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☆ Colombia, Bolivia to ask UN to remove coca leaf from narcotics list
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Claudia MoralesBOGOTA, Feb 22 (Reuters) - Colombia and Bolivia will jointly ask the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs to remove coca leaves from its list of prohibited substances and accept the plant's traditional uses, Colombia's government said on Wednesday. "Bolivia and Colombia consider it is the moment to once again put this issue on the table," she said. "To remove the coca leaf - the leaf, not cocaine - from the prohibited substances list." Coca leaves are widely used in different countries in Latin America, especially by indigenous groups, to treat stomach aches and altitude sickness, among other ceremonial uses. Bolivian President Luis Arce said in January his government would push for coca leaves to be removed from the list so they can be commercialized, after his predecessor Evo Morales decriminalized coca nationally.

☆ Bird flu kills sea lions and thousands of pelicans in Peru's protected areas
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Feb 21 (Reuters) - Bird flu has killed tens of thousands of birds, mostly pelicans, and at least 716 sea lions in protected areas across Peru, the authorities said, as the H5N1 strain spreads throughout the region. Peru recorded its first case of the virus in November in birds in the north of the country. "We have also recorded since mid-January the unusual death of many sea lions, so far we have about 716 dead sea lions in seven protected natural areas of the coast," said Roberto Gutierrez, head of surveillance of the National Service of Natural Protected Areas. REUTERS/Sebastian Castaneda 1 2 3 4 5In South America, bird flu cases have been detected in Ecuador, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay and recently in Argentina and Uruguay. In recent weeks, crews from Peru's National Forestry and Wildlife Service, in protective plastic suits, gloves and masks, have collected and buried hundreds of sea lions from several beaches along Peru's central coast.

☆ Argentina reports new cases of bird flu in its territory
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BUENOS AIRES, Feb 18 (Reuters) - Argentina confirmed on Saturday two new cases of bird flu detected in wild birds, three days after reporting the first findings of the disease in the South American region. Argentina, along with Uruguay - two important international agricultural producers - this week declared a state of sanitary emergency due to the first cases reported last Wednesday. Avian flu, which has reached new corners of the globe, has become endemic for the first time in some wild birds that transmit the virus to poultry, experts said. Several countries in South America, including Colombia, Bolivia, Ecuador and Venezuela, have already found cases of bird flu in their territory. Brazil, the world's biggest chicken exporter, has never reported a case but is on alert.

☆ Bird flu alarm drives world towards once-shunned vaccines
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Sybille De La Hamaide | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

"That's why every country in the world is worried about bird flu," French agriculture minister Marc Fesneau said. But the fear of trade restrictions remains centre stage for countries reluctant to vaccinate poultry against bird flu. Bird flu can also mutate rapidly and reduce the efficacy of vaccines while programmes are costly and time consuming, as shots often need to be administered individually. Ceva said it was using the mRNA technology used in some COVID shots for the first time in poultry vaccines. The global market for bird flu vaccines would be about 800 million to 1 billion doses per year, excluding China, said Sylvain Comte, corporate marketing director for poultry at Ceva.

☆ Bird flu spreads to new countries, threatens non-stop 'war' on poultry
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Tom Polansek | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

Argentina found the virus in wild birds, while dead swans in Uruguay tested positive. The United States, Britain, France and Japan are among countries that have suffered record losses of poultry over the past year, leaving some farmers feeling helpless. Poultry in the Northern Hemisphere were previously considered to be most at risk when wild birds are active during spring migration. Some experts suspect climate change may be contributing to the global spread by altering wild birds' habitats and migratory paths. Farmers are trying unusual tactics to protect poultry, with some using machines that make loud noises to scare off wild birds, experts said.

SAO PAULO (Reuters) -The confirmation of more bird flu cases in South America raised alarm bells in Brazil, which remains free of contagion even after its close neighbors Argentina and Uruguay confirmed cases there on Wednesday. Until now, bird flu cases had been detected in commercial farms in Bolivia, which borders Brazil, and in Peru and Ecuador, Favaro said. On Wednesday, cases in wild birds were confirmed in Uruguay and Argentina, sparking a health emergency in both. In recent days, Brazil also investigated suspected cases of the highly pathogenic bird flu. It has never registered a bird flu case.

☆ Explainer: What are the bird flu risks to people and animals?
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Tom Polansek | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WHICH COUNTRIES HAVE BIRD FLU? Bird flu spreads to new countries, threatens non-stop "war" on poultryWHAT BIRDS CAN BE INFECTED? Mammals including bears, seals, foxes and skunks have been infected with H5N1 avian flu, authorities said. If one bird in a flock has avian flu, farmers usually cull all their birds to prevent the spread of the highly contagious virus. Additionally, avian flu is not transmissible by eating properly cooked poultry and eggs, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said.

☆ Bird flu spreads to new countries, threatens non-stop "war" on poultry
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Tom Polansek | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

The United States, Britain, France and Japan are among countries that have suffered record losses of poultry over the past year, leaving some farmers feeling helpless. Poultry in the Northern Hemisphere were previously considered to be most at risk when wild birds are active during spring migration. Some experts suspect climate change may be contributing to the global spread by altering wild birds' habitats and migratory paths. Farmers are trying unusual tactics to protect poultry, with some using machines that make loud noises to scare off wild birds, experts said. Berkowitz said he is bracing for March and April when migration season will pose an even greater risk to poultry.

☆ Hollywood actress Raquel Welch dead at age 82
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Steve Gorman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

LOS ANGELES, Feb 15 (Reuters) - Actress Raquel Welch, who helped redefine the traditional image of the Hollywood sex symbol with her portrayals of strong women in dozens of movies in the 1960s and '70s, died on Wednesday at age 82. Her death following a brief illness was confirmed in a statement released by Jane McKnight, her Los Angeles-based manager. She won a Golden Globe Award for best actress in a musical or comedy for her performance in the 1973 swashbuckling romp "The Three Musketeers." [1/3] Actress Raquel Welch poses at the 2014 Carousel of Hope Ball at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California October 11, 2014. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni/File Photo 1 2 3Her portrayal of strong, willful women was credited with reshaping stereotypes.

☆ Explainer: Bird flu: what are the risks to people and animals?
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Tom Polansek | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WHICH COUNTRIES HAVE BIRD FLU? Wild birds including waterfowl like ducks can carry bird flu viruses without appearing sick and easily spread them to domesticated poultry like chickens and turkeys, experts said. Mammals including bears, seals, foxes and skunks have been infected with H5N1 avian flu, authorities said. If one bird in a flock has avian flu, farmers usually cull all their birds to prevent the spread of the highly contagious virus. Additionally, avian flu is not transmissible by eating properly cooked poultry and eggs, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said.

☆ Venezuelans say credit cards that were once lifeline now 'useless'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( Mayela Armas | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

"They are useless," administrator Lina Pereira, from the central city of Valencia, said of her two credit cards, which both have low limits. "My parents bought appliances and computers with their credit cards, but that's a memory for Venezuelans." As incomes have fallen and living costs have grown, credit cards have become vital for many people to make everyday purchases in supermarkets and pharmacies, even as credit limits stagnate and some banks eliminate the cards altogether. In 2012 that figure was 12% in Venezuela, while in countries like the Dominican Republic and Bolivia credit cards currently account for 5% of banks' credit portfolios, according to those country's regulators. "With the limit on cards you can't even pay for lunch," said Gregorio Afonso, a 53-year-old university professor who has two local credit cards and an income of $20 monthly.

☆ Peruvians march in southern Juliaca to mourn 19 protest dead
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Alexander Villegas | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

JULIACA, Peru, Feb 9 (Reuters) - Thousands of demonstrators marched through Peru's southern city of Juliaca on Thursday to commemorate the one-month anniversary of clashes that left 19 people dead in the city, the worst violence in over two months of anti-government protests. Clashes on Jan. 9 left 18 dead, including one police officer. On Thursday, as families mourned the dead, some protesters in other cities joined calls for a wider national strike. "The Puno region really came out in support, we're not one, we're many," said Ruth Meza, who said her classmate Elmer Solano was killed in the Juliaca clashes. MASS FOR PROTEST DEAD[1/5] Relatives mourn victims one month after the deadliest clashes in anti-government protests against Peru's President Dina Boluarte, in Juliaca, Peru February 9, 2023.

☆ Facebook co-founder Moskovitz funds research into cooling the Earth with sunlight reflection
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( Catherine Clifford | In Catclifford | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

(It's sometimes called solar radiation modification or solar geoengineering.) But it's potentially important, it could be very, very helpful, it could be disastrous," Stone told CNBC. And so it goes for solar geoengineering," Stone said. Everyone perceives it to be controversial," Camilloni told CNBC. "This is no one's Plan A for how you deal with climate risk, and whatever happens, we have to cut our emissions," Stone told CNBC.

☆ A laid-off Microsoft software engineer on an H1-B visa said she wonders 'where will I be living' with just 60 days to find a new job
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-04 | by ( Sam Tabahriti | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A Microsoft software engineer said in a LinkedIn post she had many unanswered questions after being laid off. Maydana is on an H-1B visa – she has a grace period of 60 days before she needs to depart the US. Her next challenge: finding out if she can get another job within the next 60 days of her grace period. Maydana is among thousands of other employees who have had their life upended amid mass layoffs sweeping across the tech industry. A Google engineer found out she had been laid off when her boss sent her a LinkedIn message while she was on vacation.

☆ Italy facing attacks by international anarchists, foreign minister says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Alvise Armellini | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

ROME, Jan 31 (Reuters) - Italian embassies all over the world are at risk of anarchist attacks linked to the case of the hunger-striking Alfredo Cospito, Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said on Tuesday. Cospito, 55, is an Italian anarchist who has been on a hunger strike for more than 100 days to protest against being jailed under the strict "41 bis" isolation regime. "We are raising security in all of our embassies and consulates because at the moment international anarchists are mobilised against the Italian state," Tajani told a news conference in Rome. Italian embassies, consulates or culture institutes have been targeted in Bolivia, Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Spain, Germany and Switzerland, he said. Cospito was placed under the regime in May, after he wrote articles from prison calling on fellow anarchists to continue their armed struggle.

[1/5] Protesters clash with police officers during an anti-government demonstration following the ouster of Peru's former President Pedro Castillo, in Lima, Peru January 24, 2023. The violence has left 48 people dead with 10 more civilians killed in accidents or other issues related to the blockades. Protesters have pledged to fight on until new elections are held, Boluarte resigns and Congress is shut. The protests, while focused in the south, have spread across the nation, with hundreds of road blockades using trees, rocks and car tires jamming up transport. "I am Inca blood," said Cirilo Yupanqui, wearing a pink gas mask while protesting in capital Lima.

☆ Peru recalls ambassador to Honduras for 'unacceptable interference' as diplomatic spat deepens
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/3] Peru's President Dina Boluarte speaks as she meets with foreign press, in Lima, Peru January 24, 2023. REUTERS/Angela PonceJan 26 (Reuters) - Peru withdrew its ambassador to Honduras, Jorge Raffo, due to Honduras' "unacceptable interference" in the internal affairs of Peru, the South American nation's foreign ministry said on Thursday. The step is part of a deepening showdown between Peru President Dina Boluarte and her regional peers, including the leftist leaders of Mexico, Bolivia and Honduras. "As a consequence of the position adopted by Honduras, bilateral relations with said country will be maintained, indefinitely, at the level of chargé d'affaires," the foreign ministry said on Twitter. Boluarte became president in December after Castillo attempted to illegally dissolve Congress, was ousted and detained.

☆ Bolivia taps Chinese battery giant CATL to help develop lithium riches
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Daniel Ramos | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LA PAZ, Jan 20 (Reuters) - Bolivia has chosen a consortium including Chinese battery giant CATL (300750.SZ) to help develop the South American country's huge, but largely untapped, reserves of lithium after a lengthy bidding process involving firms from the United States and Russia. The deal announced at an event in the political capital La Paz would see the CBC consortium partner on direct lithium extraction from the country's Potosi and Oruro salt flats. The companies who have remained in the race include U.S. firm Lilac Solutions, Russia's Uranium One Group and three other Chinese bidders. "Today begins the era of industrialization of Bolivian lithium," Arce said, adding that there was "no time to lose" in developing the metal. Energy minister Franklin Molina said the move showed there were "sovereign alternatives to the privatization models of lithium exploitation."

☆ Bolivia judge rules opposition governor must remain detained ahead of trial
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Manuel ClaureLA PAZ, Jan 19 (Reuters) - A Bolivian judge ruled Thursday that Santa Cruz Governor Luis Camacho, a leader long in opposition to the left-leaning federal government, must remain detained while he awaits trial. Since then, weeks of protests and blockades in Camacho's Santa Cruz region, an agricultural hub, have impacted trade with the rest of the country, putting pressure on political capital La Paz. Camacho's lawyer had appealed his four-month detention ahead of his expected trial, arguing that he was not a flight risk and should be placed under house arrest. But judge Rosmery Lourdes Pabon on Thursday ruled that he should remain imprisoned. Morales' successor, the conservative former Senate Vice President Jeanine Anez, was sentenced to 10 years in prison in June for orchestrating a coup.

☆ Senator calls for probe of mass surveillance tool used by U.S. law enforcement
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Law enforcement agencies have routinely accessed the vast trove of money transfer records without court oversight, Wyden said. The TRAC database was created as part of a 2014 money laundering settlement between the Arizona attorney general's office and Western Union (WU.N). The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, DHS and Arizona attorney general's office have all asked for data from money transfer companies and directed them to send data to TRAC, Wyden said. Western Union, MoneyGram International (MGI.O), Viamericas Corp, and Euronet Worldwide (EEFT.O) are among the companies that have shared customer data with TRAC in bulk, he added. Wyden announced in March that HSI issued custom summonses, a type of subpoena, for millions of money transfer records between Mexican residents and people living in four U.S. states.

[1/4] Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and Central Bank Governor Sahap Kavcioglu are pictured during a signing ceremony in Ankara, Turkey, June 8, 2022. But his drastic transformation of the economy and financial markets means such a change would bring its own uncertainties. The election will also determine what role regional military power and NATO member Turkey plays in conflicts in Ukraine, where Erdogan has helped broker talks, and in neighbour Syria. In the short-term it seems to have worked however, halting a years-long rise in Turks converting lira into dollars. Last week, Turkey had no problem borrowing $2.75 billion from international capital markets.

[1/4] Soy plants are pictured on a farm in Enconada, on the outskirts of Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia, January 7, 2023. The tensions underscore a sharpening of a deep-seated rivalry between Santa Cruz and La Paz - Bolivia's farming hub and the political capital respectively - that have long butted heads over politics and resources. La Paz is an Andean stronghold with a large indigenous population that has traditionally titled towards the ruling socialist MAS party. "They can't resist on their own", said Montenegro, adding the rising economic pressures would force Santa Cruz producers to re-start supply within the country. Every Santa Cruz person has to fight, all Bolivians must fight for the well-being of Bolivia, for freedom."

☆ Peru families mourn protest dead after worst violence in decades
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( Marco Aquino | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] People react near the coffin of a person who died in violent clashes earlier this week, ignited by the ouster of leftist President Pedro Castillo, in Juliaca, Peru January 11, 2023. The violence, a severe test for Peru's democracy, is the worst conflict since the late 1990s when the country was gripped by violence between rebel group Shining Path and the state, which left 69,000 people dead or missing over two decades. 'LISTENING TO ALL VOICES'On Wednesday a mission from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) met Boluarte, whose Cabinet survived a confidence vote by Congress on Tuesday, to assess the crisis. "We will be verifying the human rights situation, the idea is to hear from the broadest possible range of all voices," IACHR representative Edgar Stuardo Ralón told reporters. Peruvian police and armed forces have been accused by human rights groups of using deadly firearms and launching tear gas canisters from helicopters.

☆ Peru bans entry to former Bolivian president Morales, eight others
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( Marco Aquino | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LIMA, Jan 9 (Reuters) - Peru has banned nine Bolivian citizens, including former President Evo Morales, from entering the country, Peru's interior ministry said in a statement on Monday. The move comes after weeks of deadly protests in Peru against President Dina Boluarte following the ousting of former President Pedro Castillo, with some demonstrations held near the border with Bolivia. Morales has publicly backed Castillo and said on Twitter last month that his ouster and subsequent arrest was illegal and unconstitutional. "We are closely watching not only the attitude of Mr. Morales, but also of those who work with him in southern Peru ... Peru's protests began in early December after Castillo was removed from office and detained following his attempt to dissolve Congress.

☆ Peru protesters clash with police in airport takeover attempt in Puno
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] Demonstrators block the Desaguadero Border Crossing Point between Bolivia and Peru during a protest following the ouster of Peru’s former President Pedro Castillo, in Desaguadero, Peru, January 6, 2023. Protesters set fire to a police tank outside the Inca Manco Capac airport in Juliaca, in Peru's Puno region, according to images on social media and local television. News outlets in Puno reported 15 injured, including two policemen. Andean Airports of Peru, which operates the Juliaca airport, said services were suspended "due to the violent acts and lack of security." In the Ica region, on Peru's central coast, protesters have blocked a key highway, stranding dozens of passenger and cargo transport vehicles.

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