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☆ Ousted Peruvian President Castillo calls his detention 'political revenge'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( Marco Aquino | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Peru's President Pedro Castillo addresses the audience during the opening of the VII Ministerial Summit on Government and Digital Transformation of the Americas, in Lima, Peru November 10, 2022. REUTERS/Sebastian CastanedaLIMA, Dec 28 (Reuters) - Former Peruvian President Pedro Castillo, who is being held for 18 months in pre-trial detention after attempting to illegally dissolve Congress, said on Wednesday he was a victim of "political revenge" by his adversaries. "This unjust pre-trial detention... has only served to polarize our country," an unshaven Castillo said to the appeals court in a video stream. Dina Boluarte, who served as vice president under Castillo, was sworn in as the new president the same day. "I have never committed a crime of rebellion, I have not taken up arms, nor have I called anyone to take up arms," Castillo said.

☆ El Salvador's Congress approves pension system reforms
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SAN SALVADOR, Dec 20 (Reuters) - El Salvador's Congress on Tuesday approved reforms to increase pensions and create a state entity to supervise the retirement income system, despite criticism from experts who argued the measures were insufficient. El Salvador's population is 6.7 million. Congress also endorsed the creation of the Salvadoran Pension Institute, a state entity that will oversee the pension system and private funds. The changes, approved by the congress with a pro-government majority, will take effect in January 2023 for all workers affiliated with the pension system. The pension system in El Salvador has operated privately since 1998.

☆ Peru's defense minister named PM in Cabinet shuffle after protests
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/6] Peru's President Dina Boluarte, who took office after her predecessor Pedro Castillo was ousted, poses for a family picture with members of her new Cabinet, in Lima, Peru, December 21, 2022. REUTERS/Sebastian CastanedaLIMA/MEXICO CITY Dec 21 (Reuters) - Peru's President Dina Boluarte promoted the country's defense chief to the prime minister's job as part of a shuffle of her 11-day-old Cabinet on Wednesday, a move that followed protests this month that have left roughly two dozen people dead. Alberto Otarola, a lawyer who had been the Andean nation's defense minister, was named prime minister, and four others entered the Cabinet. That move followed Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's public support for Castillo. Earlier, members of Castillo's family landed in Mexico City after being granted political asylum.

☆ Peru protests grind on despite state of emergency, court mulls prison for former president
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Supporters of Peru's former President Pedro Castillo gather outside the police prison where he is being held, in Lima, December 15, 2022. REUTERS/Sebastian CastanedaLIMA, Dec 15 (Reuters) - Protesters blocked roads in Peru again on Thursday, despite the government's enactment of a state of emergency, while judicial authorities mulled giving ousted former president Pedro Castillo a year and a half of preventive detention. Peru announced a nationwide state of emergency on Wednesday, granting police special powers and limiting freedoms including the right to assembly, after Castillo's removal fueled a week of protests that have left at least eight dead. Prosecutors are seeking 18 months of pretrial detention for Castillo, who has been charged with rebellion and conspiracy. Reporting by Marco Aquino; Writing by Valentine Hilaire; Editing by Anthony Esposito and Alistair BellOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Peru diplomatic spat grows as envoys in Mexico, Argentina summoned home
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Marco Aquino | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Supporters of Peru's former President Pedro Castillo gather outside the police prison where he is being held, in Lima, December 15, 2022. REUTERS/Sebastian CastanedaLIMA, Dec 15 (Reuters) - A diplomatic spat over Peru deepened on Thursday as the new foreign minister formally summoned ambassadors home from countries including Mexico and Argentina, which have criticized the recent ouster of former president Pedro Castillo. On Monday, four nations led by leftist presidents - Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia and Mexico - signed onto a joint statement declaring Castillo "a victim of undemocratic harassment." Gervasi wrote in a post on Twitter that the consultations "relate to interference in the internal affairs of Peru." Boluarte's week-old administration, which she has said will be a transition government, has been recognized by Chile's leftist president, plus by Uruguay, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Canada and the United States.

CNN —One week into her presidency, Peru’s new President Dina Boluarte is battling to contain widespread protests that erupted after the ousting of former President Pedro Castillo. Boluarte announced Tuesday the government will set up a crisis management committee as protests calling for political change continue across the country. Boluarte, his former vice president, has since become president, and on Monday proposed bringing general elections forward two years to April 2024 during a televised speech. At least seven people have died in the protests ongoing in Peru, according to a tweet from the health ministry on Wednesday. Boluarte also doesn’t belong to a political party after she was expelled from Peru Libre due to internal disagreements.

☆ Peru declares state of emergency, seeks 18-months jail for Castillo
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Marco Aquino | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/7] Peruvian President Pedro Castillo addresses the audience during the opening of the VII Ministerial Summit on Government and Digital Transformation of the Americas, in Lima, Peru on November 10, 2022. The protests were sparked by the ousting of former President Pedro Castillo on Dec. 7 in an impeachment vote. Prosecutors on Wednesday said they were seeking 18 months of pretrial detention for Castillo, who has been charged with rebellion and conspiracy. He called on supporters to come to the jail, saying he should be released after the initial seven-day period of pretrial detention expires later on Wednesday. However, sources from the prosecutor's office and analysts said Castillo cannot be released while the Supreme Court resolves the prosecutors' request.

☆ Two dead and four injured in Peru protests to demand elections
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Sebastian CastanedaLIMA, Dec 11 (Reuters) - Two teens were killed and four people injured in Peru on Sunday during protests demanding the country hold general elections following the ouster of former President Pedro Castillo, police and local authorities said. Demonstrators, many of them Castillo supporters, have for days demanded that Peru hold elections rather than allow Boluarte to stay in power until Castillo's term ends in 2026. Baltazar Lantaron, governor of the Apurimac region, told local television station Canal N that "four injuries are reported, treated at the health center, three of them (with wounds) to the scalp, with multiple injuries". The ombudsman's office on Saturday said two police officers were held for hours by protesters in Andahuaylas, but were later released. Reporting by Marco Aquino in Lima, writing by Brian Ellsworth in Miami; Editing by Lincoln Feast.

☆ Peru's president Boluarte names Cabinet following Castillo ouster
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( Marco Aquino | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/5] Peru's President Dina Boluarte, who took office after her predecessor Pedro Castillo was ousted, poses along with her new Cabinet in Lima, Peru December 10, 2022. REUTERS/Sebastian CastanedaLIMA, Dec 10 (Reuters) - Peruvian President Dina Boluarte on Saturday named her Cabinet, tapping former deputy finance minister Alex Contreras as economy minister and chemical engineer Oscar Vera as energy and mines minister, following the ouster of ex-President Pedro Castillo. Boluarte took office on Wednesday after Castillo was ousted from office and arrested following his failed attempt to dissolve Congress as lawmakers were preparing to impeach him. read moreShe also named former state prosecutor Pedro Angulo as prime minister and diplomat Ana Cecilia Cervantes as foreign minister. Reporting by Marco Aquino in Lima, Writing by Brian Ellsworth in Miami Editing by Matthew LewisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

[1/2] Peru's interim President Dina Boluarte, who was called on by Congress to take the office after the legislature approved the removal of President Pedro Castillo in an impeachment trial, waves after being sworn-in, in Lima, Peru December 7, 2022. REUTERS/Sebastian CastanedaLIMA, Dec 7 (Reuters) - Dina Boluarte became Peru's first female president on Wednesday amid a political maelstrom when her predecessor and former boss Pedro Castillo was ousted in an impeachment trial and detained by police after he tried to illegally shut down Congress. But she shot to prominence alongside Castillo as the vice president on his ticket when the pair pulled off a shock election victory in 2021 for the far-left Peru Libre party. Once in office, Castillo tapped Boluarte as his development and social inclusion minister, a role she managed to keep until recently amid several cabinet shakeups. In recent weeks, Boluarte also distanced herself from Castillo, resigning from her role as a Cabinet minister after he replaced his prime minister in what some saw as an escalation in his showdown with Congress.

☆ Peru's Castillo faces criminal charges as new president Boluarte takes helm
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Marco Aquino | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

LIMA, Dec 8 (Reuters) - Peru's former President Pedro Castillo faced a first court hearing on Thursday over his arrest on charges of rebellion and conspiracy, as his successor issued her first pronouncements from the presidential palace. Castillo was ordered to be detained for seven days as the investigation into the charge that he orchestrated a rebellion proceeds. The former president attended the hearing via teleconference from a penitentiary center in Lima where he is being detained. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has indicated he would be open to granting asylum to Castillo, a fellow leftist. BOLUARTE TAKES OFFICEDina Boluarte, Castillo's vice president, was sworn in as the South American country's new president on Wednesday, making her the sixth president in five years and the first woman to lead the nation of some 33 million.

[1/4] Peru's new President Dina Boluarte arrives to speak to the media at the Government Palace, in Lima, Peru December 8, 2022. That's easier said than done," said Jason Marczak, senior director of the Atlantic Council's Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center. "The last Peruvian president to not belong to a political party, Martin Vizcarra, was impeached by Congress in 2020, leading to a wave of protests," said Marczak. But after Wednesday's events, the 60-year-old Boluarte lambasted Castillo for his "attempted coup." "(Peru's new President) Dina Boluarte is not our president," said Sonia Castaneda at a protest on Wednesday in Lima, where some pro-Castillo demonstrators clashed with police.

☆ Peru's Castillo says he will dissolve Congress as political crisis explodes
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Marco Aquino | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] Peru's President Pedro Castillo addresses the audience during the opening of the VII Ministerial Summit on Government and Digital Transformation of the Americas, in Lima, Peru November 10, 2022. REUTERS/Sebastian CastanedaLIMA, Dec 7 (Reuters) - Peru's embattled President Pedro Castillo said on Wednesday he would dissolve Congress, hours before he was set to face an impeachment trial, throwing the Andean country into a full-on constitutional crisis. Peru, which has gone through years of political turmoil, has seen major stand-offs between the president and Congress before. Peru's economy minister and the Foreign Minister Cesar Landa resigned, saying the move violated Peru's constitution. "I have decided to irrevocably resign from the position of Minister of Foreign Affairs, given the decision of President Castillo to close Congress... violating the Constitution," Landa said.

☆ Peruvian politician Boluarte sworn in as president after Castillo's removal
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Peru's Vice President Dina Boluarte, who was called on by Congress to take the office of president after the legislature approved the removal of President Pedro Castillo in an impeachment trial, attends her swearing-in ceremony in Lima, Peru December 7, 2022. REUTERS/Sebastian CastanedaLIMA, Dec 7 (Reuters) - Peruvian politician Dina Boluarte was sworn in as president on Wednesday, hours after Pedro Castillo was removed in an impeachment trial during a day of high political drama in the Andean nation. Boluarte, elevated from vice president, becomes Peru's first ever female president, following Castillo's attempt to dissolve the legislature by decree to avoid the impeachment vote, which sparked a wave of resignations by ministers and criticism from allies. "I take office being aware of the enormous responsibility I bear, and my first vocation is to call for the broadest possible unity of all Peruvians," she said, calling for a "political truce to install a government of national unity." Reporting by Marco Aquino and Carolina Pulice; Editing by Sarah Morland and Brendan O'BoyleOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Peru airport says firetruck on arranged drill before fatal collision
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-20 | by ( Marco Aquino | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A view shows a LATAM airline plane following a collision between a LATAM Airlines jet and a vehicle on the runway of Peru's Jorge Chavez International Airport, in Lima, Peru November 18, 2022. REUTERS/Sebastian CastanedaBUENOS AIRES, Nov 20 (Reuters) - The operator of Peru's capital airport said on Sunday that a firetruck involved in a dramatic and fatal collision with a LATAM Airlines (LTM.SN) passenger jet had been doing a pre-arranged emergency drill. On Sunday, Lima Airport Partners, which operates the airport, said in a statement on Twitter that the firetruck had entered the runway as part of an emergency response drill coordinated between the operator and the air traffic authority. "On Nov. 18, during the morning and until the beginning of the exercise, the firefighting team made all the necessary arrangements to execute the maneuver," the airport operator said. There is authorization to carry out an exercise, but it is outside the areas that currently have transit operations," he told radio station RRP on Saturday.

☆ 40 states settle Google location-tracking charges for $392M
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

Location tracking can help tech companies sell digital ads to marketers looking to connect with consumers within their vicinity. Even a small amount of location data can reveal a person’s identity and routines, they said. Google uses the location information to target consumers with ads by its customers, the state officials said. The attorneys general said Google misled users about its location tracking practices since at least 2014, violating state consumer protection laws. As part of the settlement, Google also agreed to make those practices more transparent to users.

☆ Google settles with 40 states over location tracking practices
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( Ashley Capoot | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Google agreed to a $391.5 million settlement with 40 states over its use of location tracking, Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum announced Monday. Even when users thought they'd turned off location tracking in their account settings, Google continued to collect information regarding their whereabouts, Oregon's AG office said. The settlement requires Google to be more transparent with users and provide clearer location tracking disclosures beginning in 2023. Consumers thought they had turned off their location tracking features on Google, but the company continued to secretly record their movements and use that information for advertisers." Google settled a similar lawsuit with Arizona for $85 million last month, and the company faces additional location tracking lawsuits in Washington, D.C., Indiana, Texas and Washington state.

"This settlement makes it clear that companies must be transparent in how they track customers and abide by state and federal privacy laws." Arizona filed a similar case against Google and settled it for $85 million in October 2022. Texas, Indiana, Washington State and the District of Columbia sued Google in January over what they called deceptive location-tracking practices that invade users’ privacy. A consumer's location is key to helping an advertiser cut through the digital clutter to make the ad more relevant and grab the consumer's attention. Writing by Diane Bartz and Alexandra Alper; Editing by Anna Driver and Aurora EllisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Google agrees to $392 million settlement with 40 states over location tracking practices
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( Jennifer Korn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

New York CNN Business —Google has agreed to a record $391.5 million settlement with 40 states for allegedly misleading consumers over its location tracking practices, a coalition of attorneys general announced Monday. The attorneys general described it as the largest multi-state privacy settlement in US history. The coalition, which included attorneys general from New York, Kentucky and Oregon, claimed Google had been misleading users about locating tracking in various ways since 2014. Location data like the kind collected by Google can be used to target advertising and build profiles on internet users. Google and other large tech companies have come under renewed scrutiny for their handling of location data in the wake of the overturn of Roe v. Wade.

☆ Thousands march in Peru, demanding resignation of leftist President Castillo
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-06 | by ( Marco Aquino | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] People carry a Peruvian flag, during a protest against the government of Peru's President Pedro Castillo, in Lima, Peru November 5, 2022. REUTERS/Sebastian CastanedaLIMA, Nov 5 (Reuters) - Thousands of people took to the streets across Peru on Saturday to demand the resignation of embattled President Pedro Castillo, a leftist whose government is under investigation for corruption. Castillo, who took office in July last year, has already survived two impeachment attempts. Opposition legislators are seeking a fresh trial against the president even though Congress recognized it would not gather sufficient votes. In October, Peru's attorney general filed a constitutional complaint against Castillo with Congress that the right-wing opposition hopes will end in his removal from office.

☆ Republican committee sues Google over email spam filters
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-22 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

SAN FRANCISCO — The Republican National Committee has filed a lawsuit against tech giant Google, alleging the company has been suppressing its email solicitations ahead of November’s midterm elections — an allegation Google denies. “Enough is enough — we are suing Google for their blatant bias against Republicans,” said RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel in a statement to The Associated Press. “For ten months in a row, Google has sent crucial end-of-month Republican GOTV and fundraising emails to spam with zero explanation. Gmail rivals Yahoo and Microsoft’s Outlook were more likely to favor pitches from conservative causes than Gmail, the study found. Gmail is participating in the “ Verified Sender Program, ” which allows senders to bypasses traditional spam filters, but also gives users the option of unsubscribing from a sender.

☆ Texas sues Google over alleged ‘indiscriminate’ biometric data collection
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN Business —Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued Google on Thursday, alleging the tech giant had violated the state’s biometric privacy law by “indiscriminately” collecting voiceprints and facial recognition data from users and non-users of the company’s products without their consent. “Of course, this is only visible to you and you can easily turn off this feature if you choose and we do not use photos or videos in Google Photos for advertising purposes. The company has also allegedly listened in on Texans “without regard to whether a speaker has consented to Google’s indiscriminate voice printing,” according to the complaint. In February, the state claimed a now-shuttered Facebook photo-tagging tool — which was the subject of a $650 million biometric privacy settlement in Illinois last year — had also been a violation of the Texas biometric law. Texas has multiple lawsuits ongoing against Google, including two other consumer protection cases and an antitrust case targeting Google’s dominance in digital advertising.

☆ A couple used the empty Florida mansions of top Venezuelan officials to defraud banks of almost $10 million, report says
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-14 | by ( Sam Tabahriti | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A couple used the empty Florida mansions of top Venezuelan officials to defraud banks. download the app Email address By clicking ‘Sign up’, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider as well as other partner offers and accept our Terms of Service and Privacy PolicyA couple used the empty Florida mansions of top Venezuelan officials to defraud banks of almost $10 million, The Wall Street Journal reported. The Trump administration had sanctioned or indicted top Venezuelan officials and associates in 2019, which gave Castañed the idea of targeting mansions and penthouses in Miami owned by Venezuela's elite. With the help of fake passports, Castañeda and Martusciello, as well as their accomplices, impersonated four property owners. They then got banks to lend them almost $10 million against the homes and had the money wired to bank accounts they controlled.

Carlos Castañeda and Genesis Martusciello fled Venezuela in the middle of the previous decade, arriving in Miami with little money and few prospects but in search of a better life. Within a few years, the young couple had access to millions of dollars. They achieved their sudden wealth through what Florida real-estate attorneys call one of the boldest real-estate frauds the U.S. has ever seen.

☆ Spain's startup scene has gone from a desert crossing to a $4 billion burgeoning industry. Now, it plans to cut red tape to birth a new batch of unicorns.
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( Tasmin Lockwood | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Spanish startups lured a record $4.1 billion from investors in 2021, according to PitchBook. The government hopes its new Startup Law will help birth an array of new unicorns. In 2016, Lucas Carné sold his fashion marketplace startup Privalia for around 500 million euros (around $495 million) in a landmark deal for the Spanish tech ecosystem. Privalia's sale to its enlarged French counterpart Ventee-Privee – since rebranded as VeePee – illustrated just how far the Spanish startup scene had changed in the space of 10 years. Spanish startups secured a record $4.1 billion in 2021 – more than double that of 2020 –, according to PitchBook data.

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