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☆ Mexico City holds mass celebration for same-sex weddings, gender ID changes
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MEXICO CITY, June 23 (Reuters) - Hundreds of same-sex couples and transgender people in Mexico City celebrated weddings and the completion of administrative processes to change their gender on Friday, in a mass ceremony a day before the city's annual gay pride march. Some 120 couples met the requirements to get married under the slogan "Hand in hand, we march with pride," the city government said in a statement. [1/3]A couple kisses during a mass wedding as part of the LGBT+ pride month celebrations in Mexico City, Mexico June 23, 2023. REUTERS/Raquel CunhaIn 2009, Mexico City became the first jurisdiction in Latin America to legalize same-sex marriage. Transgender people face many hurdles when they cannot update legal documents such as ID cards to reflect their gender identity.

Persons: Keila Espinoza, Vaneza Garcia, Edgar Mendoza, Raquel Cunha, Sarah Morland, Tom Hogue Organizations: MEXICO CITY, REUTERS, Reuters, Thomson Locations: MEXICO, Mexico City, Mexico, Latin America, Tamaulipas

☆ Chile official warns of 'worst front in a decade' after floods, evacuations
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The flooding around the Mapocho river has also cut off routes leading towards the Pacific Ocean, hitting families who live on its banks and leaving small towns isolated. This led authorities to declare a "red alert" and order preventive evacuations in various towns in the south of Santiago. "This is the worst weather front we have had in 10 years," Santiago metropolitan area governor Claudio Orego said. The flooding of the Mapocho river has also affected parts of the busy route that connects Santiago with the key port city of Valparaiso. In mountainous tourist areas around the Maipo river, authorities have since Thursday been moving residents out of their towns due to the risk of landslides and further flooding.

Persons: SANTIAGO, Claudio Orego, Franco Rodriguez, Natalia Ramos, Carolina Pulice, Sarah Morland Organizations: Reuters, Thomson Locations: Santiago, Noviciado, Valparaiso, City

☆ Ancient Maya city discovered in Mexican jungle
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The city includes large pyramid-like buildings, stone columns, three plazas with "imposing buildings" and other structures arranged in almost-concentric circles, the INAH institute said. INAH said the city, which it has named Ocomtun - meaning "stone column" in the Yucatec Maya language - would have been an important center for the peninsula's central lowland region between 250 and 1000 AD. It is located in the Balamku ecological reserve on the country's Yucatan Peninsula and was discovered during a search of a largely unexplored stretch of jungle larger than Luxembourg. The Maya civilization, known for its advanced mathematical calendars, spanned southeast Mexico and parts of Central America. Pre-Hispanic ball games, widespread throughout the Maya region, consist of passing a rubber ball representing the sun across a court without the use of hands and getting it through a small stone hoop.

Persons: INAH, Ivan Sprajc, Sprajc, Sarah Morland, Edwina Gibbs Organizations: Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology, Mexico's, Read, MEXICO CITY, Central America, Thomson Locations: Campeche, Mexico, MEXICO, Yucatan, Luxembourg, Central

☆ Brazil watchdog offers plea deals to Americanas employees in fraud probe
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SAO PAULO, June 20 (Reuters) - The president of Brazil's securities watchdog CVM on Tuesday urged employees from Americanas (AMER3.SA) with information about the retailer's alleged multi-billion-dollar fraud to give testimony in exchange for potential plea deals. Americanas last week admitted to a large-scale accounting fraud with current top managers slamming former executive, banks and auditors for their alleged involvement in "fraudulently altered" financial statements. Americanas filed for bankruptcy protection in January after uncovering an over $4 billion accounting scandal. The report issued on Tuesday accused ex-CEO Miguel Gutierrez and half a dozen other former executives and employees of committing fraud. Reporting by Patricia Vilas Boas; Writing by Carolina Pulice; Editing by Sarah Morland and Aurora EllisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: CVM, Joao Pedro Barroso, Nascimento, Americanas, Miguel Gutierrez, Patricia Vilas Boas, Carolina Pulice, Sarah Morland, Aurora Ellis Organizations: SAO PAULO, Federal, Thomson Locations: Americanas

☆ Mexico interior minister steps down to vie for presidential bid
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MEXICO CITY, June 16 (Reuters) - Mexican Interior Minister Adan Augusto Lopez has resigned from his post to compete for the ruling party's candidacy in next year's presidential elections, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Friday. Lopez Obrador said during a regular press conference that the interior minister had resigned the day before. The president did not immediately name a replacement, but said that Alejandro Encinas, who has led human rights issues for the ministry, would act as interior minister in the interim. Lopez's resignation follows that of former Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard, who stepped down earlier this week, and Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum, whose last day in office is Friday. Opinion polls so far have tended to give Sheinbaum, who would be Mexico's first female president if she won, a slight edge.

Persons: Adan Augusto Lopez, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, Lopez Obrador, Lopez, Alejandro Encinas, Marcelo Ebrard, Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum, Raul Cortes, Kylie Madry, Sarah Morland, Cassandra Garrison, Bill Berkrot Organizations: MEXICO CITY, Mexico City Mayor, Regeneration, Thomson Locations: MEXICO, Mexico, MORENA

☆ Dominican Republic, Canada disagree over Haitian police aid office
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( Harold Isaac | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

PORT-AU-PRINCE, June 16 (Reuters) - As Haiti's police struggle to contain powerful armed gangs, a disagreement between the Dominican Republic and Canada spilled out into the public on Friday, further complicating an international plan to boost Haiti's outgunned police force. A day after Canada's Foreign Minister Melanie Joly announced plans to set up a Canadian office to coordinate support for Haiti's national police this summer in the neighboring Dominican Republic, her Dominican counterpart denied any deal authorizing an office on Dominican territory. In a post on social media, Foreign Minister Roberto Alvarez said no deal been struck, adding that the Dominican government has not even discussed such a plan. The statement did not say whether the location would be in the Dominican Republic, which shares the Caribbean island of Hispaniola with Haiti. On Thursday, Joly announced plans to coordinate a police support operation from a base in the Dominican Republic and thanked Alvarez for providing it, according to a transcript from a Canadian government official.

Persons: Melanie Joly, Roberto Alvarez, Santo Domingo, Joly, Alvarez, Ariel Henry, Harold Isaac, Sarah Morland, Sandra Maler, William Mallard Organizations: PORT, Canada's, Dominican, Reuters, Haitian, Canadian, United, Thomson Locations: Dominican Republic, Canada, Dominican, Haiti, Hispaniola, Haitian, Santo, United States

☆ Mexico says mass bird deaths likely caused by El Niño's hotter waters
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Some 300 wild birds of various species were found dead over the weekend along the coasts of Mexico's western states of Chiapas, Oaxaca, Guerrero, Michoacan, Jalisco, Sonora and Baja California Sur. Authorities had initially suspected bird flu, but a joint effort from the country's agriculture and environment ministries concluded the most likely reason was warmer oceans resulting from El Niño. With warmer waters, fish tend to swim lower in search of colder waters, which prevents seabirds from successfully hunting for their food, the ministries said in a statement. At least six people have died in Mexico as a result of intense heat this warmer season, according to recent tally from the health ministry. Reporting by Mexico Newsroom; Writing by Carolina Pulice; Editing by Sarah Morland and Sandra MalerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Carolina Pulice, Sarah Morland, Sandra Maler Organizations: MEXICO CITY, Authorities, U.S . National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, El Nino, Mexico, Thomson Locations: MEXICO, El, Chiapas, Oaxaca, Guerrero, Michoacan, Jalisco, Sonora, Baja California Sur, Americas, Peru, Chile, Mexico

☆ Guatemala court sentences journalist to 6 years in prison for money laundering
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

GUATEMALA CITY, June 14 (Reuters) - A Guatemalan court on Wednesday sentenced Jose Zamora, a well-known journalist whose work has criticized successive governments, to six years in prison for money laundering in a case rights groups have branded an attack on free speech. Zamora was also issued a 300,000 quetzal ($38,339) fine, the court said. He was arrested in July last year during a crackdown on prosecutors, judges, human rights activists, journalists and opposition officials. According to the attorney general's office, Zamora allegedly received $38,461 to finance his media outlet, which was not regularly deposited into the banking system. The rights group is "very concerned" that Guatemala's prosecutors' office is investigating journalists and columnists from elPeriodico who covered Zamora's case, Goebertus added.

Persons: Jose Zamora, Zamora, Alejandro Giammattei, Juanita Goebertus, Goebertus, Sofia Menchu, Sarah Morland, Brendan O'Boyle, Bill Berkrot Organizations: GUATEMALA CITY, elPeriodico, Rights, Thomson Locations: GUATEMALA, Zamora's, Guatemala, Americas

☆ Venezuelan asylum seekers tripled in 2022, UN agency says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

June 14 (Reuters) - Venezuelans seeking asylum abroad nearly tripled in 2022, according to the United Nations refugee agency, which found that more than two in five new asylum applicants globally last year came from Latin America and the Caribbean. Cuba, also hit by U.S. trade sanctions and fuel shortages, recorded the second highest asylum figure at 194,700, a six-fold increase on 2021. Asylum seekers primarily stayed within the region, particularly in neighboring countries, the UNHCR found, with the United States, Costa Rica and Mexico receiving the most requests. While 2022 saw countries process asylum requests faster than previous years, the UNHCR said that backlogs keep growing due to "the sheer volume of new applications." The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden has urged migrants to use legal pathways to enter the United States, including using a mobile app called CBP One to schedule appointments to request asylum.

Persons: Joe Biden, Sarah Morland, Raul Cortes, Grant McCool Organizations: United Nations, Refugees, UNHCR, U.S, Thomson Locations: America, Caribbean, Venezuelan, Americas, Cuba, Nicaragua, Colombia, Honduras, Haiti, UNHCR, United States, Costa Rica, Mexico, Mexico City

☆ Mexico City mayor to step down to pursue historic bid for presidency
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] Outgoing Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum, one of the leading candidates for the presidential nomination of the ruling MORENA party, gestures during a press conference in Mexico City, Mexico June 12, 2023. REUTERS/Raquel CunhaMEXICO CITY, June 12 (Reuters) - Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum said she will step down on Friday to pursue the ruling party's candidacy for the 2024 presidential election, bidding to become the country's first female leader. President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's leftist National Regeneration Movement (MORENA) on Sunday agreed that on Sept. 6 it would announce the winner of its internal selection process. MORENA is heavily favored to win the June 2024 presidential election, lifted by Lopez Obrador's personal popularity. Reporting by Dave Graham in Mexico City; Writing by Sarah Morland and Brendan O'Boyle; Editing by Matthew Lewis and Leslie AdlerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum, Raquel Cunha MEXICO, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's, MORENA, Lopez, Lopez Obrador, Sheinbaum, Marcelo Ebrard, Ebrard, Adan Augusto Lopez, Dave Graham, Sarah Morland, Brendan O'Boyle, Matthew Lewis, Leslie Adler Organizations: Mexico City Mayor, REUTERS, Raquel Cunha MEXICO CITY, Regeneration, Sunday, Reuters, Interior, Thomson Locations: Mexico, Mexico City, China, United States

☆ Argentina inflation seen hitting 149% this year, up from previous poll
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BUENOS AIRES, June 9 (Reuters) - Analysts polled by Argentina's central bank forecast annual inflation this year at 149%, above the 126% expected in the previous poll, according to the monthly survey released on Friday. For May, the analysts polled expect prices to have risen 9% in the month. Analysts see the weakened Argentine peso, currently officially valued at 245 pesos per dollar, ending this year at 408.68 pesos per dollar and 2024 at 917.54 pesos per dollar. Rising prices and tumbling foreign reserves pose a challenge for Argentina's left-leaning government ahead of general elections in October. Reporting by Maximillian Heath; Editing by David Alire Garcia and Sarah MorlandOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Argentina's, Maximillian Heath, David Alire Garcia, Sarah Morland Organizations: Argentine, Thomson Locations: BUENOS AIRES

☆ Carmaker Toyota to invest $328 mln in Mexico hybrid pickup plant
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MEXICO CITY, June 8 (Reuters) - Japanese carmaker Toyota (7203.T) will invest a further $328 million in a plant in the central Mexican state of Guanajuato, it said on Thursday, as it looks to adapt its production processes for a new hybrid model of its Tacoma pickup truck. "The new version of the 'Mexican pickup' will be hybrid electric, which means Guanajuato will now form part of the company's electrification production strategy," Toyota said in a statement. The funds are set to help adapt manufacturing for the new Tacoma model for a North American market, it added. Toyota has invested close to $1.2 billion in Guanajuato since it announced the plant, it added, saying the factory currently provides more than 2,500 jobs. Reporting by Sarah Morland and Kylie Madry; Editing by Brendan O'BoyleOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Diego Sinhue, Tesla, Sarah Morland, Kylie Madry, Brendan O'Boyle Organizations: MEXICO CITY, Toyota, Tacoma, Thomson Locations: MEXICO, Mexican, Guanajuato, American, Japan, Mexico, United States, Nuevo Leon

☆ Mexico's Telmex reaches pay rise agreement with union, ministry says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MEXICO CITY, June 5 (Reuters) - Mexican telecom Telmex, a subsidiary of America Movil (AMXB.MX), has reached a deal with a workers' union that proposes a 5.6% pay rise, the country's labor ministry said on Monday, after extended negotiations. Some 30,000 current and retired workers will now vote on the deal, it added. The company and union also agreed on other commitments such as increasing market share, sales, customer retention, investments, benefits for workers' children, share-exchange and voluntary permanence programs among others, it added. The labor ministry had been mediating between the company and the telephone workers' union. ($1 = 17.4537 Mexican pesos)Reporting by Carolina Pulice; Editing by Sarah MorlandOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Carlos Slim's, Carolina Pulice, Sarah Morland Organizations: MEXICO CITY, Thomson Locations: MEXICO, Mexican, America

☆ Panama boosts security in Darien Gap to confront human traffickers
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"Operation Choco" aims to stop transnational organized crime in the Darien by mobilizing aerial support and confronting crime groups "head on," Security Minister Juan Pino told a press conference. It is affecting national security, not only in Panama but across the continent," Pino said, stressing that the initiative was "totally Panamanian." In April, Panama joined Colombia and the United States in a pledge to increase joint actions against human traffickers in Darien Gap. This is an effort wholly from the Panamanian state, because we are seeing that the situation of irregular migration is being exploited by transnational organized crime, which is profiting in the millions," he said. More than 166,000 migrants have crossed the Darien so far this year, according to the security ministry, mostly children and teenagers.

Persons: Carlos Jasso, Juan Pino, Pino, Oriel Ortega, Elida Moreno, Sarah Morland, William Mallard Organizations: REUTERS, PANAMA CITY, Thomson Locations: Puerto Obaldia, Guana Yala, Panama, Colombia, Darien, United States, Colombian, Panamanian

☆ US blocks ex-Haitian PM Lamothe from entering country, citing corruption
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

PORT-AU-PRINCE, June 2 (Reuters) - The United States on Friday blocked former Haitian Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe from entering the United States over what Secretary of State Antony Blinken said was his "involvement in significant corruption." "This action renders Lamothe generally ineligible for entry into the United States," the State Department said. In its statement, the State Department accused Lamothe of misappropriating "at least $60 million from the Haitian government's PetroCaribe investment and social welfare fund for private gain." Canada sanctioned Lamothe last November alongside Martelly and another former prime minister, Jean Henry Ceant, as part of measures targeting alleged backers of armed gangs in the country. The current caretaker government of Prime Minister Ariel Henry requested last October an international strike force to help restore order.

Persons: Laurent Lamothe, Antony Blinken, Lamothe, Michel Martelly, Jean Henry Ceant, Ariel Henry, Harold Isaac, Sarah Morland, Eric Beech, Costas Pitas, Tim Ahmann, Leslie Adler Organizations: PORT, Haitian, State Department, U.S ., Miami Herald, Lamothe, Martelly, United Nations, Thomson Locations: United States, U.S, Miami, Venezuelan, Canada, Ottawa, Haiti

☆ Family of girl who died in US Border Patrol custody denied ambulance, investigation finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

June 1 (Reuters) - An investigation into the death of an 8-year-old Panamanian girl while in custody of the U.S. Border Patrol in Harlingen, Texas, showed that the family was repeatedly denied an ambulance, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said on Thursday. The child died on May 17 after experiencing a medical emergency at the agency's station in Harlingen, three days after being transferred from the Donna Processing Facility, near the border in Donna, Texas, for medical isolation. The family had been held by CBP for nine days despite agency policy limiting custody to 72 hours. Neither Border Patrol agents nor the contracted medical personnel who interacted with the family in Harlingen acknowledged being aware of the girl's medical conditions, which included sickle cell anemia and congenital heart disease, CBP said. In addition, CBP said, surveillance cameras at the Harlingen station had not been working while the family was in custody, forcing them to rely on staff interviews.

Persons: Troy Miller, Sarah Morland, Ted Hesson, Leslie Adler Organizations: U.S . Border Patrol, U.S . Customs, Border Protection, Donna Processing, U.S . Department of Homeland Security, DHS, Border Patrol, Donna, CBP, CBP's, Thomson Locations: Harlingen , Texas, U.S, Harlingen, Donna , Texas, Mexico City, Washington

☆ Haiti rights group decries 'inhumane' conditions in police jails
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

June 1 (Reuters) - Detainees in overcrowded cells in Haitian police stations are living in "inhumane, degrading conditions", a human rights group RNDDH said Thursday, with police relying on makeshift prisons amid insecurity and a crippled judicial system. Six police stations that the group RNDDH visited in Haiti's Ouest Department showed "very alarming" conditions, it said, urging immediate action from the judicial system, which has struggled for years and is facing strikes by staff calling for better work conditions. The rights group said many of the detainees in the Port-au Prince station had received no visits, reducing their access to food and water normally brought by relatives. Haiti has seen an escalation in violence by armed gangs, driving a humanitarian crisis that has displaced tens of thousands of people. Reporting by Sarah Morland in Mexico City and Harold Isaac in Port-au-Prince; editing by Robert BirselOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: RNDDH, Sarah Morland, Harold Isaac, Robert Birsel Organizations: Haiti's Ouest, Prince, United Nations, Thomson Locations: Haitian, Haiti's, Port, au Prince, Haiti, Mexico City

☆ 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

☆ Haiti's deadly vigilante movement sees decline in gang violence, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The situation in the Caribbean country remains extremely volatile as heavily armed gangs continue to drive a humanitarian crisis that has displaced tens of thousands amid frequent kidnappings for ransom, gang rapes, tortures and murders. The vigilante movement, known as "Bwa Kale", began after residents of the capital Port-au-Prince lynched and set fire to over a dozen suspected gang members in the early morning of April 24. "Without making a value judgment, the 'Bwa Kale' movement has in just one month produced convincing, visible results; fear has changed sides," CARDH said in the report. Port-au-Prince, which CARDH estimates is now 60% controlled by armed gangs, sits in Haiti's Ouest Department where most of vigilante killings that it recorded - including lynchings, stonings, beatings and burnings - took place. Bwa Kale, CARDH said, likely emerged from the extreme cruelty inflicted by gangs, the ineffectiveness of the government, police and army and lack of international action.

☆ Report of Argentina fraud probe sinks shares in dLocal
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

May 26 (Reuters) - Uruguayan fintech dLocal, the South American country's first unicorn, saw its shares plummet on Friday, after Argentine news outlet Infobae published an article saying the government was investigating it for a possible fraud of at least $400 million. Citing unnamed official sources, Infobae said the Argentina government was investigating the fintech for "improper manouevers" and transfers abroad that would constitute a fraud, with most of its income coming from services sold to subsidiaries of the same firm. Infobae said sources at Argentina's customs agency said they were considering reporting dLocal to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). dLocal issued a statement denying the article, claiming it had been the victim of "misleading allegations" and that it would continue to process payments normally in Argentina. The fintech's shares were down 17% in afternoon trading after losing more than 34% earlier in the day.

☆ Mexican peso to stay strong despite end of central bank tightening cycle, analysts say
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Noe Torres | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MEXICO CITY, May 19 (Reuters) - The Mexican peso could remain the top performer among major global currencies in the coming weeks, despite Mexico's central bank choosing to halt a nearly two-year rate-hike cycle, analysts said. The Mexican peso has gained nearly 10% so far this year, driven mainly by the dollar's decline and money entering the country since the central bank started hiking interest rates in June 2021. Reuters GraphicsIn the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, seen as a market bellwether, speculators on different types of assets have been increasingly betting that the Mexican currency will keep appreciating. These positions, anticipating further strengthening of the peso since mid-March, reached 70,007 contracts in favor of the currency last week, a level not seen since March 2020. Considering these factors, Mexican economists expect the peso to weaken to 19.13 by year-end, a survey by the central bank showed, while a poll of Citibanamex experts estimated the figure at 19.20.

☆ Chile's state miner launches subsidiaries to manage lithium takeover plan
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SANTIAGO, May 19 (Reuters) - Chilean state miner Codelco, the world's largest copper producer, said on Friday it had created two subsidiaries to run a newly mandated lithium business amid a government plan to increase state control over the industry. The government instructed Codelco in April to begin talks with companies running lithium mining operations in Chile's Atacama salt flats as part of a new lithium strategy that will see the state take majority stakes in all "strategic" projects. As well as talks with the world's two largest lithium miners, Albemarle (ALB.N) and SQM (SQMA.SN), Codelco has also been tasked by President Gabriel Boric's government with developing new alliances. On Thursday, SQM said it expected to begin talks with Codelco in the coming weeks. Reporting by Fabian Andres Cambero; Writing by Sarah Morland; Editing by Jan HarveyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Chile's SQM to start lithium talks with state miner Codelco in coming weeks, says CEO
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] An aerial view shows the brine pools of SQM lithium mine on the Atacama salt flat in the Atacama desert of northern Chile, January 10, 2013. REUTERS/Ivan AlvaradoMEXICO CITY, May 18 (Reuters) - Chile's lithium miner SQM is set to start talks about lithium projects with state miner Codelco in the coming weeks, the firm's Chief Executive Officer Ricardo Ramos told analysts in a quarterly earnings call on Thursday. It did not specify quarterly prices in its latest report. "We are positive about volumes for the second quarter and semester," Ramos said when asked about the company's outlook, citing a ramp up of activity in China. "The second quarter is showing a more stable pattern," he said.

☆ Long-necked dinosaur fossil found by Argentine scientists is one of biggest ever
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Lucila Sigal | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The find in the Pueblo Blanco Nature Reserve, presented on Thursday, was first discovered by scientists in 2018. Paleontologist Nicolas Chimento said scientists decided to name the dinosaur "Chucarosaurus Diripienda", meaning hard-boiled and scrambled, because it had rolled around and survived the accident. At 50 tonnes and 30 meters in length, the Chucarosaurus is the largest-ever dinosaur discovered in the mountainous Rio Negro province. Some 140 dinosaur species have been discovered in Argentina, which ranks among the world's top three countries for research and discoveries alongside China and the United States. Reporting by Lucila Sigal; Writing by Sarah Morland; Editing by David GregorioOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ El Salvador forces surround town in north after police killing
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The officer was killed while on patrol in Nueva Concepcion, some 42 miles (67 km) northwest of the capital on Tuesday in an attack by alleged gang members, security authorities said. El Salvador has suspended constitutional rights in a so-called state of exception that allows police to swiftly arrest and jail suspected gang members while suspending their right to a lawyer and court approval of preliminary detention. Human rights groups say some innocent people have been caught up in the policy, including at least dozens who died in custody. Bukele's government has previously launched similar surges of security forces in urban areas considered highly dangerous in an attempt to stop drug trafficking and the movement of gang members. Reporting by Nelson Renteria; Writing by Sarah Morland Editing by Alistair BellOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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