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CNN —As the Colombian military frantically searches for four children missing after a jungle plane crash over two weeks ago, new details are emerging about the plane’s history – and local concerns over the safety of air travel in that part of the Amazon. Colombian Military Forces/ReutersIndigenous activists who mourned the deaths in a statement earlier this week said the crash was no surprise, accusing airline companies operating in the Amazon of chasing profits and the Colombian government of failing to uphold safety standards. Speaking to CNN, OPIAC president Julio Cesar Lopez pointed out that the ill-fated plane had previously crashed in the same region, on July 25, 2021. The report states that the plane was built in 1982 and, prior to the 2021 crash, had accumulated over 10 thousand flight hours. Relatives say the children knew the jungle well, and are holding out hope that they will be found alive.

☆ Colombia jungle plane crash: Government official hopeful children found alive in jungle 17 days after plane crash
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Mia Alberti Stefano Pozzebon Jennifer Deaton | Mia Alberti | Stefano Pozzebon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —A Colombian government official is “very confident” four children were found alive 17 days after their plane crashed in the Amazon jungle but is awaiting further proof. The Director of Colombia’s Family Affairs Institute, Astrid Caceres, said her team received second hand confirmation that search teams rescued and identified the children missing following the crash of a small airplane in southern Colombia. While the children were found alive, Aerocivil said they found another three bodies inside the small aircraft. President Petro said news of the rescue was “a joy for the country.”“After arduous searching by our military, we have found alive the four children who went missing after a plane crash in Guaviare. A joy for the country,” Petro tweeted earlier on Thursday.

"Global debt is now $45 trillion higher than its pre-pandemic level and is expected to continue increasing rapidly," said the IIF in its quarterly Global Debt Monitor. The report partly focused on the effects of last year's rapid rise in rates in some bank balance sheets. The IIF voiced its concern that tighter lending practices among smaller banks would hurt some businesses and households harder. "Shadow banks now account for more than 14% of financial markets, with the majority of growth stemming from a rapid expansion of U.S. investment funds and private debt markets." "With the interest rate differential between EMs and mature markets diminishing, EM local currency debt is less appealing for foreign investors," the IIF said.

"Global debt is now $45 trillion higher than its pre-pandemic level and is expected to continue increasing rapidly," said the IIF in its quarterly Global Debt Monitor. The report partly focused on the effects of last year's rapid rise in rates in some bank balance sheets. "Shadow banks now account for more than 14% of financial markets, with the majority of growth stemming from a rapid expansion of U.S. investment funds and private debt markets." But for others access to markets has been harder or non-existent on either tighter spreads as rates rose in developed markets or fast-rising borrowing costs. "With the interest rate differential between EMs and mature markets diminishing, EM local currency debt is less appealing for foreign investors," the IIF said.

☆ Colombian children found alive in jungle weeks after plane crash
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The children were rescued by members of the military, firefighters and civil aviation authority officials in the dense jungle of Colombia's Caqueta province. "After arduous searching by our military, we have found alive the four children who went missing after a plane crash in Guaviare. A joy for the country," Petro said in a message via Twitter. Three adults, including the pilot, died as a result of the crash and their bodies were found inside the plane. Rescuers, supported by search dogs, had previously found discarded fruit the children ate to survive, as well as improvised shelters made with jungle vegetation.

☆ A Newspaper’s Closing Deals a Blow to a Nation’s Democracy
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Jody García | Elda Cantú | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

“If you’re a journalist, do you have the right to commit criminal acts because you are a journalist?” Mr. Giammattei asked during an interview with a Colombian radio station in January. “Does journalism grant you immunity?”Nine other journalists at the newspaper are also under investigation by the government, some of them because they wrote about Mr. Zamora’s case, which prosecutors have said constitutes obstruction of justice. Some journalists at elPeriodico have fled Guatemala, fearing legal repercussions because of their work. “The feeling came that everything was falling, everything was leading us to disappear,” said Mr. Aceituno, in an interview on Sunday in his Guatemala City home, which was filled with books and movie posters. “What we are seeing in Guatemala is the latest example of how press freedom is eroding in the region.”

☆ A Look at Philip Jefferson, the Fed’s Likely Next No. 2 - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Peter Coy | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Philip Jefferson, an economist who joined the Federal Reserve’s Board of Governors in May 2022, was nominated by President Biden on Friday to be its vice chair. I didn’t write about his appointment last year; his proposed elevation gives me a second chance to discuss his ideas. He became a Fed staff economist, a professor and then the vice president for academic affairs and dean of faculty at Davidson College in North Carolina. On the Board of Governors he is considered a centrist. If confirmed as vice chair, as is expected, Jefferson would become the second Black person to serve in the post, following Roger W. Ferguson Jr., who held it from 1999 to 2006.

☆ Colombia's ELN guerrilla group warns of peace talks 'crisis'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BOGOTA, May 15 (Reuters) - Colombian leftwing guerrilla group the National Liberation Army (ELN) on Monday said peace talks with the government were in crisis due to comments made by President Gustavo Petro. Petro had questioned the unity of the group's leadership and ordered Colombia's military to target illicit activity such as drug trafficking that finance illegal armed groups. "The peace talks cannot be subject to the fluctuations in the public statements of the president," the ELN said in a statement. The government says the group finances itself through drug trafficking, illegal mining and kidnapping. Negotiations with the ELN under previous administrations faltered on the group's diffuse chain of command and dissent within its ranks.

Two dozen National Guard troops quickly set about stretching coils of barbed wire across the cement base of the bridge where the migrants had been. Under the order known as Title 42, U.S. authorities could quickly turn back migrants without giving them a chance to seek asylum. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Sunday said the number of migrants crossing the border fell by half since the end of Title 42. A Dominican couple under the bridge told Reuters they had just reached Ciudad Juarez and had not heard of it. Reporting by Daina Beth Solomon and Jose Luis Gonzalez in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico Editing by Stephen Eisenhammer and Matthew LewisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ 'Ketchup boat guy' plans to paint a Heinz bottle on his new boat after the company came up with more cash
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-13 | by ( Jyoti Mann | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Heinz gave Elvis Francois another $9,900 this week on top of the almost $15,000 it donated in April. Francois survived weeks at sea on ketchup in January and Heinz wanted to help him get a new boat. The company paid Elvis Francois $26,761 East Caribbean dollars ($9,900) on Tuesday so he could complete work on his boat. Elvis Francois plans to paint a Heinz bottle on his new boat. A Heinz representative told Insider: "We're happy that Elvis is safely able to get back on water."

☆ Alcaraz powers to victory over Ramos-Vinolas on Rome debut
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Barcelona and Madrid champion Alcaraz, who is chasing his fifth title of 2023 and fourth on clay ahead of Roland Garros, overcame an early loss of serve amid heavy conditions at the Foro Italico to level up the opening set at 2-2. Alcaraz continued to build momentum and raced ahead 3-0 in the second set against a fading Ramos-Vinolas, wrapping up the match on serve to make it 12 wins in a row. "It wasn't easy," said Alcaraz, who will now leapfrog Novak Djokovic into top spot in the rankings on May 22. "The first round of every tournament is really tough and, of course, Ramos-Vinolas is a specialist on clay. Monte Carlo champion Andrey Rublev earlier overcame Alex Molcan 6-3 6-4 in a twice-interrupted match to book his place in the third round.

If confirmed, Kugler, a Colombian-American, would be the first Latino to serve on the Fed board, marking the latest effort by Biden to improve the central bank’s diversity. Kugler, who is currently on leave from Georgetown University, previously worked in the Obama administration as the Labor Department’s chief economist. Getty Images/AlamyJefferson, who joined the Fed as a governor a year ago, has been tapped by Biden to the influential role of vice chair, serving as the No. He joined the Fed board in May 2022, after winning broad bipartisan support during his congressional confirmation process. He taught economics at Swarthmore College, Columbia University and the University of Virginia, and served as a high-ranking administrator at Davidson College.

☆ DeSantis signed a bill into law that creates new hurdles for undocumented workers and patients in Florida. It provides $12 million to relocate migrants to blue states
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Kimberly Leonard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

DeSantis signed a bill into law to crack down on undocumented workers in Florida. The legislation includes $12 million to relocate migrants to blue states. Ron DeSantis signed a sweeping bill into law Wednesday that will make it harder for undocumented people to work in Florida, even though the measure fell short of his demands. DeSantis boasted about the stunt during a press conference in Jacksonville, Florida, on Wednesday, saying officials in blue states expected border states to "grin and bear" the care of an influx of migrants. DeSantis signed the immigration measures into law a day before before the federal Title 42 is set to expire.

☆ Women in Climate Leadership: Meet 10 leaders who refuse to let the climate crisis go unchecked
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Catherine Boudreau | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

"It's like a comedy-drama satire," Margolin, a junior at New York University, told Insider of the film, called "Doomers." It's about a former youth climate activist and a former NASA climate scientist who go out for a night of hedonistic destruction to celebrate giving up on fighting the climate crisis. Margolin started to worry that the youth climate movement had inadvertently created a capitalistic monster. So many companies, even big polluters or those with sweatshops in their supply chains, talk about sustainability and climate justice. "Corporations and politicians have exploited the youth climate movement," Margolin said.

☆ Venezuelan opposition party replaces Guaido as candidate
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

May 5, CARACAS - Venezuelan opposition party Voluntad Popular on Friday named a new candidate for a key presidential primary in October, replacing formerly anti-government leader Juan Guaido who left Venezuela unexpectedly in late April. At a news conference, Voluntad Popular named political coordinator Freddy Superlano, a 46-year-old engineer and critic of President Nicholas Maduro, as its nominee, explaining Guaido could not represent the party from "exile." Voluntad Popular member Desiree Barboza said the decision to name Superlano the party's candidate was unanimous. From 2019 to December 2022, Guaido served as acting president in a shadow government challenging Maduro until the opposition dissolved it. Like Guaido, Superlano is barred by judicial and administrative rulings from running for public office.

☆ Flights returning Colombian migrants from US border to restart from next week
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BOGOTA, May 5 (Reuters) - Flights returning Colombians found by immigration officers at the U.S. border with Mexico to their home country will resume beginning next week, Colombia's migration agency said on Friday. The agency said this week it had temporarily suspended the program, citing cruel and degrading treatment and last-minute flight cancellations. The number of Colombians trying to migrate north to the U.S. has soared in recent years, with more than 125,000 apprehended at the United States' southern border in 2022, according U.S Customs and Borders Protection (CBP), up from around 6,200 in 2021. "The agreements that we have reached with the North American authorities are the following: the flights for returning people will restart from next week and there are two working groups, with a human rights perspective, which will create two protocols to guarantee the integrity of returning travelers," migration agency director Fernando Garcia said in a video statement. Reporting by Julia Symmes Cobb Editing by Bill BerkrotOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Colombia cancels flights returning migrants from US, cites mistreatment
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Colombia expected to receive some 1,200 migrants in flights programmed to arrive from the U.S. during the first week of May, the migration agency said in a statement. The plan was suspended after flights programmed for May 1 and May 2 were canceled, Colombia's migration agency said. "Before the arrival of the scheduled flights ... both were canceled by the North American immigration agencies," Fernando Garcia, head of Colombia's migration agency, said in the statement. Colombia's migration agency did not immediately confirm whether flights carrying other migrants would go ahead. Garcia blasted cruel and degrading treatment that some migrants were subjected to before boarding and during the flights, including use of cuffs for hands and feet.

CNN —Venezuela’s former opposition leader Juan Guaidó is visiting Washington this week, where he hopes to meet with the Biden administration, he told reporters on Tuesday during a surprise appearance at the Washington Conference on the Americas. Asked if he sought political asylum in the US, he said, “I am currently visiting. Guaidó landed in Miami the following day, after accusing Colombia of forcing him out of the country – a claim Colombian officials refuted. “We also hope to meet with the Biden administration – obviously it’s a critical moment for the region, especially Venezuela, a moment in which we are pressing to achieve a free election,” he said. The Biden administration loosened some sanctions against the Maduro government in 2022, and last November, it granted Chevron limited authorization to resume pumping oil from Venezuela.

☆ White House Close to Tapping Philip Jefferson for Fed Vice Chair, Adriana Kugler for Board
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Andrew Restuccia | Nick Timiraos | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

Philip Jefferson has indicated support for the Federal Reserve’s efforts to raise interest rates rapidly to slow the economy and bring down inflation. Photo: Ken Cedeno/Press PoolWASHINGTON—President Biden is close to nominating Federal Reserve governor Philip Jefferson to serve as the central bank’s second-in-command and Adriana Kugler, an economist and top World Bank official, to fill a vacancy on the Fed’s board, according to people familiar with the matter. If confirmed, Ms. Kugler, a Colombian-American economist who now serves as the U.S. executive director at the World Bank, would be the first Latino to serve on the board. Mr. Jefferson would be the Fed’s second Black vice chair. Mr. Biden faced pressure from Sen. Robert Menendez (D., N.J.), a senior member of the Senate Banking Committee, to nominate a Latino economist to the central bank, which has never had a Latino serve as a Fed governor or Fed president.

☆ White House Considers Two Key Nominations at the Fed
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Jeanna Smialek | Jim Tankersley | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON — President Biden is closing in on two nominations for the Federal Reserve’s Board of Governors that would give the Fed its first Latina board member and its second ever Black vice chair, according to several people familiar with the process. Mr. Biden is close to nominating Adriana Kugler, an economist with Colombian heritage who is the U.S. executive director of the World Bank, to the Fed’s only remaining open governor position. In a corresponding move, he is likely to elevate Philip Jefferson, an economist who was confirmed overwhelmingly to the board when Mr. Biden nominated him to an open governor position, to be the board’s vice chair. A White House spokesman declined to comment on Monday. If confirmed by the Senate, Ms. Kugler would fill a governor position recently vacated by Lael Brainard, who became director of the White House National Economic Council in February.

☆ In These Stories, Society Lets Individuals Down Again and Again
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Gwen E. Kirby | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

The lens of the story moves from his point of view to that of the missing girl, who is found after three days of sheltering inside a hollow tree to hide her first period from the prettier, wealthier girls. To the outside world, she is missing; she sees it as protecting herself. Reich’s stories have a density to them: long paragraphs weighted with rich description, bricks placed carefully to build constructions capable of supporting the weight of history. Alejandro Varela’s THE PEOPLE WHO REPORT MORE STRESS: Stories (244 pp., Astra House, $26) is a master class in analyzing the unspoken. In “She and Her Kid and Me and Mine,” a gay, half-Salvadoran, half-Colombian father chats with a straight white mother while their young children have a play date.

☆ Colombia’s President Replaces Market-Friendly Finance Minister in Cabinet Reshuffle
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Juan Forero | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

President Gustavo Petro has seen some of his signature proposals stall in Congress or run into political opposition. Photo: Oliver Contreras/Bloomberg NewsBOGOTÁ, Colombia—Colombian President Gustavo Petro , a leftist who has pressed for broadscale social reforms in eight months in office, replaced his market-friendly finance minister on Wednesday amid the breakup of his congressional coalition. José Antonio Ocampo, a Columbia University professor who was seen by the markets as a stabilizing force, was replaced as finance minister in a cabinet shuffle that saw seven ministers ousted. The shake-up weakened the long-battered Colombian peso and sent bonds tumbling.

Exxon has held eight exploration and production contracts in Colombia, including the fracking pilot. All either have been or are being ended, suspended or liquidated, Colombia's National Hydrocarbon Agency (ANH) told Reuters. The proposed bill would ban development of non-conventional energy projects including fracking. "We will continue to have constructive dialogue with the Colombian government on a comprehensive assessment of our unconventional investments," Exxon spokesperson Michelle Gray told Reuters. Exxon said it continuously evaluates and prioritize investments, including those in Colombia.

☆ Colombia's Gustavo Petro finds his opening in Washington
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Stefano Pozzebon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

So what was the most solid common ground President Biden, as host, could find for his guest? Leaders from the region tend to see the climate issue as their platform in international summits. Like many countries in Latin America, Colombia has received considerable investments from Chinese companies in recent years, mostly in the transport and mining sectors. “Petro has the aspiration of leading the new phase of Latin America’s geopolitics. And Biden can also tout a considerable concession from his meeting with Petro, who had always refused to condemn Russia’s actions in Ukraine – until now.

☆ It’s Bready. It’s Cheesy. It’s One of Kenji López-Alt’s Favorite Breakfasts.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( J. Kenji López-Alt | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

The first time I tasted changua, a dairy-rich Colombian soup, my wife, Adri, a Bogotana from the heart of changua country, grimaced as I swirled the golden yolk of a poached egg through some half-melted cheese. She pulled a sour face as I sopped up the milky broth, seasoned with cilantro and green onions, with a chunk of bread. She pretended, I think, to suppress a gag as I ate it and continued until I finished. Changua, an Andean soup of Muisca origin, has a divided audience in its home departments of Cundinamarca and Boyacá. (An informal poll I took in the group chat I share with my Colombian in-laws showed a near-perfect split between changua lovers and haters, as did a poll I took on Instagram.)

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