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☆ Nicaragua dissident Felix Maradiaga and Berta Valle on fighting for justice and family life
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Melissa Mahtani | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

Many were accused of treason or involvement in “illicit activities” for having contact with foreign journalists or human rights’ organizations that the Ortega regime views as a threat. He gave me, for example, the name of our international human rights lawyer, Jared Genser, who became my angel through all of this. Both spoke at the Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy in May, where Maradiaga was awarded the 2023 Courage Award. Those Nicaraguans who only are asking for the protection of basic human rights and human dignity. “After all this work that we do as human rights defenders, there’s a private life that also has to be taken care of.

Persons: CNN — It’s, Felix Maradiaga, –, Maradiaga, Berta Valle, Berta, I’m, Washington ’, ”, “, Félix, Daniel Ortega –, Ortega, ” Maradiaga, ‘, ’ Maradiaga, Daniel Ortega, Ned Price, ” Price, Valle, Jared Genser, It’s, he’s, “ It’s, Alejandra, ” Valle, Nicaragua –, I’ve, that’s, Pope Francis, Adolf Hitler, Vladimir Kara, Murza, pic.twitter.com, —, there’s Organizations: CNN, State Department, Nicaraguan, Geneva, Human Rights, Democracy, US State Department, Dulles International Airport, UN, Oslo Freedom, Catholic Church, Central American, National Assembly of Locations: United States, Valle, Nicaragua, Washington, Miami, American, Nicaraguan, Oslo, National Assembly of Nicaragua, China, Hong Kong, Venezuela, Cuba, Afghanistan, Ukraine, “

☆ Opinion | The Newest Immigrants Will Change American Spanish. That’s a Good Thing.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-27 | by ( Ilan Stavans | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Today the Spanish language is the fourth-most-spoken language in the world, and it is the most common language spoken in the United States after English. Then there is the Mexican population that lived here long before the United States claimed their land. Each wave infused American Spanish with local flavor. That’s partly because the language spoken in each country has unique characteristics, at the national and the regional level. American Spanish features all of these elements, which depend on the national background and geographic location of the speaker.

☆ A Florida parent tried to get Amanda Gorman's inaugural poem banned from school — and confused her with Oprah
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-24 | by ( Rebecca Cohen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

A Florida parent tried to get Amanda Gorman's poetry banned, complaining it could "indoctrinate students." Gorman said she is "gutted," but the school told Insider the poem isn't bannedGorman slammed the situation on Twitter, repeating claims that the school banned the book. "Because of one parent's complaint, my inaugural poem, 'The Hill We Climb,' has been banned from an elementary school in Miami-Dade County." The organization, along with Penguin Randomhouse, filed a lawsuit against a Florida school district over the book bans, the Miami Herald reported. "I wrote 'The Hill We Climb' to that all young people could see themselves in a historical moment.

CNN —A Russian politician died of – as of yet – unknown causes after falling ill on a plane on Saturday, the latest in a string of mysterious deaths among Russian elites. Russia’s Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education, Pyotr Kucherenko, 46, died while returning from a trip to Cuba on Saturday, according to the ministry. “Kucherenko was feeling ill while on a plane with a Russian delegation that was returning from a business trip to Cuba. Russia's Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education Pyotr Kucherenko died while returning from Cuba. Mysterious deaths pile upKucherenko’s demise is not the first unexplained Russian death to spark interest.

☆ Florida sued over law blocking Chinese citizens, other foreigners from buying property
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-23 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

A group of Chinese citizens living and working in Florida sued the state Monday over a new law that bans Chinese nationals from purchasing property in large swaths of the state. The suit says the law unfairly equates Chinese people with the actions of their government and there is no evidence of national security risk from Chinese citizens buying Florida property. The number of states restricting foreign ownership of agricultural land has risen by 50% this year. Foreign land ownership has become "a political flashpoint," said Micah Brown, a staff attorney for the National Agricultural Law Center at the University of Arkansas. Brown said the recent surge in state laws targeting land ownership by foreign entities stems from some highly publicized cases of Chinese-connected companies purchasing land near military bases.

☆ For an Unbeatable Music Scene, Head to Havana
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-21 | by ( Tony Perrottet | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

IN TEMPO Dancers in the open-air ballroom at Los Jardines de la Tropical, one of Havana’s legendary music venues from the 1920s and ’30s. Illustration: Cookie Moon“ARE YOU sure it’s here?” the taxi driver asked doubtfully as he navigated his 1952 Chevrolet along a dark road in Puentes Grandes, a vibrant neighborhood in Havana. But all at once two stone pillars and an iron gate emblazoned with the words, Los Jardines de la Tropical, appeared, signaling the entrance to Cuba’s most fantastical nightlife venue, the Tropical Gardens. We could hear the sound of the music coming alive.

☆ Is Mexico doing the US’s ‘dirty work’ when it comes to migration?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( Rafael Romo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

But the enforcement has been chaotic, sporadic and, in the words of a former top Mexican official, “inefficient.”Tonatiuh Guillén was commissioner of Mexico’s National Migration Institute until 2019. Luis Barron/Eyepix Group/NurPhoto/AP“Mexico became a control territory, [a place of] a severe migration policy, detentions, deterrence, and expulsions. ‘This is not about doing the United States’ dirty work’Mexican President Obrador denies Mexico is doing the US’s bidding when it comes to migration. Two months later, another 47 migrants were found alive crammed inside a truck in Matehuala (San Luis Potosí state), Mexico. Viangly, a Venezuelan migrant, reacts outside an ambulance while firefighters remove injured migrants, mostly Venezuelans, from a National Migration Institute building during a fire in Ciudad Juarez on March 27, 2023.

☆ Migrant encounters down 70% since end of Title 42, US official says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MEXICO CITY, May 19 (Reuters) - Migrant encounters at the U.S.-Mexico border have dropped 70% since COVID-era border restrictions ended last week, U.S. Homeland Security official Blas Nunez-Neto said on Friday. Speaking in a call with reporters, Nunez-Neto said the number had continued to tick down after an average 4,000 encounters a day as of May 12. "In the last 48 hours there were 3,000 encounters a day on the border, this is a more than 70% reduction," he said. Reporting by Lizbeth Diaz; Writing by Valentine Hilaire, Editing by Daina Beth SolomonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

The longtime political allies - both subject to U.S. sanctions - are seeking to cement economic ties by facilitating trade and investment. "(The deals) constitute a milestone in the history of our bilateral and business ties," said Ricardo Cabrisas, Cuba's foreign trade minister, in a speech closing the forum on Friday. Russia also provided funds, know-how and technology to restart a steel mill in Cuba to supply construction materials on the island, according to Cuba state-run media reports. More than 150 Russian businesspeople attended the forum in Havana, according to Cuban officials. SUGAR DEALRussia this week also promised to help revive Cuba's once-vaunted sugar industry, which has nearly collapsed in recent years as its production has plunged to historic lows.

☆ This Summer We’re Helping Scientists Track Birds. Join In.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( The New York Times | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +21 min

This Summer We’re Helping Scientists Track Birds. This data will help scientists understand better how birds are affected by forces like climate change and habitat loss. We’re obviously a little bit biased here, so I’m going to recommend the Merlin Bird ID app. Nearly half of all bird species worldwide are known or suspected to be in decline, and climate change could accelerate this trend. Look up past reports of that species on the eBird Species Map and zoom in on your city.

Persons: Mike McQuade, We’ll, Michelle Mildenberg Daryln Brewer Hoffstot, phoebe, Hoffstot, Indigo Goodson, “, Kirsten Luce, Alli Smith, Merlin, —, It’s, That’s, Andrew Spear, ”, Tom Auer, Mr, Auer, birders, James T, Tanner, Steven C, Latta, Chris Elphick, . Latta, Michaels, et, Christine Schuldheisz, Richard O ., Ivory, they’d, Mark, Elphick, there’s, ” Dr, eBird, I’m Organizations: Birds, Cornell, of Ornithology, The New York Times, New York Times, University of Connecticut, Credit, United States Fish and Wildlife Service, Yale, Times, Cornell Lab, Walmart Locations: Pennsylvania, North America, Virginia, South America, Canada, Alaska, Louisiana, Pittsburgh, United States, Cuba, Arkansas, eBird

That would appear to contradict the FTC's practice of preventing companies from using market power to push up prices. The FTC lawsuit spurred concern among investors who had brushed off the antitrust risk in Amgen's deal because of its limited business overlap with Horizon. "Our complaint is firmly rooted in longstanding antitrust law and we look forward to making our argument in court," an FTC spokesperson said. AMGEN OFFERS REMEDYAmgen said on Tuesday it had made an offer to the FTC in hopes of resolving the issue. "These are valid concerns that FTC has raised but what a court will do about it is uncertain," he said.

Boris Titov, head of the Russian delegation of the Cuban-Russian Business Committee, told a forum of Russian entrepreneurs in Havana that Cuba had decisively opened the door to Russian investment. "They are giving us preferential treatment," Titov told the packed forum in Havana´s Hotel Nacional. "In Soviet times there was a direct port and maritime link," Titov told the forum. Ricardo Cabrisas, Cuba´s minister of foreign commerce told reporters on the sidelines of the forum that the economic ties between Russia and Cuba would only grow stronger. Bilateral trade between Cuba and Russia reached $450 million in 2022, three times that of 2021, according to Sergei Baldin, Russia´s trade representative in Cuba.

☆ Fact Check-New York prison barge not being transported to Guam or ‘Gitmo’
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A New York City prison barge is not being moved to Guam or the Guantanamo Bay detention center known as “Gitmo,” according to officials in the New York City Department of Corrections and the U.S. Southern Command. The base includes a military prison, known colloquially as Gitmo. A New York City Department of Corrections spokesperson also said in an email that the photograph shows the Vernon C. Bain Center located in the Bronx borough of New York City. The Vernon C. Bain Center is an 800-bed prison that houses inmates for the New York City Department of Corrections. The prison barge was set up in 1992, intended as a temporary facility to accommodate New York’s growing inmate population, the New York Times reported in 2019 (here).

☆ Cuba announces new migration policies as exodus continues
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

HAVANA, May 16 (Reuters) - Cuba announced on Tuesday measures that ease restrictions on its citizens living abroad as the communist-run nation continues to grapple with an unprecedented exodus of migrants to the United States. The new rules take effect on July 1, said Ernesto Soberon, director of Consular Affairs for the Cuban Foreign Ministry. He said the measures are focused on "the strengthening of ties with the Cuban community abroad." Cuba for decades limited emigration of its citizens, and many Cubans living abroad complain of bureaucratic hurtles and exorbitant fees for maintaining ties and renewing travel documents with their home country. Reporting by Nelson Acosta; Writing by Dave Sherwood; Editing by Bill BerkrotOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Title 42 dramatically changed who arrived at U.S.-Mexico border
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

Title 42 dramatically changed who arrived at the borderChart showing that before Title 42 began, most people apprehended at the U.S.-Mexico border were Mexican, Guatemalan, Slavadorian or Honduran. Title 42 mostly applied to Mexican migrants Mexicans are the nationality most frequently caught crossing the U.S.-Mexico border and also made up the largest group of quick Title 42 expulsions. With Title 42 in place, Mexican migrants processed under Title 8 dropped, as most were deported to Mexico under Title 42. Chart showing the breakdown of migrants from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador apprehended under Title 8 and Title 42. All four nationalities began to increase once Title 42 began until Title 42 was expanded to include people from Venezuela in October 2022 and people from Cuba, Haiti and Nicaragua in January 2023.

Still, Bremen is the first federal state to hold an election this year and as such, the results will be closely watched. The conservatives are polling in second place on 26-28%, meaning the SPD could win back its pole position in its traditional stronghold. But the Left party is on fragile ground at a national level due to internal strife which could have regional repercussions. That has given a boost to local right-wing populist party Buerger in Wut (Citizens in Rage). It is focusing on immigration and fighting crime and is now polling 9-10%, up from 3% a few months ago.

BERLIN, May 14 (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy thanked Germany for its support as he met with President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Sunday in his first visit to the country since Russia's invasion. Zelenskiy arrived in Berlin from Rome, where he met separately on Saturday with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Pope Francis. "In the most challenging time in the modern history of Ukraine, Germany proud to be our true friend and reliable ally," Zelenskiy wrote in the guest book of the German presidency. Zelenskiy last visited Germany for the Munich Security Council in February last year just before the war broke out. Germany was constrained in its support for Ukraine at that time both by its energy dependence on Russia and a pacifism rooted in its bloody 20th century history.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas defended the Biden regulation, saying it aims to encourage migrants to enter using legal pathways. U.S. asylum officers hurried to figure out the logistics of applying the new asylum regulation. COVID EMERGENCY ENDS, ASYLUM BAN BEGINSTrump first implemented Title 42 in March 2020 as COVID swept the globe. The order allowed American authorities to quickly expel migrants to Mexico or other countries without a chance to request asylum. Migrants have been expelled more than 2.7 million times under Title 42, although the total includes repeat crossers.

☆ The Biden administration built a 'digital wall' by requiring asylum-seekers to use a glitchy app in the aftermath of Title 42, immigration experts say
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-13 | by ( Azmi Haroun | Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

That's because the Biden administration is handling almost all asylum claims through a glitchy app. Friday marked the official end of Title 42, a public health measure imposed by the Trump administration in March 2020. The catch, immigration advocates said, is that the app is borderline unusable for many migrants who have reached the border. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)Advocates working at the border told Insider that on the day Title 42 expired, the app was not working. The Biden administration did not immediately return Insider's request for comment.

☆ The app designed to help asylum-seekers has inadvertently separated families as Title 42 expires, advocates say
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-13 | by ( Azmi Haroun | Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

On Friday, restrictive immigration policy Title 42 expired after being imposed in March 2020. Asylum seekers have been asked to make appointments to apply for asylum through a new app. But the slots are limited, the app is glitchy, and it is causing family separations, advocates say. Friday marked the official end of Title 42, a public health measure imposed by the Trump administration in March 2020. "It has forced families to make really hard choices when the whole group can't get the appointment together," Gonzalez told Insider.

Zelenskiy will arrive from Italy where he was meeting with Italian officials and Pope Francis on Saturday. The Ukrainian leader last visited Germany for the Munich Security Council in February last year just before the war broke out. "Does Germany want a Ukrainian victory or is it enough for the war to end?" "Ukraine needs financial assistance to pay its debt so it doesn't go bankrupt and Germany plays a big role there," he said. That survey also showed a drop in German support for accepting new refugees from Ukraine and providing military assistance.

☆ Help! My Tour Got Canceled but Travel Insurance Won’t Pay
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-12 | by ( Seth Kugel | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The tour organizer canceled the trip, citing health and safety issues, and refunded our money. I had bought my airfare ($1,504) separately, so I assumed my GoReady Pandemic Plus insurance policy would cover it. If travel insurance doesn’t cover this, what does it cover? Khatiba, Sebastopol, Calif.Dear Khatiba,You are forgiven for thinking that the “trip cancellation” portion of your policy would cover, say, trip cancellation. My inbox is flooded with messages from travelers whose similarly reasonable-sounding claims were denied either because of a policy’s fine print or because the documentation process became so mind-bendingly bureaucratic that they simply gave up.

☆ Pandemic-related asylum restrictions known as Title 42 expire, straining U.S. immigration system
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-12 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +10 min

The expired rule, known as Title 42, was in place since March 2020. While Title 42 prevented many from seeking asylum, it carried no legal consequences, encouraging repeat attempts. Migrants cross the Rio Bravo river to turn themselves in to U.S. Border Patrol agents before Title 42 ends, in Matamoros, Mexico May 10, 2023. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas had already warned of more crowded Border Patrol facilities to come. They were quickly apprehended by Border Patrol agents.

☆ ‘The Mother’ Review: Are You My Sniper?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-11 | by ( Lisa Kennedy | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

This arrangement has kept the Mother and child safe for 12 years when Agent Cruise reaches out with news that Zoe (Lucy Paez) has been found by the Mother’s former partners: Adrian Lovell (Joseph Fiennes) and Hector Alvarez (Gael García Bernal). Lovell is a nasty-smooth piece of work. As Alvarez, Bernal basks in some candlelit cruelty when the action shifts to Cuba. Lovell trained the Mother as a sniper in Afghanistan. Apart from some deadpan exchanges between the Mother and Zoe, Lopez plays the role fierce.

☆ DeSantis signed a bill into law that creates new hurdles for undocumented workers and patients in Florida. It provides $12 million to relocate migrants to blue states
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Kimberly Leonard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

DeSantis signed a bill into law to crack down on undocumented workers in Florida. The legislation includes $12 million to relocate migrants to blue states. Ron DeSantis signed a sweeping bill into law Wednesday that will make it harder for undocumented people to work in Florida, even though the measure fell short of his demands. DeSantis boasted about the stunt during a press conference in Jacksonville, Florida, on Wednesday, saying officials in blue states expected border states to "grin and bear" the care of an influx of migrants. DeSantis signed the immigration measures into law a day before before the federal Title 42 is set to expire.

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