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But some of its beans, known as unwashed or 'natural' arabicas, have not previously been used for high-end benchmark coffee contracts around the world. Unwashed coffee is so-called because its fruit is left to dry whole before the bean is extracted. He added that relatively little Brazilian coffee ends up in ICE warehouses because it usually fetches higher prices in the physical markets. The two companies declined to comment on whether they had got a mix of semi-washed and unwashed beans certified by ICE. Zooming out to inflation adjusted terms however, coffee prices in 1980 were equivalent to about $8 per lb - a whopping 500% higher than they are today, according to Reuters calculations.

Persons: Juan Carlos Ulate, Dagoberto Suazo, unwashed, Marcio Ferreira, Cecafe, Ferreira, Louis Dreyfus, Pedro Mendoza, Maytaal Angel, Gustavo Palencia, Marcelo Teixeira, Frank Jack Daniel Our Organizations: Workers, REUTERS, LONDON, Agricultural, Intercontinental Exchange, Reuters, Producers, IF IT, ICE, Central, Thomson Locations: Grecia, Costa Rica, TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras, Brazil, America, Africa, Cafetaleras, Colombia, Central America, Peru, Europe, Swiss, Sucafina, U.S, London, Tegucigalpa, New York

☆ Prosecutor, defense request house arrest for son of Colombian president
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-04 | by ( Luis Jaime Acosta | Thomson Reuters | Luis Jaime Has Worked At Reuters For More Than Years. While He Chiefly Covers Colombia'S Armed Conflict | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Defendant and son of Colombian president Gustavo Petro, Nicolas Petro attends a hearing in Bogota, Colombia August 3, 2023 in this screengrab taken from a handout video. Colombian Prosecutor's Office/Handout via REUTERSBOGOTA, Aug 4 (Reuters) - Both the prosecution and the defense in a money laundering and illicit enrichment case against Nicolas Petro, the eldest son of Colombian President Gustavo Petro, on Friday requested house arrest for the younger Petro. Petro, 37, was arrested last weekend in the city of Barranquilla alongside his ex-wife, Daysuris del Carmen Vasquez, who is being held on similar charges. Both prosecutor Burgos and Petro's defense attorney David Teleki supported a house arrest measure in a morning hearing, with Teleki citing the impeding birth of Petro's child with his current partner. According to the charges, Nicolas Petro received money from accused drug traffickers in exchange for including them in the president's peace plans.

Persons: Gustavo Petro, Nicolas Petro, Petro, Daysuris del Carmen Vasquez, Mario Burgos, Burgos, David Teleki, pained, Luis Jaime Acosta, Julia Symmes Cobb, Alistair Bell Organizations: Colombian Prosecutor's, REUTERS, Teleki, Thomson Locations: Bogota, Colombia, REUTERS BOGOTA, Barranquilla, Atlantico province

☆ Colombia's central bank cuts 2023 forecasts for inflation, growth
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Luisa GonzalezBOGOTA, Aug 2 (Reuters) - The technical team of Colombia's central bank on Wednesday lowered its outlook for inflation in 2023 to 9%, from 9.5% previously, and cut its forecast growth for Latin America's fourth-largest economy to 0.9%. The technical team previously forecast Colombia's economic growth at 1% for this year. Colombia's 12-month inflation through June 30 hit 12.13%, slightly below the 12.2% expected by analysts who were consulted for a Reuters poll. The technical team forecast that inflation would end 2024 at 3.5%, close to the bank's long-term target of 3%, but above a previous forecast of 3.4%. The current economic context suggests the board should maintain a contractive stance on monetary policy to bring inflation towards the target, the report added.

Persons: Luisa Gonzalez BOGOTA, Ricardo Bonilla, Gustavo Petro, Nelson Bocanegra, Oliver Griffin, Leslie Adler, Christopher Cushing Organizations: REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Bogota, Colombia

☆ Colombia's central bank cuts 2023 inflation forecast to 9%
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Luisa GonzalezBOGOTA, Aug 2 (Reuters) - The technical team of Colombia's central bank on Wednesday lowered its outlook for inflation in 2023 to 9%, from 9.5% previously, citing a recent slowing of consumer price growth. The team also now expects Latin America's fourth largest economy to post growth of 0.9% this year, compared with a previous forecast of 1%. Colombia's 12-month inflation through June 30 hit 12.13%, slightly below the 12.2% expected by analysts who were consulted for a Reuters poll. The technical team forecast that inflation would end 2024 at 3.5%, close to the bank's long-term target of 3%, but above a previous forecast of 3.4%. Reporting by Oliver Griffin and Nelson Bocanegra; Editing by Sandra Maler and Leslie AdlerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Luisa Gonzalez BOGOTA, Ricardo Bonilla, Gustavo Petro, Oliver Griffin, Nelson Bocanegra, Sandra Maler, Leslie Adler Organizations: REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Bogota, Colombia

☆ Son of Colombia's president admits illegal money entered election campaign -prosecutor
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( Carlos Vargas | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Nicolas Petro, son of Colombian President Gustavo Petro, speaks at the Atlantic Assembly in Barranquilla, Colombia on March 14, 2023, in this screengrab taken from a handout video. Asamblea del Atlantico / Handout via REUTERS/File PhotoBOGOTA, Aug 3 (Reuters) - Nicolas Petro, the eldest son of Colombian President Gustavo Petro, on Thursday admitted that illegal money entered his father's election campaign last year, the prosecutor handling the case said on Thursday. The president insisted he will remain in office until 2026, citing the mandate of his election victory. "No one but the people can end this government," Petro said during a speech in Sincelejo, in Colombia's Sucre province. According to the charges, Nicolas Petro, a lawmaker in Atlantico province, received money from accused drug traffickers in exchange for including them in the president's peace plans.

Persons: Nicolas Petro, Gustavo Petro, Daysuris del Carmen Vasquez, Mr, Nicolas Fernando Petro Burgos, Gustavo Petro Urrego, Mario Burgos, Vasquez, Petro, Carlos Vargas, Nelson Bocanegra, Julia Symmes Cobb, Oliver Griffin, Gerry Doyle, Leslie Adler Organizations: Atlantic Assembly, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Barranquilla, Colombia, del Atlantico, Handout, BOGOTA, Burgos, Sincelejo, Colombia's Sucre, Atlantico province

☆ Colombia hopes Amazon summit will be deforestation 'turning point'
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BOGOTA, Aug 3 (Reuters) - Colombia's government is hopeful that an upcoming regional summit in Brazil will represent a turning point in the deterioration of the Amazon, Colombian Environment Minister Susana Muhamad said on Thursday. The eight countries of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO), which include Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela and Peru, will meet Aug. 7-8 in the Brazilian city of Belem at the mouth of the Amazon River. The summit - which follows a meeting in Colombia's Amazon city of Leticia a month ago - is aimed at finding ways to prevent further degradation of the Amazon rainforest, the preservation of which scientists say is vital for curbing the effects of climate change. Talks will also include the complicated issue of hydrocarbon exploration, Muhamad said. While Colombia's President Gustavo Petro has voiced concern over oil and gas exploration in the Amazon, Muhamad said the situation was "much more complex" than other topics.

Persons: Susana Muhamad, Muhamad, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Gustavo Petro, Oliver Griffin, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: Amazon, Colombian, Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization, Thomson Locations: BOGOTA, Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, Peru, Brazilian, Belem, Amazon, Leticia, Bogota

☆ Colombia and Rebel Group Begin Cease-Fire After Decades of Combat
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( Genevieve Glatsky | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A cease-fire between the Colombian government and the country’s largest remaining rebel group took effect on Thursday, the longest halt to hostilities the group has agreed to and a milestone in efforts to end the country’s 60-year internal conflict, which has killed roughly 450,000 people. While the cease-fire is supposed to last six-months, it could pave the way for a permanent truce with the leftist group, the National Liberation Army, a guerrilla organization known as the E.L.N. that operates in the countryside and has helped fuel the violence that plagues parts of rural Colombia. Mr. Petro, himself a former member of a rebel group, is the country’s first leftist president. The cease-fire applies to combat between the E.L.N.

Persons: Gustavo Petro, Petro Organizations: Colombian, National Liberation Army Locations: Colombia

☆ Colombia, ELN rebels start six-month ceasefire
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( Luis Jaime Acosta | Thomson Reuters | Luis Jaime Has Worked At Reuters For More Than Years. While He Chiefly Covers Colombia'S Armed Conflict | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/7] An attendee looks on during an event with peace negotiators of Colombia's government and the National Liberation Army (ELN) rebels, in Bogota, Colombia August 3, 2023. "Welcome to peace," Petro told the inauguration of a committee meant to ensure civil society participation in the talks. The government's high peace commissioner, Danilo Rueda, had said on Tuesday the ceasefire would safeguard civilians and protect them from crimes like kidnapping. The United Nations Secretary-General congratulated the two sides on the ceasefire in a statement on Thursday, hailing its potential to reduce civilian suffering. The U.N. Verification Mission in Colombia will monitor the effort under a mandate form the Security Council.

Persons: Vannessa Jimenez, Gustavo Petro's, Petro, Eliecer Herlinto Chamorro, guerre Antonio Garcia, Danilo Rueda, Aureliano Carbonell, Carbonell, del, Rueda, Luis Jaime Acosta, Oliver Griffin, Leslie Adler Organizations: National Liberation Army, REUTERS, United Nations, Security Council, Force, Clan, Reuters, Congress, Estado Mayor Central, Revolutionary Armed Forces, Segunda, Thomson Locations: Bogota, Colombia, Vannessa Jimenez BOGOTA, Petro

☆ Son of Colombia's president pleads not guilty to money laundering charges
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Nicolas Petro, son of Colombian President Gustavo Petro, speaks at the Atlantic Assembly in Barranquilla, Colombia on March 14, 2023, in this screengrab taken from a handout video. Asamblea del Atlantico / Handout via REUTERS/File PhotoBOGOTA, Aug 1 (Reuters) - The eldest son of Colombian President Gustavo Petro, Nicolas Petro, on Tuesday pled not guilty to charges of money laundering and illicit enrichment at a court in Bogota, the capital. By denying the charges, Nicolas Petro lost the chance to secure a 50% reduction of any sentence if convicted. The president's son could receive a sentence of between 12 and 20 years if found guilty during a trial, according to lawyers. Vasquez also denied the charges of money laundering and violating data protection laws.

Persons: Nicolas Petro, Gustavo Petro, Daysuris del Carmen Vasquez, Vasquez, Petro, Luis Jaime Acosta, Oliver Griffin, Leslie Adler Organizations: Atlantic Assembly, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Barranquilla, Colombia, del Atlantico, Handout, BOGOTA, Bogota, Atlantico province

☆ Son of Colombia President Petro arrested over money laundering accusation
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-30 | by ( Stefano Pozzebon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —The son of Colombia’s president has been arrested as part of an investigation into money laundering and illicit enrichment, the Colombian attorney general’s office said in a statement. Responding to the news of his son’s arrest, Colombian President Gustavo Petro said he was “hurt,” but guaranteed the prosecution procedures would be in accordance with the law. Petro went on to wish his son “luck and strength” and reiterated his intention to not intervene or pressure the attorney general in this case. Back then, the president welcomed the investigation, inviting the attorney general to get to the bottom of the allegations surrounding his son. In the same way, charges will be made for the aforementioned crimes and a measure restricting freedom will be requested,” the statement said.

Persons: general’s, Nicolas Petro –, Petro, Gustavo Petro, ” Petro, “, Nicolas Petro’s, Daysuris, Carmen Vásquez Castro Organizations: CNN, Atlantico province – Locations: Colombian, Atlantico province, Caribbean, Republic

☆ Colombia proposes 502.6 trillion pesos 2024 budget
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BOGOTA, July 29 (Reuters) - Colombia's government on Saturday presented a budget proposal worth 502.6 trillion pesos ($127.8 billion) for 2024 to Congress, 19% greater than this year, the Finance Ministry said, an amount that would be the country's highest if approved. The proposal includes spending 94.52 trillion pesos for servicing debt, and 97.75 trillion pesos for investment. "The 2024 budget is realistic," the finance ministry said in a statement. Government ministers worked through Thursday night to finish the proposal, President Gustavo Petro said on Friday in a post on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter. The proposed budget earmarks 70.5 trillion pesos for education, health, drinking water and other general purposes, and some 57.4 trillion pesos would fund the state pension system.

Persons: Gustavo Petro, Colombia's, Nelson Bocanegra, Julia Cobb Symmes, Oliver Griffin, Sandra Maler Organizations: Finance Ministry, Twitter, Congress, Thomson Locations: BOGOTA

☆ Colombian President’s Son Is Arrested in Money Laundering Inquiry
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-29 | by ( Genevieve Glatsky | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The son of Gustavo Petro, the president of Colombia, was arrested on charges of money laundering and illicit enrichment, the attorney general’s office announced early Saturday morning. Nicolás Petro was arrested along with his ex-wife, Daysuris Vásquez, who was also charged with money laundering, as well as personal data violations. They were taken into custody and the attorney general is seeking to have them held in detention on those charges, according to the statement by his office. The attorney general’s office announced in March that it was investigating the younger Mr. Petro, a politician in the northern department of Atlántico, for allegedly receiving money from drug traffickers in exchange for including them in his father’s peace negotiations. The president has been negotiating with various illegal armed groups as he seeks to end the country’s 60-year internal conflict, which has killed around 450,000 people.

Persons: Gustavo Petro, Nicolás Petro, Daysuris Vásquez, Petro, ” Locations: Colombia, Atlántico

☆ Colombia President Petro's son arrested in money laundering probe
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BOGOTA, July 29 (Reuters) - Nicolas Petro, son of Colombian President Gustavo Petro, has been arrested as part of an investigation into money laundering and illicit enrichment, the attorney general's office said early on Saturday. Also arrested on money laundering and personal data violation accusations was Nicolas' ex-wife Daysuris del Carmen Vasquez, who earlier this year told local media two people accused of involvement with drug trafficking had given Nicolas money for his father's campaign. May these occurrences forge his character and may he reflect about his own errors," the president said. The attorney general's office will request to a judge that the younger Petro and Vasquez be held on the charges, it said. "Charges will be formulated for the aforementioned crimes and liberty restriction measures will be requested," the attorney general's office said in a statement, adding the arrests took place at 6 a.m. local time (1100 GMT).

Persons: Nicolas Petro, Gustavo Petro, Petro, Nicolas, Daysuris del Carmen Vasquez, Golfo, Vasquez, Julia Symmes Cobb, Diane Craft Organizations: National Liberation Army, Thomson Locations: BOGOTA, Atlantico province

☆ Intentaron movilizar a Sudamérica para apoyar a Ucrania. Casi mueren en el proceso
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( Gabriela Sá Pessoa | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

“Y cuando ya lo tenía en mi mano”, relató Abad, refiriéndose a su vaso, “Victoria bromeó, diciendo: ‘parece whisky’”, dijo. Y en ese momento no hubo sirenas. Hubo algo como una explosión que yo nunca he sentido, nunca en mi vida”. Pero Amelina, una de las escritoras jóvenes más reconocidas de Ucrania, falleció en un hospital cuatro días después. Pero tres semanas después, en Bruselas, en una cumbre de líderes europeos y sus homólogos latinoamericanos, Petro decidió nadar entre dos aguas al momento de discutir la guerra.

☆ El Salvador backs mass trials for thousands held in crime crackdown
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( Nelson Renteria | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele speaks during a ceremony to lay the first stone of a new public hospital, in San Salvador, El Salvador June 15, 2023. El Salvador has been under a state of emergency for 16 months, sparking the arrest of over 71,900 alleged gang members. Opposition politicians and rights groups say group trials risk depriving detainees of their right to due process and their individual presumption of innocence. On July 14 at the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, rights organizations denounced the deaths of 174 people in state custody and over 6,400 documented human rights abuses during the state of emergency. Reporting by Nelson Renteria in San Salvador; writing by Sarah Kinosian; Editing by Matthew LewisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Nayib Bukele, Jose Cabezas, Nayib Bukele's, Gustavo Villatoro, Manuel Melendez, Ingrid Escobar, general's, Nelson Renteria, Sarah Kinosian, Matthew Lewis Organizations: El, San Salvador , El, REUTERS, SALVADOR, Central American, Justice, Salvadoran, Harvard University, Legal, Inter, American, Human Rights, Lawmakers, Thomson Locations: San Salvador ,, San Salvador , El Salvador, El Salvador, San Salvador

The income Luis earns from his Airbnb rental is paid in dollars into a digital account on US payment platform Payoneer, he said. Argentine hosts on Airbnb can receive payments to a local or overseas bank account as well as Payoneer and Paypal, options on one host's account reviewed by Reuters showed and Airbnb confirmed. Airbnb told Reuters in a statement that guidance published on its website advised hosts to register their short-term rental properties with Argentine authorities. Argentine tax authority AFIP said that it "always encourages people to declare" income. The Buenos Aires tourism department told Reuters, however, that just 570 properties were listed on the city's register of short-term rentals in June.

Persons: Luis, Airbnb, Payoneer, AFIP, Ramiro Raposo, AIRBNB, Ariel Yeger, Gaston Levy, Gustavo, Ana Maria Ianni, Ianni, Anna, Catherine Brigida, Adam Jourdan, Suzanne Goldenberg Organizations: Reuters, Argentine, Paypal, Internal Revenue Service, PayPal, AirDNA, Airbnb, Peronist, Thomson Locations: BUENOS AIRES, Airbnb, Buenos Aires, Argentina, Argentine, United States, Senate's

☆ Marijuana farmers in Colombia push government to find a place for them
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-24 | by ( Stefano Pozzebon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Cajibio CNN —On a recent Friday morning, about 200 coca and marijuana farmers gathered in the small town of Cajibio, southwestern Colombia, to hear the government out. More than 200,000 farmers of drug crops live in criminality in Colombia because their harvest is illegal, according to COCCAM, a workers’ union representing farmers involved in cocaine and marijuana production. Meeting between Colombia's government and drug farmers in Cajibio. Opponents of legal marijuana, like rightwing opposition leader German Vargas Lleras, say legal weed would only push more people into drug consumption, and celebrated the collapse of the latest regulation effort. “This is not about me or you getting high, it’s about the farmers and the producers,” Miranda told CNN.

Persons: Gloria Miranda, Yulier Lopez, Lopez, Ivan Duque, Cajibio, “, Stefano Pozzebon, Gustavo Petro, Petro, Juan Carlos Losada, ” Losada, Losada, German Vargas Lleras, ”, ” Lopez, Luis Cunda, Cunda, Colombia Stefano Pozzebon, CNN Cunda, Miranda, ’ Chris Alexander, ” Miranda, Nestor Osuna Organizations: CNN, Justice Ministry, Colombian, Liberal, ’, Human Rights Watch, New, Losada Locations: Cajibio, Colombia, UNODC, Colombian, CNN Colombian, Colombia’s Cauca, COCCAM, Cauca, ‘, Miranda, Caloto, United States, Uruguay, Latin America, Denver, Colorado, New York State, Bogota

☆ Eleven killed in suspected arson attack on northern Mexican bar
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Victor MedinaMEXICO CITY, July 22 (Reuters) - Eleven people were killed in a suspected arson attack on a bar in the northern Mexican border city of San Luis Rio Colorado after an expelled patron set it ablaze with a Molotov cocktail, authorities in the state of Sonora said on Saturday. He then came back and threw a kind of Molotov cocktail at the doors of the bar, according to a statement from prosecutors in the state, which shares a long border with Arizona. Four of the 11 dead were women, and four more people were being treated in hospital for their injuries, they added. Santos Gonzalez, the mayor of the city, said that the suspect, a man, had been arrested by police. Reporting by Dave Graham; Additional reporting by Natalia Ramos editing by Diane Craft and Paul SimaoOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: San Luis Rio, Victor Medina MEXICO, Gustavo Romulo Salas, Santos Gonzalez, Dave Graham, Natalia Ramos, Diane Craft, Paul Simao Organizations: REUTERS, Victor Medina MEXICO CITY, San Luis Rio Colorado, Arizona ., Thomson Locations: Sonora, San Luis, San Luis Rio Colorado, Mexico, Mexican, Arizona, U.S

[1/2] A view shows a cooked piece of cultivated chicken breast created at the Upside Foods plant, where lab-grown meat is cultivated, in Emeryville, California, U.S. January 11, 2023. Difficulty competing with conventional meat on price has plagued the plant-based meat sector, which has failed to meet market share expectations. To be price competitive, cultivated meat must reach a production cost of $2.92 per pound, Goncalves said. Last year, governments spent about $635 million on alternative proteins, about $167 million of which was for cultivated meat, according to the group. China Chilcano's chefs said the product behaved very similarly to conventional chicken and offered some improvements, like rapid absorption of marinades.

Persons: Peter DaSilva, Matthew Walker, Leticia Goncalves, Goncalves, Andrew Noyes, Jose Andres's, Gustavo Burger, Believer, Steve Cahillane, Alan Grublauskas, Noyes, chefs, Leah Douglas, Tom Polansek, Josie Kao Organizations: REUTERS, WASHINGTON, U.S . Department of Agriculture, Food and Drug Administration, S2G Ventures, Daniels, Midland, Washington , D.C, Food Institute, Kellogg, Reuters, Food Forum, Thomson Locations: Emeryville , California, U.S, Jose Andres's China, Washington ,, Chicago, China, San Francisco, Washington

☆ US adds Central American ex-presidents, judges, lawmakers to corruption list
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( Raul Cortes | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Two former Salvadoran presidents - Mauricio Funes, who served from 2009 to 2014, and his successor Salvador Sanchez, whom Washington links to corruption, money laundering and embezzlement of public funds - were added to the list. Guatemala's government meanwhile rejected the accusations on Wednesday, labeling the report "used by the United States to impose its jurisdiction on people abroad, as despicable." It includes ex-officials from the government of former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez, who was extradited to the United States over drug trafficking links. Politicians from Honduras' opposition Liberal Party also appear, including Liberal leader Yani Rosenthal, previously convicted of money laundering in the United States. The Nicaraguan section includes all of the country's parliamentary leaders, barring its president, who Washington has already sanctioned, and several judges and directors of Nicaragua's money laundering watchdog.

Persons: Mauricio Funes, Salvador Sanchez, Funes, Sanchez, Daniel Ortega, Brian Nichols, Fredy Orellana, Bernardo Arevalo, Engel, Juan Orlando Hernandez, Yani Rosenthal, Rosenthal, Washington, Raul Cortes, Sofia Menchu, Gustavo Palencia, Nelson Renteria, Sarah Morland, Matthew Lewis Organizations: U.S . State Department, Salvadoran, Western Hemisphere, Liberal Party, Liberal, Thomson Locations: El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Washington, United States, Mexico City, Sofia, Guatemala City, Tegucigalpa, Nelson, San Salvador

☆ EU seeks to revive Latin America, Caribbean ties as it turns away from China, Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( Philip Blenkinsop | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Regardless of the outcome, officials said the meeting itself marked a step towards stronger ties. "The most important issue of the meeting is the meeting itself," Argentine Undersecretary for Latin American and Caribbean affairs Gustavo Martinez Pandiani told a small group of reporters in Brussels. The EU has said it wants a joint declaration condemning Russia, but knows this will be difficult to achieve. The EU and Argentina will sign a memorandum of understanding on energy cooperation before the summit starts. The EU may also offer details on plans to invest 10 billion euros ($11.2 billion) in CELAC infrastructure projects, part of its Global Gateway initiative.

Persons: Gustavo Martinez Pandiani, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Philip Blenkinsop, Barbara Lewis Organizations: European Union, UN, European, EU, Mercosur, Thomson Locations: BRUSSELS, America, Caribbean, EU, Ukraine, China, Caribbean States, Brussels, Argentine, Russia, Nicaragua, Bolivia, Cuba, El Salvador, Beijing, Mexico, Peru, Venezuela, Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay

☆ Missing children found after 40 days in Amazon released from hospital
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-15 | by ( Stefano Pozzebon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Four young children found last month after surviving 40 days in the Amazon rainforest following an air crash have been released from hospital and are in good shape, according to Colombian authorities. The four children, ages between 1 and 13, have been receiving treatment at Colombia’s Military Hospitalin Bogota since they were found on June 9. They were released from the medical facility on Friday and are now staying at a shelter home, according to Astrid Garces, director of Colombian Children Welfare Agency ICBF, at a press briefing Friday. The children are staying at one of the 188 shelters the agency runs across Colombia. Traces pointing to their survival sparked a massive military-led search involving more than hundred Colombian special forces troops and 70 indigenous scouts combing the area.

Persons: Astrid Garces, ” Garces, ”, Jacobombaire, Tien Ranoque Mucutuy, Cristin Ranoque, Magdalena Mucutuy Valencia, Gustavo Petro, farina, Manuel Ranoque Organizations: CNN, Colombia’s Military Hospitalin, Colombian Children Welfare Agency, Colombian Locations: Colombia’s Military Hospitalin Bogota, Colombia, Colombian

BOGOTA, July 12 (Reuters) - Deforestation in Colombia fell 29.1% in 2022 versus the previous year spurred by sharp decreases in the country's Amazon region, the government said on Wednesday, marking the lowest level since 2013. Nationally, deforestation fell by just over 500 square kilometers (193 square miles) last year to just over 1,235 square kilometers (477 square miles). That is down from 1,741 square kilometers in 2021 and surpassed the government's target of cutting the rate to 1,400 square kilometers a year by 2026. Deforestation in Amazon provinces, where a majority of the activity occurs, fell significantly, the environment ministry said in its report, with a 50% decrease in Caqueta province alone. Despite smashing the deforestation reduction target, both the government and Botero cautioned against declaring victory.

Persons: Gustavo Petro, Susana Muhamad, Muhamad, Rodrigo Botero, Botero, audios, Oliver Griffin, Bill Berkrot Organizations: Foundation for Conservation, Sustainable Development, Thomson Locations: BOGOTA, Colombia, Bogota, Brazil, Amazon, Caqueta

In mid-2020 Rome secured the lion's share of a 724-billion-euro kitty aimed at helping EU members emerge from COVID greener and more tech-friendly. Italy's 191.5 billion euros ($210 billion) of cheap loans and grants, to be received in tranches through 2026, was intended for productive investments in the bloc's most chronically stagnant economy. MICRO-PROJECTSMore than half the EU money is meant to go on digitalisation and ecological transition, with the rest devoted to sustainable transport, education, social cohesion and health. The government is still awaiting a 19-billion-euro tranche of the EU funds blocked in March over missed policy targets stemming from 2022. It brings Italy's byzantine rules closer to EU standards, but Gobbato said people will initially find it hard to adapt.

Persons: Flavio Lo Scalzo, Rome, Roberto Perotti, Giorgia Meloni, Mario Draghi, Giuseppe Conte, Carlo Messina, Intesa, Vittorio Soldavini, Davide Carlucci, It's, Gustavo Piga, Rome's, Ilaria, Dentons, Gobbato, Catherine Evans Organizations: REUTERS, Milan's Bocconi University, Treasury, European Central Bank, Technology, Tor Vergata University, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Milan, Italy, ROME, MILAN, tranches, Brussels, Italy's, Italian, Parma

☆ Canada Joins Nearly 20 Nations Calling for Halt to Deep-Sea Mining as Negotiators Meet to Agree Rules
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( Yusuf Khan | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +5 min

This week, delegates of the International Seabed Authority—a United Nations observer organization that regulates deep-sea mining in international waters—are descending on ISA headquarters in Kingston, Jamaica to hash out the regulations around deep-sea mining over the next two weeks. PREVIEWCanada, Ireland and Switzerland have all recently joined calls—by nearly 20 countries—for a moratorium or at least a pause on deep-sea mining. Norway recently opened the door to deep-sea mining in its waters. Deep-sea mining in recent years has garnered attention because of the possibility of recovering battery metals such as manganese and nickel from the seafloor. Some other early supporters of seabed mining, including Maersk and Lockheed Martin, have been selling their deep-sea mining investments.

Persons: —, Michael Lodge, Gerard Barron, Sandy Huffaker, GUSTAVO GRAF MALDONADO, Lockheed Martin, Yusuf Khan Organizations: United, Sustainable Business, ” Global Affairs Canada, ISA, Metals Co, Maersk, Press, Greenpeace, The Metals Co, REUTERS, Nauru wouldn’t, Lockheed Locations: Canada, United Nations, Kingston , Jamaica, Ireland, Switzerland, Norway, Nauru, yusuf.khan

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