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☆ Title 42 dramatically changed who arrived at U.S.-Mexico border
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

Title 42 dramatically changed who arrived at the borderChart showing that before Title 42 began, most people apprehended at the U.S.-Mexico border were Mexican, Guatemalan, Slavadorian or Honduran. Title 42 mostly applied to Mexican migrants Mexicans are the nationality most frequently caught crossing the U.S.-Mexico border and also made up the largest group of quick Title 42 expulsions. With Title 42 in place, Mexican migrants processed under Title 8 dropped, as most were deported to Mexico under Title 42. Chart showing the breakdown of migrants from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador apprehended under Title 8 and Title 42. All four nationalities began to increase once Title 42 began until Title 42 was expanded to include people from Venezuela in October 2022 and people from Cuba, Haiti and Nicaragua in January 2023.

The number of migrants caught crossing the border illegally since Title 42 ended on Friday dropped sharply from highs last week, U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) official Blas Nunez-Neto said on a call with reporters. Nunez-Neto said migrants crossing illegally "now face tougher consequences at the border, including a minimum five-year bar on reentry and the potential to be criminally prosecuted if they try again." Title 42 allowed U.S. authorities to expel migrants to Mexico or other countries without the chance to request U.S. asylum. The Biden administration has also expanded legal pathways that allow more people to enter the U.S. without crossing illegally, including the CBP One appointments and applications available abroad for humanitarian parole and refugee status. The number of migrants caught crossing the U.S.-Mexico border illegally dropped to an average of 5,000 per day since Title 42 ended, down from daily highs of over 10,000 last week, Nunez-Neto said, cautioning that the situation "is very fluid."

☆ Faced with tougher U.S. policy, migrants in Mexico pin hopes on asylum app
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-12 | by ( Daina Beth Solomon | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/6] Migrants seeking asylum in the U.S., gather on the Matamoros-Brownsville International Border bridge, in Matamoros, Mexico May 12, 2023. Now, she is trying another way she hopes will be easier: the U.S. asylum app. "It's much better," Silva said on Thursday at the border, scrolling through a WhatsApp chat with tips about the app known as CBP One. Under the COVID-era order, U.S. officials could immediately expel migrants back to Mexico, blocking them from requesting asylum. Alongside her, two young men from Venezuela said they were also going to seek asylum appointments on the CBP One app.

☆ US military to bolster defensive posture in Gulf after Iran seizes tankers
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, May 12 (Reuters) - The U.S. military will work to bolster the defensive posture in the Gulf region following Iran's seizure and harassment of commercial shipping vessels in recent months, U.S. officials said on Friday. In the past two years, Iran has harassed, attacked or interfered with the navigational rights of 15 internationally flagged commercial vessels, officials said. "The Department of Defense will be making a series of moves to bolster our defensive posture in the Arabian Gulf," White House spokesperson John Kirby told a news briefing. The U.S. Navy said on May 3 the Panama-flagged oil tanker Niovi was seized by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy while passing through the Strait of Hormuz. Days earlier, Iran had seized a Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman.

METETÍ, Panama—Five months ago, the Barrios family fled economic calamity in Venezuela along with 7.2 million fellow citizens. In April, they picked up again, this time from the country that had taken them in, Colombia. Unable to get the documentation they needed to legalize their status, Franklin Barrios and Rebeca Herrera joined thousands of other Venezuelans leaving Colombia and trying to make it to the U.S., say migrant advocates and the Venezuelan travelers themselves.

MEXICO CITY, May 8 (Reuters) - The Mexican government on Monday set out fresh details of a plan to attract businesses to a corridor straddling a narrow isthmus of southern Mexico, part of a larger push to pump investment into the relatively poor region. The plan, called the Inter-Oceanic Corridor, will include 10 new industrial parks along the stretch connecting the Pacific port of Salina Cruz in Oaxaca state with the Gulf coast hub of Coatzacoalcos in Veracruz state, officials said. Officials also hinted at plans to construct four wind plants across the area, home to major installations of state-run oil company Pemex. Another reason to push manufacturing to the south is that the north - which benefits from its proximity with the United States - is facing a drought, officials say. Reporting by Kylie Madry; Writing by Brendan O'Boyle; Editing by David Alire GarciaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Mexican officials roll out investment plans for southern corridor
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Officials announced details for 10 industrial parks along the corridor connecting the Pacific port of Salina Cruz in Oaxaca state with the Gulf coast hub of Coatzacoalcos in Veracruz state. Four of the parks will be located in Veracruz and six in Oaxaca, officials said during an event touting the potential of the Interoceanic Corridor development plan. Lopez Obrador has repeatedly argued that southern states like Oaxaca are prime for investment versus the country's more industrial north. He has also touted southern Mexico's more ample water resources. The minister added that the Interoceanic Corridor project will be presented to companies from the United States, Canada, Taiwan and Germany, among others.

Florida lawmakers sent DeSantis a bill that would let him stay governor while running for president. "I don't think we have seen a six-month stretch that has ever been this productive in the history of our state," DeSantis said at the Florida Capitol in Tallahassee on Friday. Should DeSantis be successful in a presidential run, he would follow in the footsteps of Democrat Bill Clinton and Republican George W. Bush. Ron DeSantis speaks during an election night watch party at the Convention Center in Tampa, Florida, on November 8, 2022. During a press conference in Panama City, Florida, on Thursday, DeSantis continued to play coy about his intentions.

☆ Jamaica striker Shaw named CONCACAF women's Player of the Year
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

May 5 (Reuters) - Jamaica captain Khadija Shaw has become the first player from the Caribbean to be named CONCACAF women's Player of the Year, the governing body said on Friday, after she played a key role in helping her country qualify for the Women's World Cup. Shaw scored a joint-highest three goals at last year's CONCACAF W Championship to lead Jamaica to third place in the tournament, which served as a qualifier for this year's showpiece event in Australia and New Zealand. The 26-year-old has also been in fine form for Manchester City this season, leading the Women's Super League with 18 goals in 19 games. "It's an unbelievable feeling to be named as CONCACAF Women's Player of the Year, but I couldn't have done it without my team mates as they've played a massive part in this," said Shaw. Jamaica are in Group F with France, Brazil and Panama at the World Cup, which will be held from July 20-Aug. 20.

☆ Jamaica can spring a surprise at Women's World Cup, Sampson says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

May 4 (Reuters) - Jamaica lost all three games and finished bottom of their group in their only previous Women's World Cup appearance but defender Vyan Sampson says they are much more organised under new coach Lorne Donaldson and can spring a surprise this time around. They also lost all three games in the Cup of Nations tournament in February but Sampson said the team were making progress ahead of the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. "But we've also, with the help of our new and technical staff, really buckled down and become a much more organised team too ... We're a small nation, but we don't fear anyone." "The fact we have her in our locker is another massive part of what makes us believe that we can do something at this World Cup." Jamaica are in Group F with France, Brazil and Panama at the World Cup, which will be held from July 20-Aug. 20.

☆ Iran Seizes Second Oil Tanker in a Week
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Dion Nissenbaum | Costas Paris | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Iranian naval boats swarmed the Niovi after it left Dubai early Wednesday morning. Photo: HANDOUT FROM U.S.NAVAL FORCES CENTRAL COMMAND/VIA REUTERSIranian forces seized a Panama-flagged oil tanker on Wednesday in the Strait of Hormuz, the U.S. Navy said, marking the second time in less than a week that Iran has captured a commercial ship in the region. A dozen small Iranian naval boats swarmed the 360-yard-long Niovi after it left Dubai en route to the United Arab Emirates port of Fujairah early Wednesday morning, the navy said. The Iranian boats forced the Niovi to reverse course and head toward Iran’s coast.

☆ Iran Seizes Second Oil Tanker in Gulf Waters in a Week, U.S. Navy Says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Dion Nissenbaum | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Iranian forces seized a Panama-flagged oil tanker on Wednesday in the Strait of Hormuz, the U.S. Navy said, marking the second time in less than a week that Iran has captured a commercial ship in the region. A dozen small Iranian naval boats swarmed the 360-yard-long Niovi after it left Dubai en route to the United Arab Emirates port of Fujairah early Wednesday morning, the navy said. The Iranian boats forced the Niovi to reverse course and head toward Iran’s coast.

☆ European police arrest more than 100 mafia suspects in drug crackdown
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The swoop was part of an investigation spanning Italy, Germany, Belgium, Portugal, Spain, Slovenia, Romania, Brazil and Panama, according to European Union law enforcement agency Europol. The network was devoted primarily to international drug trafficking from South America to both Europe and Australia, Europol said in a statement. A total of 108 people were arrested in Italy and other EU countries on the orders of police in the southern city of Reggio Calabria, Italian police said. Related investigations led to the arrest of 24 people in Germany, they said, as well as a further 53 detentions in northern Italy. The interior minister of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia said 18 of the arrests were made there.

☆ US Navy video shows a dozen Iranian fast-attack boats swarming an oil tanker in its latest maritime seizure
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A dozen Iranian attack boats seized an oil tanker crossing through Middle Eastern waters on Wednesday. The US Navy shared a video of the incident, which showed the boats swarm the vessel. The 1,100-foot-long Panama-flagged oil tanker Niovi departed Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, and was on its way to the port city of Fujairah, when the incident unfolded at around 6:20 a.m. local time. On April 27, Iranian navy vessels intercepted the Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker Advantage Sweet as it was crossing international waters in the Gulf of Oman, a body of water that separates Oman from Iran. Panama-flagged oil tanker Niovi in the Strait of Hormuz.

☆ They've been beaten, trolled, threatened with sexual violence but refuse to be silenced
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Adie Vanessa Offiong | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Ixchíu Hernández had already been the victim of years of online threats -- attempts to humiliate and silence her. Published in April 2021, it reveals: "Online attacks on women journalists appear to be increasing significantly, as this study demonstrates, particularly in the context of the 'shadow pandemic' of violence against women during COVID-19. "Online violence against women journalists is designed to: belittle, humiliate, and shame; induce fear, silence, and retreat; discredit them professionally, undermining accountability journalism and trust in facts; and chill their active participation...in public debate. Ricchiardi-Folwell explains that because of the often-sexualized nature of the attacks, women remain silent about their harassment, which leads them to believe they are alone. Editor's note: This story was originally published in 2021 and updated to reference the latest report by UNESCO.

☆ Iran seizes second oil tanker in a week in Gulf, US Navy says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

DUBAI, May 3 (Reuters) - Iran has seized a second oil tanker in a week on Wednesday in Gulf waters, the U.S. Navy said, the latest escalation in a series of seizures or attacks on commercial vessels in Gulf waters since 2019. In Iran's first response, Tehran's prosecutor announced the oil tanker was seized on a judicial order following a complaint by a plaintiff, the judiciary's Mizan news agency said. The incident comes after Iran on Thursday seized a Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman called the Advantage Sweet. The Niovi oil tanker seized on Wednesday had been travelling from Dubai toward the UAE's Fujairah port when it was forced by IRGCN boats to change course towards Iranian territorial waters, the Navy said. Since 2019, there have been a series of attacks on shipping in the strategic Gulf waters at times of tension between the United States and Iran.

☆ John Blake: The story about race I didn't know how to tell
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( John Blake | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

John Blake, seen here in a second-grade photo, grew up as the son of a White mother and Black father. What I didn’t know was that my community had died long before the Freddie Gray protests. That’s the story I wanted to tell, but I didn’t know how. I didn’t know how to tell Harlow any of that because my story doesn’t fit traditional narratives about race or identity. My white family members didn’t change because I shamed them with an impressive lecture on systemic racism.

Michel Gaubert first crossed paths with Karl Lagerfeld when he worked at a record store on the Champs-Élysée. “All his life Karl was obsessed with music,” he recalled. All his life Karl was obsessed with music. Then one day Eric came and asked if I wanted to work with the Karl Lagerfeld brand. Karl said Diane de Beauvau-Craon [a French princess and a pal of Mr. Lagerfeld’s] would call me.

☆ US Special Operations Command's workhorse helicopter is getting upgrades to replace parts that are nearly 50 years old
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

US special operators rely on their variant, the MH-47, for missions at night and behind enemy lines. As such, the US special-operations community's workhorse helicopter is getting upgrades to replace parts that are nearly 50 years old. US Army Special Operations Command has used Chinooks for several decades. Early versions had modifications for special operations. The 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, nicknamed "the Night Stalkers," is the cream of the crop when it comes to US military aviation.

Companies The World Bank Group FollowApril 27 (Reuters) - The World Bank has approved a $150 million loan to support sustainable growth and climate resilience in Panama, the lender said in a statement on Thursday. The Development Policy Loan (DPL) represents the first of two operations in the Central American country, it added, which are designed to support the energy transition, socially-inclusive growth and sustain capital for resilient growth. The project is also expected to help Panama decarbonize its land transportation, protect its ocean, conserve forests and implement more energy efficient policies, it said. "This financial operation will enhance Panama's efforts in establishing the policy foundations to foster the country's sustainable economic growth, low emissions and resilience to climate change," Panama's economy and finance minister, Hector Alexander, said in the statement. Reporting by Sarah Morland; Editing by Anthony EspositoOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

[1/5] A Cuban tanker ship enters Havana's bay with a sign that reads in Spanish: "No more blockade", referring to the trade embargo on Cuba imposed by the U.S., Havana, Cuba, April 25, 2023. Venezuela's oil exports to Cuba so far this year have dropped to 55,000 barrels per day (bpd) from almost 80,000 in 2020. Cuba has also imported since November at least five cargoes from Russia, a long-time supplier, as well as fuel from Caribbean terminals and Europe, the data shows. Officials also blame U.S. sanctions, which complicate the financing and transport of fuel to Cuba, for the crisis. Venezuela's state oil company PDVSA and oil ministry, Pemex, and Mexico's foreign ministry did not reply to requests for comment.

☆ Taiwan or China? Paraguay's dilemma puts election race in the spotlight
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Lucindaalice Elliott | Daniela Desantis | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/2] Paraguayan presidential candidate Santiago Pena from ruling Colorado Party, attends his campaign rally, in Asuncion, Paraguay April 18, 2023. REUTERS/Cesar OlmedoASUNCION, April 24 (Reuters) - From Paraguayan capital Asuncion to Taipei and Washington, diplomats, officials - and farmers - are closely watching a tight election race that could determine Paraguay's future ties with Taiwan. "How can I deny a relationship that is beneficial for all Paraguayans, a people that need development, need investment, need industry?" China has long argued that democratically-ruled Taiwan is part of its own territory with no right to state-to-state ties, a position Taipei strongly rejects. 'WHEN, NOT IF'Among diplomatic circles in Asuncion there is a sense a switch is inevitable - regardless of the election outcome.

☆ Americans trying to flee Sudan are hiring private security companies to get out of the civil war zone after the US said no military evacuation is coming
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Hannah Getahun | Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Private security contractors are being hired to evacuate Americans and other foreign nationals from Sudan. As a result, some citizens have taken it upon themselves to hire private security, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal. Private security for hireDale Buckner, CEO of private security firm Global Guardian, told WSJ the company's staff has escorted dozens of expatriates to neighboring countries — sometimes dodging gunfire, artillery, and mortar fire. "Our rescue teams have to navigate dozens of checkpoints in an active war zone," Buckner told WSJ. "It is not our standard procedure to evacuate American citizens living abroad," White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said on Friday.

☆ 13 hot spots for real-estate investors seeking solid rental income returns and cheaper property instead of high prices and taxes, according to an expert who's spent 2 decades investing around the glob
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-22 | by ( Laila Maidan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

With the right locations, he believes investors could double their cash investment in the next five years based on property appreciation and rental income. you'll also need to pay taxes on rental income which varies by state. If you plan on generating short or long-term rental income, find a strong rental or property manager. If you're on a budget but want to invest in a good shorter-term rental property for Airbnb, look in high-traffic destinations, he said. Top picks for short-term rental income are internationalized destinations that have easy air access, great amenities, and a lack of hotel competition.

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