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☆ Fact Check-Satirical claims Miss USA is boycotting Miss Universe pageant are taken seriously
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A satirical article about Miss USA boycotting the Miss Universe pageant is being shared by users who believe it to be true. Examples of posts sharing the satirical article without a disclaimer can be seen (here) and (here). The article describes “Natasha Berkelston” as Miss USA, however, this does not match the most recent contestant crowned as Miss USA in 2022, Morgan Romano (missusa.com/titleholder/), or any previous winners (missusa.com/formers/). “It’s not news that we welcome all women contestants, and that our official policy has been that trans women are women for more than a decade,” the spokesperson said. “Therefore, no USA contestant or winner would be surprised by the outcome of the Miss Universe Netherlands pageant.”VERDICTSatire.

Persons: “, Billbordi, Dunning, ” The Dunning, tomfoolery, “ Natasha Berkelston ”, Miss USA, Morgan Romano, ”, Romano, Kollé, Angela Ponce, “ It’s, Read Organizations: Miss USA, Miss, Kruger Times, Defense, Reuters, Miss Universe, Miss Netherlands Locations: Miss Netherlands, Miss Universe Netherlands

☆ 4 More Arrested in Human Smuggling Case That Left 53 Dead in Texas
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( John Yoon | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Four more men have been arrested in Texas in connection with a human smuggling operation that left 53 people dead on the outskirts of San Antonio last year, federal prosecutors said on Tuesday. The arrests on Monday, which came one day shy of the first anniversary of the discovery of the dead migrants, marked a significant development in the federal investigation into one of the deadliest episodes involving migrants along the southern border of the United States in recent history. The arrests of the men brings to six the number of people facing criminal charges in the case. The four men arrested this week are Riley Covarrubias-Ponce, 30, Felipe Orduna-Torres, 28, Luis Alberto Rivera-Leal, 37, and Armando Gonzales-Ortega, 53, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Western District of Texas. They were part of a human smuggling organization that brought people into the United States from Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico from December 2021 to June 2022, the federal prosecutor’s office in San Antonio said.

Persons: Riley Covarrubias, Felipe Orduna, Torres, Luis Alberto Rivera, Leal, Armando Gonzales, Ortega Organizations: San Antonio, Attorney’s, Western, Western District of Locations: Texas, San, United States, Ponce, Western District, Western District of Texas, Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, San Antonio

March 27 (Reuters) - Elon Musk's brain implant company Neuralink has approached one of the biggest U.S. neurosurgery centers as a potential clinical trials partner as it prepares to test its devices on humans once regulators allow for it, according to six people familiar with the matter. Barrow has helped standardize brain implant surgeries in which the patient can remain asleep, a key step in making it more acceptable to a broad set of the population, Ponce said. This is in line with Musk's vision for Neuralink's brain chip. The billionaire CEO of Tesla Inc (TSLA.O) and majority owner of Twitter has said Neuralink's brain implants will become as ubiquitous as Lasik eye surgery. Neuralink's implant is a brain computer interface (BCI) device, which uses electrodes that penetrate the brain or sit on its surface to provide direct communication to computers.

☆ Peruvian archaeologists unearth 30 pre-Inca era graves
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

HUARAL, Peru, Feb 25 (Reuters) - Peruvian archaeologists have discovered some 30 pre-Inca era graves in a cemetery belonging to the Chancay people, a group who inhabited valleys of Peru's central coast from 1000 to 1500 AD. The newly found 800-year-old graves have allowed specialists to know more about the Chancay culture, which has been little researched, Pieter Van Dalen, archeologist at San Marcos university, told Reuters. "In the last year we have discovered more than 2,000 burials in different cemeteries of the Chancay culture," he added. Television footage show archaeologists brushing dust off vases in different shapes with visible artwork in the cemetery. Reporting by Angela Ponce; Writing by Valentine Hilaire; Editing by Sandra MalerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Fact Check-Image does not show Joe Biden’s pants on backwards
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Pictures of Joe Biden’s visit to Puerto Rico in October 2022 show the president was wearing his pants correctly, despite posts on social media claiming otherwise. A search through Reuters Pictures returned a similar image to the one used in the meme, in which Biden is also wearing a blue shirt, beige pants and dark glasses. This higher definition photograph shows he was wearing his pants correctly, as a belt buckle and zip can be seen (bit.ly/3RVpdLy). President Joe Biden walks with First Lady Jill Biden and Governor of Puerto Rico Pedro Pierluisi at Port of Ponce, Puerto Rico, October 3, 2022.”A photograph from the same day shared by the White House (here) also shows Biden was wearing his clothes properly. Joe Biden did not wear his pants backwards during a visit to Puerto Rico.

☆ OAS members recommit to helping Haiti through gang violence
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Secretary-General of the Organization of American States (OAS) Luis Almagro heads a session at the OAS 52nd General Assembly, in Lima, Peru October 7, 2022. REUTERS/Angela PonceFeb 10 (Reuters) - The Organization of American States (OAS) on Friday passed a resolution to support Haiti on its path to long-delayed elections and help the Caribbean country manage widespread gang violence that is driving a humanitarian crisis. Talks on such a force have lagged as no country has offered to lead it, though some Caribbean states said they would participate and Canada sent a surveillance military aircraft. Henry has pledged to leave office by Feb. 7, 2024, after repeatedly postponing elections due to a devastating 2021 earthquake as well as the gang violence. The head of the Washington-based OAS, Luis Almagro, has agreed and said locals would have to drive a precise roadmap.

[1/5] Protesters clash with police officers during an anti-government demonstration following the ouster of Peru's former President Pedro Castillo, in Lima, Peru January 24, 2023. The violence has left 48 people dead with 10 more civilians killed in accidents or other issues related to the blockades. Protesters have pledged to fight on until new elections are held, Boluarte resigns and Congress is shut. The protests, while focused in the south, have spread across the nation, with hundreds of road blockades using trees, rocks and car tires jamming up transport. "I am Inca blood," said Cirilo Yupanqui, wearing a pink gas mask while protesting in capital Lima.

☆ Chinese-owned copper mine in Peru may halt production over unrest
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-29 | by ( Reuters Staff | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

LIMA (Reuters) - The huge Chinese-owned Las Bambas copper mine in Peru, normally the supplier of 2% of the metal worldwide, could halt production this week due to protests and blockades that are starting to snarl output of the red metal amid already tight global supply. REUTERS/Angela Ponce/File PhotoThe Andean nation, the world’s second-largest copper producer, has seen growing social unrest since early December, with key mines hit by road blockades and attacks by protesters, mainly impacting transportation of copper rather than production. A source close to the Las Bambas operation said road blockades had been extremely effective and usually were rebuilt after being cleared. A Reuters analysis of power usage by key Peru copper mines, which can be an indicator of mining activity, shows that the protests, while hitting transportation, have yet to fully weigh on production. GRAPHIC: Peru Mines: Power use - hereGRAPHIC: Peru: mines and power - here

☆ Peru's Boluarte laments Congress' failure to speed up elections
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Peru's President Dina Boluarte speaks as she meets with foreign press, in Lima, Peru January 24, 2023. REUTERS/Angela Ponce/File PhotoJan 28 (Reuters) - Peruvian President Dina Boluarte expressed regret after Congress refused to speed up the timeline for a presidential election amid widespread social and political unrest, her office said on Saturday. Lawmakers had given an initial green light to moving elections from 2026 to 2024, but late on Friday evening voted down proposals hold the election this year. Boluarte has repeatedly backed moving up elections as she struggles to quell nationwide protests demanding her resignation, which have left dozens dead. Boluarte, who took office after former President Pedro Castillo was impeached and arrested last month, has maintained she will stay on as president until elections are held.

☆ Peru elections could come later this year, president says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] Peru's President Dina Boluarte speaks as she meets with foreign press, in Lima, Peru January 24, 2023. REUTERS/Angela PonceJan 27 (Reuters) - Peruvian President Dina Boluarte said on Friday she was considering moving up general elections to later this year, as the Andean leader struggles to keep a hold on protests demanding her resignation that have left dozens dead. Congress is set to debate a proposal later on Friday to move national elections forward to April 2024, from 2026, but several legislators have proposed amending the bill to move up the elections even earlier, to late 2023. "They won't let us go ahead with our peaceful march, we're demanding Dina Boluarte resign," one protester, Abraham Copatayapa, told Reuters. She added on Friday that national elections could come in December or sooner, depending on how quickly the proposal is passed.

☆ Peru lawmakers submit motion looking to impeach President Dina Boluarte
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

[1/3] Peru's President Dina Boluarte speaks as she meets with foreign press, in Lima, Peru January 24, 2023. REUTERS/Angela Ponce/File PhotoLIMA, Jan 25 (Reuters) - A group of Peruvian lawmakers on Wednesday submitted a motion that looks to impeach President Dina Boluarte, according to a document seen by Reuters, citing "permanent moral incapacity". The move comes in the midst of violent protests following the impeachment and arrest of her predecessor, former President Pedro Castillo, that have left dozens dead. The motion, signed by more than 20 leftist congressmen who support Castillo, must be approved by 52 votes before it can be debated in Congress. Reporting by Marco Aquino and Carolina Pulice; Writing by Valentine Hilaire; Editing by Sarah MorlandOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Peru recalls ambassador to Honduras for 'unacceptable interference' as diplomatic spat deepens
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/3] Peru's President Dina Boluarte speaks as she meets with foreign press, in Lima, Peru January 24, 2023. REUTERS/Angela PonceJan 26 (Reuters) - Peru withdrew its ambassador to Honduras, Jorge Raffo, due to Honduras' "unacceptable interference" in the internal affairs of Peru, the South American nation's foreign ministry said on Thursday. The step is part of a deepening showdown between Peru President Dina Boluarte and her regional peers, including the leftist leaders of Mexico, Bolivia and Honduras. "As a consequence of the position adopted by Honduras, bilateral relations with said country will be maintained, indefinitely, at the level of chargé d'affaires," the foreign ministry said on Twitter. Boluarte became president in December after Castillo attempted to illegally dissolve Congress, was ousted and detained.

☆ Organization of American States backs Peru's president as protests mount
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Secretary-General of the Organization of American States (OAS) Luis Almagro heads a session at the OAS 52nd General Assembly, in Lima, Peru October 7, 2022. REUTERS/Angela Ponce/File PhotoJan 25 (Reuters) - The Organization of American States' permanent council expressed its "full support" for Peruvian President Dina Boluarte on Wednesday, following weeks of anti-government protests that have left dozens dead. Attending virtually, Boluarte told the council meeting in Washington that she had asked Peru's Congress to approve early elections "as soon as possible". The Congress is set to hold a second and final vote to ratify early elections, moving them from 2026 to April 2024. However, there is mounting pressure to move the elections forward even earlier, as the death toll from weeks of social unrest ticks up.

HALF MOON BAY/MONTEREY PARK, California, Jan 24 (Reuters) - America was supposed to be a place of safety for Jose Romero when he arrived some two years ago to work on a California farm alongside other immigrants from Mexico and China. Romero was killed on Monday, shot dead by a gunman along with six other farm workers in Half Moon Bay, just south of San Francisco. Antonio Perez, who now lives in Half Moon Bay after moving from Mexico in 1983, said he feels stuck between cartel violence in his homeland and gun violence in the United States. “What a tragedy.”People gather for a candlelight vigil after a mass shooting during Chinese Lunar New Year celebrations in Monterey Park, California, U.S. January 24, 2023. About 9.3% of Asian immigrants keep guns in their homes in California, compared with 5.6% of Latino immigrants and 12% of white immigrants, said Ninez Ponce, the lead researcher on the UCLA study.

Today, there are 54 Hispanic American banks and credit unions that are FDIC or NCUA insured around the US. We selected Hispanic American-owned credit unions from the National Credit Union Administration's list of minority depository institutions which was also updated in September 2022. In our list of Hispanic American-owned banks and credit unions, many of the institutions listed offer customer support in Spanish and English. You can open up savings accounts, checking accounts, CDs, and money market accounts in most of the institutions listed. To help you learn more about a specific Hispanic American-owned bank or credit union, we've included links to reviews of individual institutions.

☆ In Peru, protests over Castillo's ouster resume with partial blockades
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Police stand guard at the airport after protesters invaded the runway following the ouster of Peruvian President Pedro Castillo, in Ayacucho, Peru December 20, 2022. REUTERS/Angela PonceLIMA, Jan 4 (Reuters) - Protests in Peru over the ousting of former President Pedro Castillo, which left almost two dozen dead in December, resumed on Wednesday with blockades of some highways following a two-week pause. Peru saw a wave of protests last month after the impeachment and arrest of Castillo, which left 22 dead in clashes between demonstrators and the army and another six dead in accidents linked to the blockades. Castillo, who was in power for nearly 17 months, had tried to illegally dissolve Congress and reorganize the judiciary. "I call for peace, calm, and unity to boost the development of the homeland," she said in a speech.

☆ Caught in the crossfire, Peru protest deaths keep anger burning
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( Alexander Villegas | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +9 min

The protests, the worst in years even in tumultuous Peru, have seen 22 people killed, the youngest just 15. The deaths threaten to keep anger fired up despite a lull in violence over the festive period in the heavily Catholic country. A security camera near the airport shows protesters invading the runway around 2 p.m., some throwing rocks and burning tires while troops gathered. The deaths have become a lightning rod for anger in poor Andean and Amazonian areas, when many feel overlooked despite local oil and copper wealth. She said the deaths would spur more anger as people looked to find someone to hold accountable.

The other is Herschel Walker.”A runoff election to decide control of the Senate is not new for Georgia or its Black voters. Now, Jones said, Black voters are facing the burden of having to pull Georgia — and the country — across the line. That part is confusing.”Sen. Raphael Warnock and Republican Senate candidate Herschel Walker. All of them have so much admiration for Stacey Abrams.”Abrams received 90% of the Black vote, but only 51% of the women’s overall vote, according to NBC News Exit Polls. I can’t be worried about the Senate,” Jones said.

A Thai businesswoman and transgender advocate bought the Miss Universe Organization for $20 million, making her the first woman to own the global beauty pageant in its 71-year history, her company announced Wednesday. The Miss Universe Organization, which was co-owned by former President Donald Trump between 1996-2015, was bought by Endeavor’s IMG in 2015. Miss Universe, Harnaaz Sandhu of India, waves after being crowned Dec. 12, 2021, in Eilat, Israel. The Miss Universe pageant, which started in 1952, broadcasts in 165 countries. The pageant featured its first transgender contestant in 2018, when Miss Spain, Angela Ponce, competed for the crown.

☆ Russians schemed to send U.S. military technology to Russian defense sector, Justice Department says
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-19 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Tom_Winter_Nbc_News.Jpg | Tom Winter | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

Two Russian nationals were arrested in a scheme to obtain sensitive U.S. military electronics and technology to provide it to the Russian defense sector, prosecutors said Wednesday, noting that some of the items were found on the battlefield in Ukraine. The men sent the items to sanctioned Russian companies that serve the defense sector, according to federal prosecutors. "This network schemed to procure sophisticated technology in direct support of a floundering Russian Federation military industrial complex," Assistant FBI Director Michael Driscoll said in a statement. When Orekhov and Kuzurgasheva sought to buy the sensitive U.S. military and "dual-use technology," they falsely claimed it was going to the Russian space agency Roscosmos. In an exchange with Soto, Orekhov used colorful language to allay his concerns about dealing with Russian companies.

☆ MMG to invest $2 billion at its troubled Peruvian Las Bambas mine
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-27 | by ( Marcelo Rochabrun | Marco Aquino | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LIMA (Reuters) -Chinese miner MMG Ltd expects to invest $2 billion in the next five years to expand its troubled Las Bambas copper mine in Peru and is eyeing potential acquisitions to further increase production, an executive said on Tuesday. FILE PHOTO: General view of a mine operated by MMG Las Bambas, outside of Cusco, Peru October 14, 2021. 2 copper producer and Las Bambas is one of the largest producers of the red metal in the world. Las Bambas opened in 2016 in the Peruvian Andes, but has suffered recurrent disruptions from indigenous communities who say its vast mineral wealth has not translated into better living conditions. Those disruptions reached a new peak this year when members of two neighboring communities settled inside Las Bambas, forcing the company to suspend all operations for over 50 days.

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — A ship carrying much-needed diesel fuel has been unable to dock in hard-hit southern Puerto Rico since Sunday while it awaits federal authorization because of the Jones Act, a century-old shipping law. That means that a foreign ship with goods for Puerto Rico would first have to disembark in the mainland U.S. and change crews. Signed into law by President Woodrow Wilson two years after World War I ended, the Jones Act was passed as a protective measure against foreign competition. On Thursday, eight members of Congress called for the federal government to grant a one-year waiver from the Jones Act for storm-ravaged Puerto Rico. As of Monday morning, only 16% of power customers in Ponce had their electricity restored, according to the Puerto Rican government.

JAYUYA, Puerto Rico — When Hurricane Fiona completely knocked out power and water to the mountain town of Jayuya, in the heart of Puerto Rico, it quickly became a life-or-death matter for Luis De Jesús Ramos, who has throat cancer and a tracheostomy. Luis De Jesús Ramos, 63, and his daughter Ashly Pérez, 26, in their home in Jayuya, Puerto Rico. Members of the company LUMA work restoring energy on Sept. 20, 2022 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The Direct Relief Puerto Rico team came to the neighborhood to bring 10 portable oxygen concentrators and other supplies to partners in the area. Edwin Quiles Martínez, 66, and his wife Graciela Pérez Alvarado, 73, in their home in Ponce, Puerto Rico.

☆ Puerto Rico reels from Fiona, with 1.3M without power amid deluge, flash floods
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-19 | by ( Marlene Lenthang | Marlene Lenthang Is A Breaking News Reporter For Nbc News Digital. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

Heavy rainfall and catastrophic flooding battered much of Puerto Rico after Hurricane Fiona made landfall Sunday afternoon, creating an island-wide blackout, with over 1.3 million customers still in the dark as of Monday morning. Fiona made landfall at 3:20 p.m. Sunday with hurricane-force winds, destroying at least one bridge, creating sinkholes and inundating the island with rain. People inside a house in Cayey await rescue Sunday from the floods caused by Hurricane Fiona in Puerto Rico. As of Monday morning, at least 82,800 customers on the island have had their electricity restored, a spokesperson for Luma Energy, the company in charge of power transmission and distribution in Puerto Rico, told Telemundo Puerto Rico. A tropical storm warning was in effect for Puerto Rico, including Vieques and Culebra, and the north coast of the Dominican Republic and southeastern Bahamas.

The National Hurricane Center said Puerto Rico could get 12 to 18 inches of rain, with 30 inches possible in some areas. Nelson Cirino secures the windows of his home Sunday as the winds of Hurricane Fiona blow in Loiza, Puerto Rico. He said the first responders were prepared to be in Puerto Rico for as long as two weeks. Biden was briefed on the situation in Puerto Rico during his trip abroad, a senior administration official said. Nelson Cirino looks in his bedroom Sunday after Hurricane Fiona tore the roof off his house in Loiza, Puerto Rico.

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