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☆ There are 2 very different theories for why orcas are ramming into boats. Experts still can't agree on one.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The orcas may be protecting their young from boats, or they may think damaging rudders is fun. Experts have two very different theories for the behavior, and they still can't agree on which one is more likely. The orcas are trying to protect their youngA pod or orcas, or killer whales, with a baby orca among them. None of these techniques has been particularly effective, López told Insider. GTOA is consulting with the Portuguese government to try to develop "acoustic deterrents" that could keep the orcas away from the boats, López said.

Persons: —, van, van Beek, Van, Alfredo López Fernandez, GTOA, orcas Grey, White, López, LiveScience, Renaud de Stephanis, de Stephanis, Billie, António Bessa de Carvalho, Lopez Organizations: Service, JAJO, BBC, Grupo, National Association of Cruises, Apple Locations: Strait, Gibraltar, Shetland, Scotland, Australia

☆ White Gladis, the killer whale who could be behind orcas attacking boats, was pregnant when she started the 'uprising'
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( Rebecca Cohen | Jessica Orwig | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Scientists believe the orca White Gladis was pregnant when she started ramming into boats in 2020. White Gladis later gave birth to her calf in 2021, following a 16-18 month pregnancy. White Gladis is just one among many orcas in this apparent uprising. White Gladis first started ramming boats in the summer of 2020 and later gave birth to her calf in 2021, according to LiveScience. Many orca experts that Insider has spoken to maintain that White Gladis' behavior isn't rooted in trauma or revenge.

Persons: White Gladis, —, she's, Mónica González, Alfredo López Fernandez, LiveScience, Forbes, White, Renaud de Stephanis, Deborah Giles Organizations: Service, University of Aveiro, Orca Working, Orca, BBC Locations: Spain, Portugal

☆ Scientists to test noise deterrents meant to scare orcas after a rapid rise in boat rammings
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Noise deterrents are being developed to scare orcas away from boats, a Portuguese trade association said. The association said sailors in the area are "afraid" to take their boats into Portuguese waters. Alfredo López of the Grupo de trabajo Orca Atlántica, which is collaborating with the Portuguese government, told Insider the work is in the very early stages. Noise deterrents typically work by emitting pulses of high-frequency sound to scare away sea creatures from an area. While types of acoustic deterrents exist, none are specifically designed to be used for orcas and sailboats, he said.

Persons: Orcas, —, Bessa de Carvalho, Alfredo López, López, Jelmer van Beek, Lusa, Lopez Organizations: Service, Privacy, National Association of Cruises, ANC, Portuguese Navy, Institute for, Grupo, Portland Press Herald, Apple Locations: Portuguese, orcas, Shetland, Scotland, Algarve, Portugal

☆ Why killer whales won’t stop ramming boats in Spain
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Jacopo Prisco | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

The reason why certain whales are taking such a forward interest in boats is still unclear, but experts have a couple of theories. A pod of killer whales (Orcinus orca) swims together in the Strait of Gibraltar in August. The encounter usually ends once the killer whales break the rudder or the boat comes to a complete stop. “The official recommendation is not to do anything at all, turn off the engine or lower the sails and be as uninteresting to the killer whales as possible. “But this very vulnerable little population of killer whales depends on our love for them.

Persons: Daniel Kriz, “, ”, Kriz, ” Kriz, Africa —, Skipper Daniel Kriz, Mónica, González, Champagne, ” González, Alfredo López Fernandez, López Fernandez, Gladis, Worryingly, we’ve, ” López Fernandez, Hanne Strager, Jorge Guerrero, it’s, Strager, ” Strager, “ I’ve, I’ve, “ they’ve, Don’t Organizations: CNN, National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, International Union for, Nature, University of Aveiro, Getty Locations: Gibraltar, Europe, Africa, orcas, Strait, Spain, Portugal, Barbate, AFP, “, Pacific Northwest

☆ Archaeologists in Peru find 3,000 year-old mummy in Lima
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/5] The remains of a mummy, believed to be from the Manchay culture which developed in the valleys of Lima between 1,500 and 1,000 BCE, are pictured at the excavation site of a pre-Hispanic burial, in Lima, Peru June 14, 2023. REUTERS/Anthony MarinaLIMA, June 14 (Reuters) - Peruvian archaeologists have discovered an approximately 3,000-year-old mummy in Lima, they said on Wednesday, the latest discovery in the Andean nation dating to pre-Hispanic times. Students from San Marcos University and researchers initially found remains of the mummy's hair and skull in a cotton bundle during excavation, before uncovering the rest of the mummy. The mummy was probably from the Manchay culture, which developed in the valleys of Lima between 1500 and 1000 BC, archaeologist Miguel Aguilar said, and was associated with the construction of temples built in a U-shape that pointed toward the sunrise. The person "had been left or offered (as a sacrifice) during the last phase of the construction of this temple," Aguilar said.

Persons: Anthony Marina LIMA, Miguel Aguilar, " Aguilar, Enrique Mandujano, Anthony Marina, Alfredo Galarza, Carolina Pulice, Brendan O'Boyle, Leslie Adler Organizations: REUTERS, San Marcos University, Thomson Locations: Lima, Lima , Peru

☆ In San Francisco, a Week of Destination Opera
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( Joshua Barone | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

Frank’s partnership with Cruz, the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright, has been fruitful in the concert hall, but this is their first opera. Their subject is extremely familiar — the love of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera — but the treatment is less biographical and more mythic. But here, instead of the hero traveling to the underworld to retrieve a lost love, the protagonist journeys to the land of the living. In both cases, though, a creative spirit is required to cross borders, and there are dire consequences for any missteps. And rather than tell a life story — which in opera tends to result in episodic, undramatic works — Cruz hews to classical unities, with a focused plot that unfolds on the Mexican Day of the Dead.

Persons: Cruz, Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera —, Eurydice, Kahlo, — Cruz hews, Diego —, Alfredo Daza, —, Frida, Daniela Mack, doesn’t, Leonardo, Jake Ingbar, Yaritza Véliz, Lorena Maza, Jorge Ballina’s, Eloise Kazan’s Organizations: Azul

☆ Mexico investigates army personnel caught on video appearing to beat and kill suspected cartel members
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Alfredo Meza Florencia Trucco Fidel Gutierrez Hira Humayun Sahar Akbarzai | Alfredo Meza | Florencia Trucco | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

So, when there is abuse, when there is an excess, when human rights are violated, those responsible must be punished. Less than a minute later, a Mexican Army vehicle is seen pulling up to the crashed vehicle. About five minutes into the video, the uniformed men line the others up against the fence, as the army vehicle retreats. Further into the video, two uniformed men are seen pointing a gun at one of the men who was dragged out of the vehicle, who is seen attempting to crawl away. CNN has reached out to Mexico’s military regarding what was seen in the video.

Persons: Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, ” Lopez Obrador, ” CNNE Organizations: CNN, Mexican Army

☆ El Salvador president pledges white-collar prison in 'war' on corruption
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele delivers a speech to mark his fourth year in office, in San Salvador, El Salvador June 1, 2023. REUTERS/Jessica OrellanaSAN SALVADOR, June 1 (Reuters) - El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele on Thursday pledged to build a prison to hold white-collar criminals as part of a crackdown on corruption that he likened to his fight against criminal gangs. "Just as we built a prison for the terrorists, we will build one for the corrupt." "We will fight white-collar criminals wherever they come from," Bukele added, "but we will only use legal means." Later in the speech, Bukele said former President Alfredo Cristiani's property was being raided.

Persons: Nayib Bukele, Jessica Orellana, Bukele, Alfredo Cristiani's, Salvadorans, Nelson Renteria, Lizbeth Diaz, Sarah Morland, Jacqueline Wong Organizations: El, San Salvador , El, REUTERS, SALVADOR, Thomson Locations: San Salvador ,, San Salvador , El Salvador

☆ Researchers think other orcas are imitating a single killer whale that first started targeting boats, leading some to sink
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-27 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Killer whales near the Iberian peninsula are colliding with, and sinking, boats. Researchers think they may be imitating the behavior of a single female named White Gladis. In these encounters, the orcas' behavior generally follows the same pattern: approaching the back of the ship and hitting the rudder until successfully causing the boat to stop. They keep apart," Trites said, noting that orca populations represent different ecotypes that eat different foods and display different behaviors. Or, Trites said, the killer whales might just get bored with the boats and stop taking part.

☆ Back in Mexico, 'Earth Monster' sculpture points to ancient beliefs
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-27 | by ( David Alire Garcia | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

MEXICO CITY, May 26 (Reuters) - A massive stone sculpture carved by Olmec artists more than 2,000 years ago that evokes ancient religious beliefs has returned to Mexico after decades in the United States in a homecoming cheered by officials and scholars. The mountain was also made to resemble the head of a jaguar, ancient Mexico's most fearsome predator, with the cave doubling as its open jaws and the entrance into the underworld. Some have speculated the sculpture may have been used in ritual acts as a sacred passageway. Other scholars note how the worldview of the Olmecs as seen in the "Earth Monster" sculpture is a recurring theme across ancient Mexico, including up to the Aztecs, who began their rise to power around 1,700 years later and whose main temple also doubled as a sacred mountain. The Olmec sculpture's return to Mexico was hailed by Mexico Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard, who spoke just before it was carefully hauled onto a plane for its trip back home.

☆ Killer whales near Spain have sunk 3 sailboats. A lonely orca named Luna who got separated from his family 20 years ago also damaged boats — but scientists say he just wanted to play.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-24 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Killer whales near Spain and Portugal have sunk three sailboats in recent years. An orca name Luna that was damaging boats near Vancouver Island in the 2000s just wanted to play. A population of killer whales near Portugal and Spain's Iberian Peninsula first began having "disruptive" interactions with boats in 2020. However, the encounters reminded him of a young male orca named Luna that engaged in similar behavior with boats around 20 years ago. "Being a social animal, he got very lonely and became quite attached to boats," Trites said.

☆ The ruthless Sinaloa Cartel has flooded the US with fentanyl — and business is booming. A shocking DoJ indictment reveals how they do it.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-21 | by ( Nathan Rennolds | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The Sinaloa Cartel is the driving force behind the US's deadliest-ever drug threat — fentanyl. A recent DoJ indictment shed light on how the cartel has successfully flooded the US with the drug. This is largely due to the ruthless Sinaloa Cartel crime empire, one of the world's most powerful drug trafficking organizations. He was quickly released the same day after a violent confrontation between cartel members and security forces. As the Sinaloa Cartel's operations have expanded, it has also established secret fentanyl laboratories around Culiacán, the capital of Sinaloa state.

☆ A female orca traumatized by a previous encounter with humans may be behind mounting killer whale attacks on boats, scientists say
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( Isobel Van Hagen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A traumatized female orca could be behind the increased killer whale attacks on boats. A traumatic event may have triggered a change in White Gladis' behavior, experts told LiveScience. While most orca interactions with boats are harmless, there has been a spike in aggressive behavior towards boats since 2020, biologist Alfredo López Fernandez told LiveScience. Janet Morris and Stephen Bidwell were on an already-bumpy ride when the crew spotted the killer whales on May 2 in the Strait of Gibraltar. as a pod of killer whales began banging into their 46-foot boat, per The Times.

☆ Ecuador assembly begins impeachment hearing against President Lasso
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Alexandra Valencia | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

QUITO, May 16 (Reuters) - Ecuador's National Assembly on Tuesday began an impeachment hearing against President Guillermo Lasso, who could be removed from his post, though the process increases the likelihood he will dissolve the legislature to avoid a final vote. The opposition, including members of the party of ex-President Rafael Correa - himself accused of corruption - has been invigorated following the re-election of Virgilio Saquicela as president of the National Assembly on Sunday. "The Ecuadorean people want Guillermo Lasso (...) to go home," said opposition lawmaker Viviana Veloz while presenting a motion to vote on the censure and dismissal of the president. CONAIE, Ecuador's largest indigenous organization, backed the measure to remove Lasso in a statement, saying that "with Guillermo Lasso Ecuador doesn't have a future, only fear and uncertainty." The assembly voted to continue with the impeachment process last Tuesday with 88 votes in favor out of 116 legislators present.

This would see Lasso resign, triggering snap elections for both the presidency and the National Assembly, according to a clause in the Ecuador’s constitution. While Ricachon believes Ecuador’s president Lasso should complete his mandate, Zamora thinks the president’s time is up and that the country’s problems require a new leader. Once the president wraps up his defense on Tuesday and leaves the legislature, each of Ecuador’s 137 National Assembly members will be accorded ten minutes to speak. Then Saquicela, the National Assembly president, will set a date within five days for the impeachment vote. Members of unions and civil society groups demand that Ecuador's President Guillermo Lasso leave office amid rising crime and insecurity, in Quito, Ecuador May 1, 2023.

☆ 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.

☆ How El Chapo’s sons built a fentanyl empire poisoning America
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +23 min

Headed by Iván, El Chapo’s oldest son, the siblings have emerged as key figures in the Sinaloa Cartel, U.S. and Mexican anti-narcotics officials said. But he was killed in 2008 in Culiacán in a hail of bullets amid infighting between warring factions of the Sinaloa Cartel. The agency in April placed Iván on the list of its 10 Most Wanted Fugitives, joining Jesús Alfredo and Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, a Sinaloa Cartel legend and El Chapo’s alleged former business partner. They also kidnapped eight soldiers and surrounded military housing where wives and children of Mexican soldiers lived, Mexican officials said. Despite that blow to the Sinaloa Cartel, fentanyl keeps flowing north.

WASHINGTON, May 9 (Reuters) - The United States on Tuesday imposed sanctions on a son of former Mexican drug kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, the Treasury Department said. El Chapo, who was leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, is currently serving a life sentence in a U.S. prison. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has denied the presence of fentanyl labs in the country, alleging it comes from China. Guzman Lopez's cousin, Saul Paez Lopez, was also sanctioned for his alleged role in coordinating drug shipments. Washington also sanctioned Mario Esteban Ogazon Sedano, saying he purchased precursor chemicals from Ludim Zamudio Lerma to operate drug labs.

And Ecuadorian authorities have struggled to tackle this public security crisis “efficiently because it is mired in (a) political crisis,” González says. Ecuador’s President Guillermo Lasso is at the center of this storm, and his popularity has tanked amid widespread discontent with spiraling crime rates. Before President Guillermo Lasso took office, Ecuador had already become a key transit hub for cocaine due to its location between Peru and Colombia. Lasso told Ecuador’s legislative commission investigating him that he had not evaded taxes and that his tax trajectory was legally supported. Members of unions and civil society groups march on International Workers' Day to demand that Ecuador's President Guillermo Lasso, who is facing an impeachment process, leave office on May 1, 2023.

☆ 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.

☆ Peruvian gas firm doubles up as pre-Hispanic tomb-finder
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

While installing gas pipes under roads and buildings, gas distributor Calidda has unearthed some 1,700 archaeological remains, including mummies, textiles and ceramics dating back hundreds or thousands of years. On Wednesday, the firm unearthed a 600-year-old funeral bundle with the remains of an ancient settler, found during excavations in a neighborhood of capital Lima. "By building out the gas distribution network, we have excavated almost all the streets of Lima," she told Reuters. Finding ruins and remains in construction sites is common in Peru, home to dozens of pre-Hispanic cultures along the coast and in the Andes. Metropolitan Lima, with some 10 million inhabitants, has some 400 'huacas' or archaeological ruins.

☆ Archaeologists in Peru find adolescent mummy wrapped in bundle
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The mummy was probably an adolescent and found in an underground tomb wrapped in a funerary bundle, along with ceramics and rope and including bits of skin and hair. [1/5] Skeletal remains and parts of the funerary bundle of a mummy found by Peruvian archaeologists are seen in the ruins of Cajarmarquilla, in the outskirts of Lima, Peru, April 24, 2023. The mummy was discovered about 200 metres (220 yards) from where the first mummy of Cajamarquilla was found, explained Huaman, referring to another mummy found nearby last year. The complex is the second largest mud-brick city in Peru after Chan Chan in the north of the Andean country. Located in a dusty area about 20km (12 miles) from Lima, the site was believed to be a thriving trading center.

☆ Explainer: Why are Ecuador lawmakers trying to impeach President Lasso?
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] Ecuadorean President Guillermo Lasso participates in an interview at Carondelet Palace, in Quito, Ecuador April 26, 2022. REUTERS/Santiago Arcos/File PhotoQUITO, April 24 (Reuters) - Ecuadorean opposition lawmakers and President Guillermo Lasso - or his lawyer - are scheduled to testify this week in impeachment hearings that could see the conservative former banker censured and removed from office. Lasso has denied the charges, pointing out the contract was signed in 2018, three years before he took office. Estupinan is a key witness for opposition lawmakers, who say the former manager claims to have warned Lasso about contract irregularities allegedly committed by Luque, but got no response. Lawmakers from the Revolucion Ciudadana party of former President Rafael Correa, fierce opponents of Lasso, have pledged to cast their 47 votes for removal.

☆ Justice Department to announce charges against more than 24 Mexican drug cartel members
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Mirna Alsharif | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The Justice Department plans to announce charges against more than 24 Mexican drug cartel leaders and members, according to senior law enforcement officials. The announcement is expected on Friday morning and is part of the Drug Enforcement Administration's push to target the Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) groups, the officials say. "The Sinaloa cartel and the Jalisco cartel and their affiliates control the vast majority of the fentanyl global supply chain, from manufacture to distribution," DEA Administrator Anne Milgram told Congress last month. The Sinaloa cartel "remains the most powerful" drug trafficking organization in Mexico despite the conviction of El Chapo, experts said. El Chapo's arrest also led to intensification of bloody clashes with the CJNG, which split from the Sinaloa Cartel in 2010.

The Chinese Embassy in Washington called self-ruled Taiwan "an inalienable part of China" and said the one-China principle was an "overwhelming trend" internationally. When Taiwan temporarily averted a split with Honduras after President Xiomara Castro took office in January 2022, U.S. State Department officials remained wary. The Biden administration is also keeping a close eye on tiny Belize for any cracks in its Taiwan relationship. Two U.S. officials said Washington was putting less stock in Taiwan maintaining its diplomatic allies in favor of efforts to increase its participation in international organizations. While denied a seat in the United Nations, Taiwan is a member of the WTO and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum.

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