Monthly Archives: February 2019

‘Time bomb’ warning on mining dam disasters

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The catastrophic collapse of a dam at a mine in Brazil has exposed a darker side of an industry that the world depends on.  At nearly 800 sites across the country and thousands more around the world, dams contain huge loads of mining waste. One British scientist, Dr Stephen Edwards of UCL, has warned that “we are sitting on a… Read more »

El Chapo guilty: Will his jailing change anything?

The trial and conviction of the notorious Joaquín Guzmán Loera, also known as El Chapo, told us much about the man, the multi-billion drugs trade and the attempts to stop it. Guzmán, the notorious Mexican drug-cartel leader, has a nervous tic. He tugs at his right lapel. On difficult days in the courtroom, such as when his ex-mistress testified, he… Read more »

US-China trade talks break up without deal

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Trade talks between the US and China have broken up without a deal, with the US warning that “very difficult issues” remain unresolved. The talks in China this week were aimed at securing a new deal before further US tariffs are imposed on 1 March. China said negotiations would now continue in the US next week. “We feel that we… Read more »

El Chapo Analysis

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Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman will be sentenced on June 25 and most likely sent to a maximum security prison in the U.S.. This would be the safest option due to the fact that he will not be able to escape through tunnels, as achieved before. The trial where his 10 convictions took place, New York’s eastern district, was where many… Read more »

Haiti government silent as deadly protests show no sign of ending

The wave of demonstrations against Haiti’s President Jovenel Moïse and his government’s mishandling of development funds has left a seventh protestor dead after a week of violent clashes in the Caribbean nation. Haitians took to the streets of the capital Port-au-Prince’s once again on Wednesday to demand the resignation of the country’s President Jovenel Moïse as tensions continue to mount after a week of… Read more »

China to exempt some Brazilian chicken imports from tariffs

BEIJING (Reuters) – China will exempt 14 Brazilian firms including BRF and JBS Group from anti-dumping tariffs on imports of chicken products, provided sales are made above an undisclosed floor price. The exemptions follow months of negotiations between Brazilian chicken producers and China, as Brazil sought to resolve an anti-dumping probe launched in August 2017. Brazil is the world’s top… Read more »

Mexico to pump $3.6 billion into ailing oil firm Pemex in relief plan

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Mexico’s government will inject $3.6 billion into ailing state-owned oil company Pemex, including by reducing taxes paid, company officials said on Friday, a move aimed at improving the firm’s balance sheet and preventing a further downgrade to its credit rating. Formally known as Petroleos Mexicanos, the firm holds roughly $106 billion in financial debt, the highest… Read more »

Jail for Colombian vet who implanted liquid heroin in puppies

A Colombian former veterinary student was sentenced to six years in prison by a United States federal court Thursday for smuggling liquid heroin in puppies.Between September 2004 and January 2005, Andres Lopez Elorez, now 39, surgically implanted bags of liquid heroin into nine puppies he secretly raised for importation into the US on behalf of a drug-trafficking organization.On New Year’s… Read more »

Brazil environment minister’s dismissal of slain Amazon defender stirs outrage

Brazilian environmental groups have blasted Jair Bolsonaro’s environment minister after he dismissed the murdered Amazon rain forest defender Chico Mendes as “irrelevant”. C  Read more “I don’t know Chico Mendes,” the president’s environment minister, Ricardo Salles, told journalists on an interview show late Monday night, when asked about the famous Brazilian rubber tapper, union leader and environmentalist who was murdered in… Read more »

Canadian minister resigns from Trudeau’s cabinet amid scandal

Canada’s former justice minister has resigned from Justin Trudeau’s cabinet amid allegations that the prime minister’s office pressured her to avoid prosecuting a major Canadian engineering firm. Canada unveils plan to warn of potential election meddling  Read more The veterans affairs minister, Jody Wilson-Raybould, released a letter announcing her resignation. She had been demoted from the post of justice minister… Read more »