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☆ After acrimonious resignation, Pope tells abuse commission to 'move forward'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Philip Pullella | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] Pope Francis addresses a meeting with the members of Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors at the Vatican, May 5, 2023. Vatican Media/Handout via REUTERSVATICAN CITY, May 5 (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Friday praised the work of an international Vatican commission on sexual abuse prevention, following the recent acrimonious resignation of a high-profile member who accused it of lacking transparency. Zollner, a world-renowned abuse prevention expert, denounced unclear hiring practices, an undefined relationship with the Vatican's doctrine office and "inadequate" financial and decision-making accountability. Zollner also leads a centre for the study of abuse at Rome's Pontifical Gregorian University and is an adviser on abuse prevention for the diocese of Rome. Last year, the pope incorporated it into the Vatican's doctrinal department, which decides on sanctions for priests convicted of sexual abuse.

SAN FRANCISCO/WASHINGTON, May 4 (Reuters) - A Miami-based digital marketing firm was behind a series of covert political influence operations in Latin America over the last year, Facebook-owner Meta (META.O) said this week, a rare exposé of an apparent U.S.-based misinformation-for-hire outfit. "It's a classic pattern that you tend to see with for-hire influence operations," said Ben Nimmo, Meta's Global Threat Intelligence Lead. Meta says it regularly takes down disinformation and misinformation operations in order to maintain the integrity of its platform. Twitter said in a September 2022 blog that it had shared datasets about influence operations with Cazadores. Former Twitter employees told Reuters in January that most of the staff involved in the TMRC had since left and Reuters could not determine if it was still operational.

☆ Chile's lithium takeover plan faces technical, political challenges
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Fabian Cambero | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

[1/3] A view of a brine pool of a lithium mine on the Atacama salt flat in the Atacama desert, Chile, August 16, 2018. REUTERS/Ivan Alvarado/File PhotoSANTIAGO, April 28 (Reuters) - While Chile's plan to take control of its lithium industry has caused global shockwaves, state-led production of the metal used to make electric vehicle batteries is seen by analysts as likely years away given technical and political challenges. CODELCO'S ROLEChile's state-run Codelco, the largest copper producer in the world, plays a key role in Boric's lithium plan although it has no experience in producing the white metal. The report noted that Argentina currently has more lithium projects in the pipeline than any other country in the world. Albemarle has said it needs new water sources to expand in Chile's Atacama salt flat, noting a desalination project was awaiting permits and construction.

☆ Spare the bear: Sculpture of Spain's rifle-wielding ex-king puzzles onlookers
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Once revered for his role in Spain's transition to democracy, he is now seen as a liability for his son, King Felipe. After eight minutes standing next to the bronze bear figure, Miranda removed his unauthorised statue - 170 cm (67 inches) tall and made of polyurethane and modelling clay covered with metallic paint resembling patina on bronze. The Bear and Strawberry Tree - the official symbols of Madrid - are photographed by thousands of tourists daily in the middle of the Puerta del Sol square. Miranda will have an exhibition in Madrid next month which will include images of the performance in Puerta del Sol. Reporting by Emma Pinedo, editing by Andrei Khalip and Mark HeinrichOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ In surprise move, Peru's president names four new ministers
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LIMA, April 23 (Reuters) - Peru's President Dina Boluarte on Sunday swore in new ministers of justice, education, work and external trade in a surprise move in the South American nation that has endured intense political infighting for years. Boluarte assumed power in December when then-President Pedro Castillo illegally tried to dissolve Congress and reorganize the judiciary. Protests against Boluarte taking power became violent and 50 people were killed. Boluarte swore in Daniel Maurate as minister of justice, Antonio Varela as minister of work, Magned Marquez as minister of education and Juan Carlos Mathews as minister of external trade. Reporting by Marco Aquino; Editing by Lisa Shumaker and Grant McCoolOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

[1/6] An Aedes aegypti mosquito is seen under a magnifying glass at the CNEA (National Atomic Energy Commission), in Ezeiza, in the outskirts of Buenos Aires, Argentina April 12, 2023. REUTERS/Agustin Marcarian TPX IMAGES OF THE DAYBUENOS AIRES, April 17 (Reuters) - Argentine, fighting one of its worst outbreaks of dengue in recent years, is sterilizing mosquitoes using radiation that alters their DNA before releasing them into the wild. Their population keeps on moving further south," said National Atomic Energy Commission (CNEA) biologist Marianela Garcia Alba. They expect to release the first batch of sterilized males in November. Similar techniques to sterilize pests using the same radiation found in X-rays have been utilised for decades, helping global efforts to control diseases such as chikungunya, dengue and Zika.

☆ More chaos at Egyptian champions Zamalek as club president excluded
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

April 17 (Reuters) - Five-time African champions Zamalek suffered another blow in a chaotic season as a local administrative court in Egypt ordered the removal of club president Mortada Mansour, days after the team appointed Colombian coach Juan Carlos Osorio. Mansour told his YouTube channel, which has more than half a million followers, "I will not talk about the ruling now because judgment is the title of truth." Mansour had previously threatened to ban a group of supporters after they arranged themselves in the shape of a giant "angry face" emoji in an eye-catching protest during an African Champions League match against Sudan's Al-Merreikh. Zamalek are fourth in the Egyptian Premier League on 39 points from 23 matches, 11 points behind leaders Al-Ahly who have played 20 games. Reporting by Osama Khairy, Additional reporting by Taha Mohamed and Mohamed Sadek Editing by Christian RadnedgeOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

[1/2] A train loaded with copper cathodes travels along a rail line inside the Chuquicamata copper mine, which is owned by Chile's state-run copper producer Codelco, near Calama city, Chile, April 1, 2011. Lundin last month agreed to pay $950 million for 51% control of the mine, calling the deal "an endorsement that we believe the mining royalty and taxation discussions are trending in the right direction." In the past 18 months, mining giants have been vocal about concerns in Chile. BHP Group Ltd (BHP.AX) said it might reevaluate its investments depending on new tax plans by the government, while Freeport-McMoRan Inc (FCX.N) has said it would pause expansion plans in Chile, citing political uncertainty. Lundin remains confident in the future of the Caserones project, which began operations in 2014 and has annual output of 100,000 tonnes of copper.

REUTERS/Agustin MarcarianBUENOS AIRES, April 14 (Reuters) - Argentines, painfully accustomed to decades of spiraling prices, say that the current 102.5%-and-climbing inflation rate is on another level and is making it almost impossible to get by. "In my case, I have zero capacity to save," said Claudia Hernansaez, a publishing company employee. "In one year, beef went from around 1,000 pesos ($4.66) or 1,200 pesos to 2,800 pesos." Paola Lavezzari, also in publishing, said inflation was forcing her to tighten the purse strings and buy cheaper products. Because what you used to consume of a better quality, today is unaffordable," she said.

☆ Spain's Princess Leonor to do military training for three years
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Spain's Princess Leonor speaks during the ceremony of the 2021 Princess of Asturias Award for Communication and Humanities at Campoamor Theatre in Oviedo, Spain October 22, 2021. REUTERS/Vincent West/MADRID, March 14 (Reuters) - Princess Leonor, 17 and the heir presumptive to the Spanish throne, will undergo three years of military training starting in August, Defence Minister Margarita Robles said on Tuesday. "As in all parliamentary monarchies (the heir) has to have a military background and a military career," Robles said after a cabinet meeting. The princess will receive her first year of training at the Army Military Academy in Zaragoza, then go to a naval school, which includes sailing the Juan Sebastian Elcano training tall ship, and finish her studies at the General Air Academy. The government and the Royal House have agreed her "very intense" military training will precede university studies, following in the footsteps of her father in the 1980s.

☆ J. R. R. Tolkien now shares his name with a mystical stream frog found in Ecuador — a country in the literal middle of the earth
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-25 | by ( Hannah Getahun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

One researcher told Insider that he could imagine the frog living in Fangorn forest. "The encounter of this frog was very surprising," Sánchez-Nivicela told Insider in an email interview. Because only one Hyloscirtus tolkieni has been discovered thus far, there is still much to learn about how many exist and in what regions they live. Habitat of Hyloscirtus tolkieni (red arrow pointing to collection site); and at the collection site inside the forest (below). The stream frog will take its place among other amphibians that could exist in Middle Earth — including a stubby, wood-loving frog named after Bilbo Baggins that lives on the other side of the Atlantic.

☆ Shunned by the US, Turkey is preparing to launch its first aircraft carrier — but it will come with a twist
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Benjamin Brimelow | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Turkey will instead operate the Anadolu with drones, using them to project power across the region. The US kicked Turkey out of the F-35 program in 2019, leaving Ankara without fighter jets for its new carrier. Strictly speaking, Anadolu is not a dedicated aircraft carrier but an amphibious assault ship — specifically a landing helicopter dock, or LHD. Turkey was a Level III partner in the US-led F-35 program, with Turkish companies making about 900 parts for the aircraft. Turkish carrier dronesTCG Anadolu in Istanbul in September 2022.

☆ Guatemala Widens Prosecutions Against Former Anticorruption Officials
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Santiago Pérez | Juan Carlos Rivera | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Guatemalan authorities have issued several recent arrest warrants and brought criminal charges against more judges and prosecutors previously given the job of weeding out corruption in Guatemala’s government. The moves have fueled concerns among the U.S. government and rights groups about democratic backsliding in Guatemala. More than 30 Guatemalan anticorruption judges and prosecutors have left the country under threat of arrest over the past two years. The departures occurred amid weakening accountability for corruption, according to Human Rights Watch, an advocacy group.

☆ Ovidio Guzmán's arrest may be the start of a campaign against El Chapo's sons and the Sinaloa cartel
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( Chris Dalby | Insight Crime | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Mexican authorities arrested Ovidio Guzmán, son of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzmán, earlier this month. The US has demanded action on fentanyl, and Ovidio's arrest may prompt Mexico to continue a targeted campaign. Ovidio Guzmán López is one of the four sons of Joaquín Guzmán Loera, alias "El Chapo," who is seeking to continue their father's legacy. Vehicles torched during a January 5 operation to arrest Ovidio Guzman in Culiacan on January 7. In the last couple of years alone, they have mounted targeted operations at rivals within the Sinaloa Cartel and beyond.

☆ Robbers pull off multimillion-dollar copper heist in Chilean port
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SANTIAGO, Jan 11 (Reuters) - Chilean authorities said on Wednesday they were investigating a violent heist in Chile's main seaport where thieves stole several shipping containers filled with copper belonging to state-owned giant Codelco. In a statement to Reuters, Codelco said the copper was scheduled to be exported and was insured. The heist is the largest copper theft since a spate of gangster heists in northern Chile last October forced the government to tighten security on trains carrying copper cathodes. The violent robbery adds pressure over shipment security in the world's largest copper producer. Authorities blamed the train heists on international crime groups while police said Wednesday's heist could be a local group.

☆ Constantine, the former and last king of Greece, dies at 82
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +9 min

ATHENS, Greece — Constantine, the former and last king of Greece, who won an Olympic gold medal before becoming entangled in his country’s volatile politics in the 1960s as king and spent decades in exile, has died. Prince Constantine on his sailboat at the Olympics in 1960. With minimal nostalgia for the monarchy in Greece, Constantine became a relatively uncontroversial figure. Crown Prince Constantine, left, arrives at the Raiding Forces' Headquarters on July 5, 1956. Prince Charles and King Constantine II of Greece attend Sunday service at the Church of St Mary Magdalene on the Sandringham estate in King's Lynn, England, on Dec. 9, 2007.

☆ Violence hits Mexican cartel stronghold after arrest of El Chapo's son
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

Ovidio Guzman Lopez during his arrest in Culiacan, Mexico, on Oct. 17, 2019. An escaped Mexican cartel kingpin known as “El Neto” meanwhile died after a shootout early on Thursday, four days after he fled prison in a violent mass break-out, authorities said. Police arrive on the scene after a store was looted in Culiacan, Mexico, on Jan. 5, 2023. Martin Urista / APAt Culiacan’s airport, a Mexican military flight was able to spirit Guzmán away to Mexico City. Asked if the attempt to capture Guzmán was worth another day of tension and uncertainty in Culiacan, Téllez said, “If they caught him, it was worth it.”

His image can be found on T-shirts at California markets, and fans still listen to his raspy voice singing the corridos, or Mexican ballads, that made Chalino Sánchez famous. The podcast "Ídolo: The Ballad of Chalino Sánchez." A plaque says, "You have died to the world but for us you will always live in our hearts," at a memorial to Chalino Sánchez in Culiacán, Sinaloa. A newspaper clipping announcing the concert by Chalino Sánchez in Coachella on Jan. 26, 1992. newspapers.comAfter the artist's involvement in the Coachella shooting while he was on stage, he catapulted to fame. Chalino Sánchez merchandise at the Paramount Swap Meet in Paramount, Calif. Eulimar Núñez / Noticias TelemundoAs Galindo narrates in the podcast, Sánchez's death seemed like the foregone conclusion of his Wild West kind of life.

☆ Thriving network of fixers preys on migrants crossing Mexico
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +23 min

With soaring numbers of people entering Mexico, a sprawling network of lawyers, fixers and middlemen has exploded in the country. Detained migrants stand in the outdoor area of the Siglo XXI Migrant Detention Center in Tapachula, Mexico, on Oct. 4. When the immigration agency was asked directly, via freedom of information requests, it said it was just one. An empanada vendor's stall advertises information, and immigration documents outside the main immigration office in Puebla, Mexico, on Sept. 23. By mid-December, the immigration agency suddenly announced the closing of the camp with no explanation.

[1/7] Bolivian opposition leader Luis Fernando Camacho receives a medical evaluation following his detention, at an undisclosed location in this image released December 28, 2022. Former President Morales said on Wednesday he hoped Camacho's detention would bring justice after three years. There was an uneasy calm Thursday in Santa Cruz, where signs of damage were visible after protests Wednesday ended with a fire set to the Santa Cruz prosecutor's headquarters. Public Works Minister Edgar Montano said on Twitter his house in Santa Cruz had been set on fire and robbed. The federal prosecutor's office said it would seek the "harshest punishment" for those responsible for damages in Santa Cruz.

☆ Mexico's AINDA seeks $600 mln to kickstart fund, Colombian business
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Valentine Hilaire | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Its foray into Colombia seeks to collaborate with the government's infrastructure plans, with AINDA set to open offices in the South American country by next year's second quarter, Rodriguez said. In Mexico, Rodriguez emphasized potential investments in logistics, citing the Pacific ports of Manzanillo and Mazatlan, but declining to go into detail. Rodriguez added that the ESG-focused fund will continue to evaluate other Mexican energy projects, citing possible investments in electricity transmission, without being more specific. But Rodriguez said he nonetheless sees opportunities to invest in "green efforts" that can compliment the government's energy priorities. Reporting by Valentine Hilaire; Editing by David Alire Garcia and Stephen CoatesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

MONTREAL/BOGOTA Dec 16 (Reuters) - Latin America is drawing early investment for jet fuel produced from materials like forest residues and palm oil as emission-conscious airlines scour emerging markets for less-polluting fuel to power flights, industry executives say. While most sustainable aviation fuel, or SAF, is produced in the United States, Europe, and Singapore, Latin America is emerging as a budding market. "Latin America right now is really a hot spot for Honeywell." Producing and distributing SAF in regions with faster-growing traffic like Latin America is key to meeting industry targets, said Landon Loomis, Latin America president for U.S. planemaker Boeing (BA.N). And Vibra Energia (VBBR3.SA) is working with Brasil BioFuels (BBF) to produce palm oil-based jet fuel in 2025.

☆ Nayib Bukele war on gangs: El Salvador has arrested 2% of its adult population. Other countries are taking note
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Tara John | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

CNN —Eight months since El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele announced a war on gangs, an estimated 2% of the country’s adult population – or roughly 100,000 people – are now behind bars. In 2015, El Salvador surpassed Honduras as the most violent country in the world, with a murder rate of more than 100 per 100,000 inhabitants. El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele speaks to around 14,000 soldiers in El Salvador. Alleged gang members at a maximum security prison in Izalco, El Salvador, on September 4, 2020. “It is not that they are interested in El Salvador (they never were), their fear is that we will succeed, because other governments will want to imitate it.

CNN —One week into her presidency, Peru’s new President Dina Boluarte is battling to contain widespread protests that erupted after the ousting of former President Pedro Castillo. Boluarte announced Tuesday the government will set up a crisis management committee as protests calling for political change continue across the country. Boluarte, his former vice president, has since become president, and on Monday proposed bringing general elections forward two years to April 2024 during a televised speech. At least seven people have died in the protests ongoing in Peru, according to a tweet from the health ministry on Wednesday. Boluarte also doesn’t belong to a political party after she was expelled from Peru Libre due to internal disagreements.

The little white kiosk where Juan Carlos Robles-Corona Jr. worked with his mother was barely large enough to fit three or four adults. Juan Carlos, whom relatives and close friends called Junior or J.R., pestered her for months before she gave him a part-time job there. He wanted to be like his mother’s boss: an entrepreneur who owned franchise stores in several cities. Junior with his father, Juan Carlos Robles-Corona, and his siblings Mia, Dylan and Aiden. On April 4, Juan Carlos Robles-Corona Jr. was shot on a street near his public school.

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