rationing pills after losing healthcare benefits. Former janitors at Twitter's New York office say they're owed "hundreds of thousands of dollars in back wages" in a lawsuit filed Tuesday. The eleven plaintiffs earned around $25 to $30 an hour, and some had been cleaning Twitter's office since 2015. In January, Twitter staff spotted cockroaches at the New York office, and it suffered a toilet paper shortage, Insider reported. Twitter's New York office.

Persons: they're, Elon Musk's, Musk, Twitter's, Kena, Lucy Calderon, Manny Pastreich, Twitter, Nextgen Organizations: Twitter, Twitter's, The Guardian, Building Service Workers Protection, New, Getty, SEIU Locations: York, New York

☆ Colombian Amazon plane crash: children's plight is the latest in a long list of air travel mishaps
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( Stefano Pozzebon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

The three adults onboard, including the pilot and the children’s mother, Magdalena Mucutuy, died in the crash. Calderon dismisses the idea that his job is particularly high risk, but he concedes flying in the Colombian Amazon is not for the faint hearted. Soldiers stand next to the wreckage of a plane during the search for child survivors on May 19, 2023. Moreover, this type of older airplanes are often the most apt to operate in the limited infrastructure of the airfields in the Colombian Amazon. This year the Colombian government budgeted the equivalent of over $200 million to boost airports across the Amazon region over the next 30 years, and to open eight new commercial flight routes Amazon region.

☆ Costa Rica president gets tougher on security as crime soars
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SAN JOSE, April 19 (Reuters) - Costa Rica's president on Wednesday presented a set of security measures in response to surging crime rates in the Central American country, which is currently on track this year to beat 2022's record murder rate. Costa Rica ended 2022 with a record 12.6 homicides per 100,000 residents, according to the judicial research agency OIJ. "We are going to mend the course we lost a long time ago," said Chaves, a week after criticizing those who condemned the security crisis. The country's main business chamber on Friday called for a state of "national emergency," fearing a hit to foreign investment and tourism. Reporting by Alvaro Murillo; Writing by Sarah Morland; Editing by Isabel Woodford and Jonathan OatisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Mexican president likens top judges to disgraced ex-official after military setback
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled legislation promoted by President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador mandating that the Army assume control of the National Guard was unconstitutional. Two of four justices nominated by the president voted against his plan. Eight of 11 justices voted it down in total. Lopez Obrador, who has suffered a number of setbacks at the hands of the court, will leave office at the end of September 2024 following general elections in June 2024. The next Congress will begin on Sept. 1, 2024, the day Lopez Obrador said he would present his initiative to reform the constitution to enshrine military control of the National Guard.

☆ 2022 was most dangerous year for journalists in Mexico -advocacy group
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] People march as they attend a demonstration to protest against the murder of journalists in Mexico City, Mexico, May 9, 2022. REUTERS/Edgard GarridoMEXICO CITY, March 28 (Reuters) - Last year was the most violent on record for journalists in Mexico, the free-speech group Article 19 said on Tuesday, citing security forces and other state agents as the main offenders. In 2022, Article 19 recorded 696 crimes against media workers, ranging from intimidation and harassment to kidnapping and murder, the organization said in its annual report. "In Mexico, journalists are killed, but they are also intimidated and silenced systematically and recurrently through harassment, stigmatization, threats and the illegitimate use of public power," the report said. Article 19 compared the level of attacks on journalists in the fourth year of previous Mexican presidents.

☆ Gold Fields, AngloGold rule out merger after Ghana joint-venture deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( Nelson Banya | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The South Africa-headquartered AngloGold and Gold Fields are among the five biggest gold producing companies by output in the world, with operations in Africa, Australia and South America. Gold Fields' Preece, who last month said the company was no longer pursuing big M&A deals after its failed bid for Canada's Yamana Gold (YRI.TO) said on the conference call "collaboration is easier". Gold Fields and AngloGold would own 60% and 30% of the joint operation, respectively, with the Ghanaian government holding 10%, Calderon said. "The proposed joint venture would create the largest gold mine in Africa and one of the largest in the world. Apart from Tarkwa, Gold Fields has two other mines in Ghana, Damang and the 45%-owned Asanko.

☆ U.S. Jury Convicts Mexico’s Former Top Cop of Drug Trafficking
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( James Fanelli | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Judge Brian Cogan instructs the jury ahead of deliberations in the trial of Genaro García Luna earlier this month. Mexico’s former top law-enforcement officer was found guilty in a federal court Tuesday of helping the powerful Sinaloa drug cartel smuggle cocaine into the U.S.A jury in Brooklyn convicted Genaro García Luna of all five counts he faced, including engaging in a criminal enterprise and conspiring to distribute drugs. Mr. García Luna headed Mexico’s federal investigation agency and served as the country’s minister for public security from 2006 to 2012 under then-president Felipe Calderón.

The jury found Garcia Luna guilty on all five counts he faced, which included continuing criminal enterprise and conspiracy to distribute cocaine. Garcia Luna is one of the highest-ranking Mexican officials ever accused of ties to drug trafficking. Garcia Luna, who moved to the United States after leaving office and was arrested in 2019, had pleaded not guilty. Cesar de Castro, a defense lawyer, portrayed Garcia Luna as a hardworking family man and said his accusers had "incredible motives to lie." Guzman was sentenced to life in prison in 2019 following his conviction in Brooklyn on drug trafficking and murder conspiracy charges.

☆ Ex-Mexico drug czar helped Sinaloa cartel's 'cocaine empire,' U.S. prosecutor says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Luc Cohen | Thomson Reuters | Reports On The New York Federal Courts. Previously Worked As A Correspondent In Venezuela | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Jane RosenbergNEW YORK, Feb 15 (Reuters) - A former Mexican law enforcement official once in charge of the country's battle against drug trafficking helped the Sinaloa cartel build a "global cocaine empire" in exchange for millions of dollars in bribes, a U.S. prosecutor said on Wednesday. "These leaders paid the defendant bribes for protection - and they got what they paid for," Komatireddy said, referring to Guzman and two other top-ranking Sinaloa cartel figures. Garcia Luna, she said, "used his official government position to make millions of dollars for himself from the people he was supposed to prosecute." Garcia Luna, one of the highest-ranking Mexican officials ever accused of helping drug cartels, led Mexico's Federal Investigation Agency from 2001 to 2005 and was public security minister from 2006 to 2012. Guzman was sentenced to life in prison in 2019 following his conviction in Brooklyn on drug trafficking and murder conspiracy charges.

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