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☆ Explainer: Who is Jeff Zients, incoming White House chief of staff?
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON, Jan 27 (Reuters) - President Joe Biden named businessman and former COVID-19 response coordinator Jeff Zients to become his second White House chief of staff on Friday, replacing Ron Klain, who is departing the administration after two years on the job. WHO IS JEFF ZIENTS? In the Biden administration, Zients served as the first COVID-19 response coordinator, charged with rolling out a massive vaccine program nationwide in early 2021. He stepped down from that role in 2022 before being tapped to prepare for potential staff turnover at the White House after the midterm elections. The White House chief of staff is like the chief operating officer for the government, someone who runs daily operations, oversees implementation of the president's policies and serves as a liaison for cabinet members.

Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn say Garcia Luna gave the Sinaloa Cartel sensitive information about its rivals as well as safe passage for drug shipments. Garcia Luna has previously accused drug traffickers of leveling false allegations against him as revenge for the actions he took against cartels. Guzman was sentenced to life in prison in 2019 following his conviction in Brooklyn on drug trafficking and murder conspiracy charges. Mexico's government in 2020 issued an arrest warrant of its own for Garcia Luna on charges of illegal enrichment. Mexico also sued Garcia Luna in Florida, where he had been living before his 2019 arrest, in an effort to recover what it called illegally obtained assets.

[1/3] Mexico City's Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum speaks near Mexico's President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (not pictured) during a news conference at the Old City Hall (Antiguo Palacio del Ayuntamiento), in Mexico City, Mexico January 20, 2023. "If accidents continue, like a cable or the signal system breaks, the National Guard is not going to detect that or make a difference," Miranda said. A school collapse that killed 19 children in a 2017 earthquake happened on her watch as a district mayor of Mexico City. She filed a criminal complaint accusing two prior attorneys for the district of failing to enforce the law after discovering illegal construction, and became Mexico City Mayor in 2018. Now, Lopez Obrador has backed her decision to use the National Guard, in a clear sign of support for her.

☆ Venezuela public sector workers march for better salaries
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] A demonstrator holds a placard that reads "Together for a living salary", during a march by teachers, health workers, workers' unions members and members of the opposition to demand better salaries, as the government of President Nicolas Maduro faces renewed challenges in its attempt to fight inflation, in Caracas, Venezuela January 23, 2023. REUTERS/Leonardo Fernandez ViloriaCARACAS, Jan 23 (Reuters) - Hundreds of public sector workers including teachers, nurses and retired police officers took to the streets in Venezuela on Monday to demand better salaries and pensions at a time when the government of President Nicolas Maduro faces growing inflation. Workers in Venezuela's education and health sectors have held three peaceful demonstrations in a dozen cities so far this year to demand more money. In Maracaibo, the capital of the once-powerful oil-rich Zulia state in northwestern Venezuela, protesters marched to the governor's office. "With a (monthly) salary of just $10 it's impossible for a family of four or five people to survive," Jimenez, 56, said.

☆ Musk says higher priced Twitter subscription won't carry ads
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Jan 21 (Reuters) - Twitter owner Elon Musk tweeted on Saturday that a higher priced subscription of the social media platform will not carry advertisements. loadingThe billionaire also said that ads are "too frequent on Twitter and too big," and that steps will be taken to address those issues in coming weeks. Twitter earns nearly 90% of its revenue from selling digital ads and Musk recently attributed a "massive drop in revenue" to rights organizations that have pressured brands to pause their Twitter ads. Earlier in December, Musk announced that Twitter's Basic blue tick will have half the number of advertisements and that it will offer a higher tier with no advertisements by 2023. Reporting by Maria Ponnezhath in Bengaluru Editing by Alistair BellOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

[1/8] Anti-government protesters clash with the police, as they demand the release of protesters detained in the protests, after President Pedro Castillo was ousted, in Lima, Peru January 21, 2023. REUTERS/Sebastian CastanedaLIMA, Jan 21 (Reuters) - Peruvian police arrested over 200 people accused of illegally entering the campus of a major Lima university, while authorities in Cusco shut the Incan citadel of Machu Picchu and the Inca trail as deadly anti-government protests spread nationwide. Some 46 people have been killed in the weeks-long clashes and another nine in traffic accidents related to the barricades set up amid the protests. In videos circulating online, an armored vehicle can be seen breaking down a door on the university campus to allow entry for security forces. Protests have rocked Peru since former President Pedro Castillo was ousted in December after he attempted to dissolve the legislature to prevent an impeachment vote.

☆ Peru's Machu Picchu, Inca trail ordered closed as protests flair
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Alessandro Cinque/File PhotoJan 21 (Reuters) - Peruvian authorities ordered the closure of the Incan citadel of Machu Picchu and the Inca trail which leads to the world-renowned archeological site as of Saturday amid anti-government demonstrations that have spread nationwide and left a mounting death toll. Some 46 people have been killed in the weeks-long clashes and another nine in traffic accidents related to the barricades set up amid the protests. In the Cusco region, the gateway to Machu Picchu, Glencore's (GLEN.L) major Antapaccay copper mine suspended operations on Friday after protesters attacked the premises - one of the largest in the country - for the third time this month. Airports in Arequipa, Cusco and the southern city of Juliaca were also attacked by demonstrators, delivering a fresh blow to Peru's tourism industry. Reporting by Fabian Cambero; Writing by Anthony Esposito Editing by Alistair BellOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Pro-Kremlin channel Russia Today says France operation closing
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Late last February, shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine, the European Union said it would ban Russia Today on the grounds it had been spreading disinformation about the war. RT (Russia Today) France appealed the ban but lost. "The funds of RT France are frozen at the request of the general directorate of the Treasury ... our channel can no longer continue its activity," she said. In March, the European Union's Court of Justice on Wednesday rejected a RT France bid for a temporary reprieve. It accused the French authorities of censorship and said RT France had never been condemned or sanctioned for any reason.

☆ Brazil police raid governor's house over capital riots
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The raid targeted Rocha's house and workplaces, police said. Rocha was not on site during the raid, which was followed by lawyers from his defense team. This raid it is unnecessary and fruitless," his lawyer Cleber Lopes said, adding that the governor had no connection to the violence. The operation drew criticism from lawyers, as Rocha was head of the Brazilian Bar Association before he became governor. It included 24 warrants covering five states and the capital Brasilia, it said in a statement.

☆ Analysis: Debt ceiling: White House bets Republicans will blink under pressure
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Trevor Hunnicutt | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

House Republicans want cuts to government programsbefore they will approve a higher ceiling; a similar demand sparked a 2011 credit rating downgrade and chaos in financial markets. But we similarly should not blindly increase the debt ceiling," Representative Chip Roy, a leading conservative, told Reuters. 2024 CAMPAIGN FOCUS ON EXTREMISMThe game of chicken comes as the White House prepares Biden's expected re-election campaign. Democrats are planning to deploy that theme in the 2024 election even if an agreement is reached quickly on the debt ceiling. A failure to raise the debt ceiling could have the opposite effect.

☆ Peru protesters, fired up by deaths, march on Lima demanding change
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Marco Aquino | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/9] Protesters take part in the 'Take over Lima' march to demonstrate against Peru's President Dina Boluarte, following the ousting and arrest of former President Pedro Castillo, in Lima, Peru January 19, 2023. Protesters are planning a "Take over Lima" protest on Thursday, with thousands of police expected in response. The government last week extended a state of emergency in Lima and the southern regions of Puno and Cusco, curtailing some civil rights. Boluarte has asked for "forgiveness" for the protest deaths but remained firm that she is not going to resign. The protest deaths have been the lightning rod for much of the anger, with banners calling Boluarte a "murderer" and calling the killings by police and military "massacres".

The closing arguments on Wednesday marked the end of the second major seditious conspiracy trial stemming from the attack. The Oath Keeper members are accused of conspiring to block Congress from certifying Biden's election victory. Seditious conspiracy is a rarely prosecuted Civil War-era statute that carries up to 20 years in prison if convicted. In November, a jury convicted Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes and a Florida chapter leader of seditious conspiracy, but acquitted three other Oath Keeper defendants of the charge. All five Oath Keepers in that case, however, were convicted of obstructing Congress from certifying the electoral votes - a charge that can also carry up to 20 years.

☆ Turkey urges Biden administration to be 'decisive' over F-16 deal as Congress objects
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Humeyra Pamuk | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Recently, Ankara's refusal to ratify the NATO membership of Sweden and Finland has become more central to Congress' opposition. "HOSTAGE"Ties between the United States and Turkey have been strained since Turkey acquired Russian missile defense systems in 2019. For its part, Turkey demands Washington does not support the Syrian Kurdish armed groups that it sees as terrorists. But a senior administration official said Washington was unlikely to follow through with the sale unless Menendez reverses his opposition. The U.S. side did not give a date on when they would send the formal notification for the F-16s to Congress, Cavusoglu added.

"Like every President across decades of modern history, his personal residence is personal," the White House Counsel's office said in a statement. The Secret Service, which is tasked with protecting current and past presidents and their families, does not "independently maintain our own visitor logs because it’s a private residence," agency spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said. The Republican chairman of the House of Representatives Oversight Committee, James Comer,on Sunday demanded visitor logs for Democrat Biden's house in Wilmington after classified documents were found in his office and garage there. Democrats have unsuccessfully sought visitor logs for Trump's Florida home for years. Biden restored the tradition of keeping White House visitors logs, including publishing them regularly, after the Trump administration ended doing that, the White House counsel noted in Monday's statement.

☆ Scientists unearth megaraptors, feathered dinosaur fossils in Chile's Patagonia
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( Marion Giraldo | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Jan 16 (Reuters) - Scientists in Chile's Patagonia region are unearthing the southernmost dinosaur fossils recorded outside Antarctica, including remains of megaraptors that would have dominated the area's food chain before their mass extinction. The specimens, according to University of Chile researcher Jared Amudeo, had some characteristics not present in Argentine or Brazilian counterparts. "The enormous variation we are seeing, the biological diversity, was also responding to very powerful environmental stimuli," Leppe said. "This world was already in crisis before (the meteorite) and this is evidenced in the rocks of the Rio de las Chinas Valley," he said. Reporting by Marion Giraldo; Writing by Sarah Morland, Editing by Alistair BellOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

WASHINGTON, Jan 16 (Reuters) - No visitor logs exist for President Joe Biden's home in Wilmington, Delaware, where classified documents from his vice presidential days were found, as it is a private residence, the White House Counsel's office said on Monday. But upon taking office, President Biden restored the norm and tradition of keeping White House visitors logs, including publishing them regularly, after the previous administration ended them," the White House Counsel's office said in a statement. Biden's Republican predecessor, Donald Trump, declined to release logs of visitors to the White House during his four years in office, in a break with prior norms. The Republican chairman of the House of Representatives Oversight Committee on Sunday demanded visitor logs for Democrat Biden's house in Wilmington after classified documents were found in his office and garage. The White House says Biden's team has turned over the documents it found.

SAO PAULO, Jan 16 (Reuters) - Brazilian lenders BTG Pactual, Bradesco and Santander Brasil are among those most exposed to debt of Americanas SA (AMER3.SA), analysts' estimates showed on Monday, after the retailer obtained an injunction protecting it from creditors. Analysts at JPMorgan and Citi said in research notes that Banco Bradesco SA (BBDC4.SA) had the largest nominal exposure to the firm, while Banco BTG Pactual SA topped exposure as a proportion of loans. Considering JPMorgan's and Citi's estimates, BTG had a 1.9 billion-real exposure to Americanas, which was seen accounting for roughly 1.5% of its loans, while Bradesco had exposure of 4.7 billion reais, or 0.5% of loans. Banco Santander Brasil SA , the local unit of Spain's Banco Santander (SAN.MC), had 3.7 billion reais in exposure, or about 0.6% of loans. Sergio Rial, the outgoing Americanas chief executive who uncovered the accounting inconsistencies, is a former head of Santander Brasil, where he still serves as chairman of the board.

☆ 'Sabotage' likely culprit for Brazil's Eletrobras towers collapse, sources say
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

RIO DE JANEIRO, Jan 13 (Reuters) - The collapse of two transmission towers operated by Brazilian power company Eletrobras (ELET6.SA) happened after someone cut the cables used to secure the towers, three sources with knowledge of the matter said on Friday. On one of the towers, "cut wires were found, in a sign of vandalism," said a second source. A third tower operated by power transmission company Evoltz had also collapsed on Monday. Another tower operated by transmission firm Taesa (TAEE11.SA) suffered a vandalism attempt on Thursday. However, the tower was not knocked down and there was no interruption in power transmission, Taesa said.

☆ Brazil has made no request to U.S. about Bolsonaro, Torres -minister
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The Brazilian Supreme Court has ordered the arrest of the former minister, Anderson Torres, who has said he would turn himself in but is now in Florida, as is Bolsonaro. Dozens of U.S. Congress members asked the United States to revoke Bolsonaro's visa after his supporters stormed Brasilia earlier this month. New Justice Minister Flavio Dino told a news conference he would wait until next week to re-evaluate Torres' case, indicating that an effort to request his extradition could happen if the former minister does not turn himself in. The arrest warrant against Torres was issued by Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, after the storming of public buildings in Brasilia last Sunday. The former justice minister, who says he is vacationing in Orlando, claimed that the reported document was likely among others in a stack being thrown out and was "leaked" in his absence to create a "false narrative."

U.S. concerns about counterterrorism will be among the subjects addressed, a State Department spokesperson said. "This type of dialogue enhances the national security of the United States through improved international law enforcement coordination, which enables the United States to better protect U.S. citizens and bring transnational criminals to justice," the State Department spokesperson said in a statement. A person in Washington familiar with the matter said the talks were expected to take place next week. The Biden administration last May kept Cuba on a short list of countries the United States says are "not cooperating fully" in its fight against terrorism. The State Department spokesperson said the coming talks "provides a forum to raise difficult matters and convey our concerns directly to the Cuban government."

☆ Brazil's Lula predicts policies in place within 100 days, reassures markets
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BRASILIA, Jan 12 (Reuters) - Brazil's leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on Thursday that he plans to have policies ready within 100 days so the country "runs at normal speed" again and told financial markets they should not worry about his Workers Party government. Addressing Sunday's storming of government building in Brasilia by supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro, Lula told reporters that "what happened was a huge warning, we won the election but fanatic Bolsonaro supporters are very dangerous." Supporters of right-wing Bolsonaro ransacked Brazil's Congress, Supreme Court and presidential palace on Sunday, calling for a military coup to overturn the October election won by Lula. "If I had to fire a minister every time they made a mistake, the turnaround would be enormous," Lula said. The 77-year-old President also said that markets should not worry about his Workers Party government.

☆ Italy's Meloni renews criticism of euro zone bailout fund
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

ROME, Jan 12 (Reuters) - Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Thursday renewed her criticism of the euro zone bailout fund, a 500-billion-euro ($541.55 billion) facility held back by Rome's reluctance to ratify its recently-adopted reform. The ESM was created in 2012, replacing a temporary fund established in 2010, at the height of the euro zone's sovereign debt crisis. The ESM can offer a lifeline to euro zone governments cut off from markets, or lend to recapitalise banks and provide precautionary credit. The fund was reformed with a 2021 treaty that needs to be ratified by all members of the euro zone before it can enter into force, and Italy is the only country that is dragging its feet over the issue. New ESM tasks under the reformed treaty include providing a backstop to the Single Resolution Fund, which is responsible for dealing with failing banks in the context of the Banking Union.

☆ Brazil police find draft decree in ex-minister's house to revert election -source
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Ricardo Brito | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

My conscience is clear regarding my actions as minister," Torres wrote. Analysts said the measures proposed in the document would amount to an unconstitutional conspiracy to meddle in the election. A lawyer for the former justice minister, Demostenes Torres told Reuters he was not aware of the document, but noted that it was "impossible" to change the election result. The document was ready for presidential signature, the source told Reuters, requesting anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation. He briefly posted a video this week on social media suggesting Lula had in fact lost the election.

☆ Golden Globes audience shrinks from last show in 2021
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( Lisa Richwine | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

In 2021, 6.9 million people tuned in to the Hollywood awards show. NBC's viewership figures for Tuesday night's ceremony do not include people who watched on Comcast's Peacock streaming service. All of Hollywood's major awards shows have seen their TV ratings sink in recent years, along with most viewership on traditional television. Back in January 2020, the Globes attracted 18.3 million TV viewers. While TV viewership declined, the network said Golden Globes content on E!

☆ Analysis: Security, migration trump energy dispute at Biden Mexico summit
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( Dave Graham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The U.S. government appears reluctant to antagonize Mexico on energy lest it interfere with cooperation on the border and security, two far bigger U.S. domestic issues, analysts said. Under pressure from Republican opponents to curb record illegal crossings, the administration of Biden, a Democrat, has focused much of its dealings with Mexico on border security. Trump threatened Mexico with trade tariffs if it did not stem migrant flows, but he did little to upbraid Lopez Obrador over energy policies that U.S. firms say are unfair. And the Biden administration did contact U.S. energy companies ahead of the Mexico City summit to ask them how Mexico's policies have impacted their business operations there, according to a document seen by Reuters. Two Mexican officials said there was little advance on the energy dispute between Mexico and Washington this week.

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