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☆ Missouri Camping Ban Squeezes Rural Homeless Population
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( Shannon Najmabadi | Photographs Bruce E. Stidham For The Wall Street Journal | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

BOLIVAR, Mo.—The pastor of the First Christian Church was startled one morning when what he thought was a mound of donated clothes on his church doorstep was in fact Titus Finn, who had curled up there and spent the night. Mr. Finn, 26 years old, said he had slept virtually “any spot I can lay my head” in the city of 11,000—living in and out of homelessness since childhood.

☆ Colombia cocaine seizures break record in 2022
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BOGOTA, Jan 28 (Reuters) - Colombia seized more cocaine in 2022 than any other year on record, the South American country's defense ministry reported Saturday. Security forces seized 671 tonnes of the drug last year, surpassing the 2021 total by about 1.7 tonnes. The data showed that Narino, Bolivar and Valle del Cauca provinces were the site of the most seizures last year. The guerilla group National Liberation Army, dissidents from the FARC rebel group and criminal gangs made up of former right-wing paramilitaries have all been implicated in drug trafficking. Cocaine seizures were 505 tonnes in 2020 and 428 tonnes in 2019.

☆ Venezuela's inflation slows to 234% in 2022, vice president says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

CARACAS, Jan 23 (Reuters) - Inflation in Venezuela hit 234% in 2022, Vice President Delcy Rodriguez said on Monday, representing a slowdown from the previous year, as the South American country struggles with a deep and lengthy economic crisis. Rodriguez provided the inflation rate during a meeting with Turkish and Venezuelan business leaders. Venezuela's central bank infrequently publishes economic data, and has not given inflation data since October. Government spending has also sped up and demand for dollars is outpacing the central bank's foreign currency reserves. Inflation in 2021 was more than 686%, according to the country's central bank.

☆ Venezuelan teachers march for better pay amid sky-high inflation
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Jan 16 (Reuters) - Teachers, retirees and workers' unions marched in at least six Venezuelan cities on Monday to demand better salaries, as the government of President Nicolas Maduro faces renewed challenges in its attempt to fight inflation. The minimum monthly salary for a public school teacher is about $10, while university professors earn between $60 and $80. I earn 460 bolivars a month (about $23)," said Odalis Aguilar, a 50-year-old teacher who marched in the city of Maracay. In the central state of Carabobo, teachers and public employees also held demonstrations, saying salaries do not cover the cost of food and medicine. Over the weekend the government paid public employees a bonus equivalent to $29.80.

☆ Venezuela inflation accelerating, heightening risk of return to hyperinflation, economists say
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

CARACAS, Jan 5 (Reuters) - Venezuelan consumer prices rose at a sharp 37.2% clip in December from November, heightening the risk of a return to hyperinflation, according to estimates by the Venezuelan Finance Observatory, a non-governmental group of economists. The private inflation estimate is key since Venezuela's central bank, which in October said annual inflation hit 155%, one of the highest rates globally, has not released consumer price data since then. For nine consecutive months, consumer price inflation was in the single digits thanks to strict policies implemented by President Nicolas Maduro's government, anchoring the exchange rate, limiting public spending and increasing taxes. After the policies were rolled out, authorities said Venezuela had emerged from a four-year streak of hyperinflation. The central bank did not respond to a Reuters request for comment.

☆ Venezuelan opposition strips Juan Guaidó of ‘presidential’ role
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-31 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

CARACAS, Venezuela — For three years, Juan Guaidó led the Venezuelan opposition’s efforts to bring about new elections and remove socialist President Nicolás Maduro. The vote reflects a changing balance of power within the opposition, which is trying to find new ways to connect with voters ahead of the nation’s 2024 presidential election. Three of Venezuela’s four main opposition parties backed the proposal to remove Guaidó, who was supported only by his own Popular Will party. After the vote, Guaidó said the move would create a “power vacuum” that could encourage more foreign nations to recognize the Maduro administration. So the opposition legislators created an “interim government,” headed by Guaidó, that was meant to last until Maduro stepped down and free elections could be held.

☆ Christmas vacations: 15 of the best places to go
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-03 | by ( Cnn Staff | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

The Bath Christmas Market has a multitude of wooden chalets selling distinctively British handmade crafts in a quaint Georgian setting. Bogotá, ColombiaA woman dressed as Santa Claus sits next to a Christmas tree and a Christmas star at Bolivar Square in Bogota. Salzburg and Oberndorf, AustriaThe Christmas Market and associated festivities in Salzburg are really something to sing about. Dating back to 1570, Strasbourg claims to be the oldest Christmas market in France and one of the oldest in Europe. damianalmua/Adobe StockThe traditional Christmas colors of red, green and white take on an entirely new meaning in New Zealand.

Persons: CNN —, Santa Claus, Claus, ”, Allan Baxter, Jesus, Jane Austen, Jane Austen Centre –, Austen, Melchior, Gaspar, Balthazar, Roy Rochlin, Bergdorf Goodman, Wangari Maathai, Fernando Vergara, “ Ruta, John’s, Miguel de Allende, Mary, Joseph, “ posada ”, Mozart, White Organizations: CNN, Bath Abbey, Jane Austen Centre, The, Royal, Catholic, Rockefeller, Getty Images Rockefeller, New York, Radio City, Columbus Circle, Fashion’s, Saks Fifth, Macy’s Herald Square, Kenyan, Park, Nuremberg, Toy Museum, Bolivar, Downtown, Malta Toy Museum, Quebec City, Adobe, Nord Expe, Mexico Piñatas, UNESCO, ”, Santa Locations: England, Philippines, Rovaniemi, Lapland, Finland, Santa, Bethlehem , Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, New York City, Bethlehem, Moravian, Bath, “, Fernando , Philippines, Asia, San Fernando, Catholic Philippines, Manila, of Bethlehem, Barcelona, Spain, Santa Eulalia, New York City New York, Central Park, Macy’s, Nairobi, Kenya, Nuremberg, Germany, German, Bogotá, Colombia, Bogota, Christmastime, Malta, Downtown Valletta, Quebec City, Canada, Petit Champlain, Quebec, Old Quebec, Sentier, Nord, Miguel, Mexico, posadas, ponche, Piñatas, Salzburg, Oberndorf, Austria, ” Salzburg, Bavaria, Strasbourg, France, Europe, Queenstown , New Zealand, New Zealand, Queenstown, Wakatipu

☆ Venezuela's anti-inflation efforts dealt blow as currency tumbles
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( Cynthia Kim | Jihoon Lee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

For months, President Nicolas Maduro's administration has sought to fight inflation by anchoring the bolivar's exchange rate. It has increased the supply of foreign currency cash in local banks and limited the expansion of credit and public spending. The local currency has depreciated 17% since October, and 55% so far this year. Both economists said the government may be fine with letting the exchange rate slide a little more, if it allows them to spend again. The central bank did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

☆ Cuban singer-songwriter Pablo Milanés dies at 79
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

“The culture in Cuba is in mourning for the death of Pablo Milanes,” Cuban Prime Minister Manuel Marrero Cruz tweeted Monday night. Milanés and Rodríguez in particular became close, touring the world’s stages as cultural ambassadors for the Cuban Revolution, and bonding during boozy sessions. “If Silvio Rodríguez and I got together, the rum was always there,” Milanés told El Pais in 2003. Cuba’s aging leaders “are stuck in time,” Milanés told Spanish newspaper El Mundo. “These freedoms have been seen in small doses, and we hope that with time they will grow,” Milanés told The Associated Press.

☆ Venezuela's monthly inflation slows to 6.2% in October
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

CARACAS, Nov 4 (Reuters) - Venezuela's monthly inflation in October hit 6.2%, a sharp slowdown from September when prices rose 28.7%, according to data released on Friday by the country's central bank. President Nicolas Maduro's government has tapped the brakes on inflation with orthodox economic policies aimed at exchange-rate stabilization, reduced public spending and tax hikes. Year-on-year inflation stood at 155.79%, according to Reuters calculations based on central bank figures, the highest in the Latin American region. High prices coupled with a de facto dollarization in some sectors have severely widened wage gaps between public and private sector workers. The minimum wage is equivalent to about $15 per month and has not been revised since last March.

☆ U.S. fugitive ‘Fat Leonard’ seeks Venezuelan asylum
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-27 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

Leonard Glenn Francis slipped away from house arrest in San Diego on Sept. 4, only weeks before he was to be sentenced. By law the Venezuelan government must consider the asylum request. Venezuelan officials have said he intended to reach Russia. Leonard Glenn Francis, the CEO of Glenn Defense Marine Asia of Singapore. The U.S. attorney’s office declined to comment when asked about Francis’ request for asylum in Venezuela.

☆ Colombia Reopens Border With Venezuela in Bid to Mend Ties With U.S. Adversary
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( Kejal Vyas | Jenny Carolina González | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Colombian and Venezuelan officials watched the first truck cross a bridge connecting the two countries during a Monday ceremony to open their land border. CÚCUTA, Colombia—Colombia and Venezuela on Monday reopened their 1,400-mile border after it was closed for seven years as the new leftist government in Bogotá took a major step toward normalizing relations with a regime that the U.S. has accused of narco-trafficking and rights abuses. Surrounded by crowds of cheering onlookers, Colombian President Gustavo Petro met on the Simón Bolívar International Bridge with Venezuelan officials, as they held up the peace sign and sang their national anthems before the first Venezuelan cargo truck carrying steel crossed over the bridge into Colombia.

☆ Thousands march against Colombian President Petro's tax reform
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Demonstrators protest against the government of Colombian President Gustavo Petro and his tax reform proposal in Bogota, Colombia September 26, 2022. Petro, 62, has promised to seek "total peace" through deals with rebel groups and crime gangs and asked lawmakers to approve a tax reform which would raise an initial $5.6 billion for social programs next year. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterPetro has constructed a majority in congress through alliances with a range of parties. Some 5,000 people, many waving signs with slogans like "no to the tax reform", marched in Bogota, according to the mayor's office. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Herbert Villarraga; Writing by Luis Jaime Acosta and Julia Symmes Cobb Editing by Marguerita ChoyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Fugitive who bribed Navy officials with cigars, suckling pigs, Lady Gaga tickets, and a 'rotating carousel of prostitutes' may be used as leverage for Venezuela's new government to win recognition fro
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-24 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Venezuelan President Maduro may use Leonard as a bargaining chip for US recognition, AP reported. With his capture, experts are speculating whether disputed Venezuelan President Maduro will use the prisoner as a bargaining chip to win recognition from US President Joe Biden's administration, AP reported. He also overcharged the Navy by over $35 million for services, NBC reported,With his arrest, experts told AP Francis' conditional return may be used as leverage to prompt official recognition from the Biden administration. A law enforcement official in Venezuela told AP the extradition is seen as unlikely because the Biden administration recognizes opposition leader Juan Guaidó — not Maduro — as the country's legitimate ruler. Guaidó declared himself interim president of Venezuela in January 2019 amid nationwide protests against authoritarian president Nicolas Maduro.

☆ Navy bribery case fugitive 'Fat Leonard' tried to get to Russia, officials say
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-23 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

In a photo released Sept. 21, 2022, Interpol Venezuela said it captured Malaysian fugitive Francis Leonard Glenn, known as Fat Leonard. Interpol Venezuela | AFP | Getty ImagesSince escaping two weeks ago, officials say the fugitive Malaysian defense contractor nicknamed "Fat Leonard" — who orchestrated one of the U.S. Navy's largest bribery scandals — zipped between countries to find a place where he could become virtually untouchable for American authorities. Francis was planning to travel to Russia, according to Interpol Venezuela Director General Carlos Garate Rondon, who disclosed the arrest in a statement posted Wednesday on Instagram. Among those he befriended was a Russian diplomat, Francis told podcaster Tom Wright, who created a nine-part series on the case. The official said Francis later told authorities his final destination was Russia.

☆ Fugitive 'Fat Leonard' was captured at a Venezuela airport trying to flee to Russia after escaping house arrest
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-22 | by ( Jake Epstein | Azmi Haroun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Fugitive 'Fat Leonard,' who pleaded guilty to involvement in a US Navy bribery scandal, was caught in Venezuela. Interpol Venezuela said it captured Leonard Glenn Francis trying to flee the country for Russia. Leonard recently cut his GPS ankle bracelet and fled house arrest in San Diego, where he was awaiting sentencing. Francis, a former military contractor who is also known as "Fat Leonard," was captured at an airport while trying to flee the country, Interpol Venezuela said in a Wednesday statement shared to Instagram. —USMS San Diego (@USMSSanDiego) September 6, 2022The US Marshals Service confirmed Francis' capture in Venezuela to the Associated Press.

☆ Bed Bath & Beyond CFO falls to death days after company announces massive closures and layoffs
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-05 | by ( Julianne Mcshane | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

A Bed Bath & Beyond executive died from an apparent suicide after falling from the downtown Manhattan luxury skyscraper where he lived, according to New York's medical examiner’s office. A Sunday statement from the retailer said that "the entire Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. organization is profoundly saddened by this shocking loss." Last year, Arnal took home $2.9 million as CFO of Bed Bath & Beyond, including $775,000 in salary and the rest in stock awards, according to InsiderTrades.com. Last month, he sold more than 42,500 shares of company stock worth more than a million dollars, according to the website MarketBeat. Bed Bath & Beyond's stock took a major hit last month after an influential investor sold all of his nearly 7.8 million shares.

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