DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsWASHINGTON, Aug 16 (Reuters) - Officials from seven U.S. states wrote to U.S. antitrust enforcers on Wednesday to ask for Kroger's (KR.N) proposed $24.6 billion acquisition of Albertsons (ACI.N) to be stopped. In a letter to Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chair Lina Khan, the secretaries of state said that the deal would give a combined Kroger/Albertsons nearly a quarter of the U.S. food retail market. Large, non-unionized competitors such as Walmart and Amazon would be the only parties to benefit if it were blocked, the spokesperson said. While federal antitrust agencies often work with state attorneys general on merger reviews, they do not usually work with secretaries of state, who in many states have a more limited business-oversight role. Reporting by Diane Bartz and Jasper Ward; editing by Susan Heavey, Sharon Singleton and Andy SullivanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, Lina Khan, Diane Bartz, Jasper Ward, Susan Heavey, Sharon Singleton, Andy Sullivan Organizations: Kroger Co, New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Rights, Albertsons, Federal Trade Commission, Kroger, Walmart, Amazon, FTC, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, Colorado , Arizona , Maine, Minnesota, New Mexico, Rhode Island and Vermont

The new legislation will limit the amount of cannabis young adults can buy to 30 grams a month, compared to 50 grams for older adults. Scholz's government had already watered down original plans to allow the widespread sale of cannabis in licensed shops after consultations with Brussels. Instead, it said would launch a pilot project for a small number of licensed shops in some regions to test the effects of a commercial supply chain of recreational cannabis over five years. Malta became the first European country to allow limited cultivation and possession of cannabis for personal use in late 2021. The legislation presented on Wednesday includes strict rules for growing weed - cannabis clubs of up to 500 associates must have burglar-proof doors and windows, with greenhouses fenced off.

Persons: Lisi Niesner, Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Karl Lauterbach, Lauterbach, Armin Schuster, Kristine Luetke, Sarah Marsh, Andreas Rinke, Angus MacSwan, Bernadette Baum Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Scholz's Social Democrats, Free Democrats, Thomson Locations: Brandenburg, Berlin, Germany, Europe, Saxony, Brussels, Netherlands, Switzerland, Malta

WASHINGTON, Aug 15 (Reuters) - Moderate Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives have formed a working group on artificial intelligence aimed at tackling the issue of what restrictions, if any, should be put on the technology. The New Democrat Coalition announced the formation of the group on Tuesday, saying it would work with the Biden administration, companies and other lawmakers to develop "sensible, bipartisan policies to address this emerging technology." While artificial intelligence has been used for several years, it surged in popularity earlier this year with the rise of ChatGPT because of generative AI's ability to use data to create human-seeming prose. The group is to be headed by Representative Derek Kilmer, a Democrat from Washington state. In July, the White House announced that AI companies including OpenAI, Alphabet (GOOGL.O) and Meta Platforms (META.O) had made voluntary commitments to implement measures such as watermarking AI-generated content to help make the technology safer.

Persons: Biden, Derek Kilmer, Don Beyer of Virginia, Jeff Jackson, Sara Jacobs of, Susie Lee of, Haley Stevens, Chuck Schumer, Diane Bartz, Nick Macfie Organizations: Moderate Democrats, U.S . House, New Democrat Coalition, White House, Thomson Locations: U.S, Washington, North Carolina, Sara Jacobs of California, Susie Lee of Nevada, Michigan

What shocks the crowd is not the apparent self-mutilation, but rather the fact that he appears to come away unscathed. Then he returned to beating himself with his sledgehammer, studiously pounding every joint in his arm to the winces of onlookers. "It's all real, nothing fabricated," said Edward Carbonell, who watched Tomasen in awe. "I want to be remembered as someone who pushed the limits of what was possible," he said. Reporting by Anett Rios and Alexander Frometa; editing by Jonathan OatisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Lino Tomasen, Mike Tyson, Tomasen, Edward Carbonell, Anett Rios, Alexander Frometa, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Reuters, Thomson Locations: HAVANA, Havana, Cuban, Mexico City, Cuba

☆ Soon, Our Oceans Could Feel Like Jacuzzis - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( Diana Nyad | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

My childhood was spent in the very waters off the Florida coast that recently registered temperatures in the triple digits. Now they’re no doubt huddled in meetings, contemplating the disaster that will ensue if these uncomfortable water temperatures drive tourists away for good. And Florida is far from the only place where water temperatures are rising. Across the lower latitudes near the Equator, this marine heat wave has been massive. As of late June, it was warm enough to meet the criteria for a marine heat wave.

Organizations: of Commerce Locations: Miami, Florida, Fort Lauderdale, Cuban, Cuba, Havana, Mexico, Caribbean

☆ China loosens its pandemic-era ban on citizens joining group tours abroad
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-11 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —China has lifted pandemic-era restrictions on group tours for more countries, including key markets such as the United States, Japan, South Korea and Australia, in a potential boon for their tourism industries. Prior to the pandemic, mainland Chinese tourists spent more than any other country’s tourists when abroad, clocking up a combined $255 billion in 2019 with group tours estimated to account for roughly 60% of that. Just how much outbound Chinese tourism will bounce back for the latest group of countries remains to be seen. “The opening of group travel from China to the U.S. is a significant milestone,” said Adam Burke, head of the Los Angeles Tourism and Convention Board. China has never publicly acknowledged limiting group tours to South Korea.

Persons: Gina Raimondo, –, Fumio Kishida, ”, Don Farrell, Steve Saxon, Adam Burke, “ Organizations: CNN, US Commerce Department, Japanese, Trade, Tourism, Weibo, McKinsey & Co, “, Los Angeles Tourism, Reuters Locations: China, United States, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Germany, Canada, Thailand, Russia, Cuba, Argentina, Nepal, France, Portugal, Brazil, Xinjiang, Los Angeles, U.S

[1/2] A customer leaves an Albertsons grocery store, as Kroger agrees to buy rival Albertsons in a deal to combine the two supermarket chains, in Riverside, California, U.S., October 14, 2022. It is unclear if the FTC will try to stop the transaction or when a decision would be reached. "Kroger and the FTC are focused on ensuring that any divested stores are positioned for success," the company said in a statement. Between them, Kroger and Albertsons operate nearly 5,000 stores with more than 800 in California. FTC staff spoke with the group in April.

Persons: Kroger, Biden, I'm, Rob Bonta, Chris Jones, We're, we're, Jones, Dan Waldvogle, Waldvogle, Sara John, Mayor Diego Plata, Diane Bartz, Chris Sanders, Anna Driver Organizations: Albertsons, REUTERS, Federal Trade Commission, Staff, FTC, Kroger, National Grocers Association, Walmart, Rocky Mountain Farmers Union, Center for Science, Safeway, Mayor, Thomson Locations: Riverside , California, U.S, Colorado, California, COVID, Colorado's Rocky, Gunnison, Plata

Travellers walk past an installation in the shape of five stars, at Beijing Daxing International Airport in Beijing, China April 24, 2023. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang/file photoBEIJING, Aug 10 (Reuters) - China has lifted pandemic-era restrictions on group tours for more countries, including key markets such as the United States, Japan, South Korea and Australia in a potential boon for their tourism industries. Just how much outbound Chinese tourism will bounce back for the latest group of countries remains to be seen. Shares in firms in the latest group of countries with large exposure to Chinese travel demand jumped on the news. China has never publicly acknowledged limiting group tours to South Korea.

Persons: Tingshu Wang, Fumio Kishida, Don Farrell, Steve Saxon, Casey, Sophie Yu, Joyce Lee, Jamie Freed, Edwina Gibbs Organizations: Beijing Daxing International, REUTERS, Japanese, Trade, Tourism, Weibo, McKinsey & Co, South, Grand Korea, Reuters, Casey Hall, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, BEIJING, United States, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Germany, Britain, Canada, Thailand, Russia, Cuba, Argentina, Nepal, France, Portugal, Brazil, Xinjiang, South Korean, U.S, Shanghai, Seoul

☆ Opinion | A Better Border Policy Is Possible
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Andrea R. Flores | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

They were enacted in the decades following the Holocaust to ensure that the United States never again turned away people fleeing persecution. But now, many blame these laws for the chaos and inhumanity at the nation’s southern border. When Title 42 restrictions were lifted in May, President Biden enacted a carrot-and-stick approach aimed at deterring new asylum seekers from traveling by foot to the border. Doing so has discouraged would-be migrants from taking a dangerous trek with a smuggler, often through multiple continents. This approach would have been a great step forward if it wasn’t paired with a counter measure that prohibits some asylum-seekers at the border from applying for protection in the United States.

Persons: Donald Trump, Biden Locations: United States, Cuba, Haiti

Poland's government, which faces October elections, is even suing Brussels over climate policies. Britain has already quickly gone from being a leader on the world stage to looking quite weak on green policies, he said. CITIZENS, BUSINESSESEurope's green policies are still more credible than U.S. ones, given see-sawing between electoral cycles in the United States, some analysts said. Rows over green policies have propelled right-wing populist parties to second place in both Dutch and German polls. "Otherwise citizens might start to feel that climate policy is always financially overwhelming and bad, and that sentiment is then exploited by populists."

Persons: Timm Reichert, Virginijus Sinkevicius, Sinkevicius, Anna Moskwa, Nathalie Tocci, Mats Engström, GREEN, Bob Ward, Ward, Rishi Sunak, Rob Jetten, Nina Scheer, Simone Tagliapietra, Tagliapietra, Kate Abnett, Sarah Marsh, Gloria Dickie, Anthony Deutsch, Angelo Amante, Pawel, Susanna Twidale, William James, Alexnder Smith Organizations: REUTERS, European Union, Reuters, European People's Party, European Council, Foreign, United States, Grantham Research, London School of Economics, Political, Climate, Energy, Democrats, Thomson Locations: Gruenberg, Germany, EU, BERLIN, BRUSSELS, Netherlands, Brussels, Europe, United States, Grantham, India, China, Britain, Berlin, London, Amsterdam, Rome, Warsaw

Cuban tanker Petion is seen at a shipyard in Veracruz, Mexico April 9, 2021. Mexico has emerged as a top provider, sending oil on a vessel owned by state oil company Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex) and ships managed by Cuba. The ship previously ferried Venezuelan crude and fuel oil to Cuba, according to Refinitiv Eikon data. Cuba-flagged tanker Delsa also delivered Mexican crude from Pajaritos to Cienfuegos in June, and then sailed to Venezuela, where it loaded oil, the data showed. HELP NEEDEDRussia supplied Cuba with some 12,000 bpd of oil, mostly crude, between February and July, according to the Eikon data.

Persons: Yahir, Vilma, Pemex, Delsa, Esperanza, Washington, Marianna Parraga, David Sherwood, Adriana Barrera, Marguerita Choy Organizations: REUTERS, HOUSTON, Cuban, U.S . Treasury Department's, Foreign Assets Control, U.S . State Department, Reuters, San, Thomson Locations: Veracruz, Mexico, Venezuela, Mexico Mexican, Cuba, Russia, Washington, Mexico's, Cienfuegos, Havana, U.S, San Jose

☆ Eco-friendly bamboo bicycles hit the streets in Cuba
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( Mario Fuentes | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/5] Nayvis Dias, founder of Velo Cuba, shows eco-friendly bamboo bicycles at her office in Havana, Cuba, July 21, 2023. REUTERS/Alexandre MeneghiniHAVANA, Aug 3 (Reuters) - Among the classic cars, mopeds and rickshaws Cubans use to get around the capital city Havana, a new kind of ride is hitting the streets - bamboo bicycles made by a local workshop. Velo Cuba, a bike shop and tour company, produces the lightweight, eco-friendly options as part of a program funded by the Netherlands' embassy in the country. "There are 28 species of bamboo in Cuba," said Velo Cuba founder Nayvis Diaz. Transportation and steady employment are both chronic issues in Cuba, where the economy was hard-hit by the coronavirus pandemic.

Persons: Nayvis Dias, Alexandre Meneghini HAVANA, Nayvis Diaz, Yaquelin Gonzalez, Diaz, Mario Fuentes, Nelson Acosta, Kylie Madry, Bill Berkrot Organizations: Velo Cuba, REUTERS, Transportation, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Havana, Cuba, Velo Cuba, Netherlands, United States, China

REUTERS/Charles Platiau/File PhotoWASHINGTON, Aug 3 (Reuters) - Texas won a round in its antitrust lawsuit with Alphabet's (GOOGL.O) Google on Thursday after a U.S. judicial panel refused to pause its decision to return its lawsuit to federal court in Texas. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation had decided in June to agree to a Texas request to send the lawsuit alleging Google abused its dominance in advertising technology back to the Lone Star state. Texas has argued that a measure which became law in 2022, after the lawsuit was filed, granted state attorneys general the right to choose where an antitrust lawsuit will be litigated. The judicial panel did agree to stay the remand order for seven days to give Google time to appeal to the 2nd U.S. The Texas lawsuit accuses Google of violating the law by dominating the process that advertisers use to put ads online.

Persons: Charles Platiau, Diane Bartz, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Google, Viva Tech, REUTERS, Texas, The U.S, Multidistrict Litigation, Lone Star, U.S, Circuit, Appeals, Thomson Locations: Paris, France, Texas, The, New York, Eastern

☆ Cuba bans company access to ATMs, limits cash transactions
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( Nelson Acosta | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

HAVANA, Aug 3 (Reuters) - The Cuban Central Bank issued rules this week banning state and private businesses from using ATMs and limiting cash transactions between them, as it seeks to tame runaway inflation and off-the-books business amid a grave economic crisis. They limit cash transactions to 5000 pesos and will be implemented gradually over six months, official media said. The government pegs the dollar at 24 pesos and for select companies, tourists and residents at 120 pesos, though it has few to exchange. The dollar currently fetches 230 pesos on the informal market. The crisis has led to a lack of confidence in the state-run banking system, resulting in a lack of cash at some ATMs as businesses use them, leaving residents in the lurch.

Persons: Alejandro Gil, Nelson Acosta, Marc Frank, Deepa Babington Organizations: Cuban Central Bank, Economy, Thomson Locations: HAVANA

Summary Peso's informal value hits all-time low vs dollarAnnual inflation surges to 45%Plunge in peso value 'something horrible', says teacherHAVANA, Aug 2 (Reuters) - The Cuban peso was trading on the informal market at an all-time low of 230 to the dollar on Wednesday, slumping to half its value a year ago as consumers struggle with surging inflation and scarce goods, a widely watched tracker showed. The state considers the informal exchange rate, widely tracked via the independent news outlet El Toque, as illegal, but it has been unable to shut it down. The state officially pegs the local currency at 120 pesos to the dollar, but it has few to exchange. The weakening informal rate was similar to a fall in the government’s electronic equivalent, which residents must use to purchase goods at state stores that are relatively well-stocked compared with peso outlets. Prices grew 39% last year, a figure many economists say underestimates the rate as it does not adequately account for a growing informal market.

Persons: HAVANA, Bert Hoffman, Alejandro Gil, May, Sonia Nunez, Gil, Mario Fuentes, Christian Plumb, Conor Humphries Organizations: Cuban, German Institute of Global, Communist, Economy, Thomson Locations: America, Hamburg, Cuban, Havana

☆ The Sea Captain Who Ran From Abraham Lincoln
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( Dorothy Wickenden | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

SHIPWRECKED: A True Civil War Story of Mutinies, Jailbreaks, Blockade-Running, and the Slave Trade, by Jonathan W. WhiteWho was Appleton Oaksmith? One contemporary described him as a “good seaman, & a bold & daring officer.” His enemies, President Abraham Lincoln among them, judged him a scoundrel and a traitor. As a young seafaring adventurer in the 1850s, Oaksmith armed mercenaries in Nicaragua and joined the liberation movement in Cuba. After Lincoln took office, in 1861, Oaksmith became a shipping agent, outfitting old whaling ships. Whaling was in decline, so, it was assumed, the people who bought and fitted whalers were likely slavers.

Persons: Jonathan W, White, Appleton, ”, Abraham Lincoln, Lincoln, Oaksmith Organizations: Slave, Tammany Hall Democrat, Whaling Locations: Jailbreaks, Nicaragua, Cuba, North

☆ The BRICS are better off disbanding than expanding
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-31 | by ( Hugo Dixon | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

(South Africa wasn’t on his list.) O’Neill likes to tease the BRICS that their economic performance subsequently went downhill - particularly after the much smaller South Africa joined in 2011. Since then, Russia, Brazil and South Africa have all struggled economically. The fault line between India and China, which fought a small war in the Himalayas in 2020, is one reason the BRICS club has done so little. Besides, most developing countries don’t want to be forced to choose sides in a showdown with the United States.

Persons: Jim O’Neill, Goldman Sachs, O’Neill, Vladimir Putin, Peter Thal Larsen, Thomas Shum Organizations: Reuters, Africa wasn’t, Reuters Graphics Reuters, New Development Bank, Bank, Global, U.S ., Thomson Locations: TINOS, GREECE, Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Johannesburg, Africa, Africa’s, Saudi Arabia, Argentina, Egypt, Iran, Cuba, Kazakhstan, United States, Iraq, Republic, Ukraine, Russian, New Delhi, Soviet, Philippines, Mexico, Indonesia, Thailand, Nigeria, Vietnam, Malaysia, Bangladesh

☆ Iran's drones could reach a new South American market as Bolivia expresses interest
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-31 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Here's what's ahead for defense stocks "Latin American countries are of special significance in Iran's foreign and defense policy based on the importance of [the] very sensitive South American region," Iran's Defense Minister Mohammad Reza Ashtiani was quoted as saying. Iran's drones have made "considerable impact on any battlefield they have appeared in," according to Farzin Nadimi, an arms expert at The Washington Institute said. The U.S.' concerns center on Iran's deepening foreign alliances and dissemination of its lethal drones, analysts say. It added that a former Revolutionary Guard Corps commander, "boasted in October 2022 that 22 countries — including Algeria, Armenia, Serbia, Tajikistan, and Venezuela — had submitted formal requests for Iranian drones." Iran has previously provided drones to African countries including Sudan and Ethiopia, which the latter used against Tigrayan rebels.

Persons: Oleksii Samsonov, Mohammad Reza Ashtiani, Edmundo Novillo, Novillo, Farzin, Nadimi, Novillo's, John Kirby, Biden, Ebrahim Raisi, Kirby, Annika Ganzeveld, Asad, Khomeini, Majid Asgaripour, Venezuela —, Raisi, ISW Organizations: Kyiv, Getty, Iran's, Bolivian, Bolivia's, CNBC, U.S . Defense Intelligence Agency, The Washington Institute, U.S . Institute for Peace, The U.S, U.S . National Security Council, Sepah, Anadolu Agency, American Enterprise Institute, Associated Press, U.S, Missiles, WANA, REUTERS, for, Revolutionary Guard Corps Locations: Russia, Kyiv, Ukraine, Iran, Washington, South America, Tehran, Fars, Bolivia, The, U.S, Europe, Africa, Latin America, Asia, America, Venezuela, Cuba, Nicaragua, U.S Ayn, REUTERS Washington, Algeria, Armenia, Serbia, Tajikistan, Iranian, Kenya, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Sudan, Ethiopia

☆ How a US government program advocated using nuclear explosions for construction, farming radioactive crops, and blasting holes in the moon
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-31 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

Most focused on the potential for nuclear explosions to quickly excavate areas for construction projects at lower costs than conventional explosives. (Hamblin is the author of the book "The Wretched Atom: America's Global Gamble with Peaceful Nuclear Technology.") Fly the radioactive skiesUS officials also hoped nuclear energy could be used for transportation. Nicknamed the "pan-atomic canal," nuclear explosions would have carved a sea-level waterway through Nicaragua, Panama, or Colombia, per Forbes. Corbis via Getty ImagesFor Hamblin, the concept of "peaceful nuclear explosions" fell out of favor in the mid-70s.

Persons: Christopher Nolan's, Oppenheimer, Jacob Hamblin, Dwight D, Eisenhower, Alex Wellerstein, Hamblin, you've, Dr Leonard Reiffel, Alaska's Cape Thompson, Edward Teller, detonations, Rio, Iran —, —, Corbis, Wellerstein, Marshall, we're Organizations: Service, White, Nevada . U.S . Department of Energy Office, Scientific, Atomic Energy, UN, United Nations, IAEA Imagebank, United, US Atomic Energy Commission, Technology, Institute of Radiation, Google, NASA, Sputnik, Air Force, U.S . Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration, AEC, of Energy, Popular Mechanics, New York Times, Carryall, US Department of Energy, Forbes, Atomic Energy Commission, Getty, IAEA Locations: Wall, Silicon, Suez, Nevada ., United Nations, New York, Hitachiomiya, Japan, Soviet Union, Nevada, Alaska's Cape, inconveniently, Israel, Panama, Nicaragua, Colombia, Pacific, Farmington , New Mexico, Rulison , Colorado, Rio Blanco, , Colorado, Iran, Mercury , Nevada, USA, Cuba, Vietnam, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada —, Marshall

WASHINGTON, July 27 (Reuters) - U.S. senators, alarmed by the malevolent potential of artificial intelligence, will summon developers, executives and experts for hearings later this year on possible legislative safeguards, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said on Thursday. Speaking on the Senate floor, Schumer, the chamber's leading Democrat, said the Senate would convene what he called "the first-ever AI Insight Forums" to hear what experts had to say. Democratic and Republican senators voiced alarm this week about artificial intelligence's potential use to create a biological weapon. Schumer said senators were briefed on AI on Wednesday by experts at the U.S. Energy Department, the National Science Foundation and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA, which had laid the groundwork for the internet. Reporting by Diane Bartz; Editing by Howard GollerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Chuck Schumer, Schumer, Diane Bartz, Howard Goller Organizations: Democratic, U.S . Energy Department, National Science Foundation, Defense, Research Projects Agency, DARPA, Senate Homeland Security, Governmental Affairs, Thomson

Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) listens during a Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., April 18, 2023. In addition to creating the regulatory commission, the proposed law would tighten antitrust law to forbid the companies from preferencing their own products over those of rivals. "This bipartisan bill would create a new tech regulator and makes clear that reining in Big Tech platforms is a top priority on both sides of the aisle," said Warren in a statement. Graham said the creation of the regulatory commission was "the first step in a long journey to protect American consumers from the massive power these companies currently wield." Amazon declined comment while Facebook and Google did not respond to a request for comment on the proposal.

Persons: Elizabeth Warren, Amanda Andrade, Rhoades, Lindsey Graham, Warren, Graham, Diane Bartz, Matthew Lewis Organizations: Banking, Housing, Urban Affairs, Capitol, REUTERS, WASHINGTON, Democrat, Republican, Facebook, Google, Big Tech, Federal Trade Commission, Digital Consumer Protection, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, Big Tech, Washington

☆ Cuban high jump king Sotomayor holds onto crown after 30 years
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( Nelson Acosta | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Cuba's high jump king and international idol Javier Sotomayor reacts during an interview beside a sculpture of himself leaping over the bar at his Restaurant & Bar in Havana, Cuba, June 20, 2023. REUTERS/Alexandre MeneghiniHAVANA, July 25 (Reuters) - Records are made to broken, world high jump king and international idol Javier Sotomayor said, smiling behind dark glasses as the fierce Caribbean sun beat down on Havana's Pan-American Stadium. At 55 years old, however, the lanky, unassuming Cuban athlete is now celebrating the third decade that his record-breaking 2.45-metres leap over the outdoor high jump bar in Salamanca, Spain, in 1993, remains unmatched. Including his prior 2.43m indoor world record in Budapest five years earlier, Sotomayor counts 35 years as world record holder, though the weather-sensitive outdoor title carries more weight internationally. Sotomayor first hurled himself to the world's top high jump spot in 1988, before beating this with a 2.44m spring in San Juan, Puerto Rico, the following year.

Persons: Javier Sotomayor, Alexandre Meneghini HAVANA, Sotomayor, Sweden's Patrik Sjoberg, Igor Paklin, Charles Austin, Ukraine's Bogdan Bondarenko, Jaxier, Jose Godoy, Nelson Acosta, Sarah Morland, Ken Ferris Organizations: Bar, REUTERS, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Havana, Cuba, Cuban, Salamanca, Spain, Budapest, San Juan , Puerto Rico, Brussels, New York

☆ 62 arrested in Europol-Interpol human trafficking crackdown
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

AMSTERDAM, July 24 (Reuters) - Law enforcement from five countries have disrupted an intercontinental criminal network that was smuggling migrants from Cuba to the European Union, with the move leading to the arrest of 62 people, Europol and Interpol, who coordinated the international investigation, said on Monday. A Europol statement said the criminal network focused on Cubans in vulnerable situations, and that for 9,000 euros ($9,969.30), it would organise their journey to Europe and provide false documentation. In total, it is suspected that the criminal network successfully smuggled around 5,000 Cuban nationals into the EU. Besides the arrests, police also seized 18 pieces of real estate, 33 vehicles, and 144 bank accounts, alongside vast sums of cash in various currencies. ($1 = 0.9028 euros)Reporting by Charlotte Van Campenhout Editing by Bernadette BaumOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Charlotte Van Campenhout, Bernadette Baum Organizations: European Union, Interpol, Thomson Locations: AMSTERDAM, Cuba, Europe

☆ Cuban economy minister says no quick fix to devastating crisis
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-22 | by ( Nelson Acosta | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Speaking before the country's parliament, Gil said the primary sector, which includes agriculture, mining and other basic production, was down 34.9% compared with 2019, while manufacturing was off 20%. A third sector that includes services such as tourism, communications and education was down 4.9%. Gil said the crisis, which has left residents reeling, protesting and leaving the island nation, was "complicated," but he added that the government was working on solutions. "The gradual recovery of the Cuban economy has not yet reached the necessary pace," he said. Additional reporting by Marc Frank; Editing by Paul SimaoOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Alejandro Gil, Gil, Esteban Lazo Hernandez, Marc Frank, Paul Simao Organizations: Economy, Communist, Thomson Locations: HAVANA, Cuba

☆ Opinion | The Risks of Sanctions, the Tool America Loves to Use
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-22 | by ( The Editorial Board | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Nevertheless, this more modest policy, which supports a gradual return to democracy rather than abrupt regime change, is a better approach. The Biden administration should be more explicit about which sanctions in Venezuela would be lifted and when, especially those on the state-owned oil company. “The situation internally is really dire,” Mr. Reyna said. Many experts view sanctions as an important driver of migration from Venezuela because they worsen the economic conditions that push people to leave. In response, a group of Democratic lawmakers — including Representative Veronica Escobar of Texas, who co-chairs Mr. Biden’s re-election campaign — implored him to lift sanctions on Venezuela and Cuba.

Persons: Maduro hasn’t, Biden, Maduro, Feliciano Reyna, Acción, Mr, Reyna, Veronica Escobar, Biden’s, — Organizations: Mr, Democratic, Treasury Department Locations: Venezuela, U.S, Veronica Escobar of Texas, Cuba, United States

Search resuls for: "Cuba"

25 mentions found