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☆ The killing of Americans in a Mexican border city highlights a sinister trend that US policies are making worse
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Luis Chaparro | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Initial reports indicated that authorities suspected that the four kidnapped Americans had been confused for Haitian migrants, whose numbers in Matamoros have increased in recent weeks. It also revealed an overlooked trend: the extreme vulnerability of the thousands of migrants who have been stuck in Mexican border towns for the past three years. "We feel like we are being kidnapped inside this city," Fedler Dominic, an Haitian migrant in Matamoros, told Insider in a phone interview. In April 2022, three migrants, including a man from Peru, were kidnapped in Nuevo Laredo, another border city. "You can't basically move from the camp," Manuel Velázquez, a Cuban migrant in Matamoros, told Insider.

Venezuelan oil resumed flowing to the U.S. in January under a Treasury Department license granted to Chevron that allowed it to expand output there and export the oil. Refiners including Valero and Phillips 66 (PSX.N) have bought cargoes from Chevron, according to U.S. Customs and shipping data. Chevron's license - and approvals granted to European firms Eni (ENI.MI) and Repsol (REP.MC) - allow only for oil or debt swaps. Chevron's resumption of Venezuelan crude imports has not led to an increase in the country's overall exports this year, according to PDVSA schedules and Refinitiv Eikon data. 2 U.S. oil company exported some 86,000 barrels per day of Venezuelan oil in February.

[1/7] BERLIN, GERMANY - MARCH 30: King Charles III addresses members of the German Bundestag at the Reichstag Building on March 30, 2023 in Berlin, Germany. The king, on the second day of a three-day trip to Germany, alternated between German and English for the half-hour speech, which won a standing ovation from lawmakers. Both Britain and Germany had shown "vital leadership", Charles said, praising Berlin's decision to provide large military support to Ukraine as "remarkably courageous, important and appreciated". Throughout his visit, German officials have praised his interest in environmental causes and sustainability that has shone through in the engagements he has chosen to understake. Charles had been due to travel first to France but cancelled that part of the tour due to violent social unrest there.

☆ Republican Senator Rand Paul blocks bid to ban Chinese-owned TikTok
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

WASHINGTON, March 29 (Reuters) - U.S. Republican Senator Rand Paul on Wednesday blocked a bid to fast-track a ban of popular Chinese-owned social media app TikTok, which more than 150 million Americans use, citing concerns about free speech and uneven treatment of social media companies. Republican Senator Josh Hawley had sought unanimous consent for a TikTok ban bill. We're going to be just like China and ban speech we're afraid of?" Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in a TikTok video on Friday opposed a TikTok ban, calling it "unprecedented" and said Congress has not gotten classified TikTok briefings. Then President Donald Trump's attempts in 2020 to ban TikTok were blocked by U.S. courts.

☆ AccuWeather sees average-to-fewer Atlantic storms this hurricane season
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( Erwin Seba | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

HOUSTON, March 29 (Reuters) - U.S. private forecaster AccuWeather expects a near-average to below-average 2023 Atlantic hurricane season, which begins June 1, according to a forecast issued on Wednesday. AccuWeather said it expects between 11-15 named tropical storms, 4-8 hurricanes and between one and three major hurricanes to form in the Atlantic Ocean before the season ends on Nov. 30. "We think El Nino will drive this season," said Dan Kottlowski, lead hurricane forecaster for AccuWeather. Kottlowski noted that even in a year when fewer storms are expected, people as far as 100 miles (160 km) inland have to prepare for tropical storms. Between 1990 and 2020, the average season has seen 14 named tropical storms, seven hurricanes with three of those considered to be major.

☆ Republican Senator Rand Paul opposes TikTok ban push in Congress
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON, March 29 (Reuters) - Republican Senator Rand Paul on Wednesday opposed efforts in Congress to ban popular Chinese-owned social media app TikTok, which is used by more than 150 million Americans. Republican Senator Josh Hawley said this week he hoped to get unanimous consent for a TikTok ban bill. TikTok Chief Executive Shou Zi Chew appeared before Congress last week and faced tough questions about national security concerns over the ByteDance-owned app. Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in a TikTok video Friday opposed a TikTok ban, calling it "unprecedented" and said Congress has not gotten classified TikTok briefings. Last week, three Democrats in the House of Representatives opposed a TikTok ban, as do free speech groups like the American Civil Liberties Union.

The fact that Charles had picked France and Germany for his first state visit, even before his coronation in May, was an important "European gesture", said German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who greeted Charles and his wife Queen Consort Camilla in Berlin. "Today, exactly six years after Britain started its exit from the European Union, we are opening a new chapter in our relations," Steinmeier said. [1/14] Britain's King Charles III and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier review an honor guard during a ceremonial welcome at Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, on March 29, 2023. Steinmeier said he had invited Charles to visit Germany at Elizabeth's funeral last September. However, any warmer relations with Europe brought about by the visit could cool if other post-Brexit issues flare up.

[1/3] A 3D printed Meta logo is seen in front of displayed Google logo in this illustration taken on November 2, 2021. If upheld, their appeals could establish jurisprudence for future cases concerning liability for internet content, at a time when social media companies are under pressure in Brazil due to a surge of political disinformation. According to Ruf, declaring it unconstitutional would increase removals of subjective content, including critical content that is important for democratic public debate. In mid-March, Brazil's government said it was planning to regulate internet platforms to reduce misinformation but also to tax platforms making money from advertising. Google Brasil lawyer Guilherme Sanchez said the company does not wait for court orders to remove content from its platforms.

WASHINGTON, March 27 (Reuters) - Google parent Alphabet (GOOGL.O) asked a U.S. federal judge on Monday to dismiss a Justice Department lawsuit alleging that the search giant illegally abused its dominance of online advertising. The government, which filed the ad tech lawsuit in January along with eight states, had argued that Google should be forced to sell its ad manager suite. It also said that the government's estimate of Google's ad exchange as having "more than 50%" of the market fell short of the 70% needed to allege market power. The company also said the government was wrong to assert that Google's acquisitions of DoubleClick and AdMeld, both more than 10 years ago, harmed competition. The Justice Department's ad tech lawsuit follows a separate lawsuit filed in 2020, at the end of the Trump administration, that accused Google of violating antitrust law to maintain its dominance in search.

[1/3] A 3D printed Meta logo is seen in front of displayed Google logo in this illustration taken on November 2, 2021. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File PhotoBRASILIA, March 28 (Reuters) - Meta Platforms Inc (META.O) and Alphabet Inc's Google (GOOGL.O) defended before the Supreme Court on Tuesday a Brazilian law that holds Internet platforms are not responsible for content posted by users unless they are subject to a court order. If upheld, their appeals could establish jurisprudence that will apply to future cases concerning the responsibility for Internet content, at a time when social media companies are under pressure in Brazil due to a surge in the spread of political disinformation. Google Brasil lawyer Guilherme Sanchez said the company does not wait for court orders to remove content from its platforms. By contrast, in the same period Google received just 1,700 requests for the removal of content from its products.

The unpaid invoices originated with dozens of little-known companies acting as middlemen for Venezuela's oil exports since U.S. sanctions in 2020 halted deals with international trading firms and customers. Venezuela's Attorney General's office in October began a probe after oil tankers absconded without full payment to PDVSA. Venezuela's oil ministry and PDVSA did not reply to a request for comment. Maroil boosted Venezuela's petcoke exports following a commercial pact with PDVSA in 2016. In Venezuela, two heavy oil upgrading facilities controlled by PDVSA, Petro San Felix and Petrocedeno, produce and store petcoke.

[1/2] Britain's King Charles and Queen Camilla leave after their visit to the Bolton Town Hall, in Bolton, Britain January 20, 2023. Steinmeier, said it was an important "European gesture" that Charles had chosen France and Germany for his first state visit, even before his coronation in May. Steinmeier said he had extended an invitation to Charles, who has traveled to Germany more than 40 times, at the funeral of his mother last September. However, any warmer relations with Europe brought about by the visit could cool quickly if other post-Brexit issues flare up. Macron has suggested Charles' visit to France could be rescheduled for the summer.

☆ Cubans head to the polls, all eyes on voter turnout
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Cuba´s government, saddled by shortages, inflation and growing social unrest, has encouraged unity in Sunday´s vote, calling on citizens to vote together in a broad show of support for the communist leadership. Ana Lydia Velazquez, a 78-year old retired Havana resident, told Reuters that message resonated with her. "I believe all Cubans should go to vote, to help our country improve, and advance," she said. Anti-government forces, primarily off-island in a country that restricts dissident political speech, have encouraged the opposite, calling on Cubans to abstain and labeling the election a "farce." The winning 470 candidates, who serve for five years, will choose the next president of Cuba from among their ranks, further raising the stakes of Sunday's vote.

☆ Low voter turnout may hurt Cuba's one-party system
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( Reuters Editorial | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

PoliticsLow voter turnout may hurt Cuba's one-party systemPostedAs Cuba's legislative elections approach, declining voter turnout could threaten the new assembly's credibility and add to a growing sense of malaise in a country that has been a Communist-run state since shortly after the 1959 Cuban Revolution. Tamara Lindstrom produced this report.

☆ Oil spills and near misses: more ghost tankers ship sanctioned fuel
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Jonathan Saul | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +9 min

REUTERS/Ronen ZvulunSummary Risk of accidents in focus as 'shadow' fleet growsStirs fears of oil spills, decades after Exxon ValdezHundreds of ships carry oil from sanctioned nationsMany ship certifiers and insurers have pulled servicesLONDON, March 23 (Reuters) - An oil tanker runs aground off eastern China, leaking fuel into the water. Many leading certification providers and engine makers that approve seaworthiness and safety have withdrawn their services from ships carrying oil from sanctioned Iran, Russia and Venezuela, as have a host of insurers, meaning there's less oversight of vessels carrying the flammable cargoes. Reuters was unable to independently verify the numbers regarding the size and growth of the shadow fleet. The U.S. Treasury didn't immediately respond to a request for comment on ships carrying sanctioned oil. SHIP-TO-SHIP TRANSFERSAround 774 tankers out of 2,296 in the overall global crude oil fleet are 15 years old or more, according to data provider VesselsValue.

☆ As Cuba election day nears, some voters ask, 'why bother?'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( Dave Sherwood | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

HAVANA, March 22 (Reuters) - Like a growing number of Cubans, 77-year-old Havana resident Humberto Avila says he will likely sit out Sunday's legislative elections. The retired university professor says he's done the math - 470 candidates, 470 open seats - and sees no point in voting. Abstention has spiked in recent elections, rising to a four-decade high of 31% of eligible voters in municipal elections in November. "This vote is for the Revolution ... and to continue to defend our socialist system," Diaz-Canel told textile workers in Santa Clara. Rey Lazaro Blanco, a 19-year old geography student at the University of Havana, told Reuters he will vote on Sunday.

HOUSTON, March 21 (Reuters) - Venezuela's state-run oil company PDVSA has accumulated $21.2 billion in accounts receivable, according to documents viewed by Reuters, after turning to dozens of little known intermediaries three years ago to export its oil under U.S. sanctions. The scale of the receivables explains a January freeze on supply contracts by PDVSA's new boss Pedro Tellechea, who sought to halt unpaid cargoes immediately after taking office. A series of attempts to tighten contract terms came after some vessels absconded without payment in recent years. PDVSA and Venezuela's oil ministry did not immediately reply to a request for comment. Reporting by Marianna Parraga; Editing by Gary McWilliams and Daniel WallisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Ecuador, Peru authorities assess damage after earthquake that killed at least 15
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/6] A woman sitting on a hammock holds her baby next to the destroyed wall of her house following an earthquake in Isla Puna, Ecuador March 18, 2023. REUTERS/Maria Fernanda Landin/File PhotoMarch 19 (Reuters) - Ecuadorian and Peruvian authorities worked on Sunday to assess the damage caused by the previous day's strong earthquake that shook the region, leaving at least 15 dead and hundreds injured. State-run oil company Petroecuador reported that an offshore platform near the epicenter suffered damage that caused machinery to fail, temporarily reducing production. Peruvian authorities reported one death, four collapsed homes and five more left uninhabitable, while essential services and transportation infrastructure were undamaged. During his Sunday message, Pope Francis sent his condolences for the losses and "all those who suffer" due to the earthquake.

☆ Biden and Trump agree on at least one thing: Something has to be done about TikTok. But it's not that easy.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-18 | by ( Paayal Zaveri | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

As the Biden administration pushes for a TikTok sale or ban, it's clear the idea has bipartisan support. We've been here before, when the Trump administration pushed TikTok to sell its US operations in much the same way. While the Biden administration's approach to TikTok has been slightly different, it's clear that lawmakers on both sides of the aisle support a TikTok ban. A bill to ban TikTok on federal devices passed in December with bipartisan support in Congress, and was then signed by President Biden. That's likely to happen on a wider scale if the Biden Administration pushed for an immediate ban, experts said.

The Greens in particular, but also the SPD, want to invest more in the transition to a low-carbon economy. The FDP on other hand, seeks a return to solid public finances after signing off on hundreds of billions of euros of exceptional expenditure during the pandemic and energy crisis. German coalition disputes are also spilling over into European Union policymaking, sparking irritation among partners. Proportional representation, for example, means coalition governments are the norm, which can slow down decision-making. However singling out just one minister could could result in that minister's party exiting the coalition, he said.

A large fire last year destroyed a portion of the country's largest oil terminal, Matanzas, and has created obstacles to discharge fuel imports. The Panama-flagged supertanker Nolan this week is loading 400,000 barrels of fuel oil for power generation at Venezuela's Jose terminal. Seeking to avoid its own fuel crisis, Venezuela's oil supplies to Cuba last year fell about 6% to 53,600 barrels per day (bpd), independent data based on tanker movement showed. PDVSA, Venezuela's oil ministry and Cuba's Center for International Press did not immediately reply to requests for comment. The tanker has not sent a signal from its transponder since mid-December while in Venezuela, according to Refinitiv Eikon vessel monitoring data.

☆ Colombia, ELN rebels have made first steps toward ceasefire
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Henry RomeroBOGOTA, March 10 (Reuters) - Colombia's government and the left-wing ELN guerrilla group have taken the first steps toward a bilateral, temporary ceasefire, the heads of their delegations at peace talks said on Friday, as they closed their second cycle of negotiations in Mexico City. The ELN is Colombia's oldest remaining rebel group, and the talks are the cornerstone of efforts by leftist President Gustavo Petro - himself once a member of the now-demobilized M-19 insurgents - to bring "total peace" to Colombia. "We took the first steps to firm up a bilateral, national and temporary ceasefire which will create better conditions for Colombians' mobilization and participation in the peace process," said the ELN's Pablo Beltran. On New Year's Eve, Petro announced a ceasefire, but days later the ELN said it had not agreed to the measure. The ELN, founded in 1964 by radical Catholic priests, has some 2,500 combatants and is accused of financing itself through drug trafficking, illegal mining and kidnapping.

☆ 15 Best Dress Shirts for Men, According to Style Experts
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( ) www.wsj.com time to read: +10 min

Since dress shirts are a closet staple, there are also hundreds to pick from, making a trusted recommendation invaluable. “Hands down, it’s my top selling button-up dress shirt,” she says. Though it has the appearance of a traditional dress shirt, it’s actually made of a sweat-wicking cotton-polyester blend with four-way stretch. “Without a doubt, this is a favorite of each client that tries it,” Alexander says of the dress shirt he recommends most often. Soft silk pickAs an alternative to cotton or synthetic blends, silk is a luxurious option that’s lightweight and soft on the skin.

Companies Alphabet Inc FollowALEXANDRIA, Virginia, March 10 (Reuters) - A U.S. federal judge said on Friday that a Justice Department lawsuit against Alphabet's (GOOGL.O) Google regarding its dominance of advertising technology would remain in Virginia, rejecting Google's bid to move it to New York. "I am going to rule against you," Judge Leonie Brinkema told an attorney for Google. Google has denied any wrongdoing in running its ad tech business. Eric Mahr, an attorney for Google, argued that there was a risk of an inconsistent judgment if the case were not moved to New York. Wood also said there were "meaningful differences" between the Justice Department's case and many of the New York cases.

☆ The US military has been testing pulsed energy on animals trying to recreate the mysterious 'Havana Syndrome' symptoms: report
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The US military has been carrying out and funding testing on various animals. The testing is aimed at seeing if radio frequency waves cause the mysterious sickness known as "Havana Syndrome." US intelligence determined last week that the ailment is likely not caused by a foreign adversary or weapon. A defense official told Insider that the Department of Defense, in accordance with congressional requirements, "continues to address the challenges posed by" anomalous health incidents, "including the causation, attribution, mitigation, identification, and treatment for such incidents. The official did not comment on the reported testing on primates but said that the testing at Wayne State University is aimed at alleviating "the deficits associated with traumatic brain injury."

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