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☆ Judge Upholds Biden Program Giving Some Immigrants Short-Term Legal Status
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-08 | by ( Miriam Jordan | More About Miriam Jordan | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A federal judge on Friday allowed the Biden administration to keep in place a program that officials have used to give temporary legal status to some citizens of Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela. The decision is a notable victory for the White House, which has faced criticism on immigration policy and has used the temporary status program to discourage people from some of the region’s most troubled countries from illegally crossing the southern U.S. border. Texas and other Republican-led states had sued the Biden administration to block the program. But Judge Drew B. Tipton of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas sided with the administration, which considered the program vital to border management. The number of unlawful crossings by nationals from three of the countries in the program has declined, even as the overall number of migrant crossings has continued at historically high levels.

Persons: Biden, Drew B Organizations: White, Republican, Tipton, U.S, Southern, Southern District of Texas Locations: Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, Venezuela, U.S, Texas, Southern District

☆ Russia says its democracy is the best in the world, days after Putin's only real political rival died in prison
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-07 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov declared Russia's democracy "the best" in the world. Navalny died in prison, and Russian elections are widely regarded as anything but free and fair. AdvertisementRussia's democracy is the best in the world and it won't tolerate criticism of it, the Kremlin's top spokesperson said on Wednesday. "Our democracy is the best, and we will continue to build it," he said, per Ukrainska Pravda's translation. Russian presidential elections, set to begin in 10 days, are also widely regarded as a foregone conclusion.

Persons: Dmitry Peskov, Putin's, Alexey Navalny, Navalny, —, Vladimir Putin, Boris Nadezhdin, Alexei Navalny, Associated Press Navalny, Roman Ivanov Organizations: Service, Moscow Times, Associated Press, Kremlin, Telegraph, Economist Intelligence Unit Locations: Moscow, Russia, —, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Ukraine

When busloads of migrants from Venezuela and Latin America started turning up on New York City streets in 2022, it spurred a crisis that has overwhelmed city shelters and incited protests over immigration policies. Thousands of Chinese migrants have also made their way to New York, with many following on the heels of migrants from Central and South America and crossing at the United States-Mexico border. Once they reach the city, however, many are tapping into long-established family and social networks in Chinese enclaves to get on their feet quickly and, for the most part, on their own. It is not known exactly how many Chinese migrants have landed in New York. But immigration court filings since October 2022 show that New York State was their top destination — with more than 21,000 filings for Chinese migrants — followed by California, according to an analysis by Julia Gelatt, an associate director at the Migration Policy Institute.

Persons: Eric Adams, Julia Gelatt Organizations: Latin America, New, New York State, Migration Policy Institute Locations: Venezuela, Latin, New York City, New York, Central, South America, United States, Mexico, California

☆ What Makes a Top Runway Model in 2024?
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-05 | by ( Elizabeth Paton | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

There is one model who walked in more fashion shows than any other in 2023. Yilan Hua is from China. Ms. Hua, 24, is the leading face of a new generation of popular Chinese models that includes He Cong, Chu Wong and Ying Ouyang — despite a family death this season that kept her off the runway for much of Paris Fashion Week. So why is the industry so taken with her, and what does her ascent reflect about the importance of China to luxury fashion? “Yilan doesn’t necessarily embody the traditional beauty standards revered by Chinese audiences,” Ms. Zhang wrote in an email.

Persons: Yilan Hua, outpacing, América, Victoria Fawole, Chanel, Fendi, Michael Kors, Stella McCartney, Christian Dior, Hua, Chu Wong, Ying Ouyang —, Margaret Zhang, “, ” Ms, Zhang, ” Organizations: Cannes Film, Vogue, Vogue China Locations: China, Venezuela, Nigeria, Paris

☆ Venezuela Announces Election Date, With Opposition Candidate Still Banned
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-05 | by ( Genevieve Glatsky | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Venezuelan officials announced on Tuesday that national elections that many had hoped would forge a path toward democracy will be held on July 28. But the decision on a date comes a month after the country’s highest court barred the leading opposition candidate from the ballot, leading many to question how free and fair the summer election would be. Still, the announcement from the government of President Nicolás Maduro is at least a partial fulfillment of a commitment to the United States to hold elections this year in exchange for a lifting of crippling economic sanctions. In October, Mr. Maduro signed an accord with the country’s opposition and agreed to work toward a free and fair presidential vote. In the agreement, Mr. Maduro said he would hold an election before the end of this year, and the United States in turn lifted some sanctions as a sign of good will.

Persons: Nicolás Maduro, Maduro Organizations: Mr Locations: United States

☆ I helped raise my nephew, and now I'm pretty sure I don't want to have kids. Parenting requires too much sacrifice.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-04 | by ( Cristabelle García | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

I helped raise Diego from the moment he was born until my family moved to another state when he was three years old. However, the experience also made me think, for the first time, about what parenthood entailed and whether I wanted that life for myself. Cristabelle Garcia lived with and helped raise her nephew Diego from when he was born until he was three years old. I know myself well enough to know that I don't even want to try to do it all. And because I had that experience, I can now make a more informed decision, which is a benefit most people don't get.

Persons: Diego, we've, —, we'd, caregiving, Cristabelle Garcia, It's, I've, We'd, it's, I'm Organizations: Diego Locations: Florida, Venezuela

☆ Opinion: Why ‘My Way’ won’t go away
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-03 | by ( Richard Galant | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +17 min

We’re looking back at the strongest, smartest opinion takes of the week from CNN and other outlets. “That is the way he spoke,” Anka told Ed Masley of the Arizona Republic. It may not go his way, but the failure of Congress to approve more aid to Ukraine likely is giving Putin hope. Whether Congress chooses to provide the continued financial support Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan desperately need will go a long way toward answering this question. “If Biden wants to improve his standing with voters,” wrote Jon Gabriel, “a Brownsville photo won’t cut it.

Persons: CNN — “, ”, Frank Sinatra, “, Alexey Navalny, Paul Anka, Sinatra, …, Anka, ” Anka, Ed Masley, Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump, Melania Trump, Odessa Rae, Trump, Joe Biden, Jack Smith, Mitch McConnell, McConnell, Julian Zelizer, Putin, Emmanuel Macron, Mark T, Esper, Russia resurges, ” Esper, Nick Anderson, Dahlia Lithwick, Steve Vladeck, Walt Handlesman, Biden, Nikki Haley, “ Biden, specter, ” David Axelrod, Haley, ” Dana Summers, Joe Biden John Halpin, Sophia Nelson, Catherine Russell, Russell, Ofri Bibas Levy, Yarden, Kibbutz Nir, Shiri Bibas, Ariel, ” Levy, Shiri, Kfir, Frida Ghitis, Drew Sheneman, Roe, ” Cupp, Katie Britt, Elena Sheppard, I’d, Betsy Ross, ” Sheppard, Dorothea Dix, Lucy Delaney, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Sheppard, Kristen Kelly, Serene Williams, Clay Jones, Jon Gabriel, Gabriel, Eric Adams, Laken Riley, Raul A, Reyes, ” Don’t, David Horsey, Agency Van Jones, Ariel Dorfman, Dean Obeidallah, Shane Gillis, Noah Berlatsky, —, Kellie Carter Jackson, Lev Golinkin, Josephine Apraku, Germany Jill Filipovic, Jodie Turner, Smith, Michael Bociurkiw, Anna Arutunyan, Kirk Tanner, Jeff Yang, ” Wendy’s, ” Yang Organizations: CNN, FBI, Liberty Ball, Russia ”, Twitter, Capitol, Republicans, Senate, GOP, Trump, Republican Party, West, Tribune Content Agency Trump, Michigan Trump, Democratic, Agency, Tribune Content Agency, UNICEF, Hamas, CNN Republicans, Union, Biden, New York City, Immigration, Customs Enforcement, University of Georgia, Congressional, Stanford Locations: Moscow, Miami, Arizona Republic, Russian, Russia, Odessa, Ukraine, Michigan, “, United States, Israel, Taiwan, Washington ,, Gaza, Tribune Content Agency Gaza, Rafah, ”, Alabama, Biden’s State, Brownsville, New York, Venezuela, Germany

☆ Why Some Colombians Call Their Mothers ‘Your Mercy’
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-02 | by ( Julie Turkewitz | Nathalia Angarita | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

After Altair Jaspe moved from Venezuela to the Colombian capital, Bogotá, she was taken aback by the way she was addressed when she walked into any shop, cafe or doctor’s office. In a city that was once part of the Spanish empire, she was no longer “señora,” as she would have been called in Caracas, or perhaps, in her younger years, “muchacha” or “chama.” (Venezuelan terms for “girl” or “young woman.”)Instead, all around her, she was awarded an honorific that felt more fitting for a woman in cape and crown: Your mercy. Would your mercy like a coffee? Will your mercy be taking the appointment at 3 p.m.? Excuse me, your mercy, people told her as they passed in a doorway or elevator.

Persons: Altair Jaspe, “ Locations: Venezuela, Bogotá, Caracas

☆ DC and Marvel are reprinting coveted crossover comics
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-01 | by ( John Towfighi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

CNN —Comic-book store owner Jermaine Exum couldn’t believe his ears when a customer asked to reserve a copy of the upcoming 960-page “DC versus Marvel” comics collection. The "DC Versus Marvel Omnibus," to be released August 6, 2024, is a collection of various crossover comics, and just the second collaboration by DC and Marvel in two decades. From 1976 to 2003, crossovers between the DC and Marvel universes (“Superman vs. Uslan recalled similar “interplay” among the companies, citing a regular DC vs. Marvel softball match in Central Park as evidence of camaraderie. The comic "Marvel and DC Present Featuring the Uncanny X-Men and the New Teen Titans #1", will be reprinted in the upcoming collection.

Persons: Jermaine Exum couldn’t, “, ”, Lex Luthor –, ” Marvel, Exum, Michael Uslan, Carmine Infantino, Stan Lee, ” Uslan, Marvel, DC Walt Simonson, I’m, ” Simonson, Uslan, Walt Simonson, DC Ben Saunders, Denny O’Neil, George Pérez, Chris Claremont, John Romita Jr, Batman, Simonson, ” Saunders, Saunders, Federico Parra, James Gunn, Marvel’s, Peter Safran, Kevin Feige, ” Ethan Sacks, “ Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, Jerry Siegel, Joe Shuster, Bob Kane, Bill Finger, William Moulton Marston Organizations: CNN, Marvel, DC, Warner Bros, Discovery, Disney, Hollywood, ” Comics, Teen Titans, New Teen Titans, University of Oregon, Acme Comics, “, Marvel Studios, Guardians, Galaxy, DC Studios Locations: Greensboro, North Carolina, Central, Greensboro , North Carolina, Venezuela, Caracas, AFP, Greece, Rome, Egypt

☆ After U. of Georgia Killing, Lawmakers Seek Tougher Immigration Laws
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-29 | by ( Jacey Fortin | Alessandro Marazzi Sassoon | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Republican lawmakers in Georgia are pushing to toughen state laws that govern detentions of undocumented migrants after a killing at a college campus sent shock waves through the state. Last Thursday, the body of Laken Riley, a 22-year-old woman, was found in a wooded area on the campus of the University of Georgia in Athens. Officials said that Mr. Ibarra and Ms. Riley did not know each other before the encounter that ended in Ms. Riley’s death. As an outpouring of grief ensued in Athens, immigration policies in Georgia have come under renewed scrutiny, with Republican lawmakers looking to exercise more state power over local law enforcement agencies. Mayor Kelly Girtz of Athens-Clarke County has faced criticism from conservatives for his welcoming stance toward migrants, and a bill in the State House that would harden Georgia’s existing laws on immigration has gained new momentum.

Persons: Laken Riley, Jose Antonio Ibarra, Mr, Ibarra, Riley, Mayor Kelly Girtz Organizations: University of Georgia, Republican Locations: Georgia, Athens, Venezuela, Clarke

☆ Migrant children in open-air desert camps are suffering from hunger and hypothermia, court documents say
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-29 | by ( Blake Ellis | Melanie Hicken | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

The episode was one of many highlighted in a court filing Thursday that takes aim at the living conditions at open-air camps near the U.S.-Mexico border in California. Federal immigration officials have directed migrants to those camps but have failed to provide adequate food, water, shelter and medical services, children’s rights lawyers say. More than 3.3 million immigration court cases remain in the cue, according to according to data from Syracuse University’s Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse, which tracks immigration court data. The declarations also described instances in which aid workers had to orchestrate emergency medical care for children in serious distress. Some alleged that Border Patrol agents saw that children were suffering but did little about it.

Persons: —, Adriana Jasso, Joe Biden, ” Neha Desai, “, Jasso, ” Desai, ” Theresa Cheng, ” Organizations: CNN, Border Patrol, National Center for Youth Law, CBP, Department, Homeland, Civil Rights, Civil Liberties, Security, “ Locations: Colombia, porta, U.S, Mexico, California, Venezuela, China, India, Mauritania, Syracuse, San Diego, Colombian

☆ Biden Acts to Stop Sales of Sensitive Personal Data to China and Russia
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-28 | by ( David Mccabe | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

President Biden will issue an executive order Wednesday seeking to restrict the sale of sensitive American data to China, Russia and four more countries, a first-of-its-kind attempt to keep personally identifying information from being obtained for blackmail, scams or other harm. The president will ask the Justice Department to write rules restricting the sale of information about Americans’ locations, health and genetics to China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Cuba and Venezuela, as well as any entities linked to those countries. The restrictions would also cover financial information, biometric data and other types of information that could identify individuals and sensitive information related to the government. The White House said this kind of sensitive data could be used for blackmail, “especially for those in the military or national security community,” and against dissidents, journalists and academics. The new restrictions would be the United States’ first-ever broad prohibition on the sale of digital data to individual countries in an era when companies known as data brokers assemble huge amounts of information on people, from favorite hobbies to household income and health conditions, and then typically sell it to marketers that target them with ads.

Persons: Biden, United States ’ Organizations: Department Locations: China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Cuba, Venezuela, United States

☆ How America’s once great department stores became a dying breed
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-27 | by ( Chris Isidore | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

But department stores, focused on America’s middle class, are fading. The victims of shifting consumer tastes were not the department stores that anchored the local mall, it was the small, locally owned stores along downtown shopping districts that were closing their doors. And possibly even more than the big box competitors, department stores have suffered from consumers shifting to buying items online rather than in person. The steady closing of the department stores that once served as “anchors” of malls across suburban America has been another nail in the coffin of many malls, hurting the department stores that remained in hollowed-out malls with a fraction of their earlier traffic. Saunders said one of the primary problem for Macy’s is that its holding company, formerly known as Federated Department Stores, spent much of its resources on buying other department store brands, such May’s Department Stores, and Filene’s, rather than investing in the stores its held.

Persons: New York CNN —, Neil Sauders, ”, JC Penney, It’s, “, Neil Saunders, Shannon Stapleton, Saunders, ” Saunders, Al Bello, Sunny Zheng, Macy’s, Tony Spring, Taylor, Brian Snyder, Eddie Lambert, Michael Brown, Kearney, ” Brown, Mike Segar, Richard W, Sears, Alvah Roebuck, Sears Roebuck, Bettmann, PhotoQuest, Jack Manning, Frank Scherschel, Owen, Lucille Jagusch, Arlene Hardt, Martin Luther King Jr, Michael Ochs, Ron Frehm, Ralf, Finn Hestoft, Mark Peterson, Seth Meyers, Hugh Jackman, NBCUniversal, Kaylin Wilson, Jim Cole, Rene Johnston, Maria Alejandra Cardona, Scott Olson, Cesar Villasenor, Mel Melcon, Sarah Blesener, Paul Hennessy, Patti Naleck, Naleck, Stacey Wescott, Brown Organizations: New, New York CNN, American, Walmart, Company, Department, Sears, Target, GlobalData, JCPenney, Research, RadioShack, Reuters Sears, Federated Department Stores, May’s, Reuters, Chicago History, Sears Roebuck, Roebuck, Hulton, AP, AP Soldiers, Michael Ochs Archives, Getty, Bettmann, Kmart, Bloomberg, Toronto Star, Reuters Residents, Los Angeles Times, New York Times, Chicago Tribune, Tribune, Service Locations: New York, GlobalData, America, Nanuet , New York, North Redwood , Minnesota, Chicago, El Paso , Texas, Jackson , Mississippi, Tucson , Arizona, Caracas, Venezuela, Niles , Illinois, Morton Grove , Illinois, Baltimore, White Plains , New York, Woodfield , Illinois, Hicksville , New York, Nashua , New Hampshire, Mentor , Ohio, Mississauga , Ontario, Hialeah , Florida, Janesville , Wisconsin, Santa Monica , California, Rockaway , New Jersey, Leesburg , Florida, Schaumburg , Illinois

☆ Arrest of Migrant in Georgia Killing Turns City Into Latest Battleground on Immigration
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-26 | by ( Richard Fausset | Alessandro Marazzi Sassoon | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

When a 22-year-old nursing student was found dead on a wooded trail at the University of Georgia in what’s believed to be the first homicide on campus in nearly 30 years, it set off waves of grief and fear that shook the university to its core. But when a 26-year-old migrant from Venezuela was charged on Friday with kidnapping and murdering the student, Laken Riley, it did something else: It transformed Athens and Clarke County, a community of about 130,000 people some 70 miles east of Atlanta, into the latest flashpoint in the political fight over American immigration policy. In a social media post on Monday, former President Donald J. Trump called the suspect, Jose Antonio Ibarra, a “monster,” and blamed President Biden for an “invasion” that is “killing our citizens.” Earlier in the day, at an event at the university, Gov. Brian Kemp of Georgia decried “an unwillingness by this White House to secure the southern border.”A third Republican, Representative Mike Collins, who represents Athens, wrote on social media: “The blood of Laken Riley is on the hands of Joe Biden, Alejandro Mayorkas and the government of Athens-Clarke County,” referring to the unified city-county government.

Persons: what’s, Laken Riley, Donald J, Trump, Jose Antonio Ibarra, Biden, Brian Kemp of Georgia, “, Mike Collins, Joe Biden, Alejandro Mayorkas Organizations: University of Georgia, Gov, Republican Locations: Venezuela, Athens, Clarke County, Atlanta, Clarke

☆ In Latin America, a New Frontier for Women: Professional Softball in Mexico
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-25 | by ( James Wagner | Marian Carrasquero | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In many parts of Latin America, baseball is a popular and well-established sport with men’s professional leagues in Mexico, the Dominican Republic and Venezuela, among others. But women wanting to play baseball’s cousin — softball — professionally had only one option: to leave. In what is believed to be a first in Latin America — a region where men often have more opportunities than women, particularly in sports — a professional women’s softball league has started in Mexico. On Jan. 25, when the inaugural season began, 120 women on six teams got to call themselves professional softball players, many for the first time. “Before, there wasn’t even a question of, ‘Should there be a professional sport for women?’ It was a given that it didn’t exist.

Persons: ”, Stefania Aradillas Organizations: Diablos Locations: America, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Venezuela, United States, Japan, Mexico City

A 26-year-old man charged with kidnapping and murdering a nursing student at the University of Georgia in Athens will remain in jail after he was denied bond at a hearing on Saturday, the authorities said. Ms. Riley, a student at nearby Augusta University and a former student at the University of Georgia, had been reported missing by friends after she did not return from a run. Mr. Ibarra, a resident of Athens who is not a U.S. citizen, migrated to the United States from Venezuela, the authorities said. That release, or parole, was a practice the administration used when officials were overwhelmed with high numbers of crossings. Some six million Venezuelans have fled their troubled country, the largest population displacement in Latin America’s modern history.

Persons: Jose Antonio Ibarra, Laken Riley, Jeffrey Clark, Riley, Ibarra Organizations: University of Georgia, Augusta University, Border Patrol Locations: Athens, U.S, United States, Venezuela

CNN —Dozens are feared to be dead after an illegal gold mine in the Venezuelan town of La Paragua collapsed, according to the town’s mayor Yorgi Arciniega. The mayor estimates dozens of people have been killed, and more are still trapped in the collapsed mine. Egar Colina, a security official in the Bolivar state government, urged caution and said more state officials were trying to reach La Paragua to update the death toll. Bolivar is a forest-covered region that has long been affected by illegal mining for gold and other minerals. La Paragua is less than 40 miles from the park’s borders.

Persons: Yorgi Arciniega, Arciniega, Egar Organizations: CNN, CNN en Espanol, . Relief Locations: Venezuelan, La Paragua, Bolivar, Venezuela, Brazil

☆ Supreme Court won’t review sanctions against pro-Trump lawyers who filed frivolous 2020 election suits
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-20 | by ( John Fritze | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —The Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to revisit sanctions levied against two pro-Trump attorneys who filed frivolous lawsuits challenging the outcome of the 2020 election in Michigan. Sidney Powell and Lin Wood filed separate appeals asking the justices to review sanctions imposed by a US district court in 2021. Though their cases involved several technical arguments, both claimed sanctions would make it less likely for lawyers to take “unpopular” cases to court. The Supreme Court denied both appeals without offering any comment on the case. The 6th US Circuit Court of Appeals largely upheld the sanctions.

Persons: Sidney Powell, Lin Wood, Wood, Powell Organizations: CNN, Trump, Supreme, US Locations: Michigan, Venezuela, China, Georgia

☆ Child abuse scandal rattles Orban’s image as defender of ‘family values’
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-17 | by ( Christian Edwards | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Orban has long posed as a globetrotting defender of Christian values and an enemy of liberalism. But Orban’s critics say his carefully constructed image is a thin guise for a plutocratic mode of governance designed to enrich a small group of oligarchs. The scandal could also weaken Hungary’s bid to gain more influence in Brussels in the upcoming European elections. Since the scandal was revealed last weekend by Hungarian news site 444.hu, “Orban has not made an appearance or said anything. Critics argue that Orban’s proposed constitutional solution to the scandal is a symptom of his autocratic mode of governance.

Persons: CNN —, Viktor Orban, Katalin Novak, Orban’s, ”, Judit Varga, Fidesz party’s, Varga, Orban, Hungary’s, “ Orban, Kim Lane Scheppele, Attila Kisbendek, Peter Magyar, “, ” Magyar, Magyar, Hungary ”, ” Orban, Critics, ” Scheppele, Hungary –, Bernadett Szabo, Scheppele, ‘, illiberal, ’ ”, Pope Francis, Eva Fodor, Fodor, Attila Kisbenedek, Zoltan Balog, Balog, hasn’t, Mark Rutte, Europe’s, he’s Organizations: CNN, CNN — Hungary’s, Fidesz, European Union, Princeton University, Partizan, State of, Reuters, Survey, Christian, Central European University, Getty Locations: Washington, Moscow, Brussels, Budapest, AFP, Varga’s, Hungary, State, Christian Europe, China, Venezuela, ”, Netherlands

☆ Tobago's Tourism, Fishing Hit as Oil Slick Spreads Across Caribbean
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

The spill has spread miles from Tobago's shore, the area first impacted by the incident, leading authorities to alert its Caribbean neighbors, including Venezuela and the island of Grenada. I cannot simply sit down and do nothing," said Edwin Ramkisson, who makes a living fishing for snapper and salmon in Lowlands, on Tobago's Atlantic shore. The slick has reached about 144 kilometers (89 miles) into the Caribbean Sea and is moving at a rate of 14 km per hour, Tobago's Chief Secretary Farley Augustine said on Thursday. The barge is believed to have carried as much as 35,000 barrels of fuel oil, according to Augustine. The spill has stained Tobago's beaches, impacting wildlife and tourism, and has posed a risk to the Scarborough cruise ship port.

Persons: Curtis Williams, Edwin Ramkisson, Farley Augustine, Augustine, Tobago's Emergency Management Agency Allan Stewart, TankerTrackers.com, Marianna Parraga, Bill Berkrot Organizations: Tobago's Coast Guard, Tobago's Emergency Management Agency, Puerto La Locations: Curtis Williams SCARBOROUGH , Tobago, Trinidad, Tobago's, Venezuela, Grenada, Lowlands, Scarborough, Tobago, Panama, Guyana, Puerto, Puerto La Cruz, St, Vincent, Grenadines

“We come from a place where gun violence is a problem, but you will never see a 19-year-old with an AR-15 getting into a school and shooting people,” Manuel Oliver said. “There’s a reason for the gun violence in a Third World country. Joaquin's AI voice identifies him and then says, “Many students and teachers were murdered on Valentine’s Day ... by a person using an AR-15, but you don’t care. Other families who lost loved ones to gun violence will be allowed to add their victim's re-created voice to the project, which runs indefinitely. They call themselves “the rebel side of the gun violence prevention movement."

Persons: — Joaquin “ Guac ” Oliver, Oliver, Manuel, Patricia Oliver, Joaquin's, ” Manuel Oliver, “, Stoneman Douglas, ” Patricia Oliver, It’s, Joaquin, Critics, ”, “ Joaquin, Uziyah Garcia, Ethan Song, Brett Cross, “ I’m, Uzi, hadn't, Mike, Kristin Song, ” Kristin Song, —, ’, Manuel Oliver's, Joe Biden Organizations: National Rifle Association, Immigrants, NRA, Valentine’s, YouTube, Waffle House, Robb Elementary School Locations: Fla, Parkland , Florida, Venezuela, United States, Parkland, Tennessee, , Texas, Uvalde , Texas, Connecticut, Virginia

☆ ICE draft plan would release thousands of immigrants in order to cover budget shortfall
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-14 | by ( Priscilla Alvarez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Washington CNN —Immigration and Customs Enforcement has drafted contingency plans to cut detention capacity and release thousands of immigrants as a result, according to a source familiar with the plan. The draft plan comes as ICE faces a dire budget shortfall amid stalled congressional action on the White House supplemental request. President Joe Biden has repeatedly implored Congress to give him more resources to deal with the situation at the US-Mexico border, assigning blame on Republicans for not doing more. Over recent years, ICE has assisted Customs and Border Protection in its border mission as that agency is also overwhelmed. Homeland Security officials have attributed the decline to ongoing high-level talks between the US and Mexico, which has doubled down on enforcement, but caution that encounters historically drop in January before ticking up again.

Persons: Joe Biden, Mayorkas, ” Biden, Alejandro Mayorkas, Troy Miller Organizations: Washington CNN — Immigration, Enforcement, ICE, White, Department of Homeland Security, GOP, impeaching, DHS –, The Washington Post, Administration, Homeland Security, CBP, Protection, Coast Guard, Transportation Security Administration, US Border Patrol, DHS Locations: Mexico, Congress, Venezuela

Of all the government critics, few thought that Rocío San Miguel would be the one to disappear. Ms. San Miguel, 57, has long been one of Venezuela’s best known security experts, a woman who dared investigate her country’s authoritarian government even as others fled. But late last week, Ms. San Miguel arrived at the airport outside Caracas with her daughter, bound for what a relative called a short trip to Miami, when she was picked up by counterintelligence agents. For four days, the only public information about Ms. San Miguel came from Venezuela’s top prosecutor, who claimed on social media, without providing evidence, that Ms. San Miguel had been linked to a plot to kill the country’s president, Nicolás Maduro. Finally, on Tuesday evening, her lawyers said she had surfaced — and was being held in a notoriously brutal detention center.

Persons: San, San Miguel, Nicolás Maduro Organizations: Venezuelan Locations: San Miguel, Caracas, Miami, Venezuela’s

☆ Rocio San Miguel: White House ‘concerned’ as Venezuela detains activist over alleged ‘White Bracelet’ plot to kill Maduro
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-13 | by ( Stefano Pozzebon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —White House spokesman John Kirby told reporters on Tuesday that the US government is “deeply concerned” by the arrest of activist and security analyst Rocio San Miguel in Caracas, Venezuela. On Tuesday, Venezuela’s Attorney General Tarek William Saab announced on X that San Miguel had been charged overnight with treason, conspiracy, terrorism and criminal association as part of an investigation into the “White Bracelet” plot. “White Bracelet” is the name of an alleged plot to kill President Nicolas Maduro that the Venezuelan government denounced in January, and for which it has presented no evidence. San Miguel’s ex-husband Alejandro Gonzales was also charged with revealing military secrets, while four other citizens were released, Saab said. They are complicit in (terrorism) and interventionist actions against Venezuela,” Gil wrote on X.

Persons: CNN —, John Kirby, “, Rocio San, …, ” Kirby, Juan Luis Gonzalez, Tarek William Saab, Miguel, Nicolas Maduro, Miguel’s, Alejandro Gonzales, Yvan Gil, Maduro, Vladimir Padrino, Freddy Bernal, ”, ” Gil Organizations: CNN, Maiquetia, Venezuela’s, Saab, UN, Commission, Human Rights, Interamerican, Amnesty International Locations: Rocio San Miguel, Caracas, Venezuela, Miguel, Venezuelan, Spanish, United States, Tachira

☆ US Concerned About Venezuela's Arrest of Activist and Her Family
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-13 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States is "deeply concerned" by reports that human rights activist Rocio San Miguel and members of her family have been arrested in Venezuela, the White House said on Tuesday. San Miguel is president of the non-governmental organization Control Ciudadano, which advocates for citizen oversight of Venezuela's armed forces. San Miguel's legal team says it has requested information from Venezuelan authorities following her arrest but has not received a response. Human rights groups say her lawyers were not present at her arraignment on Monday. Washington began reimposing sanctions last month after Venezuela's top court upheld a ban blocking the candidacy of the leading opposition presidential hopeful.

Persons: Rocio San Miguel, Miguel, Nicolas Maduro, John Kirby, Maduro, Kirby, Tarek Saab, State Nicolas Maduro, Washington, Jeff Mason, Gabriel Araujo, Mayela Armas, Rami Ayyub Organizations: WASHINGTON, Control, State, United Nations Locations: United States, Venezuela, U.S

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