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☆ Yellen, China's top central banker talk about debt, economic developments -US Treasury
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

U.S. Secretary of Treasury Janet Yellen and People’s Bank of China Governor Pan Gongsheng pose before holding a bilateral meeting on the fifth day of the annual meeting of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, following last month's deadly earthquake, in Marrakech, Morocco, October 13, 2023. REUTERS/Susana Vera Acquire Licensing RightsMARRAKECH, Morocco, Oct 13 (Reuters) - U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and People's Bank of China Governor Pan Gongsheng on Friday held a "substantive and productive" meeting that covered debt, financial architecture and future economic communications, a Treasury spokesperson said. "During the substantive and productive meeting, Secretary Yellen and Governor Pan exchanged views on macroeconomic and financial developments," the spokesperson said in an emailed statement after the meeting on the sidelines of International Monetary Fund and World Bank meetings in Morocco. "They also discussed the international financial architecture and debt issues, as well as how to make the Financial Working Group co-chaired by Treasury and the PBOC substantive and productive," the spokesperson said, referring to one of two new U.S.-China economic communications groups launched in September. Reporting by David Lawder; Editing by Alex RichardsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Janet Yellen, Pan Gongsheng, Susana Vera, Yellen, Pan, David Lawder, Alex Richardson Organizations: People’s Bank of China, International Monetary Fund, World Bank, REUTERS, Rights, . Treasury, People's Bank of China, Treasury, Thomson Locations: Marrakech, Morocco, Rights MARRAKECH, China

REUTERS/Susana Vera Acquire Licensing RightsMARRAKECH, Morocco, Oct 13 (Reuters) - The International Monetary Fund's engagement with El Salvador has been "very productive" following a recent visit from a negotiating team, but an agreement is "not there yet" for a new financing program, an IMF official said on Friday. "The engagement with El Salvador has been very productive," Rodrigo Valdes, director of the IMF's Western Hemisphere Department, told Reuters. "We just had a mission there, a negotiating mission, but we knew that it would be a first step," he said. The IMF said in late September that it was working with El Salvador on "technical issues" and on minimizing the risks from the country's adoption of bitcoin as legal tender. "In other countries fragmentation, low popularity, are constraints for policy actions and here they have a very valuable opportunity," the IMF official said.

Persons: Western Hemisphere Department Rodrigo Valdes, Susana Vera, El Salvador, Rodrigo Valdes, Valdes, we're, Nayib Bukele, El, Bukele, Jorgelina, Rodrigo Campos, Nelson Renteria, Paul Simao Organizations: International Monetary Fund, Western Hemisphere Department, Reuters, IMF, World Bank, REUTERS, Rights, Monetary, El, Salvadoran, Thomson Locations: Marrakech, Morocco, Rights MARRAKECH, El Salvador, Salvadoran, Rosario, New York, San Salvador

☆ IMF's Georgieva says debt restructuring process making progress
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Kristalina Georgieva, addresses the media on the fourth day of the annual meeting of the IMF and the World Bank, following last month's deadly earthquake, in Marrakech, Morocco, October 12, 2023. REUTERS/Susana Vera Acquire Licensing RightsMARRAKECH, Morocco, Oct 12 (Reuters) - International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva on Thursday said consensus was growing in sovereign debt restructuring discussions on issues such as the comparability of treatment of private and public creditors. Georgieva told a news conference that the Group of 20 Common Framework for debt restructuring had been slow to deliver results, but it was encouraging that the time for dealing with individual country cases was now growing shorter. Throwing out the Common Framework would put the world in a "much less predictable environment," she said, adding creative approaches were also needed, including moves to better align debt restructuring with the climate crisis. Reporting by Andrea Shalal; Editing by Sharon SingletonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Kristalina, Susana Vera, Kristalina Georgieva, Georgieva, Andrea Shalal, Sharon Singleton Organizations: International Monetary Fund, IMF, World Bank, REUTERS, Rights, Monetary Fund, Thomson Locations: Marrakech, Morocco, Rights MARRAKECH

☆ IMF's chief economist urges Italy to toughen budget plans -media
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Susana Vera/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsROME, Oct 12 (Reuters) - The International Monetary Fund wants Italy to make its 2024 budget framework more stringent, as tax cut plans made the Fund "a bit worried", its chief economist, Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas, said in a newspaper interview on Thursday. Gourinchas told the Corriere della Sera daily that Italy's structural deficit, net of interest spending, was not seen as falling fast enough. The IMF was "a bit worried" by planned tax cuts that "don't necessarily seem to go in the right direction", he added. It would be "desirable" if Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's government revised its fiscal plans to make them more stringent before they are approved by parliament, he said. Over the next month Italy's budget faces scrutiny from credit ratings agencies, with S&P Global, DBRS, Fitch and Moody's all reviewing their assessment of the euro zone's third largest economy.

Persons: Pierre, Olivier Gourinchas, Susana Vera, Gourinchas, Giorgia, DBRS, Fitch, Moody's, Gavin Jones, Clarence Fernandez Organizations: Research Department IMF, Reuters, International Monetary Fund, World Bank, REUTERS, Rights, Monetary Fund, della Sera, IMF, P, Thomson Locations: Marrakech, Morocco, Italy, Rome

☆ Israel-Hamas conflict is 'new cloud' darkening economic outlook - IMF chief
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-12 | by ( Andrea Shalal | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Susana Vera Acquire Licensing RightsMARRAKECH, Morocco, Oct 12 (Reuters) - International Monetary Fund managing director Kristalina Georgieva said on Thursday the "heartbreaking" Israel-Hamas conflict threatened to darken an already murky global economic outlook. "We are closely monitoring how the situation evolves, how it is affecting, especially oil markets," Georgieva said. There had been some fluctuations in oil prices and reactions in markets but it was too early to predict the economic impact, she added. "It's heartbreaking to see innocent civilians dying," an emotional Georgieva told reporters. French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire told reporters any regional expansion of the conflict would lead to "problematic economic consequences" for energy prices and global growth.

Persons: Kristalina, Susana Vera, Kristalina Georgieva, Georgieva, Israel, Bruno Le Maire, Andrea Shalal, David Lawder, Andrew Cawthorne, Andrew Heavens Organizations: International Monetary Fund, IMF, World Bank, REUTERS, Rights, Monetary Fund, Red, French Finance, Thomson Locations: Marrakech, Morocco, Rights MARRAKECH, Israel, Gaza

☆ Exclusive: IMF sees support for funding increase, wants deadline on shareholding changes
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-10 | by ( David Lawder | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Susana Vera Acquire Licensing RightsMARRAKECH, Morocco, Oct 10 (Reuters) - The International Monetary Fund said on Tuesday that it is seeing "significant support" for a U.S.-backed increase in quota lending resources without changes to its shareholding structure at IMF and World Bank meetings in Morocco. "I think it would be a good thing to have a deadline on the formula, because without changing the formula, we are stuck." An IMF spokesperson confirmed that she was referring to a deadline for adjusting the shareholding structure. Georgieva said the decision on a realignment deadline was up to members. The IMF is scheduled to complete a long-delayed review of quota resources by Dec. 15.

Persons: Kristalina Georgieva, Susana Vera, Georgieva, David Lawder, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: International Monetary Fund, IMF, World Bank, REUTERS, Rights, Monetary Fund, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Marrakech, Morocco, Rights MARRAKECH, U.S, China, United States, Ukraine, India, Brazil

☆ IMF leaves global 2023 economic growth outlook unchanged
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] A worker carries a chair on his head on the first day of the annual meeting of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, following last month's deadly earthquake, in Marrakech, Morocco, October 9, 2023. REUTERS/Susana Vera Acquire Licensing RightsOct 10 (Reuters) - The International Monetary Fund on Tuesday left its global growth outlook unchanged for this year as the "remarkable strength" of the U.S. economy counterbalanced weaker forecasts for China and the euro area. Following is a summary of the estimates by selected countries and regions and the change from prior IMF forecasts. Notes:Figures in the annual estimates columns are annual percentage change in GDP. Figures in the change columns are the net difference in percentage points of October's forecast vs prior forecasts.

Persons: Susana Vera, Dan Burns, Andrea Ricci Organizations: International Monetary Fund, World Bank, REUTERS, Monetary Fund, Thomson Locations: Marrakech, Morocco, U.S, China

More cuts are expected in the coming months, though Costa didn't provide any details on future decisions. Costa said the bank has already incorporated high interest rates from the U.S. Fed and other central banks from developed economies in its September report. "But we have to keep looking closely at U.S. rates," Costa said. Costa added the bank has also factored in weaker demand from China, one of Chile's largest copper consumers, but the impact was larger than expected. "The Chinese economy is going to develop with less force than expected, but there are other factors that hold up copper prices," Costa said.

Persons: Central Bank of Chile Rosanna Costa, Susana Vera, Rosanna Costa, Costa, Costa didn't, Jorgelina, Alexander Villegas, Chizu Organizations: Central Bank of, Reuters, International Monetary Fund, World Bank, REUTERS, U.S . Fed, Thomson Locations: Central Bank of Chile, Marrakech, Morocco, MARRAKECH, SANTIAGO, Chile, U.S, China, Rosario

LA PAZ, Oct 6 (Reuters) - Under a scorching sun, more than three hundred Bolivians on Friday marched to a dusty plain near the Incachaca dam that overlooks the city of La Paz, gathering to pray for rain and an end to a severe drought that has threatened their water supply. The ten reservoirs that supply La Paz - one of the country's largest cities with about 2.2 million inhabitants - only contain 135 days of water combined, Bolivia's state-owned water company EPSAS has warned. [1/5]Indigenous women pray for rain near the Incachaca dam, in Incachaca, on the outskirts of La Paz, Bolivia October 6, 2023. Only scarce rain is expected due to the weather phenomenon known as El Nino, the national meteorological agency has said. El Nino, a warming of water surface temperatures in the eastern and central Pacific Ocean, is linked to extreme weather conditions.

Persons: EPSAS, Susana Laruta, Claudia Morales, El, Bernardo Vedia, Santiago Limachi, Sergio Limachi, David Alire Garcia, Edwina Gibbs Organizations: LA, La Paz, REUTERS, El Nino, Thomson Locations: LA PAZ, La Paz, Incachaca, Bolivia

☆ We're upgrading this beer stock after an unwarranted post-earnings slide
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( Zev Fima | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Net sales for the three months ended Aug. 31 climbed 7% year-over-year, to $2.84 billion, ahead of Wall Street's expectations of $2.82 billion, according to Refinitiv. Quarterly results Beer sales climbed 12% year-over-year, to $2.4 billion. Those factors more than offset tailwinds of sales growth, positive pricing dynamics and efficiency gains. Modelo Especial remains the top brand share gainer and leading brand "in the entire U.S. beer category in dollar sales." The company expects "net sales growth and operating income growth of that business to ramp up through the remainder" of fiscal year 2024.

Persons: —, Depletions, I'm, Bill Newlands, Newlands, Jim Cramer's, Jim Cramer, Jim, Susana Gonzalez Organizations: Constellation Brands, Constellation, Modelo Especial, Cinco de, Labor, Wall Street, Management, CNBC, Constellations Brands Inc, Grupo Modelo, Bloomberg, Getty Locations: Modelo, Corona, U.S, Cinco de Mayo, Zona Rosa, Mexico City

☆ Migrant crisis: They should be in elementary school, instead they speak like war veterans
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-01 | by ( David Culver | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Ciudad Hidalgo, Mexico CNN —The smell of burning wood and plastic hits us as we step out of the van. In the near distance, you can hear children splashing and playing in the Suchiate River, which separates Mexico – where we are – from Guatemala. Her attention shifts to the water, and she excitedly points out to the river and one of the many rafts. “We’re thinking about Philadelphia [or] Chicago,” Sofia tells me, when I ask where in the US they’d like to go. Sofia and Mathias want to be doctors, though Mathias might also want to be a lawyer, he tells me.

Persons: they’ve, “, ”, Mathias, gesturing, Sofia, David Culver, David von Blohn, CNN “, ” Mathias, Joandry, ” Sofia, corroborates, “ He’s, Susana, She’s, They’re, Venice –, CNN Sofia, They’ve, –, they’d, we’ve, ” Mathias ’ Organizations: Mexico CNN, campfires, CNN, Police, Sofia, ” Locations: Ciudad Hidalgo, Mexico, Guatemala, Venezuela, Colombia, Panama, United States, ”, Venice, Philadelphia, Chicago, New York, Florida

☆ The next United Nations Secretary General? This Caribbean climate leader makes diplomats 'jump' with excitement
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-29 | by ( Stephanie Fillion | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

United Nations CNN —Asked last week if she will run to become the United Nations’ next Secretary General, Prime Minister Mia Mottley of Barbados gave a thumbs up, smiled, and walked away. Fighting for a woman at the helmThe UN’s next Secretary General would take office in January 2027. “There’s always lots of men that want to run,” said Ben Donaldson, head of campaigns at the United Nations Association of the United Kingdom. “It’s not so much about talking about a Julie or Anne, or Mary, it is more about talking about a Madame Secretary General as a general proposition, and then making sure that we pave the way to get there,” she said. “I believe that men should run next time around as I believe women should run in their numbers,” he said.

Persons: United Nations CNN —, Mia Mottley, Mottley, Juan Manuel Santos –, –, Santos, Rafael Grossi, António Guterres, Alicia Bárcena, Rebeca, Maria Fernanda Espinosa Garcés, “, Ralph Gonsalves, Saint Vincent, ”, Guterres, Obama, Richard Gowan, ” Elina Valtonen, ” Valtonen, it’s, Ben Donaldson, “ I’m, Susana Malcorra, It’s, Julie, Anne, Mary, Dennis Francis, doesn’t, ” Julia Maciel Organizations: United Nations CNN, United Nations ’, UN, United Nations, International Atomic Energy Agency, Assembly, CNN, International Monetary Fund, General, Chevron, European Union, Bridgetown Initiative, IMF, World Bank, Crisis, UN Security Council, Security Council, Security, United Nations Association of, Global, Madame Locations: Barbados, America, Caribbean, New York, Colombian, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Grenadines, Venezuela, Bridgetown, COP28, New York City, UN, Portuguese, United Kingdom, Trinidad and Tobago, Ukraine, Paraguay

☆ Spain's conservatives fail to form government, clearing way for socialists
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/3] Spain's opposition People's Party leader Alberto Nunez Feijoo attends an investiture debate at the parliament in Madrid, Spain, September 29, 2023. REUTERS/Susana Vera Acquire Licensing RightsMADRID, Sept 29 (Reuters) - Spain's conservative leader Alberto Nunez Feijoo lost a vote to form a government on Friday, clearing the way for socialist premier Pedro Sanchez to seek a divisive deal with separatist parties to clinch a new term in office. Feijoo failed to get a straight majority in a second vote on his candidacy in the 350-seat house, with 177 legislators opposing him and 172 supporting him, with one nullified vote. Feijoo had told lawmakers in a fractious debate that he knew he would lose the second vote. "Today, I won't be able to give you a government, but I have given you assurance and hope," he added.

Persons: Alberto Nunez Feijoo, Susana Vera, Pedro Sanchez, Feijoo, Belén Carreño, Emma Pinedo, David Latona, Charlie Devereux, Andrei Khalip, Inti Landauro, Andrew Heavens Organizations: People's, REUTERS, Rights, Thomson Locations: Madrid, Spain, Rights MADRID

☆ Spain's conservative leader Feijoo fails in first bid to become prime minister
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Spain's opposition People's Party leader Alberto Nunez Feijoo looks on in parliament on the day of the investiture debate in Madrid, Spain, September 27, 2023. REUTERS/Susana Vera Acquire Licensing RightsMADRID, Sept 27 (Reuters) - Spanish conservative leader Alberto Nunez Feijoo failed on Wednesday to secure enough votes in the lower house to become prime minister. Feijoo, whose People's Party had won the most seats in an inconclusive election in July, failed to convince enough legislators from other parties to back him to win an absolute majority. Spanish law allows Feijoo a second attempt on Friday, when a simple majority would be enough for him to be elected prime minister. Sanchez would have two months to negotiate an agreement before fresh elections are called if he also fails.

Persons: Alberto Nunez Feijoo, Susana Vera, Feijoo, Pedro Sanchez, Sanchez, Inti Landauro, Belen Carreno, Emma Pinedo, Charlie Devereux, Aislinn Laing, William Maclean Organizations: People's, REUTERS, Rights, Catalan, Thomson Locations: Madrid, Spain, Rights MADRID, Spanish

[1/6] A person holds a placard that reads "No to amnesty" during a rally against a possible amnesty for Catalan separatist leaders in Madrid, Spain, September 24, 2023. Waving Spanish flags, supporters of the opposition conservative People's Party (PP) travelled from across Spain to attend the rally in Madrid. Puigdemont, wanted in Spain for attempting the region's secession, has demanded that legal action be dropped against fellow separatists as a condition for his support. Withdrawing criminal cases against the separatists would amount to granting an amnesty to "coup plotters", he told supporters at the Madrid rally. He did not mention an amnesty but said the Socialists wanted to heal social divisions over the Catalan crisis.

Persons: Susana Vera, Pedro Sanchez, Sanchez, Carles Puigdemont, Puigdemont, Alberto Nunez Feijoo, Gregorio Casteneda, Feijoo, Graham Keeley, Silvio Castellanos, Michael Gore, Peter Graff Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Sunday, People's Party, Authorities, Reuters, Socialists, Thomson Locations: Madrid, Spain, Rights MADRID, Catalonia, Catalunya, Santander, Spain's, Gava, Catalonia's, Barcelona

☆ Conservative women leaders make their entrance at the UN General Assembly
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( Stephanie Fillion | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

United Nations CNN —When Jacinda Ardern brought her baby Neve to the United Nations for the 2018 General Assembly, then-New Zealand Prime Minister became an emblematic figure of modern women in politics. But women attending the annual top rendezvous of diplomacy have remained a minority, and the UN General Assembly this year is no different. “This perpetuates the cycle,” Susana Malcorra, a former foreign minister of Argentina and president of Global Women Leaders Voices, said. Of course, not all the women leaders attending UNGA are on the far side of the political spectrum. It was Čaputová’s last General Assembly as president of her country, as she announced a few months ago she won’t seek reelection in 2024 for personal reasons.

Persons: Jacinda Ardern, Neve, ” Susana Malcorra, Katalin Novak, Giorgia Meloni, Meloni, “ Meloni, ” Richard Gowan, Katalin Novák, Viktor Orbán, it’s, Novák, Orban, Novak, ”, Mike Segar, Dina Boluarte, Peru’s, Pedro Castillo, Boluarte, UNGA, Zuzana, Maia Sandu, Nataša Pirc Musar, –, Sheikh Hasina, Mia Mottley, Bob Marley, Xiomara Castro, Ursula von der Leyen, Kristalina Georgieva, Ngozi, Natalie Portman Organizations: United Nations CNN, United Nations, Zealand, UN, Assembly, Global, Italian, Ukraine, Crisis, United Nations Security Council, Reuters, Security Council, Slovenia, Big Apple, European Commission, International Monetary Fund, World Trade Organization Locations: New York, Argentina, Italy, Ukraine, Slovakia, Moldova, Barbados, New York City, Honduras

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Sacramento’s top prosecutor is suing the city’s leaders over failure to cleanup homeless encampments, escalating a monthslong dispute with leaders in California’s capital city. A group of residents and business owners also filed a companion lawsuit against the city. The lawsuit includes accounts from dozens of city residents living around 14 encampments. Roughly three-quarters of the county’s homeless population is unsheltered, and the majority of that group are living on Sacramento streets. City Attorney Susana Alcala Wood's office has also repeatedly urged Ho to work with the city to address the issue, she said.

Persons: —, Attorney Thien Ho, Ho, ” Ho, Darrell Steinberg, Steinberg, ” Steinberg, ”, Susana Alcala Wood's, Alcala Wood, he’s, Emily Webb, “ We're, “, ” Critics Organizations: Attorney, Sacramento County, Sacramento, City, ” Locations: SACRAMENTO, Calif, California’s, . County, Sacramento, California

☆ Colombia Was Deadliest Country for Environmentalists in 2022 -Advocacy Group
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( Sept. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Oliver GriffinBOGOTA (Reuters) - Colombia was the deadliest country for environmentalists in 2022, with at least 60 environmental and land rights defenders killed there, British advocacy group Global Witness said in a report on Tuesday. Global Witness found at least 177 environmentalists were killed globally last year. The findings returned Colombia to the top of the list of deadliest countries for environmentalists after killings declined in 2021 compared to 2019 and 2020. "The ratification of the Escazu agreement by the Constitutional Court is fundamental," Muhamad said. The only two countries not from Latin America to be included in the 10 most dangerous for environmentalists were the Philippines and Indonesia, Global Witness said.

Persons: Oliver Griffin BOGOTA, Laura Furones, Gustavo Petro, Susana Muhamad, Muhamad, Oliver Griffin, Grant McCool Organizations: Global, Environmental, Constitutional Locations: Colombia, America, Costa Rica, Brazil, Mexico, Philippines, Indonesia

REUTERS/Emilie Madi/ Acquire Licensing RightsBOGOTA, Sept 12 (Reuters) - Colombia was the deadliest country for environmentalists in 2022, with at least 60 environmental and land rights defenders killed there, British advocacy group Global Witness said in a report on Tuesday. Global Witness found at least 177 environmentalists were killed globally last year. The findings returned Colombia to the top of the list of deadliest countries for environmentalists after killings declined in 2021 compared to 2019 and 2020. Brazil and Mexico were the second and third most deadly countries for environmentalists in 2022, the report found, with at least 34 and 31 killings respectively. The only two countries not from Latin America to be included in the 10 most dangerous for environmentalists were the Philippines and Indonesia, Global Witness said.

Persons: Susana Muhamad, Emilie Madi, Laura Furones, Gustavo Petro, Muhamad, Oliver Griffin, Grant McCool Organizations: Reuters, REUTERS, Rights, Global, Environmental, Constitutional, Thomson Locations: Red, el, Sheikh, Egypt, Rights BOGOTA, Colombia, America, Costa Rica, Brazil, Mexico, Philippines, Indonesia

☆ Colombia Potential Cocaine Output Rose 24% in 2022 - UN
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-11 | by ( Sept. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

Also at a more than 20-year high was potential cocaine output, which rose 24% to 1,738 metric tonnes. Coca is the chief ingredient in cocaine, whose production has fueled the Andean country's six-decade armed conflict, which has killed at least 450,000 people. Petro's government wants to help rural communities voluntarily substitute some 100,000 hectares of coca crops over the next four years, an official told Reuters recently. The government wants to reduce cultivation areas to 150,000 hectares and production capacity to 900 metric tonnes by 2026, Osuna said. Some 13% of Colombia's annual deforestation is linked to illicit crops, Environment Minister Susana Muhamad told a drugs conference last week.

Persons: Candice Welsch, Welsch, Gustavo Petro, Colombia's, Nestor Osuna, Osuna, Susana Muhamad, oversupply, Luis Jaime Acosta, Oliver Griffin, Julia Symmes Cobb, Richard Chang Organizations: United Nations Office, Drugs, Reuters, UN, Food Locations: BOGOTA, Colombia, Putumayo province, Ecuador

☆ Police search for three missing people in deadly Spain floods, trains resume
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

David Fernandez, 52, shows damage on the homes of his parents and their neighbours following heavy rain, in El Alamo, Spain. REUTERS/Susana Vera Acquire Licensing RightsMADRID, Sept 5 (Reuters) - Police and rescue services searched on Tuesday for three people missing after devastating floods hit central Spain as trains to the south resumed after thousands of passengers were left stranded. The heaviest damage was in the provinces of Toledo and Madrid in the country's centre. Railway infrastructure manager Adif said high-speed rail traffic between Madrid and the southern region of Andalusia had resumed on Monday morning after overnight repairs to damage caused by the storm. The train connection between Madrid and Toledo, 70 kilometres (45 miles) south, remained closed.

Persons: David Fernandez, Susana Vera, Teresa Ribera, Ribera, Adif, David Latona, Emma Pinedo, Inti Landauro, Ed Osmond Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Police, Sunday, Renfe, Thomson Locations: El Alamo, Spain, Rights MADRID, Toledo, Madrid, Aldea del Fresno, Toledo province, Andalusia

☆ Subway, train lines, roads closed in Madrid, central Spain after heavy rain
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Susana Vera Acquire Licensing RightsMADRID, Sept 4 (Reuters) - A few subway lines in Madrid and high-speed train connections with southern cities were closed on Monday morning and two men were missing after torrential rain hit central Spain. Several roads in the Madrid region were closed as half a dozen bridges were torn down by water overflowing the riverbanks. The sudden torrential rain that hit the country transformed streets into rivers in Madrid, Castile, Catalonia and Valencia regions. Several subway lines were closed in the centre of Madrid on Monday morning. Some high-speed connections between Madrid and Andalusia region, in southern Spain, resumed later on Monday, but trains were operating at lower-than-normal speeds.

Persons: Susana Vera, Javier Chivite, Chivite, Rain, Inti Landauro, Alex Richardson Organizations: Spain's State Meteorological Agency, REUTERS, Rights, National Weather Agency, Thomson Locations: Spain's, Madrid, Spain, Rights MADRID, Aldea del Fresno, Castile, Catalonia, Valencia, Andalusia

BELEM, Brazil, Aug 10 (Reuters) - Amazon rainforest nations emerged from a summit this week with a stronger hand to play at upcoming United Nations climate talks, despite the meeting's lackluster final agreement, according to environmental groups. Lula will take that message on the road this year at the G20, United Nations General Assembly and U.N. COP28 climate summit. But he also applauded the symbolism of the eight Amazon countries meeting together for the first time in 14 years and joining their voices with the world's other major rainforests. STRONGER VOICERainforest nations have a stronger unified voice after the meeting, at least on paper, said Luis Roman, a representative of nonprofit WWF Peru. Rainforest nations thus far have focused on past funding commitments.

Persons: It's, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Lula, André Guimarães, Marcio Astrini, Astrini, Luis Roman, Susana Muhamad, Jake Spring, Oliver Griffin, Brad Haynes, Aurora Ellis Organizations: Democratic, United Nations General Assembly, Amazon Environmental Research Institute, Observatory, WWF, Colombia's, Thomson Locations: BELEM, Brazil, Nations, Indonesia, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Colombia, Venezuela, Lula, Bolivia, WWF Peru, European, Belem, Bogota

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has been advocating for a common regional policy to end deforestation by 2030, promising his country will reach zero deforestation. However, the failure to agree on a common policy to end deforestation in the Amazon is concerning, as the fate of the rainforest is critical to the health of the planet. It is home to a unique array of animal and plant life, and is crucial to maintaining a global climate balance because it stores a huge amount of carbon and strongly influences global weather patterns. According to CNN affiliate CNN Brasil, Guyana, Suriname and Bolivia left the meeting refusing to agree on a goal. On Monday, Colombia backed an indigenous-led global pact to protect 80% of the Amazon by 2025.

Persons: Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Lula da Silva’s, Jair Bolsonaro, haven’t, ” Lula da Silva, Evaristo Sa, Susana Muhamad Organizations: CNN, Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization, Brazilian Amazon, Peoples of, Getty, Amazon Alliance, CNN Brasil, Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research, Colombian Locations: Brazil, Brazilian, Belém, Para State, AFP, Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, Amazonia

☆ Spain roasts as summer's third heatwave peaks
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] People queue in the sun outside Almudena Cathedral as they wait to enter the Royal Palace during the third heatwave of the summer in Madrid, Spain, August 8, 2023. The mercury could also rise to 40 C in the Basque Country in northeastern Spain, an area less accustomed to such high temperatures, the state weather agency AEMET said. Temperatures in some areas in the southern half of Spain remained above 27 C on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, AEMET spokesperson Ruben del Campo said. As Spain suffocates under high temperatures, ice on its mountains is melting. The melting sped up in 2021 and 2022, which were particularly warm years in Spain.

Persons: Susana Vera MADRID, AEMET, Ruben del Campo, Del Campo, Charlie Devereux, Inti Landauro, Angus MacSwan Organizations: REUTERS, Visitors, Prado, Tourists, Thomson Locations: Almudena, Madrid, Spain, Basque, Southern, sightseers, Europe, Catalonia

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