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☆ Nadal survives early test, Kyrgios pulls out in Australian Open shock
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( Ian Ransom | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

With Draper's injury reducing him to a groaning wreck, Nadal finished strongly to close out the match 7-5 2-6 6-4 6-1. With Kyrgios gone and last year's women's champion Ash Barty retired, the chances of a another home winner for local fans are greatly diminished. Seventh seed Coco Gauff also raced into the second round, while last year's finalist Danielle Collins advanced with a tougher, three-set win over Anna Kalinskaya. Briton Raducanu will next face teenager Gauff, who won in Auckland and confirmed her good form with a 6-1 6-4 win over Katerina Siniakova. Italian 15th seed Jannik Sinner, a quarter-finalist last year, was the first man to reach the second round, rolling over Briton Kyle Edmund 6-4 6-0 6-2 on John Cain Arena.

REUTERS/Adriano MachadoSAO PAULO/LONDON, Jan 9 (Reuters) - Brazilian equities were higher in choppy trade on Monday, a day after thousands of supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro stormed government buildings in the capital, echoing the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection in Washington. On Friday, both had performed better after Lula said the economy may grow while government finances are kept in check. On Monday hundreds of Brazilian police in riot gear and some on horseback amassed at an encampment of Bolsonaro supporters near Brasilia's army headquarters. "I think the situation will quickly normalize," said Cristian Maggio, head of portfolio strategy at TD Securities in London. "Yet, it is an event worth keeping an eye on, as it may not be fully over just yet."

☆ WTA roundup: Belinda Bencic, Danielle Collins cruise in Adelaide
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

January 9 - Belinda Bencic of Switzerland and Danielle Collins were among those to win their first-round matches at the Adelaide International on Monday in Australia. 8 seed, beat Garbine Muguruza of Spain 6-3, 6-4 in 79 minutes. Collins, the American 10th seed, handled Karolina Pliskova of Czech Republic in 76 minutes. Hobart InternationalFourth seed Sloane Stephens lost her first-round match to fellow American Lauren Davis 6-2, 6-2 in Hobart, Australia. 1 seed Marie Bouzkova of Czech Republic beat Jaqueline Cristian of Romania 7-6 (2), 6-3.

☆ Get ready for a ‘slowcession’ in 2023, Moody’s says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( Matt Egan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

But Moody’s Analytics says the more likely scenario is a “slowcession,” where growth grinds to a near halt but a full economic downturn is narrowly avoided. “Under almost any scenario, the economy is set to have a difficult 2023,” Moody’s Analytics chief economist Mark Zandi wrote in a report on Tuesday. Why Moody’s is predicting no recessionIn addition to cooling inflation, Moody’s expressed optimism about the ability of consumers to weather the storm in 2023. “Shoppers are the firewall between an economy in recession and an economy that skirts a downturn,” Zandi wrote. “It is important not to be Pollyannish, but it also important not to convince ourselves that a recession is inevitable,” Zandi wrote.

☆ The 'world's coolest dictator' rounded up 60,000 people in a crackdown on MS-13. A shrimp farming community is fighting back.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( Danielle Mackey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +29 min

SISIGUAYO, EL SALVADOR — On the morning that Walber Rodriguez was arrested last May, he was just two minutes from his home in Sisiguayo, El Salvador. Outside El Salvador, Bukele is best known for adopting Bitcoin as a national currency. All around them in Sisiguayo and the surrounding Bajo Lempa valley, people were arrested with no satisfactory explanation. Residents of the Bajo Lempa who'd been touched by the arrests had begun meeting weekly at a nearby retreat center. A meeting of the Bajo Lempa families on June 17, 2022.

☆ The 'world's coolest dictator' rounded up 60,000 people in a supposed crackdown on MS-13. A shrimp farming community is fighting back.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( Danielle Mackey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +29 min

☆ Argentine tattooists swamped by demand for Messi tributes
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( Magali Druscovich | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] Fermin Robilotte, 27, gets a tattoo of Argentina's soccer star Lionel Messi, after Argentina's soccer national team won FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, December 21, 2022. After a night of revelry, many flocked to the city's tattoo parlors to commission designs depicting Messi, the team's star player who led Argentina to a third World Cup win. The day after Argentina beat France on penalties in a nail-biting final, Arguello said the phone in his studio had been ringing non-stop with questions about tattoos of Messi, the World Cup and Argentina flags. De Winter is preparing a large-scale design of the entire "Scaloneta", as the Lionel Scaloni-coached national team is known. Reporting by Magali Druscovich; Writing by Maximiliano Heath and Sarah Morland; Editing by Ed OsmondOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Stopping the stars won't be enough to win World Cup
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-17 | by ( Mitch Phillips | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

DOHA, Dec 17 (Reuters) - Despite the high profile performances of Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe in Qatar, Argentina and France can create danger all over the pitch, so stopping the superstars is only one battle in Sunday's World Cup final war. England were quick to double-team Mbappe whenever he picked up the ball and Argentina, probably through Nahuel Molina and Rodrigo De Paul, will try to do the same. Tchouameni and Adrien Rabiot have both been excellent in Doha, with the latter expected to return after missing the semi-final through illness. As hundreds of opponents before them can attest, there is no real way to plan to keep him quiet. In general, the two attacks look stronger than the two defences, which, for the neutral at least, is always a good thing in a World Cup final.

☆ Key match-ups in World Cup final between Argentina and France
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( Fernando Kallas | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] Soccer Football - FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 - Semi Final - Argentina v Croatia - Lusail Stadium, Lusail, Qatar - December 13, 2022 Argentina's Julian Alvarez celebrates scoring their second goal with Lionel Messi and Nahuel Molina REUTERS/Carl RecineDOHA, Dec 16 (Reuters) - Argentina and France meet in Sunday's World Cup final at Lusail Stadium. Here are three of the key match-ups that are likely to have a strong bearing on the result:Kylian Mbappe v Nahuel MolinaMbappe is a candidate for the World Cup's player of the tournament, having led France to their second consecutive final. The jet-heeled 23-year-old forward has scored five times in six games, surpassing his tally from the 2018 tournament, and has now scored nine World Cup goals in 13 appearances across the two editions. Molina arrived at the World Cup having faced criticism after struggling in his first season with Atletico Madrid, but he has been solid during the tournament and started every match. Lionel Messi v Aurelien TchouameniOne of the most anticipated match-ups will be Argentina great Messi against France's rising star holding-midfielder Tchouameni.

Dec 16 (Reuters) - Argentina look set to keep Julian Alvarez in attack for Sunday's World Cup final against France after he scored twice in a devastating combination with Lionel Messi in the semi-final. He scored his first goal for the national side in the World Cup quarter-final against the Dutch, which Argentina won on penalties after a 2-2 draw. Leandro ParedesA defensive midfielder with Juventus, 28-year-old Paredes has featured in four of Argentina's World Cup games - infamously booting the ball at the Netherlands' bench in the quarter-final. Rodrigo De PaulThe tough 28-year-old Atletico de Madrid midfielder has been a stalwart in Scaloni's World Cup starting lineup, even playing through injury against the Dutch. The 35-year-old Paris St Germain forward is on a mission to lift his first World Cup at his fifth and final attempt and has been simply magnificent, scoring five goals while creating others with his dribbling and passing wizardry.

☆ Arid wheat fields and dead cows: a snapshot of Argentina's worst drought in decades
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Maximilian Heath | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The drought in Argentina has led to sharp cuts to the country's wheat harvest forecast and is threatening to derail corn and soy too. Russo said soil moisture levels were worse than the 2008/09 campaign, when the South American country produced only 31 million tonnes of soybeans, from 18 million hectares planted. Russo said that the current wheat crop forecast of 11.8 million tonnes, already slashed from an original 19 million tonnes, could be trimmed further. In 2008/09 the wheat harvest was 8.3 million tonnes. Reporting by Maximilian Heath in Navarro, Argentina Editing by Adam Jourdan and Matthew LewisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ More Foreclosures, Easier Mortgages Would Help Fix America's Housing Market
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-03 | by ( James Rodriguez | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +15 min

These standards are based on factors including the borrower's financial stability and the state of the housing market and economy. Finding the right size for the credit box is much easier said than done. A tidal wave of foreclosures followed, plunging the US housing market — and the global economy — into chaos. Even just stabilizing the credit box over time could also help smooth out some of the boom-and-bust cycles that have come to define the housing market. "If we do not address this intrinsic cyclicality, the housing market will continue to experience boom-bust cycles, leaving destruction in their wake," the paper said.

Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, on the hook for more than $1 billion because of lies he spread about the 2012 Sandy Hook massacre, has filed for bankruptcy, court documents showed Friday. In seeking Chapter 11 protection, the Infowars host filed boilerplate bankruptcy documents in Texas, claiming he was worth $1 million to $10 million and had debts of $1 billion to $10 billion. Connecticut Judge Barbara Bellis later imposed punitive damages of $473 million for promoting those false conspiracy theories about Sandy Hook, bringing the bill to a staggering $1.44 billion. This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

☆ Trolls, propaganda & fear stoke Bukele's media machine in El Salvador
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +23 min

In examining Bukele’s media operation, Reuters interviewed more than 70 people, including former media operatives and social media researchers. It showed Bukele with an 86% approval rating in El Salvador, making him the most popular leader in the region. “The threat in El Salvador used to be from the gangs, now it's from the state,” said Angelica Carcamo, the organization's president. “I found a lot more manipulation in El Salvador than in Mexico,” Escorcia said. A native of Guatemala, Torres has been critical of the governments of El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras for creating conditions that spur migration.

☆ Messi leads Argentina v Saudi Arabia in final World Cup quest
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Saudi Arabia coach Herve Renard kept captain and midfielder Salman Al-Faraj in the team after his recent recovery from a shoulder injury. Abdulelah Al-Malki will keep Saudi Arabia's first line of defence in front of the back line, alongside Al-Faraj. The Saudi team is entirely home-based, with the local league's financial clout ensuring few leading players aspire to play overseas. Following are the teams:Argentina:Emeliano Martinez, Cristian Romero, Nicolas Tagliafico Nicolas Otamendi, Nahuel Molina, Alejandro Gomez, Rodrigo De Paul, Leandro Paredes, Lionel Messi (c), Lautaro Martinez, Angel Di Maria. Saudi Arabia:Mohamed Al-Owais, Ali Al-Bulaihi, Yasser Al-Shahrani, Mohamed Kanno, Saud Abdulhamid, Abdulelah Al-Malki, Saleh Al-Shehri, Hassan Al-Tambakti, Salman Al-Faraj (c), Salem Al-Dawsari, Firas Al-Buraikan.

☆ In Latin America, mothers of LGBTQ children fight against prejudice
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

Founded in 2017, the Latin American Movement of Mothers of LGTB+ Children lobbies governments to eliminate prejudical laws and better enforce existing bans on violence and discrimination. Members of the Latin American Movement of Mothers of LGTB+ Children during a march in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Nov. 5. The Latin American Movement of Mothers of LGTB+ Children held its first in-person meeting in early November in Buenos Aires, where they attended the annual massive gay pride march on Nov. 5. In some countries, mothers who try to help their children deal with discrimination suddenly find themselves the subject of scrutiny. Delfín said that she is one of two mothers in Santa Cruz who are activists fighting for their LGBTQ children.

☆ Messi's Argentina expected to roll over Saudis in Group C opener
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-20 | by ( Andrew Cawthorne | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The South Americans are on a 36-match unbeaten run with top scorer and captain Messi playing his fifth and last World Cup in search of the elusive honour that would grant him immortality at home alongside Diego Maradona. "I see him as always ... eager to enjoy the World Cup," said head coach Lionel Scaloni, trying to ease some of the pressure on his main man. Yet they have pedigree too: this is their sixth World Cup, they reached the last 16 in 1994, and they made it to Qatar by topping their group ahead of Japan. Renard's far lesser-known team is entirely home-based, with the financial clout of the Saudi Pro League ensuring few leading players aspire to venture overseas. Argentina will fully expect to beat Mexico and Poland in their other Group C games, whereas the Saudis may have to accept damage limitation in their opening match before a more realistic quest for points in their next two.

Police on Friday found the bodies of an adult and three children who'd all been fatally shot inside a Virginia home, authorities said. Chesterfield County officers answered reports of a disturbance at 5 a.m. EST in the 4200 block of Laurel Oak Road and a welfare check led to the gruesome discovery, according to a police statement. An investigation is underway after four people, including children, were found shot to death inside a Chesterfield home Friday morning. WWBT"Officers cleared the house to make sure there was no ongoing threat inside," the statement continued. The names of those found inside were were not immediately disclosed, pending next-of-kin notification.

☆ Argentina at the 2022 World Cup: who is in Lionel Scaloni's 26-man squad?
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

* Teams will be able to select up to 26 players for this year's World Cup after FIFA increased the maximum limit for squads by three in June, citing the unusual timing of the tournament as well as the impact of COVID-19. Who is in Argentina's World Cup 2022 squad? * Manchester United winger Alejandro Garnacho, 18, who has made seven appearances for the club this season, misses out. What was Argentina's squad at the 2018 World Cup? * Forwards: Lionel Messi (Barcelona), Gonzalo Higuain (Juventus), Paulo Dybala (Juventus), Sergio Aguero (Manchester City).

☆ Here's why it may take a while for housing inflation to cool off
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( Greg Iacurci | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Allison Dinner | Getty ImagesThere are signs inflation may fall further in coming months, but housing threatens to mute any improvement. The consumer price index, a key barometer of inflation, rose 7.7% in October from a year ago. That may seem counterintuitive at a time when many observers have said the U.S. is in a "housing recession." The shelter category is up 6.9% in the last year. The rental and housing markets are coolingBusà Photography | Moment | Getty ImagesWhy shelter prices lag

☆ Coca chewing gets chic makeover with bubblegum flavor and TikTok fans
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-12 | by ( Monica Machicao | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A demonstrator uses coca leaves during clashes with police over a new coca market, in La Paz, Bolivia August 8, 2022. REUTERS/Claudia Morales/File PhotoSANTIAGO, Nov 12 (Reuters) - With flavors ranging from bubble gum to passion fruit and TikTok stars promoting it, chewing coca has become the latest chic trend in Bolivia. Andean villagers have chewed coca leaves - the base ingredient of cocaine - for centuries to help ward off the effects of high altitude and hunger. Consumption of the leaves is legal in Bolivia and coca is considered by many in the region as a sacred plant. To the traditional "bolo" of coca leaves and baking soda enterprising locals are adding sweeteners and flavoring.

☆ Injured Dybala named in Argentina's 26-man World Cup squad
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Nov 11 (Reuters) - Injured forward Paulo Dybala made the cut as Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni named on Friday his 26-man squad for the Nov. 20-Dec. 18 World Cup in Qatar, where Lionel Messi will lead the side. Dybala has not played for his club AS Roma since early October but has been named in the squad as Argentina hope he regains his fitness before their World Cup campaign begins on Nov. 22 against Group C opponents Saudi Arabia. Messi, 35, will be playing in his fifth World Cup and will be accompanied by fellow veterans Angel Di Maria and Nicolas Otamendi along with fresh faces who helped Argentina win the Copa America title last year. Dreams do come true, let's go Argentina," Paredes, who did not make the final cut for the 2018 World Cup, said on Instagram. Goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, one of Argentina's heroes at the Copa America last year, will also be making his World Cup debut this year.

☆ Every World Cup 2022 squad announced: USMNT, Germany, Belgium and more
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Ben Morse | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

CNN —‘Tis the season for wall charts and fans gathering around to pick their starting teams for the 2022 Qatar World Cup. “It’s always difficult when a guy helps you get to the World Cup, he scores three goals in World Cup qualifying and isn’t going to be a part of the program. Again, it’s more about who we did add that we felt good about.”All but one of the 26 will be making their World Cup debut at this year’s tournament and, according to the USMNT, it will be the youngest team to qualify for the World Cup. Octavio Passos/Getty Images Europe/Getty ImagesGhanaManager: Otto AddoThe final squad has not been announced yet. READ: Meet Otto Addo, the coach responsible for guiding some of Europe’s brightest young talents (2021)—–PortugalManager: Fernando SantosThe final squad has not been announced yet.

CNN —“Mattress Mack” had reason to celebrate the Houston Astros’ World Series win on Saturday – and not just because he’s an Astros superfan. Houston furniture store owner Jim McIngvale, known as “Mattress Mack,” made a series of bets amounting to $10 million on the Astros to win the World Series. The Houston Astros celebrate their World Series win against the Philadelphia Phillies in Houston, Texas, on Saturday, November 5. Peña was awarded the World Series MVP for his stellar play during the series. He is just the second rookie to be named LCS and World Series MVP in the same postseason.

☆ Lionel Messi: Two weeks before start of World Cup, Argentinian great suffers injury scare
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-06 | by ( Issy Ronald | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Lionel Messi has already said that the 2022 Qatar World Cup will be his last chance to add a World Cup winner’s medal to his otherwise complete, glittering trophy cabinet. It adds a certain amount of tension to the Argentine’s World Cup build-up, one that became a little tauter on Saturday with Paris-Saint-Germain’s announcement that he would be rested for its trip to Lorient due to an injury scare. “Leo Messi will remain in treatment for an inflamed Achilles tendon as a precautionary measure,” the PSG statement read. Argentina, who has not won the World Cup since 1986, will begin this tournament as one of the favorites, courtesy of its 35-game unbeaten streak but it has been plagued by injury scares. Messi has scored 90 goals for Argentina, a national record.

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