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☆ Ocomtun: Laser mapping reveals a forgotten Maya city in the jungle
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Maya civilization is best known for its pyramid temples and impressive stone structures that have been found across southern Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras and El Salvador. Pictured here are the remains of a building with a staircase in the city of Ocumtun. He’s mapped more than 20,000 square kilometers (7,722 square miles) of Central American jungle and been involved in 45 archaeological projects, including the discovery of the largest and oldest Maya temple near Tabasco, Mexico, and tens of thousands of Maya structures and settlements in the Guatemalan jungle. Unraveling OcumtunIt could take years to fully excavate Ocomtun and get a deeper understanding of the site and why it was abandoned. A stone block with a relief, reused in a stairway in the city of Ocumtun.

Persons: Juan Carlos Fernandez, Diaz, he’s, they’ve, Juan Fernandez, Jonathan Burke, ”, Fernandez, LiDAR, Ivan Šprajc —, —, Šprajc, Ivan Šprajc, ” Fernandez, Založba Rokus, Ken, Julie Jones, it’s Organizations: CNN, University of Houston, National Center, Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, ZRC, Ocumtun, SAZU, Adria, Kreditna družba, Ars Longa, Julie Jones Charitable Foundation, Milwaukee Audubon Society Locations: Campeche, Yucatan, Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, El Salvador, America, Ocumtun, Central American, Tabasco, Guatemalan, Kreditna družba Ljubljana

☆ OAS chief flags 'clear interference' in Guatemala election ahead of visit
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( Sofia Menchu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

GUATEMALA CITY, July 26 (Reuters) - The Organization of American States (OAS) chief Luis Almagro will meet with authorities and politicians in Guatemala next week, he said on Wednesday, as concerns escalate over alleged government interference in the upcoming presidential runoff vote. The OAS, which monitored the first round, had backed the results as legitimate. "We have expressed ourselves emphatically on multiple occasions against the repeated attempts to alter the will of the people and the attacks on the electoral authorities," Almagro said in a special OAS session to discuss the election. "This is an electoral process that has suffered clear interference of internal actors that hindered its normal development," he said. Irma Palencia, the head of Guatemala's electoral court, said she has asked the OAS to continue monitoring the election.

Persons: Luis Almagro, Bernardo Arevalo, Arevalo's, Sandra Torres, Almagro, Alejandro Giammattei's, Arevalo, Torres, Irma Palencia, Sofia Menchu, Sarah Morland, Daina Beth Solomon, Jonathan Oatis, Bill Berkrot Organizations: GUATEMALA CITY, of American States, OAS, Thomson Locations: GUATEMALA, Guatemala

☆ US urges Guatemala to ensure no interference in election after raid
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

GUATEMALA CITY, July 24 (Reuters) - Senior U.S. Department of State official Brian Nichols said on Monday he had spoken with Guatemalan Foreign Minister Mario Bucaro to stress the need to hold a free and fair run-off in the Central American country's presidential election next month. Nichols said on Twitter he had highlighted the need to "proceed without interference or harassment of candidates and parties," following attempts to suspend the party of anti-graft candidate Bernardo Arevalo. The U.S. had criticized police raids on the offices of Arevalo's center-left Semilla party on Friday. A senior Biden administration official last week described the raid as representing "authoritarian practices" and a violation of democratic norms by Guatemala's public ministry. Reporting by Mexico Newsroom and Matt Spetalnick in Washington Writing by Isabel WoodfordOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Brian Nichols, Mario Bucaro, Nichols, Bernardo Arevalo, Arevalo, Sandra Torres, Matt Spetalnick, Isabel Woodford Organizations: GUATEMALA CITY, Senior U.S . Department of State, Guatemalan Foreign, Central American, Twitter, U.S, Biden, Mexico, Thomson Locations: GUATEMALA, U.S, Washington

☆ This man runs YouTube channels that help dogs and cats relax – and he's just sold his 'Petflix' venture to a big music company
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-22 | by ( Ryan Hogg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A company that creates music to help relax dogs and cats was acquired by an LA-based group. Music For Pets runs RelaxMyDog and ReleaxMyCat and was bought by Create Music Group in June. Believe it or not, millions even tune in to a couple of YouTube channels to play music aimed at relaxing their dogs and cats. Ahmed's YouTube channels, RelaxMyDog and RelaxMyCat, have become hugely popular, with 1.5 million and 800,000 subscribers respectively. The company is now owned by Create Music Group after what Ahmed described as a few competing bids.

Persons: Amman Ahmed, he's, Amman Ahmed Ahmed, Ricardo Henriquez, Ahmed, Henriquez, haven't, Ricardo, Jonathan Strauss Organizations: Create, Music, Technology, YouTube, Spotify Locations: LA, El Salvador, Guatemala, Amman

☆ A 16-year-old boy died while working in a Mississippi poultry plant. An unscrupulous hiring agency may be to blame, a workplace expert says.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-22 | by ( Katie Hawkinson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Tomas Duvan Perez, 16, died after becoming trapped in equipment while working at a Mississippi poultry plant. Perez is the third minor in the last month to die in a US workplace, the Huffington Post reported. Now, six years later, he is dead because of a workplace accident at a poultry plant that should've never hired him. Perez, 16, died on July 14 at the Mar-Jac poultry plant in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, NBC News reported. A spokesperson for the Mar-Jac Poultry plant in Hattiesburg, Mississippi claims an outside hiring agency misled the company by misrepresenting the boy's age, the Huffington Post reported.

Persons: Tomas Duvan Perez, Perez, Duvan Tomas Perez, should've, Jac, Jordan Barab, Barab, They're, Joe Colee, Michael Schuls, Will Hampton Organizations: Huffington, Service, NBC News, Occupational Safety, Health Administration, OSHA, PBS Locations: Mississippi, Wall, Silicon, Guatemala, United States, Hattiesburg , Mississippi, Wisconsin, Missouri, Wisconsin , Ohio, Iowa

☆ USWNT: How the US became women’s soccer’s dominant force
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( Aimee Lewis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +20 min

Anson Dorrance knew he was a pioneer during his eight years as head coach of the US Women’s National Team (USWNT). Any understanding of how and why the USWNT is women’s soccer’s dominant force, a four-time Women’s World Cup winner and favorite to win the next edition currently taking place in Australia and New Zealand, must start with Dorrance, the groundbreaker and the bricklayer. Five years later, the first Women’s World Cup was held in China – not that it was initially labelled a World Cup as world governing body FIFA worried it might not be a success. A third-placed finish followed at the 1995 Women’s World Cup, and then came the Atlanta Olympics a year later. The success of 1999 would lead to the world’s first professional women’s soccer league, the Women’s United Soccer Association (WUSA).

Persons: CNN —, ”, Anson Dorrance, “ You’re, Dorrance, –, “, Michelle Akers, ” Akers, Mike Ryan, ’, Akers, IX, I’m, ” Dorrance, “ There’s, Lori Lindsey, Lauren Cheney, Darryl Dyck, George Bush, Barry Thumma, didn’t, ” Caitlin Murray, Murray, David Cannon, Billie Jean King, “ We’ve, Lindsay, USWNT, Harry, Brandi Chastain’s, “ We’re, ” Brandi Chastain, Robert Beck, Chastain, Mia Hamm, Kristine Lilly, Julie Foudy et, Megan Rapinoe, they’re, it’s, ” Rapinoe, Richard Heathcote, Lindsey, Becky Sauerbrunn, Rapinoe, Alyssa Thompson, Naomi Girma, Taylor Swift Organizations: CNN, US, National, CNN Sport, Dorrance, men’s, University of North, Coaches, FIFA, America, Soccer, Federal, Olympic, Canada, American, High School, National Collegiate Athletic Association, Guatemala, CONCACAF, Canadian Press, Central, USA, “ National, Atlanta Olympics, Getty, US Soccer, revelled, China, Rose, Women’s United Soccer Association, National Women’s Soccer League, “ 99ers, Tokyo, England Locations: Australia, New Zealand, University of North Carolina, Italy, Seattle, Irish, United States, England, Brazil, Central Florida, China, Norway, New York, Hamm

“The INM rescued 148 migrants who were traveling overcrowded in the box of a trailer and were abandoned in life-threatening conditions on the side of the Minatitlán, Cordova highway,” the institute said in a statement. The truck was abandoned by the driver who is still at large, INM added. Of the 148 people rescued there were women and men traveling solo, 23 unaccompanied minors and 44 families – which consisted of 115 people. The faces of rescued migrants were obscured by INM in this picture. That same year, at least 55 people were killed and more than 100 injured when a truck overturned in southern Mexico.

Persons: INM Organizations: CNN, Central, Mexico’s National Institute of Migration, System, Integral, Defense, Minors, National Institute of Migration Immigrants Locations: Veracruz, Cordova, Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, United States, Mexico, Central

☆ Guatemala's Arevalo slams 'corrupt' raid on his party's offices
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( Sofia Menchu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Anti-graft presidential candidate of the Semilla political party Bernardo Arevalo holds a campaign rally ahead of the presidential run-off, in Sumpango, Guatemala, July 16, 2023. REUTERS/Cristina Chiquin/File PhotoGUATEMALA CITY, July 21 (Reuters) - Guatemalan presidential candidate Bernardo Arevalo called a Friday morning police raid on his party headquarters a "corrupt" show of "political persecution" just a month before the high-stakes run-off election. Video from outside the Semilla party offices posted by local newspaper Diario La Hora showed at least a couple of dozen uniformed police officers standing guard, preventing anyone from entering or exiting the building. In a post on Twitter, Arevalo derided the raid as a "flagrant demonstration of the political persecution we have denounced." The presidential hopeful has blamed the police action on a "corrupt minority" but did not go into further detail.

Persons: Bernardo Arevalo, Cristina Chiquin, Arevalo, Alejandro Giammattei, Sandra Torres, Rafael Curruchiche, U.S . State Department's Engel, Sofia Menuchu, Valentine Hilaire, David Alire Garcia, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: REUTERS, GUATEMALA CITY, Police, Diario La, Twitter, U.S, U.S . State, Thomson Locations: Sumpango, Guatemala, GUATEMALA, Arevalo's, Central, Arevalo, Guatemala's, U.S .

☆ 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

☆ Magnitude 6.5 quake felt in Central America, no damage reported
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SAN SALVADOR, July 18 (Reuters) - A magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck off El Salvador's Pacific coast at a depth of nearly 70 km (43 miles) on Tuesday evening, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said, with reports indicating it was felt in several nations in Central America. There were no immediate reports of damage and the earthquake did not trigger a tsunami warning for El Salvador, El Salvador's environment ministry said. Salvadoran lawmaker Salvador Chacon said on Twitter that checks were being carried out in the coastal city of La Libertad, near the capital San Salvador, although there were no reports of damage from the municipality. The quake was also felt in Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala and Belize, according to local media and Reuters witnesses. Reporting by Nelson Renteria in San Salvador; Writing by Kylie Madry and Isabel Woodford; Editing by Anthony Esposito and Tom HogueOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: El, Salvador Chacon, Nelson Renteria, Kylie Madry, Isabel Woodford, Anthony Esposito, Tom Hogue Organizations: SALVADOR, United States Geological Survey, Twitter, Thomson Locations: El, Central America, El Salvador, La Libertad, San Salvador, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, Belize

☆ Fashion retailer H&M to launch in Brazil
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

COPENHAGEN, July 17 (Reuters) - Fashion retailer H&M (HMb.ST) will launch stores and online trade in Brazil in 2025, the company said on Monday. H&M opened its first store in Latin America in Mexico in 2012, and is currently present in Peru, Uruguay, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Panama, and Costa Rica. "With a population of over 210 million in Brazil and a strong appreciation for fashion, there is considerable potential for expansion in the market," H&M said in a statement. To support its expansion in Brazil, H&M is partnering with Dorben Group, which runs retail operations across 10 countries across Central and South America, the Swedish fashion giant said. The launch in Brazil comes as the company is pushing to accelerate its expansion in the North and South America region, focusing in particular on Latin America, it said.

Persons: Louise Breusch Rasmussen, Anna Ringstrom, Jason Neely Organizations: Dorben Group, Thomson Locations: COPENHAGEN, Brazil, America, Mexico, Peru, Uruguay, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Panama, Costa Rica, Central, South America, Swedish, North

☆ Mexico intercepts over 500 migrants in two days
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( Brendan O'Boyle | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

INM/Handout via REUTERSMEXICO CITY, July 16 (Reuters) - Mexican authorities on Sunday said they intercepted over 500 migrants in two days in the eastern state of Veracruz as authorities crack down on the transportation of migrants toward the United States in unsafe conditions. The town's mayor Roberto Montiel wrote on Facebook that "over 180" migrants were found, including women and children, with some of the migrants presenting signs of dehydration. Earlier on Sunday, the INM reported in a statement that authorities had intercepted 303 migrants in two operations on Friday morning in Veracruz. Also on Friday, authorities found 196 migrants, including 19 unaccompanied minors, packed into an improperly parked tractor-trailer detected on a road close to the city of Fortin de las Flores. Five of the migrants were adults from Guatemala and another five adults from India, the INM statement said, without providing further details on the other migrants' nationalities.

Persons: Fortin de las, Roberto Montiel, Fortin de las Flores, Brendan O'Boyle, Diane Craft Organizations: National Institute of Migration, REUTERS, REUTERS MEXICO CITY, National Migration Institute, Facebook, Thomson Locations: Fortin de, Fortin de las Flores, Veracruz, Mexico, Handout, REUTERS MEXICO, United States, Puente Nacional, Cuba, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Fortin, India, Mexico's, Chiapas, Texas

☆ Drag queens compete for top prize in Nicaragua pageant
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The Mix Imperial Central American Tropical Drag Royale provided a stage for drag performers in a region where LGBT people often face discrimination and economic hardship. "It's a form of catharsis," said Alexa Evangelista, a drag queen from El Salvador and one of the night's performers, who lip-synched and danced for the adoring crowd. Drag queen Peppe Pig said the pageant gave her the opportunity to travel outside her home country of Guatemala, and that drag has helped her meet new friends and her current partner. Nicaraguan drag queen Akeyra Davenport took home the night's crown in her first competition after 11 years as a drag artist. Reporting by Maynor Valenzuela in Managua Writing by Brendan O'Boyle Editing by Matthew LewisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Maynor Valenzuela, Alexa Evangelista, Evangelista, Peppe Pig, Akeyra Davenport, Brendan O'Boyle, Matthew Lewis Organizations: Imperial, REUTERS, Maynor, Central, Thomson Locations: Guatemala, Managua, Nicaragua, Maynor Valenzuela MANAGUA, El Salvador, Central America, Nicaraguan

☆ Guatemala prosecutor defends its probe into anti-graft presidential hopeful
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

GUATEMALA CITY, July 14 (Reuters) - The Guatemalan prosecutors' office said on Friday it would continue its investigation into anti-graft party Semilla and that its actions were not meant to interfere with a presidential run-off set to take place next month. The office this week launched an investigation of Semilla, whose candidate Bernardo Arevalo, pledging to tackle entrenched corruption, took a surprise second place in the first-round vote in June. The prosecutor has alleged that Semilla committed fraud by using more than 5,000 fake signatures to register members. The prosecutor leading the investigation into Semilla, Rafael Curruchiche, said during a press conference on Friday that Guatemalans had come forward with complaints about Semilla. Curruchiche has previously targeted anti-graft campaigners and has been placed on the U.S. State Department's Engel List for "corrupt and undemocratic actors."

Persons: Semilla, Bernardo Arevalo, Rafael Curruchiche, Guatemalans, Arevalo, Sandra Torres, Torres, Curruchiche, U.S . State Department's Engel, Sofia Menchu, Kylie Madry, Sarah Kinosian, Cassandra Garrison, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: GUATEMALA CITY, European Union, U.S, U.S . State, Thomson Locations: GUATEMALA, U.S, Semilla, U.S .

BOGOTA, July 14 (Reuters) - A crash in the price of coca, the chief ingredient in cocaine, is contributing to food insecurity in Colombia and causing displacement, as people leave areas that depend on the illicit crop, according to an internal United Nations presentation seen by Reuters. Historically coca crops have provided better incomes than legal alternatives for thousands of rural Colombian families, with drug-trafficking groups often footing the costs of transport, fertilizers and other supplies. "There is no cash to buy food and the inflation of (food prices) is rising," the presentation, dated June, said. Oversupply of coca - including more productive plants and record crops - is contributing to the crash, along with slow growth of trafficking routes and new coca cultivation in Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico, the presentation said. Other reasons for falling coca prices include territorial disputes between trafficking groups and imports of synthetic opioid fentanyl to the United States, a major cocaine consumer, it added.

Persons: Valerin Saurith, It's, Saurith, Elizabeth Dickinson, Dickinson, Oliver Griffin, Aurora Ellis Organizations: Reuters, United Nations, Food Programme, WFP, Norte de Santander, International Crisis, Thomson Locations: BOGOTA, Colombia, Nations, Colombian, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, United States, Narino, Putumayo, Norte

☆ Guatemala court suspends anti-graft candidate's party
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Reuters Editorial | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

PoliticsGuatemala court suspends anti-graft candidate's partyPostedA Guatemalan court ordered the suspension of anti-graft presidential candidate Bernardo Arevalo's political party, a prosecutor said on Wednesday, threatening his place in a run-off vote and prompting U.S. warnings of a challenge to democracy. Gabe Singer reports.

Persons: Bernardo Arevalo's, Gabe Singer Locations: Guatemala

☆ In Guatemala, A Collective of Young Artists Finds Family Through Film
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Juan Brenner | Isabella Grullón Paz | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Like many dreams, the contours of what would become the film production house Desobediencia Perfecta were born at 3:00 a.m.Vanessa Martínez, 17, and Javier Martínez (no relation), 18, two students in Guatemala City, Guatemala, stayed up talking one night in April of last year about their love of film. Together with a mutual friend, Sebastián Aldana, 18, they founded Desobediencia Perfecta, whose mission is to explore the stories of queer and lower-middle-class Guatemalans. The members of the collective are scattered across Guatemala, and around the world, so much of their collaboration takes place online. “We explored the entire theater that day, all its corners. “What we did the most that day though was hug each other.” (All interviews have been translated from Spanish.)

Persons: Desobediencia Perfecta, Vanessa Martínez, Javier Martínez, Vanessa, Sebastián Aldana, Juan Brenner, ”, Javier Organizations: Lux Locations: Guatemala City, Guatemala

CNN —A Guatemalan court has suspended the party of one of the candidates in next month’s presidential run-off election, raising questions over the vote. Movimiento Semilla is the party of opposition candidate Bernardo Arévalo. The FECI investigation established at least 12 deceased people registered by Movimiento Semilla, according to Curruchich. He said in the video message that the party paid a total of approximately US$22,000 in exchange for 5,000 signatures with the aim of reaching the minimum necessary to become a political party and participate in elections. “And it’s evident that it does not have any legal support.”Guatemala has struggled with corruption and poor governance.

Persons: Rafael Curruchich, Bernardo Arévalo, Sandra Torres, Arévalo, ” Organizations: CNN —, Guatemalan Public Ministry, Movimiento Semilla, Semilla, CNN Locations: United States, ” Guatemala, Central America

Guatemala’s presidential election was thrown into turmoil Wednesday night after a top prosecutor moved to suspend the party of a surging anticorruption candidate, threatening his bid to take part in a runoff and potentially dealing a severe blow to the country’s already fraying democracy. The move could prevent Bernardo Arévalo, a lawmaker who jolted Guatemala’s political class in June with a surprise showing propelling him in the Aug. 20 runoff, from competing against Sandra Torres, a former first lady. Rafael Curruchiche, the prosecutor who mounted the case to suspend the party, has himself been listed among corrupt Central American officials by the United States for obstructing corruption inquiries. The development places even greater stress on Guatemala’s political system, after the barring of several top presidential candidates who were viewed as threatening to the political and economic establishment, assaults on press freedom and the forced exile of dozens of prosecutors and judges focused on curbing corruption.

Persons: Bernardo Arévalo, jolted, Sandra Torres, Rafael Curruchiche Organizations: Central Locations: United States

☆ Guatemala top court reverses ban on anti-graft presidential candidate
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Sofia Menchu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The Constitutional Court said it had granted a provisional injunction filed by the Semilla party against a judge's order to suspend the party and seemingly kick Arevalo out of the race. Asked about the potential for U.S. sanctions on those behind the Semilla suspension, a U.S. State Department spokesperson cited sanctions already imposed on Curruchiche and Attorney General Maria Consuelo Porras but declined to say more. Arevalo told reporters earlier on Thursday he believed the lower court's move against Semilla violated a Guatemalan law preventing political party suspensions during an election. Arevalo's presidential rival Torres urged the popular vote be respected and said she was suspending her campaign in solidarity with Semilla voters. Aldana by then had a reputation as an anti-graft crusader and helped oust, prosecute and imprison conservative former President Otto Perez.

Persons: Cinthia Monterroso, Guatemala Attorney General's, Bernardo Arevalo's, Read, Bernardo Arevalo, Arevalo, Sandra Torres, Semilla, Rafael Curruchiche, U.S . State Department's Engel, General Maria Consuelo Porras, Juan Jose Arevalo, Alejandro Giammattei, Giammattei, Torres, Thelma Aldana, Otto Perez, Sofia Menchu, Dave Graham, Valentine Hilaire, Matt Spetalnick, Kylie Madry, Cassandra Garrison, Sarah Morland, Stephen Eisenhammer, Josie Kao, Lincoln Organizations: Guatemala Attorney, GUATEMALA CITY, Constitutional, European Union, U.S, U.S . State, Semilla, Washington D.C, Thomson Locations: Guatemala, Guatemala City, GUATEMALA, June's, The U.S, U.S, Canada, Britain, Chile, Norway, Mexico, U.S ., Curruchiche, Mexico City, Washington

☆ Guatemala court suspends anti-graft presidential candidate's party
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Sofia Menchu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

GUATEMALA CITY, July 12 (Reuters) - A court in Guatemala suspended the party of anti-graft presidential candidate Bernardo Arevalo, a prosecutor at the Attorney General's Office said on Wednesday, throwing into question his place in a second round run-off vote. "In no way will we obey a spurious and illegal decision like the one issued by that court." Shortly after, the electoral court confirmed the first-round results, which put Arevalo into a second round. "It's something that concerns us as a court, because we know that elections are won at the polls," Irma Palencia, head of the electoral court, said when asked about the suspension. This would certainly represent an astounding new low for Guatemala," said Donald J. Planty, a former U.S. ambassador to Guatemala, about the possible suspension.

Persons: Bernardo Arevalo, Attorney General's, Arevalo, Rafael Curruchiche, Sandra Torres, Irma Palencia, Brian A, Nichols, Guatemalans, Juan Jose Arevalo, Carlos Pineda, Will Freeman, Semilla, Critics, Alejandro Giammattei, Donald J, Sofia Menchu, Valentine Hilaire, David Alire, Adriana Barrera, Cassandra Garrison, Brendan O'Boyle, Stephen Eisenhammer, Lincoln, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: GUATEMALA CITY, Attorney, CNN, Twitter, U.S, Western Hemisphere Affairs, Central American, Council, Foreign Relations, Thomson Locations: GUATEMALA, Guatemala, Nicaragua, U.S

☆ OAS urges Guatemalan authorities to move forward with election process
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-08 | by ( Sofia Menchu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

According to preliminary results, anti-graft candidate Bernando Arevalo bucked forecasts to earn 11.8% of the vote, enough to secure a spot on the upcoming ballot. He trailed only behind former first lady Sandra Torres, with 15.8% of the vote. "The Mission verified that no serious irregularities were revealed and that no significant changes were registered with respect to the preliminary results of Sunday, June 25," the OAS said in a statement. However, on Friday night, the CSJ resolved to extend the suspension of the results for 10 more days. The electoral process in the Central American country has been strongly criticized by international and national organizations due to this unprecedented suspension of the official results.

Persons: Bernando Arevalo, Sandra Torres, CSJ, Torres, Arévalo, Sofia Menchu, Anna, Catherine Brigida, Franklin Paul Organizations: GUATEMALA CITY, of American States, Guatemalan Constitutional, Central American, Franklin Paul Our, Thomson Locations: GUATEMALA, Guatemalan

☆ The couple mistakenly charged $29,994 for one Uber ride says the issue is resolved. But they won't take an Uber again.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-08 | by ( Sarah Jackson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Douglas Ordonez and Dominique Adams were mistakenly charged nearly $30,000 for an Uber due to a currency conversion error. Then I checked my bank account and that's when I saw the 29,000 US dollar charge," he told Insider. Ordonez and Adams say they usually charge Uber rides to their credit cards, but charged this ride to their debit card by accident. Altura Credit Union and Uber did not immediately respond to requests for comment for this story. The couple say it's unclear whether Altura Credit Union or Uber resolved the matter because they say their communications with both were patchy.

Persons: Douglas Ordonez, Dominique Adams, Uber, they'll, Ordonez, She'd, she'd, Adams, it's Organizations: Morning, Altura Credit Union, Credit Union, Uber Locations: Guatemala, Costa Rica, Costa Rican, Colones

☆ Biden's new asylum policy strands some migrants at Mexico border
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( Daniel Becerril | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Officials said the regulation and other Biden immigration policies are reducing illegal border crossings that have hit record highs in recent years. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) asylum screenings, down to 46% for single adults from an average of 83% from 2014 to 2019, according to government data contained in a court filing. * A sharp rise in time spent in Border Patrol custody, according to previously unreported U.S. government data obtained by Reuters. A senior Biden administration official told Reuters the policy was working. Government figures show the number of migrants caught crossing illegally has dropped by 69 percent in one month.

Persons: ”, “, Pena Organizations: Biden, Citizenship, Immigration Services, . Immigration, Customs Enforcement, Patrol, Reuters, Customs and Border Locations: U.S, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Mexico

Now, in their next step to consolidate power, they are trying to manipulate the national elections that are underway. In anticipation of the 2023 elections, President Alejandro Giammattei packed the courts and the electoral tribunal with loyalists. The ruling regime and its allies then enlisted these entities to distort the Constitution and tamper with election procedures to tilt the political playing field in their favor. Many fear the ruling could pave the way for additional spurious challenges that could eventually overturn the results, delay the second round or exclude Mr. Arévalo from competing altogether. The cries of fraud echo those in the United States after President Biden’s 2020 victory, although, with the entire judicial system on their side, Guatemala’s election deniers stand a better chance of pulling it off.

Persons: ”, Alejandro Giammattei, Bernardo Arévalo, Sandra Torres, Arévalo, Biden’s Organizations: National Unity of Hope, Constitutional Locations: United States

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