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☆ A Cancer Surgeon and Patient Is Biden’s Pick to Lead N.I.H.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Sheryl Gay Stolberg | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON — President Biden will announce on Monday that he will nominate Dr. Monica M. Bertagnolli, a cancer surgeon who became the director of the National Cancer Institute in October, to be the next director of the National Institutes of Health, filling a position that has been vacant for more than a year. Dr. Bertagnolli is also a cancer patient. She announced late last year that she had she received a diagnosis of early breast cancer. She is the first female director of the National Cancer Institute, which is part of the National Institutes of Health. She would be only the second woman to lead the N.I.H.

☆ Los Angeles Can’t Forget P-22, the Mountain Lion Who Made the A-List
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Jill Cowan | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

He was believed to have been born roughly 12 years ago in the Santa Monica Mountains that bisect Los Angeles. P-22’s father was P-1, the first mountain lion collared under a National Park Service program aimed at helping scientists understand the threats to wild animals in the region. Like his father, P-22 was known only by his tracking identifier even as his fame grew (the “P” stands for puma, the scientific name for the animal that is often called a mountain lion or cougar). Wildlife officials trapped and examined P-22, then determined that he should be euthanized because he was suffering trauma likely from being struck by a vehicle. They loved that the cougar was a reminder that wilderness persists, against seemingly insurmountable odds, amid the dizzying chaos of Los Angeles.

☆ IMF says yet to agree date with Egypt for programme review
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Disbursements under the 46-month programme are subject to eight reviews, the first of which was dated March 15, 2023, in an IMF staff report published in December. "Egypt really needs to show some meaningful measures to rebuild confidence and show that the process has started," said Monica Malik of ADCB. "It's better to start the review once there is tangible signs of process with reforms, including on a flexible currency." In its December accord with the IMF, Egypt also promised to sell state assets worth billions of dollars over the next four years. "Egypt has done important reforms over the last few years, and the fund has been very supportive..," Azouri said.

[1/5] One of the dishes created by Bolivian chef Marsia Taha and Peruvian chef Virgilio Martinez with ingredients from the Amazon, gets served at Gustu restaurant, in La Paz, Bolivia, March 31, 2023. REUTERS/Claudia MoralesApril 3 (Reuters) - In the high altitudes of Bolivia's La Paz, some of South America's top chefs are paying homage to regional Amazonian culinary ingredients including gusanillo, or worm chili, tree bark that tastes like garlic, and honey from stingless bees. At Taha's restaurant Gustu in La Paz, a feast of colors and flavors was carefully spread out on wooden tables decorated with large leaves to celebrate the gastronomic diversity of the Peruvian and Bolivian Amazon. "This is not only a celebration of the Amazon and its biodiversity but of our producers as well. They are the ones who make it possible for these products to arrive to our homes or our restaurants," said Taha.

☆ Analysis: Pressure builds on Egypt to devalue currency further
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( Patrick Werr | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Egypt has sharply devalued the currency three times since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 exposed vulnerabilities in the country's finances. But with each devaluation the central bank aimed to keep the currency steady afterwards, only for the black market and non-deliverable forwards to quickly push beyond the new rate. "No time like the present to align foreign exchange rates with fundamentals," Urmossy said, adding that the March 30 policy announcement was "one of the most anticipated events in the African Frontier space." And the black market shows the hard currency shortage that has plagued Egypt for more than a year persists. "Demand for foreign exchange continues to outstrip supply, providing the conditions for the parallel market to grow," said Farouk Soussa of Goldman Sachs.

"Stop this judicial process before it is too late," Arnon Bar-David, Israel's Histadrut union leader, said in a televised speech, addressing Netanyahu directly. Protests have taken place across Israel for the last four months, sparked by anger at controversial judicial reforms pushed by Netanyahu's government, the most right-wing in Israel's history. The planned overhaul would significantly weaken the country's judiciary and make it harder to remove Netanyahu, Israel's longest-serving prime minister, from power. On Sunday, Netanyahu's office announced the dismissal of Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, who had opposed the motion, escalating protests. "We must all stand up strongly against refusals," Netanyahu said on Twitter around the time of the announcement, without directly referencing Gallant.

The stand-off could threaten the government's revived push to advance lithium projects and make batteries, including through a recent deal with a Chinese consortium led by the world's largest battery maker CATL. Local authorities pledged to try to ease the tensions. "We are going to redouble our efforts as authorities ... so that this mobilization is lifted," said Jhonny Mamani, Potosi governor. Officials blamed the protests on misinformation campaigns and urged Bolivians to allow projects to move ahead or risk losing the chance to develop lithium resources. Reporting by Daniel Ramos and Monica Machicao; Writing by Anna-Catherine Brigida; Editing by David GregorioOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Orchestra turns trash to music and environmental activism in Bolivia
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Women waste pickers from the city of La Paz pose near the musicians of the Paraguayan Cateura Recycled Instruments Orchestra, at the Sak'a Churu landfill in Alpacoma, in La Paz, Bolivia February 27, 2023. But the garbage was the point, as the young musicians who make up Paraguay's Cateura orchestra use recycled materials to make their own instruments, "transforming trash into music," according to Fabio Chavez, one of the performers. "It's very beautiful and I was really surprised with these recycled instruments," said worker Silveria Vega. The concert played out as local officials in La Paz aim to minimize the environmental impact of garbage dumps, especially the risk they can pose to ground water supplies. Bolivia's capital produces some 670 tonnes of trash every day, according to official data.

☆ Kenyan traders protest against Chinese competitor's cheap prices
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Duncan Miriri | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NAIROBI, Feb 28 (Reuters) - More than a thousand Kenyan traders protested in the capital Nairobi on Tuesday against a new Chinese-owned retail shop they accuse of undercutting them with ultra-low prices. Traders in Kenya and other rapidly growing economies in Africa have protested periodically against their Chinese competitors. China is Africa's top trading partner and more than 1 million Chinese are estimated to reside on the continent. Kenya's relationship with China was in focus during last year's presidential election, won by William Ruto. The Kenyan traders have been angered by a newly opened China Square retail shop on the outskirts of Nairobi, whose prices for everyday goods like curtains imported from China are on average 50% cheaper than those brought in by local traders.

☆ James O’Keefe ousted from right-wing activist group Project Veritas
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( Jon Passantino | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —James O’Keefe, the founder and chairman of Project Veritas — the right-wing activist group known for its selectively edited undercover sting videos targeting journalists and progressive groups — has been ousted from the organization, he told staff in a videotaped speech posted online Monday. “I’ve been stripped of my authority as CEO and removed from the board of directors,” O’Keefe said in a prepared statement to the group’s staff. Federal authorities have been investigating Project Veritas for its involvement in the 2020 theft of a diary kept by President Joe Biden’s daughter Ashley. Two people who sold Ashley Biden’s journal and other items to Project Veritas for $40,000 pleaded guilty last year to stealing her belongings. Project Veritas did not immediately comment on O’Keefe’s departure.

☆ Ex-White House chief of staff Ron Klain said he flew home to Indiana and back every Sunday for months to be with his ill mother
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Nicole Gaudiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ex-White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain worked six days a week at the White House, he told the New Yorker. Klain, 61, mentioned this logistical feat and example of devotion as an aside during an interview with Evan Osnos for the New Yorker, while explaining why he decided to leave the Biden White House after two years. Klain left the White House this month after spending the first two years of the administration leading Biden's team. Biden spoke of Klain's mother during a chief of staff transition ceremony at the White House, when Klain turned over the reins to Jeff Zients. Klain's mother, Sarann Klain Warner, a retired travel agent, was reportedly too ill to attend.

☆ Roadkill rate for California cougars puts population at risk
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Steve Gorman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] National Park Service photo of the Griffith Park mountain lion known as P-22 is shown in this remote camera image set up on a fresh deer kill in Griffith Park in this November 2014 photo. P-22, a radio-collared puma that became a wildlife celebrity, was one of the many mountain lions struck by a car in California. The data adds to research showing mountain lions, also known as cougars or pumas, are under growing pressure from traffic and urban sprawl that have left their territories increasingly isolated from one another, shrinking their gene pools. The study cataloged a total of 535 mountain lion deaths on some 15,000 miles (24,140 km)of state-managed highways over eight years, from 2015 through 2022. A public celebration of P-22 is planned for Saturday in Griffith Park.

[1/5] Protesters clash with police officers during an anti-government demonstration following the ouster of Peru's former President Pedro Castillo, in Lima, Peru January 24, 2023. The violence has left 48 people dead with 10 more civilians killed in accidents or other issues related to the blockades. Protesters have pledged to fight on until new elections are held, Boluarte resigns and Congress is shut. The protests, while focused in the south, have spread across the nation, with hundreds of road blockades using trees, rocks and car tires jamming up transport. "I am Inca blood," said Cirilo Yupanqui, wearing a pink gas mask while protesting in capital Lima.

☆ Bolivians turn out for opposition-backed 'national assembly' as protests could return
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LA PAZ/SANTA CRUZ, Jan 25 (Reuters) - Bolivians nationwide are expected to participate in an opposition-led "national assembly" on Wednesday to discuss a slew of proposals, including whether to restart protests which ignited in December over the arrest of Santa Cruz Governor Luis Camacho. Camacho's home base of Santa Cruz, a relatively wealthy agricultural stronghold, is expected to turn out the fiercest support in favor of reinstating roadblocks, which would snarl trade within the country. Bolivians in La Paz are bracing for clashes with government supporters. Prosecutors charge Camacho, who was then a Santa Cruz civic leader, with creating the "power vacuum" behind the resignation of former President Morales. Reporting by Santiago Limachi, Sergio Limachi and Monica Machicao in La Paz and Juan Pablo Blacutt in Santa Cruz; Writing by Kylie Madry; Editing by Chris ReeseOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Read the memo Google's Android and Chrome boss sent to staff as the company lays off 12,000 employees
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Monica Melton | Hugh Langley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

What makes Google really special is its people — all of you — so it's sad to be saying goodbye to some of our wonderful teammates. It'll take some time for us to absorb and process today's news; I know I'm still processing things myself. You've heard us talk about our key P&E strategies and themes — User Delight, Better Together, Developer Experience, DEI, and Privacy & Compliance. Of course, as a company, we will support those impacted as best we can; we already sent a separate email directly to employees in the U.S. who are affected. I know many of you likely have questions; please plan to join the company town hall on Monday.

☆ Bolivia judge rules opposition governor must remain detained ahead of trial
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Manuel ClaureLA PAZ, Jan 19 (Reuters) - A Bolivian judge ruled Thursday that Santa Cruz Governor Luis Camacho, a leader long in opposition to the left-leaning federal government, must remain detained while he awaits trial. Since then, weeks of protests and blockades in Camacho's Santa Cruz region, an agricultural hub, have impacted trade with the rest of the country, putting pressure on political capital La Paz. Camacho's lawyer had appealed his four-month detention ahead of his expected trial, arguing that he was not a flight risk and should be placed under house arrest. But judge Rosmery Lourdes Pabon on Thursday ruled that he should remain imprisoned. Morales' successor, the conservative former Senate Vice President Jeanine Anez, was sentenced to 10 years in prison in June for orchestrating a coup.

[1/4] Soy plants are pictured on a farm in Enconada, on the outskirts of Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia, January 7, 2023. The tensions underscore a sharpening of a deep-seated rivalry between Santa Cruz and La Paz - Bolivia's farming hub and the political capital respectively - that have long butted heads over politics and resources. La Paz is an Andean stronghold with a large indigenous population that has traditionally titled towards the ruling socialist MAS party. "They can't resist on their own", said Montenegro, adding the rising economic pressures would force Santa Cruz producers to re-start supply within the country. Every Santa Cruz person has to fight, all Bolivians must fight for the well-being of Bolivia, for freedom."

☆ Hundreds of trucks snarl Bolivia farm region as blockades hit business
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( Agustin Marcarian | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Agustin MarcarianPAILON, Bolivia, Jan 3 (Reuters) - Hundreds of trucks lined highways in Bolivia's farming region of Santa Cruz on Tuesday, as protesters blockaded routes out of the region following the arrest of the local governor, and hard-hit local businesses urged a return to order. Protests have gripped the lowland region since the Dec. 28 arrest of right-wing local leader Luis Camacho on "terrorism" charges related to an alleged 2019 coup against then president Evo Morales. Another source at a local business group said it would be hard for the region to maintain long protests and road blockades, with many still reeling from a lengthy strike last October and November. In Santa Cruz city, protesters have clashed nightly on the streets, burning cars and tires and offloading fireworks. "We are a peaceful people, we want peace, we want to work under normal conditions," said Gabriela Arias, protesting for Camacho's release in a women's march in Santa Cruz.

Santa Cruz leaders pledge to fight until Camacho is released, picketing government buildings and stopping transport of grains. "We have a mandate from our assembly that nothing leaves Santa Cruz and that is what we are going to do," said Rómulo Calvo, head of the powerful Pro Santa Cruz civic group. Marcelo Cruz, President of the International Heavy Transport Association of Santa Cruz, said routes were being blocked so no trucks could leave the province. "No grain, animal or supply from the factories should leave Santa Cruz for the rest of the country. "Santa Cruz is the economic stronghold of Bolivia," said Gary Rodríguez, General Manager of the Bolivian Institute of Foreign Trade (IBCE).

[1/7] Bolivian opposition leader Luis Fernando Camacho receives a medical evaluation following his detention, at an undisclosed location in this image released December 28, 2022. Former President Morales said on Wednesday he hoped Camacho's detention would bring justice after three years. There was an uneasy calm Thursday in Santa Cruz, where signs of damage were visible after protests Wednesday ended with a fire set to the Santa Cruz prosecutor's headquarters. Public Works Minister Edgar Montano said on Twitter his house in Santa Cruz had been set on fire and robbed. The federal prosecutor's office said it would seek the "harshest punishment" for those responsible for damages in Santa Cruz.

☆ Accusations against detained Bolivian governor Camacho are "made up", says ex president Mesa
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

[1/3] Bolivian opposition leader Luis Fernando Camacho receives a medical evaluation following his detention, at an undisclosed location in this image released December 28, 2022. TWITTER/Carlos Eduardo del Castillo del Carpio/Handout via REUTERSLA PAZ, Dec 29 (Reuters) - Bolivia's former President Carlos Mesa told Reuters in an interview on Thursday that the accusations against Luis Fernando Camacho, the governor of agricultural hub Santa Cruz who was detained on Wednesday, are made up, spurious and non-existent. Reporting by Monica Machicao; Editing by Anthony EspositoOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Bolivia to protect big-state economic model, plans‘aggressive’ gas push: minister
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( Monica Machicao | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

LA PAZ, Dec 29 (Reuters) - Bolivia is committed to protecting its subsidy-reliant, big-state economic model despite deficit risks and is planning an "aggressive" push into gas exploration, the economy minister told Reuters. Economy Minister Marcelo Montenegro said the government has designed "a very aggressive exploration plan" for gas in 2023, but did not go into details. The government is projecting to shrink the 2023 deficit to about 7.5%. "It is not easy, because there are contracts that will last for years, even decades ... We have to push so that more profits remain for Bolivia," Montenegro said. Reporting by Monica Machicao in La Paz Written by Daniel Ramos Edited by Nicolás Misculin, Alexander Villegas and Matthew LewisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Mountain lion P-22 was 'compassionately euthanized' after showing signs of physical trauma. Here's how he went from a trouble-making cat to a symbol of Los Angeles.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-18 | by ( Hannah Getahun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Mountain lion P-22 was euthanized on Saturday after suffering from injuries and illnesses. There was "no hope for a positive outcome" in letting P-22 live, wildlife officials announced. The tests also showed the mountain lion suffered from multiple ailments, including kidney disease, a significant loss of weight, arthritis, and a parasitic skin infection all over his body. P-22, who has been key to mountain lion research in the area, was likely born in the Santa Monica Mountains. A trail camera picture of mountain lion P-22, in Los Angeles, California, U.S., 2012.

☆ Ohio teacher told principal using students' preferred pronouns violated her religion. She was forced to resign, lawsuit says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-17 | by ( Minyvonne Burke | Minyvonne Burke Is A Senior Breaking News Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

A former Ohio middle school teacher said she was forced to resign after she told her boss that she would not address students by their preferred pronouns because it violates her religious beliefs. The teacher, Vivian Geraghty, is now suing Jackson Memorial Middle School's principal, the Board of Education, and two district employees. The lawsuit notes that the school had adopted a policy that required teachers to use the preferred pronouns of students. Geraghty told Carter that she would not use the students' preferred pronouns, the suit says she was later called into a separate meeting with Carter and Monica Myers, a district employee. Geraghty again said she would not use the students' preferred pronouns and was sent back to her classroom.

☆ Peru president urges Congress to pass reform to bring elections forward amid protests
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LIMA, Dec 17 (Reuters) - Peruvian President Dina Boluarte, who has said she is leading a transitional government, urged the country's Congress to pass a proposal to bring forward general elections in a news conference from the presidential palace on Saturday. Boluarte, formerly Peru's vice president, assumed the presidency earlier this month after ex-President Pedro Castillo tried to illegally dissolve Congress and was arrested. On Friday, Peru's Congress rejected the proposed constitutional reform to move elections forward to December 2023. "I demand that the vote to bring elections up be reconsidered," Boluarte said, criticizing Congress members who had previously abstained from voting. "We want the immediate closure of Congress; we want the resignation of Dina Boluarte," Rene Mendoza, a protester at the border with Bolivia, told Reuters.

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