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☆ Analysis: Emergence of Guatemalan anti-graft champion shakes up election
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( Sofia Menchu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/5] Presidential candidate for the Semilla party Bernardo Arevalo holds a rally at the Parque Central a day after the first round of Guatemala's presidential election, in Guatemala City, Guatemala June 26, 2023. Underlining voter frustration with the status-quo, nearly a quarter of ballots counted were either spoiled or left blank. Arevalo, who has called corruption a "cancer eating away" at Guatemala, will face former first lady Sandra Torres in the run-off. Torres, running in her third presidential contest, won 15.8% of the first-round vote to Arevalo's 11.8%. Aldana later sought asylum in the U.S., while current President Alejandro Giammattei himself became embroiled in corruption allegations, which he denies.

Persons: Bernardo Arevalo, Juan Jose Arevalo, Arevalo, Thelma Aldana, Otto Perez, Semilla, Bernardo, Nicol Estrada, Carlos Pineda, Will Freeman, Hugo Novales, Sandra Torres, Torres, Freeman, Semilla's, Aldana, Alejandro Giammattei, Juan Jose, Giammattei, Ivan Velasquez, Julia Esquivel, Jimmy Morales, Sofia Menchu, Dave Graham, Stephen Eisenhammer, Rosalba O'Brien, Leslie Adler Organizations: Parque, REUTERS, GUATEMALA CITY, Council, Foreign Relations, of, Guatemala's, U.S, Twitter, Thomson Locations: Parque Central, Guatemala City, Guatemala, Josue, GUATEMALA, Arevalo, U.S, Guatemalan

☆ Eldest of rescued Colombian children pulled sister from plane wreckage
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BOGOTA, June 12 (Reuters) - The eldest of the four Indigenous children who were missing for more than five weeks in Colombia's southern jungle after a plane crash pulled her youngest sibling from the wreckage, the children's grandfather said on Monday. The oldest sister, Lesly, whose courage has been hailed by authorities as key to the children's survival, pulled the youngest child, Cristin, from the plane, grandfather Narciso Mucutuy said in videos posted by the defense ministry. The children spent four days near the wreckage, he said, eating flour that had been onboard, before wandering from the site. Colombian Air Force/Handout via REUTERSLesly was exhausted by the time they were rescued, Mucutuy added. The father of the two youngest siblings has said the children will tell their own story about the ordeal.

Persons: Lesly, Narciso Mucutuy, Mucutuy, San Jose del, REUTERS Lesly, Wilson, Adriana Velasquez, Rescuers, Julia Symmes Cobb, Lisa Shumaker Organizations: Cessna, Colombian Air Force, REUTERS, Twitter, Thomson Locations: BOGOTA, Caqueta province, Bogota, San Jose, San Jose del Guaviare, Colombia

CNN —Eating cassava flour helped save the lives of four children found alive in the Amazon jungle more than a month after their plane crashed, according to a Colombian military special forces official. The children ate “three kilograms (six pounds) of farina,” a coarse cassava flour commonly used by indigenous tribes in the Amazon region, said spokesperson Pedro Arnulfo Sánchez Suárez. The children’s mother Magdalena Mucutuy Valencia was killed in the plane crash on May 1, leaving them alone and stranded in the Amazon jungle. The children’s disappearance sparked a massive military-led search operation that saw more than one hundred Colombian special forces troops and over 70 indigenous scouts combing the deep forest. They told officials that they had found a dog – a Belgian Shepherd search dog named Wilson that belonged to special forces.

Persons: farina, Pedro Arnulfo Sánchez, ” Suárez, “, ”, Ranoque, Cristin Ranoque, What’s, Ivan Velasquez, Magdalena Mucutuy Valencia, Hernando Murcia Morales, Herman Mendoza Hernández, Belgian Shepherd, Wilson, Suárez, Gustavo Petro, ” Petro Organizations: CNN, Colombian Air Force, Colombian Defense, Colombian Locations: Colombian, Bogota, Belgian, Colombia

☆ Child plane crash survivors in "acceptable" state of health
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

BOGOTA, June 10 (Reuters) - Four Indigenous children who were missing for more than five weeks in Colombia's southern jungle, after surviving a plane crash which killed their mother, are in an "acceptable" state of health, the government said on Saturday. "In general the boy and the girls are in an acceptable state. The youngest of the children turned one while in the jungle, while her brother had his fifth birthday, he said. Clues as to the siblings' whereabouts have been reported for weeks as the search, dubbed Operation Hope, continued. Three adults, including the pilot and the children's mother, died in the crash and their bodies were found inside the plane.

Persons: Gustavo Petro, Petro, Ivan Velasquez, Fidencio Valencia, Velasquez, General Carlos Rincon, Hope, Wilson, gaunt, Manuel Ranoque, San Jose del Guaviare, Carolina Pulice, Luis Jaime Acosta, Nelson Bocanegra, Oliver Griffin, Jamie Freed, Andrea Ricci Organizations: Twitter, Cessna, Thomson Locations: BOGOTA, Caqueta province, Bogota, Araracuara, Caqueta, San Jose, Guaviare

CNN —Four young children have been found alive after more than a month wandering the Amazon where they survived like “children of the jungle,” according to Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro. Petro said the children were all together when they were found, adding they had demonstrated an example of “total survival that will be remembered in history.”“They are children of the jungle and now they are children of Colombia,” he added. The children, who appear gaunt in the photos, are being evaluated by doctors and will be taken to the town of San Jose del Guaviare. When we found the children we felt joy, we don’t know what to do, but we are grateful to God,” he said. During a press conference Friday evening, Petro said he hoped to speak with the children on Saturday.

Persons: Gustavo Petro, “, ” Petro, Petro, ”, María Fátima Valencia, “ I’m, gaunt, San Jose del Guaviare, Ivan Velasquez, Jacobombaire, Tien Ranoque Mucutuy, Cristin Ranoque, Magdalena Mucutuy Valencia, Hernando Murcia Morales, Herman Mendoza Hernández, they’d, Fidencio Valencia, Narcizo Mucutuy, Villavicencio, Lucho Acosta Organizations: CNN, Twitter, Colombian, Colombian Defense Ministry Locations: Colombia, Villavicencio, San Jose, Bogota, Colombian, ”

☆ MLB roundup: Overturned DP helps Marlins beat Angels
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +11 min

Phillies 2, Braves 1Right-hander Zack Wheeler continued his dominance over Atlanta, throwing eight scoreless innings to lead visiting Philadelphia to a win. Four Atlanta relievers combined for four scoreless innings, allowing two hits and fanning six. Mariners 5, Pirates 0Luis Castillo allowed one hit over six scoreless innings as Seattle defeated visiting Pittsburgh. Mason Thompson (3-2), the first of four Nationals relievers, earned the win with two scoreless innings. Ryan Helsley (3-3) was credited with the victory after pitching 1 1/3 scoreless innings, while Sandlin (2-2) took the loss.

☆ How a Food Stylist and Housewares Designer Spends Her Sundays
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-21 | by ( Julia Bozzone | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Like many other New Yorkers, the food stylist had to work inside of her own apartment or at other nearby locations to finish the project on time. To evoke different regions of Colombia, she and her photography team experimented with color, lighting, flowers and textiles. The result was a book that was less about travel and more about sharing Colombian food and culture. Her native country approved: Photographs from the 2021 book have been used in a series of new Colombian stamps. In addition to her work for clients like Bon Appétit, Saveur and Williams-Sonoma, last year Ms. Velásquez founded Casa Velasquez, an entertaining line that includes aprons, linens and tableware.

CNN —National Treasure won the 2023 Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore Saturday evening. The win made Baffert the winningest trainer in Preakness Stakes history and the only trainer to have eight horses win the race. Blazing Sevens placed second, and prerace favorite and Kentucky Derby winner Mage placed third in the seven-horse field. The win means no horse will take home the coveted Triple Crown this year, achieved when a horse wins the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes in one year. National Treasure was ridden by Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez, who tallied his first win at the Preakness Stakes.

☆ Mutation Protected Man From Alzheimer’s Disease, Hinting at Treatment
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Gina Kolata | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Dr. Arboleda-Rodriguez is a co-founder of a biotechnology company looking to produce drugs that could act on this research. The mutation results in a potent version of a protein, Reelin, in the entorhinal cortex. That super-potent Reelin ultimately prevents tangled strands of tau proteins from sticking together and forming the structures that are a characteristic of Alzheimer's. “We don’t know what sort of damage it might do, sticking needles in and dropping in chemicals,” he said. The man with what the researchers are calling “resilience” to Alzheimer’s was part of a decades-long study of 6,000 people living in Colombia who have a gene mutation that causes Alzheimer’s in middle age.

☆ A man destined for Alzheimer's defied that fate. Now scientists want to know how
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Brenda Goodman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

He seems to have been protected by a rare gene change that enhanced the function of a protein that helps nerve cells communicate. Scientists say that understanding how this gene change defended his brain may help prevent Alzheimer’s in other people. “Another big insight from this case is, it seems like maybe you don’t need this everywhere in the brain,” Arboleda-Velasquez said. This is the pathway that is important for extreme protection against Alzheimer’s,’ ” Arboleda-Velasquez said. The sister of the man in the new study also shared the rare protective gene change, and it helped her, but not as much.

☆ End of Title 42 immigration policy has brought fewer migrants than expected, but overcrowding concerns remain
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-14 | by ( Nouran Salahieh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

David Peinado Romero/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images Migrants carry a baby in a suitcase across the Rio Grande on May 10. Gary Coronado/Los Angeles Times/Getty Images Migrants wait to get paid after washing cars at a gas station in Brownsville on May 10. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP/Getty Images Migrants surrender to US Border Patrol agents after crossing the border in Yuma on May 10. Paul Ratje/Reuters Migrants wait to be processed by US Border Patrol agents in Santa Teresa, New Mexico, on April 26. Hudak warned in the filing that without measures to conditionally release some migrants, Border Patrol could have over 45,000 migrants in custody by the end of the month.

☆ MLB roundup: Orioles score 13, take another series
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

After mounting an 8-1 advantage in the third, the Orioles surrendered the lead on eight straight Royals runs. Marlins left-hander Jesus Luzardo (2-2) allowed seven hits, three walks and four runs (three earned). Rays 3, Pirates 2Zach Eflin threw seven shutout innings to help host Tampa Bay complete a three-game sweep of Pittsburgh. The Red Sox put up a series-high 16 hits -- delivering one more hit in each successive game of the series after 13 on Monday. George Kirby (3-2) allowed three runs and seven hits in his seven-inning start.

☆ MLB roundup: Padres prevail in offensive showcase in Mexico City
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +14 min

Trent Grisham hit a two-run double to increase the Padres' lead to 14-11 in the eighth. Machado had three hits with three RBIs and four runs, while Thairo Estrada had four hits and three RBIs for the Giants. Andujar went 2-for-3 with three RBIs, while Connor Joe went 1-for-4 with a solo homer and two runs for Pittsburgh. Patrick Corbin (1-4) gave up three runs on seven hits with two strikeouts and a walk in 5 1/3 innings. Nationals starter Chad Kuhl (0-2) allowed eight runs on seven hits with four strikeouts and four walks in just 3 2/3 innings.

☆ Mexico's Haitian asylum seekers lack access to basic resources, says IRC
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Sarah Morland | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MEXICO CITY, April 27 (Reuters) - More than nine in 10 Haitians seeking asylum in Mexico lack the resources to cover basic necessities such as food, shelter and medical care, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) aid group said on Thursday. More than seven in 10 said they struggled to access reliable information in Haitian Creole, particularly about legal pathways to migration and their rights in Mexico. Language barriers, as discrimination and lack of space made accessing shelters difficult, the IRC said, causing many migrants to live on the streets or in makeshift camps. IRC Mexico director Rafael Velasquez noted that Mexico played a key role as migrants crossed the country in the hopes of reaching the United States. Although migrants generally consider areas in south and central Mexico relatively safe, this was not the case at the country's northern border, Velasquez added.

WASHINGTON, April 19 (Reuters) - A former Venezuelan treasurer, who also served as an aide to late President Hugo Chavez and was convicted in the U.S. of money laundering, was sentenced to 15 years in prison, the U.S. Justice Department said on Wednesday. A Florida jury in December convicted Diaz, as well as her husband Adrian Velasquez, on two counts of money laundering and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering in association with a corruption scheme in Venezuela. U.S. District Court Judge William Dimitroulea in Florida sentenced Diaz and her husband, who also received 15 years, on Wednesday, the Justice Department said. Diaz, Velasquez and Gorrin purchased and paid expenses related to private jets, yachts, mansions, champion horses and a designer fashion line in South Florida, prosecutors said. (This story has been refiled to remove an extraneous word in paragraph 4)Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Cynthia OstermanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ MLB roundup: Clayton Kershaw blanks Mets, gets 200th win
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +13 min

Martinez hit two home runs in his first multi-homer game with the Dodgers and the 19th of his career. In addition to his milestone win, Kershaw (3-1) also improved to 11-0 in 17 career regular-season starts against the Mets. Mets starter Tylor Megill (3-1) gave up three runs on seven hits over five innings. Bassitt (2-2) allowed three hits and walked one batter while notching five strikeouts in 6 1/3 innings. Philadelphia chased Lance Lynn (0-2) with one out in the sixth; he allowed five runs on 10 hits, fanning seven.

☆ MLB roundup: Rays tie modern record at 13-0
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Brandon Lowe had two hits, including a home run, and Yandy Diaz also went deep for the Rays. Rays starter Jeffrey Springs was removed after three-plus innings due to ulnar neuritis in his left arm. He struck out five and allowed one run on a homer by Red Sox outfielder Rob Refsnyder. Nick Lodolo (2-0) worked around trouble in the first two innings, scattered eight hits and allowed two runs over five innings. Toronto right-hander Chris Bassitt (1-2) allowed two runs, four hits and three walks while striking out seven in six innings.

☆ MLB roundup: Kodai Senga shines in debut as Mets down Marlins
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +12 min

[1/2] Apr 2, 2023; Miami, Florida, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Kodai Senga (34) pitches against the Miami Marlins in the first inning at loanDepot Park. /Rhona Wise-USA TODAY SportsApril 3 - Right-hander Kodai Senga struck out eight batters in his major league debut, leading the New York Mets to a 5-1 win over the host Miami Marlins on Sunday afternoon. Marlins starter Trevor Rogers (0-1) lasted just 4 1/3 innings, allowing four hits, two walks and four runs, three earned. He allowed one run on three hits while walking two and striking out six in his first start of the season. Two of Houck's five hits allowed were home runs by Baltimore's Adam Frazier (3-for-4, two RBIs, two runs) and Cedric Mullins (2-for-5, run, three RBIs).

☆ Hacker Stole My Phone, Credit Card, Identity. I Set Out to Find Them.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-02 | by ( Avery Hartmans | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +22 min

They left the Verizon store and went to a nearby Apple store, where they used my Chase credit card to spend $6,370. And two, because a physical credit card had been used to make the purchases, even though I was still in possession of my card. Typically, when your credit card is about to expire, as mine was, the bank sends you a new card a few weeks ahead of time. All told, the gang allegedly stole hundreds of identities and defrauded retailers and credit card companies of $1.3 million. Whoever hacked my identity, it makes sense that they started with my credit card.

☆ Biggest security benefits, risks with new Meta, Twitter verified identity subscriptions
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Cheryl Winokur Munk | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +12 min

As Twitter and Meta Platforms move to paid subscriptions for social media identity verification and security, the battle to stay safe online continues. With social engineering and phishing the primary sources of social media account compromise, it's unlikely verified accounts will actually be more secure. "Twitter is only eliminating the SMS-based two-factor authentication capability, and does offer two additional methods for two-factor authentication that are stronger and more reliable than SMS-based authentication," Ramzan said. When signing on for a social media account, try to give away as little personal information as possible, Buzzard said. Aura recommends social media users disable third-party apps that are connected to their social media accounts.

☆ Meet the British composer living with a rare type of epilepsy that is triggered by music
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Determined to carry on with their love of music, Bec found a way to overcome their condition. Liza Bec, a professional composer, discovered in 2008 that music — the very thing they had devoted their life to — was causing their epilepsy. "It was complete horror," Bec told Insider: "I just thought: 'I'm going to die. A condition that affects one in 10 million peopleLiza Bec, playing their roborecorder. Doctors told Bec they should go on medication and avoid playing music to avoid damaging their brain further.

Identity theft is often a crime of opportunity, so reducing risk goes a long way to protect against identity theft. How to reduce the risk of identity theftEva Velasquez, president of the Identity Theft Resource Center, says it's best to take multiple steps to secure your identity. Editor's Rating 4.6/5 A five pointed star A five pointed star A five pointed star A five pointed star A five pointed star Editor's Rating 4.7/5 A five pointed star A five pointed star A five pointed star A five pointed star A five pointed star Editor's Rating 4.8/5 A five pointed star A five pointed star A five pointed star A five pointed star A five pointed star Learn more On Aura's website Learn more On IDShield's website Learn more On IdentityForce's website1. While this doesn't necessarily prevent identity theft, it does mitigate any potential damages as a result of identity theft. You can report identity theft over the phone; however, you will not receive an identity theft report.

HAVANA, Feb 13 (Reuters) - Cubans suffering long lines for food, fuel and medicine now have a new problem: painfully slow internet. "The internet keeps getting worse and worse and we're reaching the point where getting online is becoming impossible for the average Cuban," he said. But getting online can still be a touchy subject. Global internet watchdogs have also said Cuba has restricted internet access during recent protests to suppress coverage of the demonstrations and limit their spread. Cuba's government has since announced another cable project, called Arimao, which aims to connect Cuba to the Caribbean island of Martinique by April.

☆ 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.

☆ 10 things about ancient Egypt that movies and TV got wrong, according to an expert
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-28 | by ( Marianne Guenot | Carter Thallon | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Movies and television shape what people think about ancient Egypt. Here are 10 things that "Moon Knight", "The Mummy", and others got wrong and one they got right. When it comes to ancient Egypt, they can draw the portrait of pharaohs ruling Egypt with an iron fist, cruel torture, and wicked booby-trapped pyramids. "All of the sarcophagi that I've seen in Egypt were made of stone," said Browder, an author of several books on ancient Egypt. The curse that set Imhotep on his murderous path in "The Mummy" has no historical basisIn "The Mummy," Imhotep was mummified alive.

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