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☆ Dane Jackson: 'There's nothing like it,' says kayaker after descending 300 feet down waterfalls
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( George Ramsay | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

This section of the Rio Santo Domingo has been compared to a double black diamond ski slope. Rush Struges, Rafa Ortiz, and Evan Garcia were the first people to run the waterfalls from top to bottom in 2013. Jackson kayaks the Angel Wings falls in the Santo Domingo Gorge. But that doesn’t stop Jackson’s family getting anxious when he embarks on a big project, including his descent in the Santo Domingo Gorge. “My dad’s a pro kayaker, my sister’s a pro kayaker, my mom has been there every step of the way,” says Jackson.

☆ Brazilian Court Orders Suspension of Telegram Over Neo-Nazi Groups
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Samantha Pearson | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

A court said Telegram failed to fully comply with its order to hand over data related to attacks on schools. Photo: Matt Slocum/Associated PressSÃO PAULO—A Brazilian court ordered internet providers to suspend the messaging app Telegram in the country, saying it failed to supply information on neo-Nazi groups connected to school shootings—the latest in a series of clashes between Brazil’s authorities and the platform. The late Wednesday order is part of a police investigation into two attacks on schools in the southeastern state of Espírito Santo last year by a teenager who shot dead three teachers and a student. Investigators found the killer had connections to a Telegram channel called the “Brazilian Anti-Semite Movement” and a group with the name “Anti-Semite Front,” and demanded Telegram hand over data on their members and administrators.

☆ How Tottenham Hotspur fell into disrepair
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Matias Grez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

CNN —Four years ago, on a warm Spanish summer’s evening in Madrid, Tottenham Hostpur was just 90 minutes away from reaching the pinnacle of European football. Win or lose against Liverpool in the 2019 Champions League final, Spurs could be excited about the future of their club. Tottenham was 5-0 down after 21 minutes against Newcastle. Tottenham players offered to reimburse their fans after the Newcastle defeat. “Unfortunately, the mismanagement of Tottenham off the pitch has now transcended to on the pitch to a point where Tottenham are in the biggest mess I’ve known in my lifetime.”Bleak future?

☆ Brazil court suspends Telegram for not complying with order on neo-Nazi groups
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BRASILIA, April 26 (Reuters) - A Brazilian court on Wednesday ordered a temporary suspension in the country of the encrypted messaging app Telegram until it complies with an order to share information on extremist and neo-Nazi groups using the platform. The federal police requested the suspension order after Telegram failed to comply with a previous court decision to handover data about two neo-Nazi groups on the app that were accused of inciting violence in schools. Due to Telegram's non-compliance with the court order, the judge said telecommunications firms in the country should start to suspend access to the messaging service and downloading of the app. Local media reported that the federal police requested the contacts of administrators and members, as well as phone numbers of users from those groups. Telegram brands itself as a messaging app focused on speed and privacy and says its special secret chats use end-to-end encryption that is not stored on its servers.

☆ Those Seaweed Blobs Headed for Florida? See How Big They Are.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Elena Shao | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +6 min

Scientists say they spotted more than 13 million tons of Sargassum, a yellowish-brown seaweed, drifting in the Atlantic Ocean last month — a record for the month of March. NORTH AMERICA March 2023 Atlantic Ocean The Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt grew to an estimated 13.5 million metric tons of seaweed this spring. Tangles of the goopy, leafy seaweed have already begun to wash ashore beaches in southern Florida and Mexico. Floating mats of seaweed accumulate in the central Atlantic Ocean for much of the year. But during the spring and summer, patches of it are carried by ocean currents toward the Caribbean, eastern Florida and elsewhere along the Gulf Coast.

☆ At least four children killed in pre-school axe attack in southern Brazil
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] A view shows forensic technicians, ambulances and policemen outside a pre-school after a 25-year-old man attacked children, killing several and injuring others, according to local police and hospital, in Blumenau, in the southern Brazilian state of Santa Catarina, Brazil April 5, 2023. REUTERS/Denner OvidioApril 5 (Reuters) - At least four children were killed and four other injured when a 25-year-old man armed with a small axe attacked a pre-school in the southern Brazilian state of Santa Catarina on Wednesday, local police and a hospital said. Police said the man responsible for the attack in the city of Blumenau has been arrested. The attack, dubbed by President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva a "monstrosity," happened nearly a week after a 13-year-old student stabbed a teacher to death and wounded five others in a Sao Paulo school. Reporting by Fernando Cardoso in Sao Paulo, Rodrigo Viga Gaier in Rio de Janeiro; Editing by Steven GrattanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Brazil's Energisa wins Espirito Santo gas firm at privatization auction
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

SAO PAULO, March 31 (Reuters) - Brazilian energy company Energisa Transmissao de Energia SA (ENGI11.SA) won ownership of natural gas firm ESGas at a privatization auction on Friday, buying stakes from the state government and Vibra Energia (VBBR3.SA). Energisa offered 1.42 billion reais ($280 million) for Companhia de Distribuiçao de Gas do Espirito Santo, as it is formally known, marking a 7.28% premium from its minimum fixed grant value. ESGas is responsible for the distribution of piped natural gas to more than 60,000 consumer units in the southeastern state of Espirito Santo, with residential, commercial, industrial, automotive, air conditioning and thermoelectric businesses. ($1 = 5.0744 reais)Reporting by Letícia Fucuchima; Writing by Carolina Pulice; Editing by Giles Elgood Editing by Sarah MorlandOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Tottenham end unhappy relationship with Conte
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-26 | by ( Martyn Herman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

LONDON, March 26 (Reuters) - Antonio Conte's increasingly fractious relationship with Tottenham Hotspur came to an end with the Premier League club announcing they had parted ways with the Italian on Sunday. "We can announce that head coach Antonio Conte has left the club by mutual agreement," Tottenham said in a statement. "We achieved Champions League qualification in Antonio's first season at the club. "We have 10 Premier League games remaining and we have a fight on our hands for a Champions League place," chairman Daniel Levy said in the statement. Conte leaves with Tottenham in fourth place in the Premier League and still well-placed to challenge for a top-four finish and qualify for the Champions League.

☆ Spain's PM Sanchez to push for 'territorial integrity' for Ukraine in China visit
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-26 | by ( Paul Mathiasen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SANTO DOMINGO, March 25 (Reuters) - Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Saturday he would push for fair peace in the war in Ukraine that included "territorial integrity" during a state visit to China next week. "The most important thing ... is that when this peace is reached in Ukraine, it will be fair and lasting ... and when we talk about fair, I mean that the territorial integrity of Ukraine, which has been violated by Putin, is respected," Sanchez said in a news conference. Last month, Beijing outlined a 12-point peace plan and called for a comprehensive ceasefire. Xi recently traveled to Moscow, where he described China's position on the conflict as "impartial". Reporting by Paul Mathiasen in Santo Domingo, writing by Cassandra Garrison; Editing by Robert BirselOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Inflation, migration in focus at regional Ibero-American summit
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-25 | by ( Paul Mathiasen And Jesus Frias | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] Honduras President Xiomara Castro attends at the XXVIII Ibero-American Summit of Heads of State and Government, in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, March 25, 2023. Dominican Republic Ministry of Foreign Affairs/Handout via REUTERSSANTO DOMINGO, March 25 (Reuters) - Leaders attending the Ibero-American Summit meeting in the Dominican Republic on Saturday highlighted rising inflation and migration as risks to the stability of the region. "Today migration management constitutes one of the great regional challenges," said Chilean President Gabriel Boric. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, meanwhile, canceled his attendance at the Ibero-American summit after receiving a positive COVID-19 test result, though he has since tested negative twice, Vice President Delcy Rodriguez said. Reporting by Paul Mathiasen and Jesus Frias in Santo Domingo and Marco Aquino in Lima Writing by Cassandra Garrison Editing by Matthew Lewis and Deepa BabingtonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Venezuela's Maduro to join Ibero-American summit in rare foreign trip
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SANTO DOMINGO, March 24 (Reuters) - Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro will attend an Ibero-American summit this weekend hosted by the Dominican Republic, a summit official said on Friday, marking one of the embattled leader's few trips abroad. "We welcome President Nicolas Maduro, who is on his way to the Dominican Republic," said Marian Cruz, the master of ceremonies for the event, which provides a forum for leaders from across Latin America as well as Spain and Portugal. Maduro's attendance at the Saturday and Sunday summit in Santo Domingo would be his first foreign trip this year. Maduro is shunned by many governments due in large part to his 2018 re-election derided as a sham by international observers. Cruz, the summit official, also confirmed the attendance of Spain's President Pedro Sanchez.

☆ Brazilian researchers find 'terrifying' plastic rocks on remote island
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( Sergio Queiroz | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/6] "Plastic rocks" found on Trindade Island in the state of Espirito Santo is seen at the laboratory of the Federal University of Parana, in Curitiba, state of Parana, Brazil March 7, 2023. REUTERS/Rodolfo BuhrerTRINDADE ISLAND, Brazil, March 15 (Reuters) - The geology of Brazil's volcanic Trindade Island has fascinated scientists for years, but the discovery of rocks made from plastic debris in this remote turtle refuge is sparking alarm. Melted plastic has become intertwined with rocks on the island, located 1,140 km (708 miles) from the southeastern state of Espirito Santo, which researchers say is evidence of humans' growing influence over the earth's geological cycles. Trindade Island is one of the world's most important conservation spots for green turtles, or Chelonia mydas, with thousands arriving each year to lay their eggs. The only human inhabitants on Trindade are members of the Brazilian navy, which maintains a base on the island and protects the nesting turtles.

“The Learjet pilot read back the instructions clearly but began a takeoff roll instead,” the FAA said in a statement. The NTSB says neither airplane was damaged and nobody on board was hurt. The FedEx plane, meanwhile, climbed as its crew aborted their landing to help avoid a collision, the FAA said. Air traffic controllers had “noticed another aircraft crossing the runway in front of the departing jetliner,” the FAA said in a statement. Audio recordings detail swift action by an air traffic controller kept the airplanes from colliding as they drew closer.

☆ U.S. safety board subpoenas American Airlines flight crew in NYC near miss
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The NTSB said the London-bound American Airlines flight crossed the runway without clearance from air traffic control, forcing the Delta aircraft to abort its takeoff. The Delta flight, bound for Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, aborted takeoff and came to stop about 500 feet short of the taxiway. The NTSB said it has attempted to interview the American Airlines flight crew three different times, but the crew refused to be interviewed on the basis that their statements would be recorded for transcription. The Allied Pilots Association, which represents 15,000 American Airlines pilots, said in a statement it raised concerns over the NTSB's "recent insistence" on electronically recording crew interviews. There were 12 crew and 137 passengers on the American Airlines flight and six crew and 153 passengers on the Delta flight.

☆ This startup building a compensation operating system for HR teams just raised $16.3 million. Here's the 14-slide pitch deck Coverflex used to raise the cash.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Callum Burroughs | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Portuguese compensation management startup Coverflex has raised $16.3 million in fresh funds. The startup enables workers to manage their own benefits and choose from perks like health insurance. We got an exclusive look at the 14-slide pitch deck Coverflex used to raise the new round. A startup that has developed a platform for companies to manage employee compensation and benefits in one place has raised $16.3 million in fresh funds. Coverflex claims its platform offers high tax advantages for employers and also enables HR teams to personalize which teams can access specific benefits.

☆ Brazil's government eyes compensation deal for 2015 Vale-BHP dam burst
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BRASILIA, Jan 27 (Reuters) - Brazil's government will try to reach a deal "as soon as possible" on compensation for the 2015 burst of a tailings dam owned by Samarco, a joint venture between Vale (VALE3.SA) and BHP <BHP.AX>, Institutional Relations Minister Alexandre Padilha said on Friday. In a news conference in Brasilia, Padilha said the matter had been discussed at a meeting with state governors earlier in the day. "We will try and reach this compensation agreement as soon as possible in light of the environmental crime that was committed in Mariana," Padilha said. In late 2021, a study done by a company contracted by prosecutors showed the "socio-environmental" damage caused by the dam rupture was between 37.6 billion reais ($7.35 billion) and 60.6 billion reais ($11.85 billion). ($1 = 5.1126 reais)Reporting by Lisandra Paraguassu; Editing by Isabel Woodford and Paul SimaoOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ A town in Italy is going to pay people $31,000 to move there, but there's a catch. You must buy and fix up old abandoned homes to get the cash.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Jordan Pandy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Presicce, Italy is providing roughly $30,000 to people who move to the historic town. It's just the latest small Italian village to try to lure newcomers by dangling major incentives. Other Italian towns experiencing population declines and struggling with derelict properties have instituted similar programs. According to Italian listing site Immobiliare, homes in the Presicce-Acquarica comune normally sell for 669 euros, or about $690, per square meter. A typical home of 46 square meters, or about 500 square feet, would normally cost just over $31,000.

☆ Brazil school shooter kills 3, injures 13 at two campuses
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-26 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

BRASILIA, Brazil — A former student armed with a semiautomatic pistol and wearing a bulletproof vest fatally shot three people and wounded 13 on Friday after barging into two schools in southeastern Brazil, authorities said. The shootings took place at a public school with elementary and middle school students and a private school, both on the same street in the small town of Aracruz in Espirito Santo state, the state’s public security secretariat said in a statement. Approximately four hours later, the shooter, identified as a 16-year-old boy who used to study at the public school, was arrested by police, Espirito Santo Gov. In addition to the fatalities, 13 people were wounded, including nine instructors, said Celante, who noted that in the public school the shooter gained access to the teachers lounge after breaking a lock. School shootings are uncommon in Brazil, but have happened with somewhat greater frequency in recent years.

LISBON, Nov 23 (Reuters) - Further consolidation of Portugal's banking sector is inevitable, European Central Bank member Mario Centeno told Reuters on Wednesday, calling "remarkable" the recent progress the country's banks have made on strengthening capital and reducing risk. Analysts have said that Portuguese banks should bet on M&A operations to achieve better competitive conditions, despite the five largest players' owning 80% to 85% of banking assets. Portugal's banks are still scarred from a debt crisis and a spike in NPLs after the 2010-13 recession. The NPL ratio for Portugal's lenders was 3.4% of total credit in June, versus 17.9% in mid-2016. "Although I am very satisfied with the evolution...there is no point in resting, we have to challenge ourselves," Centeno said.

☆ Gulf Arab states can’t give up oil. But they can slash their emissions
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

Abu Dhabi CNN —As Western states try to wean themselves off their addiction to hydrocarbons, Gulf oil nations have been pushing back hard, warning that a hasty transition away from fossil fuels will be counterproductive. According to the World Bank, Qatar had the highest carbon emissions per capita as of 2019, followed by Kuwait, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. So, investment in clean energy projects and renewables “makes very good business sense and PR sense for the Gulf,” he said. Gulf petro-states are warning against a quick transition away from hydrocarbons, with the UAE calling for a “mixed energy” approach that minimizes emissions without cutting hydrocarbons. Much of the hydrocarbons exported by Gulf states go to some of the world’s biggest consumers and polluters, including China and India.

In one line of attack, Lula allies dug up a 2016 interview in which Bolsonaro said he was willing to eat human flesh in an unspecified indigenous ritual. In another, they circulated old images of Bolsonaro speaking at Masonic lodges, considered pagan temples by some of his evangelical Christian allies. The president won court injunctions that took that attack ad off the air and kept the subject out of a debate with Lula last Sunday. But every week that passes without Bolsonaro gaining ground is a battle won by Lula, who was Brazil's president from 2003 to 2010. "The focus now is to attack Lula and trigger fears of him returning to power," said a second Bolsonaro campaign source.

☆ Mexico tells fans not to bring iconic 'Lucha Libre' masks to World Cup
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( Angelica Medina | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MEXICO CITY, Oct 11 (Reuters) - Mexico fans have been advised by their government not to wear their colourful 'Lucha Libre' wrestling masks at World Cup matches in Qatar to comply with local rules. The masks of classic fighters, such as 'El Santo' and 'Blue Demon', are popular among Mexico fans, who routinely wear them at international competitions such as the World Cup and the Olympics. However, Qatar's World Cup organisers, the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy (SC), told Reuters there was no policy prohibiting masks at the World Cup. "Full face masks, such as the famous Mexican wrestling masks, would obviously have to be removed for security reasons heading into a stadium," the SC wrote in an emailed statement. According to world soccer's governing body FIFA, Mexico will have one of the biggest fan contingents at the World Cup.

Workers remove utility poles in the aftermath of Hurricane Fiona in Higuey, Dominican Republic, September 19, 2022. REUTERS/Ricardo RojasSAN JUAN, Puerto Rico/SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, Sept 20 (Reuters) - Residents were ordered to take shelter on the Turks and Caicos Islands on Tuesday as an increasingly powerful Hurricane Fiona churned towards the Caribbean archipelago, leaving death and destruction in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. In Puerto Rico, a territory of the United States, residents were still facing strong winds, frequent lightning and heavy rain on Monday. Fiona made landfall in Puerto Rico on Sunday afternoon, dumping up to 30 inches (76.2 cm) of rain in some areas, with at least two people killed. Fiona made landfall in the Dominican Republic near Boca Yuma at 3:30 a.m. local time on Monday, according to the NHC.

☆ Hurricane Fiona to bring flooding to eastern Dominican Republic
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Workers cut tree branches in preparation for Hurricane Fiona, in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, September 18, 2022. REUTERS/Ricardo RojasRegister now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterSept 19 (Reuters) - Hurricane Fiona was expected to bring life-threatening flash and urban flooding to parts of the Dominican Republic after making landfall near Boca de Yuma at 3:30 a.m. AST, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said on Monday. The center of Fiona was now about 35 miles (55 km) southeast of Samana, Dominican Republic, and packing sustained winds of 90 miles per hour (150 km per hour), it added. The hurricane left most of Puerto Rico without power on Sunday, causing catastrophic flooding with mudslides and landslides, while aid agencies in the Dominican Republic began evacuating residents from high-risk areas in the east on Sunday night. read moreRegister now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Deep Vakil in Bengaluru; editing by Jason NeelyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

People clear a road from a fallen tree after Hurricane Fiona affected the area in Yauco, Puerto Rico September 18, 2022. Hurricane Fiona made landfall in Puerto Rico on Sunday afternoon, five years after the U.S. Caribbean territory was ravaged by Hurricane Maria. "The strongest winds are already dying down and it's already over the Dominican Republic." The eye of Fiona made landfall in the Dominican Republic near Boca Yuma at 3:30 a.m. local time, the NHC said. Rainbands could follow the storm system on the east side of Puerto Rico for hundreds of miles, NHC's Blake said.

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