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☆ Cuba blasts U.S. for years of disregarding evidence on 'Havana Syndrome'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( Dave Sherwood | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

read more"This conclusion ... confirms what we already knew," Vice Foreign Minister Carlos Fernandez de Cossio told Reuters in an interview in Havana late on Thursday. "The unfortunate thing is, the U.S. government leveraged (Havana Syndrome) to derail bilateral relations ... and discredit Cuba." Cuba has for years labeled as "science fiction" the idea that ´Havana Syndrome´ resulted from an attack by a foreign agent, and its top scientists in 2021 found no evidence of such allegations. De Cossio told Reuters there had been no shortage of evidence and that the revelation this week cast fresh doubt on the credibility of other U.S. policies towards Cuba. ´Havana Syndrome,´ referred to by the U.S. government as "anomalous health incidents," first came to light in 2016 after dozens of diplomats at the U.S. Embassy in Havana complained of intense headaches, nausea, memory lapses and dizziness.

☆ A shadow fleet is helping Russia ship oil around the world. And it's growing
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Julia Horowitz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

London CNN —Russian oil is still finding its way to buyers around the world. Industry insiders estimate the size of that “shadow” fleet at roughly 600 vessels, or about 10% of the global number of large tankers. Andrey Rudakov/Bloomberg/Getty ImagesThe expansion of the shadow fleet highlights the dramatic changes Russia’s war has brought to the global oil market. As a result, an estimated 25 to 35 vessels are being sold per month into the shadow fleet, according to another senior executive at an oil trading firm. There are also questions about who ultimately runs the shadow fleet.

☆ DeSantis accuses congressional Republicans of 'flagrantly' ignoring voters on immigration, leading to Trump election: Book
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Kimberly Leonard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

DeSantis criticized congressional Republicans over the issue of immigration in his new book. Ron DeSantis reserves some of his most scathing criticism of congressional Republicans for how the party has handled the issue of immigration. The election was largely decided on the issue of immigration, with Brat accusing his opponent of being too soft on the issue. DeSantis has publicly criticized his own party on illegal immigration before, saying they were too much talk and not enough action. Hispanic voters in Florida went overwhelmingly for DeSantis during his reelection in November — by 14% — over Democratic challenger former Rep. Charlie Crist.

REUTERS/Jose Luis GonzalezMEXICO CITY, Feb 27 (Reuters) - Dozens of migrant families are splitting up at Mexico's northern border as they struggle to secure U.S. asylum appointments on a government app beset by high demand and persistent glitches, migrants and advocates say. The 15-year-old decided to turn himself in at the border after his pregnant mother could only secure a solo appointment, Santiago said. U.S. President Joe Biden's administration made the app, called CBP One, directly available to asylum seekers in mid-January, aiming to make asylum requests at the border safer and more orderly. On a recent morning at a shelter in the Mexican border city of Ciudad Juarez, migrants awoke in the middle of the night to upload applications, including a selfie photo scan prone to slow processing. Her husband traveled to the Mexican border city of Nogales alone last week for his appointment, scheduled for March 3.

☆ Venezuelan liquor cocuy is winning awards, but producers face hurdles
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Keren Torres | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Venezuela's cocuy producers, however, say limited wild crops and the labor-intensive process of making the drink without additives - the prize-winning version of the liquor - are complicating efforts to increase output. Producers say there is no data on annual national production or sales because much of cocuy output is made for local consumption. A liter of 100% agave cocuy can sell for between $18 and $60, while its production costs average about $12 without commercialization costs. Of the 365 cocuy producers in Lara, whose arid and semi-arid climate makes agave abundant, just 70 make the liquor with 100% agave. The difficult production process begins by cutting back the plant's leaves to reach its "head," said Siquisique producer Nelson de la Rosa.

☆ DeSantis wants to make it harder for undocumented immigrants to work and go to college in Florida
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Kimberly Leonard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

DeSantis is accelerating his clamp down against undocumented immigrants in Florida. Ron DeSantis of Florida rolled out a series of proposals on Thursday that would impose major restrictions on career and educational opportunities for undocumented immigrants in the state. The governor wants state legislators to repeal a state law that allows children of undocumented immigrants to get in-state college tuition rates. Under the proposal, hospitals would be required to collect data on how much they spend providing healthcare to undocumented immigrants. These cities limit their cooperation with federal immigration authorities by refusing to report or hand over certain undocumented immigrants for deportation.

☆ How Putin's Russian goon squad used Mexican gig workers to troll an American election
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-18 | by ( Mattathias Schwartz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +25 min

Posting to social media sounded like an easy work-from-home gig, so he applied. This post from the Prigozhin-backed Social CMS network in Mexico referred to America as "we." He verified his account by providing chat transcripts, screenshots, contracts, and internal company documents. But just because Social CMS didn't yield an immediate, large-scale impact doesn't mean it should be ignored. "I didn't know who are you," wrote the person who is listed in the corporate directory as Prigozhin's media liaison.

☆ DeSantis signs bill into law to expand a controversial program that would ship migrants to 'sanctuary cities'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Taiyler Simone Mitchell | Kimberly Leonard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

"I can't have people all across the border coming into Florida," DeSantis said Wednesday. Ron DeSantis of Florida signed a bill into law Wednesday to expand the state's ability to move migrants to Democratic-led states. Under the expanded law, Florida could move migrants from any state and keep the details of the transportation companies secret. DeSantis' Martha's Vineyard move was viewed by critics as a cruel stunt that misled vulnerable migrants. So-called "sanctuary cities" limit their cooperation with federal immigration authorities by refusing to report or hand over certain undocumented immigrants for deportation.

☆ Colombia and Venezuela sign deal to revive trade
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/4] Colombian President Gustavo Petro and Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro react during a meeting for signing the Partial Scope Agreement Number 28 that will resume bilateral trade between Colombia and Venezuela at the Atanasio Girardot International Bridge on the border between Colombia and Venezuela, in San Antonio del Tachira, Venezuela, February 16, 2023. Colombian Presidency/Handout via REUTERSBOGOTA/CARACAS, Feb 16 (Reuters) - Colombia and Venezuela on Thursday signed an agreement to revive trade between the two countries during a ceremony on a border bridge at which Colombia's President Gustavo Petro and Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro both signed. The deal "updates everything having to do with tariffs, with goods traded, (and) lays the foundations for a new dynamic, for the expansion of trade between Colombia and Venezuela," Maduro said at the event broadcast on Venezuelan state television. "We have to fill these bridges with trade," Petro said, warning that "there is lots still to do because it is not a question of whether these bridges are filled with trade but rather than they are filled with people." Caracas broke off relations with Bogota in 2019 after Venezuelan opposition activists tried to send aid trucks from Colombia.

☆ U.S. Arrests Florida Businessmen Accused of Plotting Haiti President’s Killing
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Ryan Dube | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The U.S. arrested and filed criminal charges against the owners of several South Florida companies in connection with the 2021 killing of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse , the Justice Department said Tuesday. Four men were arrested including Miami-based security contractor Antonio Intriago, a Venezuelan-American who owned the firms Counter Terrorist Unit Federal Academy and Counter Terrorist Unit Security, which hired Colombian mercenaries accused of killing Mr. Moïse, the Justice Department said.

☆ Fact Check-Video compiles CCTV footage that predates Turkey-Syria earthquake
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Footage from 2015 and 2018 has been miscaptioned online to say it shows the devastating earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria on Feb. 6, 2023. The first miscaptioned clip showing CCTV imagery of a white van in the middle of a street as an earthquake hits has already been addressed by Reuters (here). According to the description, the footage depicts an earthquake in Trinidad and Tobago. See the latest Reuters coverage on the 7.8 earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria (here). This video compiles two clips that date to at least 2015 and 2018 respectively.

Feb 14 (Reuters) - U.S. federal agents arrested and charged four suspects in Florida for alleged roles in the plot that led to the 2021 assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moise, authorities said on Tuesday. A person holds a photo of late Haitian President Jovenel Moise, who was shot dead earlier this month, during his funeral at his family home in Cap-Haitien, Haiti, July 23, 2021. Veintemilla, a U.S. citizen, lent over $170,000 to CTU Security to finance their operations in Haiti, officials added. The arrests and charges were reported earlier on Tuesday by the Miami Herald and the New York Times. The resulting violence has left much of the country off-limits to the government and led to routine gun battles with police.

☆ Venezuelans say credit cards that were once lifeline now 'useless'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( Mayela Armas | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

"They are useless," administrator Lina Pereira, from the central city of Valencia, said of her two credit cards, which both have low limits. "My parents bought appliances and computers with their credit cards, but that's a memory for Venezuelans." As incomes have fallen and living costs have grown, credit cards have become vital for many people to make everyday purchases in supermarkets and pharmacies, even as credit limits stagnate and some banks eliminate the cards altogether. In 2012 that figure was 12% in Venezuela, while in countries like the Dominican Republic and Bolivia credit cards currently account for 5% of banks' credit portfolios, according to those country's regulators. "With the limit on cards you can't even pay for lunch," said Gregorio Afonso, a 53-year-old university professor who has two local credit cards and an income of $20 monthly.

☆ Florida legislators want to give DeSantis another $10 million to keep shipping migrants across the country
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Ron DeSantis $10 million to transport migrants across the US. DeSantis previously used a state program to fly asylum seekers from Texas to Martha's Vineyard in September. Ron DeSantis' program to transport migrants to so-called "sanctuary cities" across the country. The proposal, Senate bill 6-B, would create a new "Unauthorized Alien Transport Program" and provide $10 million to transport migrants. Two identical bills were introduced this month in the state Senate and House by State Sen. Blaise Ingoglia (R) and State Rep. John Snyder (R).

☆ NY Philharmonic lures LA's star conductor Gustavo Dudamel
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LOS ANGELES, Feb 7 (Reuters) - The New York Philharmonic said on Tuesday that renowned Venezuelan conductor Gustavo Dudamel will become the orchestra's music and artistic director beginning in 2026, dealing a blow to the music world of Los Angeles. Known for his kinetic energy and bouncing curly hair, Dudamel has led the Los Angeles Philharmonic since 2009. He was hired by Deborah Borda, who is now the president of the New York Philharmonic. "I am grateful to the musicians and leadership of the New York Philharmonic as we embark upon this new and beautiful journey together," Dudamel said on Tuesday. At the NY Phil, he will succeed Dutch conductor Jaap van Zweden.

☆ Maduro negotiator says Venezuela government, opposition making progress on $3.2 billion humanitarian fund
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Vivian Sequera | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro delivers a speech in front of the Venezuelan Supreme Court of Justice magistrates during the opening of the new court term, in Caracas, Venezuela January 31, 2023. The opposition hopes the negotiations will help guarantee that elections tentatively scheduled for 2024 are held in fair conditions. Rodriguez did not offer details on what progress had been made toward creation of the humanitarian fund. The opposition's head negotiator, Gerardo Blyde, has said money from the frozen assets is spread across different jurisdictions, each with their own legal requirements. The opposition has said the money could be moved in small tranches to protect it from creditors.

☆ Caribbean Seeks Venezuela’s Oil and Gas as U.S. Relaxes Sanctions
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( Patricia Garip | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Production has plummeted at Venezuelan state oil company PdVSA, which operates these facilities on Lake Maracaibo. Caribbean countries battered by high energy costs are turning to Venezuela for oil and gas as the U.S. eases sanctions that have kept its supplies off limits for years. Trinidad and Tobago received a U.S. Treasury Department license in January to develop a Venezuelan gas field. A prospective refinery operator in Curaçao is seeking to buy Venezuelan crude oil. And officials on other islands have said they hope to restore Venezuelan fuel imports.

☆ Exclusive: Iran to start revamp at Venezuela's largest refining complex within weeks - sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( Mircely Guanipa | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

The companies are now expected to sign in the coming weeks a 460-million-euro contract to revamp the 955,000-bpd Paraguana refinery complex on the coast of western Venezuela, according to the sources. Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian arrived in Caracas on Friday and met Venezuela's oil minister Tareck El Aissami, according to tweets from the Iranian embassy in Caracas and Venezuela's oil ministry. PDVSA, NIORDC and Venezuela's oil ministry did not reply to requests for comment. A QUARTER OF CAPACITYA project to restore the complex's dilapidated power supply is also planned as part of the revamp, according to the sources. During the El Palito revamp, PDVSA sent home hundreds of Venezuelan workers to make way for the Iranian technicians, which triggered protests.

☆ Violence in Colombia falls in first month of ceasefire
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BOGOTA, Jan 30 (Reuters) - Colombia's ceasefire with four armed groups has led to significant reductions in violence during its first month, Interior Minister Alfonso Prada said on Monday, with fewer murders and attacks on armed forces. Homicides in provinces heavily affected by conflict and where one or more of the groups participating in the ceasefire are active fell by up to 68%, he said, without giving absolute figures. The Pacific province of Choco saw the 68% reduction, followed closely by Arauca, on the Venezuelan border, which saw murders fall by 66%. In Cordoba homicides were down 52%, while in Magdalena they fell 37%, Prada said. Prada did not give figures for members of illegal armed groups killed this month, but the country's navy said earlier on Monday at least nine rebels from the ELN died in fighting last weekend close to Buenaventura.

☆ Miss Universe judge Emily Austin calls Venezuela's President Nicolás Maduro 'illegitimate' after he alleged the pageant was rigged
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-28 | by ( Gabi Stevenson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A Miss Universe judge responded to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro's comments on the pageant. Miss Universe judge Emily Austin said in an interview with Fox News published Friday that Maduro's criticism was hypocritical. Miss Venezuela, Miss USA, and Miss Dominican Republic compete in the 71st annual Miss Universe. Jason Kempin / Staff / Getty ImagesThe Miss Universe Organization chief executive Amy Emmerich also defended Gabriel's wins in both the Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants in a statement to the Los Angeles Times on January 18. "People saying that its 'suspect' that JKN Global Group owns both Miss Universe and Miss USA aren't familiar with the history of the organizations.

☆ Fact Check-Clip of military vehicle running over protesters filmed in Caracas, Venezuela in 2019
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

(Warning: This article contains graphic content)A clip of a military vehicle running over protesters was filmed in Caracas, Venezuela in April 2019 and not Peru amid protests in January 2023. The clip was shared by social media users online amid protests that kicked off in December following the ousting of Peru’s then president, Pedro Castillo. The social media users erroneously captioned it as an incident in Peru during the protests. Reuters also produced an article reporting that a Venezuela National Guard vehicle ran protesters over outside a military base in Venezuela’s capital on April 30, 2019 (here). Read more about our work to fact-check social media posts here.

☆ Latin America, Caribbean call for more international funding at CELAC summit
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BUENOS AIRES, Jan 24 (Reuters) - Countries from Latin America and the Caribbean on Tuesday called for more international funding in the region following economic and climate crises, in a final declaration after a summit held in the Argentine capital of Buenos Aires. The 111-point "Declaration of Buenos Aires" from the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States' (CELAC) seventh summit described how effects of COVID-19, climate change and the war in Ukraine had rippled across the region. "We express our concern that several countries emerged from the pandemic with higher levels of public debt," it said. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro sent a recorded message saying he had chosen not to attend due to "permanent conspiracies, the permanent threat, calculated ambushes." Reporting by Lucila Sigal; Writing by Sarah Morland; Editing by Christopher CushingOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Kenyan court convicts Venezuelan diplomat for envoy's murder
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NAIROBI, Jan 25 (Reuters) - A Kenyan court on Wednesday found a Venezuelan diplomat guilty of murdering the Latin American nation's acting ambassador a decade ago at her home in an upmarket Nairobi neighbourhood. The court also convicted three Kenyan nationals who had been charged alongside Sagaray, saying they were involved in a common plan to carry out the murder. Another suspect who fled after the murder is still at large and the court said his arrest warrant should remain in force. Sagaray could be tried for the murder because he did not enjoy diplomatic immunity after Venezuela waived it following the crime, the court ruled. (This story has been corrected to change the date of the murder to July 2012, instead of May 2012, in the second paragraph.)

☆ Trinidad offers to pay for Venezuelan gas with humanitarian supplies
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Curtis Williams | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The U.S. Treasury Department on Tuesday issued a license allowing Trinidad to co-develop the Dragon gas field, which holds 4.2 trillion cubic feet of reserves on the Venezuelan side of the maritime border with Trinidad. The project would have Trinidad import the gas and turn it into exportable liquefied natural gas (LNG). So we buy the gas and we pay for it in a variety of ways," Rowley told journalists late on Tuesday. Venezuela has resorted to swaps to make its economy work amid stiff U.S. sanctions prohibiting financial transactions or the use of dollars to pay Venezuela or the country's state companies. Shell (SHEL.L), which operates the neighboring Hibiscus field in Trinidad, ideally could become the operator, said Trinidad's Rowley.

☆ U.S. arrests of Cuban, Haitian, Nicaraguan and Venezuelan migrants plummet under new restrictions
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON, Jan 25 (Reuters) - The number of migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela caught crossing the U.S.-Mexico border dropped 97% from December to January following new restrictions by U.S. President Joe Biden that expel them back to Mexico. U.S. authorities encountered an average of just 115 migrants from those countries over a weeklong period ending on Jan. 24, down from an average 3,367 on Dec. 11, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said on Wednesday. The department attributed the decrease to the restrictions and new legal pathways opened for migrants with U.S. sponsors who enter by air. Reporting by Ted Hesson in Washington D.C.Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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