ROFLMAO UNENFORCEBLE

Congress introduces bill to ban TikTok over spying fears

Story by Jon Fingas 

American politicians aren't just restricting access to TikTok — they now hope to ban it outright. Members of the House and Senate have introduced matching bills that would block transactions from any social media company in or influenced by China, Russia, Cuba, Iran, North Korea or Venezuela. The ANTI-SOCIAL CCP Act (Averting the National Threat of Internet Surveillance, Oppressive Censorship and Influence, and Algorithmic Learning by the Chinese Communist Party) is meant to shut down access to TikTok and other apps that could theoretically funnel American user data to oppressive governments, censor news or otherwise manipulate the public.


Congress introduces bill to ban TikTok over spying fears

CHINA - 2021/04/02: In this photo illustration the Chinese video-sharing social networking service company TikTok logo is seen on an Android mobile device with United States of America (USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US), flag in the background. (Photo Illustration by Budrul Chukrut/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)© SOPA Images via Getty Images

The rationale echoes what US political leaders have argued for years. While TikTok has taken efforts to distance its international operations from those in China, such as by storing US data domestically, critics have argued that parent company ByteDance is ultimately at the mercy of the Chinese government. TikTok could potentially profile government workers and otherwise surveil Americans, according to the often-repeated claims.

Related video: TikTok Banned on Government Devices in Alabama and Utah (Cheddar News)
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Republican bill co-sponsors Sen. Marco Rubio and Rep. Mike Gallagher tried to draw links between some ByteDance leadership and the Chinese Communist Party in an opinion piece in The Washington Post this November. At the time, 23 directors had previously worked for state-backed media, and "at least" 15 employees still did. The bill is also sponsored by House Democrat Raja Krishnamoorthi.

In a statement, a TikTok spokesperson said it was "troubling" that members of Congress were putting forward legislation to ban the app rather than waiting for a national security review to wind down. The bills will "do nothing to advance" national security, according to the company. The firm added that it would "continue to brief" Congress on plans developed under the watch of security officials. The social network has consistently denied plans to track American users or otherwise deliberately assist Chinese surveillance efforts in the country.

TikTok already faces some legal action. The states of Maryland and South Dakota have banned TikTok on government devices over security concerns. Indiana, meanwhile, sued TikTok for allegedly deceiving users about China's data access and child safety violations. That lawsuit would fine TikTok and demand changes to the service's info handling and marketing claims.

Whether or not the bills become legislation isn't certain. President Biden revoked former President Trump's orders to ban TikTok downloads, and instead required a fresh national security review. He's not expected to override his own order. And while the bill sponsors characterize the measure as bipartisan, it's not clear the call for a TikTok ban has enough support to clinch the necessary votes and reach Biden's desk. To some degree, the ANTI-SOCIAL CCP Act is more a signal of intent than a practical attempt to block TikTok.

Exclusive-Musk's banks to book Twitter loan losses, avoid big hits -sources

Story by By Lananh Nguyen, Saeed Azhar and Shankar Ramakrishnan 


NEW YORK (Reuters) - Some of the banks that lent Elon Musk $13 billion to buy Twitter are preparing to book losses on the loans this quarter, but they are likely to do so in a way that it does not become a major drag on their earnings, according to three sources with direct knowledge of the situation.

Banks typically sell such loans to investors at the time of the deal. But Twitter's lenders, led by Morgan Stanley, could face billions of dollars in losses if they tried to do so now, as investors shy away from buying risky debt during a period of economic uncertainty, market participants said. In addition, Twitter has seen advertisers flee amid worries about Musk's approach to policing tweets, hitting revenues and its ability to pay the interest on the debt.

Banks still have to mark the loan to its market value on their books and set aside funds for losses that are reported in quarterly results. In the absence of a price determined by actual sales of the debt, however, each bank can decide how much to write it down based on its market checks and judgment, according to the three sources who are familiar with the process of determining the value of such loans.

The biggest chunk of the debt -- $10 billion worth of loans secured by Twitter's assets -- might have to be written down by as much as 20%, one of the sources said. The hit on the loan, distributed among seven banks, could probably be managed by most of the firms without creating a significant hit to profits, the source added.

Another one of the three sources with direct knowledge of the matter estimated that some banks might only take a 5% to 10% writedown on the secured portion of the loan.

The deliberations of how some of these banks are thinking about accounting for these losses have not been previously reported. They come as Wall Street banks are bracing for lower fourth-quarter earnings due to a slump in investment banking revenue and a rise in loan-loss reserves amid a weakening global economy.

Three banking industry sources said the remaining $3 billion, which is unsecured, could lead to steeper losses for the seven Twitter banks. Reuters could not determine how much the banks were planning to write down the unsecured portion of the debt.

The lenders have considered replacing the unsecured part of the debt with a loan to Musk backed by his shares of Tesla Inc, the electric carmaker, one of the sources familiar with the talks said. Musk, however, has said it is best to avoid such loans in the current macroeconomic environment. Bloomberg previously reported the margin loan possibility.

Besides Morgan Stanley, the syndicate includes Bank of America Corp, Barclays Plc, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc, BNP Paribas SA, Mizuho Financial Group Inc and Societe Generale SA.

SocGen, Musk and representatives for Twitter did not respond to emailed requests for comment. Representatives from the other banks declined to comment.

ACCOUNTING FLEXIBILITY

Under accounting standards, the banks must mark the loan to its market value when some of them report earnings for the fourth quarter in January, several bankers and accountants said.

But with market activity coming to a standstill, the banks have a fair amount of flexibility on how to value them, which means each one could value them differently. They also have leeway on how to report any write downs and the time they take to sell the debt. Leveraged loan deals after the 2008 financial crisis took years to clear.

Each bank would make market checks with two or three potential buyers to arrive at a value of the loans, which an auditor would have to agree with, one of the three sources said.

The person, who is familiar with the thinking of one of the banks in the lending syndicate, added that some lenders are likely to take a smaller hit initially and write it down over time if valuations keep getting worse.

Projected losses could also be divided between investment banking and trading divisions, making it small enough that it doesn't have to be disclosed separately, one of the sources said. Any writedowns would probably be broken into chunks and spread over several months, reducing the hit to earnings in any one quarter, two of the sources with direct knowledge of the matter said.

Some market participants expect the losses from the debt to be significant unless market conditions improve. Two of the banking industry sources said if the banks tried to sell the loans now, they would not get more than 60 cents to the dollar on the secured bond and an even lower price on the unsecured portion. That would add up to billions of dollars in losses for the syndicate as a whole.

In September, Wall Street lenders led by Bank of America suffered a $700 million loss on the sale of about $4.55 billion in debt backing the leveraged buyout of business software company Citrix Systems Inc.

Some $35 billion to $40 billion of such loans are stuck on banks' books, according to two fixed income bankers.

Twitter's bankers, however, are more sanguine. "I wouldn't bet against Elon Musk," Morgan Stanley Chief Executive James Gorman said in an interview at Reuters NEXT earlier this month. "We don't get behind that kind of business and that kind of opportunity unless we believe it is real."

(Reporting by Lananh Nguyen, Saeed Azhar and Shankar Ramakrishnan in New York, additional reporting from Matt Tracy, and Abigail Summerville; editing by Paritosh Bansal and Claudia Parsons)

A major medical ethics group just asked the FDA to disqualify data from Elon Musk’s Neuralink animal experiments: ‘We want the FDA to proactively launch an investigation’

Story by Prarthana Prakash 

Elon Musk has several different businesses, from making electric cars at Tesla to building rocket ships at SpaceX. But one of his lesser-known businesses has been in the spotlight lately over accusations that it needlessly killed about 1,500 animals.

Neuralink, Musk’s brain technology startup, has come under fire recently for its animal testing practices, and the company is being investigated for violations of animal welfare. Over 20 current and former employees claim that the tests were being conducted hastily, and that workers were under pressure from Musk to expedite trials, leading to botched experiments and excessive animal deaths.

Now, a major medical ethics advocacy group, the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, has requested the Food and Drug Administration hold Neuralink accountable for violating protocols on biological tests, and disqualify the data obtained from animal testing, the Washington Post reported Tuesday. It has also asked the FDA to ban additional animal tests by Neuralink

“Between what we’ve seen in public records and what has been reported, it’s hard to imagine that Neuralink’s animal experiments meet FDA’s requirements,” Deborah Dubow Press, Esq., associate general counsel with the Physicians Committee, said in a statement.

In an interview with Fortune, Ryan Merkley, director of research advocacy for the organization, said that it was concerned that the documents Neuralink was providing to the FDA were not “trustworthy.”

“We want FDA to take a very close look at whatever Neuralink is providing, and ideally, we want the FDA to proactively launch an investigation because it's clear that over the years from public records and whistleblower reports that Neuralink has not followed its own internal protocols.”

Neuralink did not reply to Fortune’s request for comment.

If the FDA does dismiss the results collected thus far, it could threaten Neuralink’s business plans for their brain implants, and the company’s stated vision of creating a “brain-computer interface.” At a Neuralink event in November, Musk said that implants on human brains were roughly six months away and that the company had already submitted its request to the FDA. He presented a video of a monkey named Pager playing “monkey mind pong,” which resembles ping-pong but he plays it in his mind. Musk claimed that Pager would not be able to do so without using a brain implant, which he described as “replacing a piece of the skull with a smartwatch.”

Related video: Musk’s Neuralink faces federal probe, employee backlash over animal tests (Reuters) (France 24)

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“Before we would even think of putting a device in an animal, we do everything we possibly can with rigorous benchtop testing, so we are not cavalier,” Musk said during the presentation. He also said that whenever a device was implanted into a sheep, pig or monkey, it was done to confirm their testing results rather that to explore the outcomes of the experiment on the animal.

The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine based their request to the FDA on 700 pages worth of documents that were obtained after suing the California National Primate Research Center at the University of California-Davis, which was tasked with conducting the Neuralink animal experiments. The tests were conducted on rhesus macaques, a pink-faced species of monkeys originating from Asia, the Washington Post reported.

Twitter has reportedly stopped paying rent on its offices and is considering not paying severance packages to laid-off workers

Story by sdelouya@insider.com (Samantha Delouya) •

Tayfun Coskun/Getty Images© Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
Elon Musk is increasingly using radical cost-cutting measures at Twitter, according to the New York Times.
Twitter is reportedly no longer paying rent on its office buildings, and Musk has told workers not to pay vendors.
Management is reportedly weighing the possibility of not paying severance to former employees.

In Elon Musk's quest to make Twitter a more profitable company, he is reportedly implementing increasingly extreme cost-cutting measures.

According to the New York Times, Twitter has stopped paying rent for any of its offices, including its San Francisco headquarters, and Musk has instructed employees to no longer pay Twitter's vendors. The Times, citing a recent New Hampshire lawsuit, found that Twitter has also refused to pay nearly $200,000 in private plane flights taken in late October.

Last month, in an effort to save money, Twitter laid off 50% of its more than 7,000-person workforce, promising that fired US-based employees would get 3 months' pay, including 60 days of salaried pay, and one month of severance. The Times reports that Musk's team is now weighing the possibility of not paying the severance at all, and risking lawsuits from disgruntled former workers.

Twitter has also recently listed office supplies for auction in another cost-cutting attempt.

Twitter did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Insider.

Musk appears to be trying to save money as Twitter gears up for multiple legal battles, according to the Times. Twitter is reportedly facing an investigation from the Federal Trade Commission, and a potential class-action lawsuit from former employees. Musk has shaken up Twitter's legal department in recent weeks and has reportedly brought in lawyers from one of his other companies, SpaceX, to help run it.

The company also faces a hefty interest bill: owing roughly $1 billion in annual payments to banks due to the money Musk borrowed to help finance his $44 billion purchase of Twitter.

GLOBALIZATION IS OUTSOURCING
Vietnam factory workers laid off as West cuts imports

Story by AFP • 

Phan Thi Nhieu has spent a decade assembling shoes for worldwide brands such as Timberland and K-Swiss, but she is now among tens of thousands of Vietnamese factory workers laid off as Western consumers cut spending.


Thousands of Vietnamese factory workers have lost their jobs as Western consumers cut spending due to soaring inflation© Nhac NGUYEN

Almost half a million others have been forced to work fewer hours as orders fall in the Southeast Asian country, one of the world's largest exporters of clothing, footwear and furniture.

The cost-of-living crisis in Europe and the United States -- major markets for Vietnamese-produced goods -- has seen the buying power of Western shoppers plunge.

Women factory workers, who make up 80 percent of the labour force in Vietnam's garment industry, have been hit the hardest by the knock-on effect.

Early last month, 31-year-old Nhieu -- who lives in a nine-square-metre (100 square feet) room in Ho Chi Minh City with her two young sons and husband -- was told she was no longer needed at Ty Hung Company, a Taiwanese shoemaker that supplies big Western labels.



Phan Thi Nhieu (right), who lives with her family in a nine-square-metre flat in Ho Chi Minh City, was laid off by a Taiwanese shoemaker as orders dwindled© Nhac NGUYEN

"They told us they did not have enough orders," she said of Ty Hung's announcement that it would fire 1,200 of its 1,800 staff.

"I was so, so shocked and so scared, I cried, but I can do nothing, I have to accept it."

The job earned Nhieu just $220 a month in an expensive city where the average monthly income is $370, but the money was regular and a step up from the mushroom picking she did as a teenager in the heat of the Mekong Delta.

- 'Worse than Covid' -

Now, with just two months' severance pay to survive on, Nhieu must feed her family on a few dollars a day, and her kids are struggling to get enough to eat.



As Western orders plummet, many of those lucky enough to keep their jobs have seen their work hours slashed© Nhac NGUYEN

"We have no one to help us. I will have to get us through this on my own."

Since September, more than 1,200 companies -- mostly foreign businesses in the garment, footwear and furniture sectors -- have been forced to sack staff or cut working hours, according to the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour.

Compared with last year, orders are down 30-40 percent from the United States and 60 percent from Europe, where inflation and energy bills have soared because of the war in Ukraine.

More than 470,000 workers have had their hours slashed in the last four months of the year while about 40,000 people have lost their jobs -- 30,000 of them women aged 35 or older, the confederation said.



Nguyen Thi Thom, who was laid off by a South Korean firm, told AFP that garment industry jobs are hard to come by in the wake of Covid-19© Nhac NGUYEN

Taiwanese giant Pouyuen, a Nike shoe producer, has put 20,000 of its workers on paid leave in rotation, while reports said Vietnam's largest foreign investor, Samsung Electronics, has started reducing its smartphone production at factories in the north.



Workers wave goodbye to security guards on their last day of work at the Taiwanese Ty Hung factory in Ho Chi Minh City© Nhac NGUYEN

The situation is bleaker than during the Covid-19 pandemic, say workers, who were helped out with food donations when strict quarantine measures forced them to stay home -- and were quickly in demand again once restrictions lifted at the end of 2021.

"It's not easy to find a new job like before (following the pandemic)," said Nguyen Thi Thom, 35, who was laid off from a South Korean garment firm that makes clothes for US retail giant Walmart.

- No dream -

Since her factory work finished, Thom, who has three young children, spends her days on the streets of a shiny new suburban district of Ho Chi Minh City, selling dried noodles, shrimp sauce and oranges to passers-by.

The slowdown has come as a shock because export businesses in Vietnam were running at "their fullest capacity" for the first half of 2022, according to Tran Viet Anh, deputy head of Ho Chi Minh City's Business Association.

"At the start of the third quarter, due to global inflation, consumption demands have shrunk, leading to the suspension of orders... and huge stock surplus," he told AFP.

But the downturn in Vietnam will likely only be temporary, Viet Anh added.

A cut in production during the pandemic led to a shortage of goods in the first six months of 2022, and the situation will likely repeat a year on.

Viet Anh said that "2023 will be a period where we increase production to compensate".

Until then, women like Nhieu and Thom, who form the backbone of a low-paid workforce that has helped Vietnam become a key manufacturing hub seen as an alternative to China, must find another way to keep their families afloat.

"I have never had the luxury of dreaming what I want from life. I have only one wish, of earning enough to survive," Nhieu said.

tmh/aph/pdw/axn/dan/cwl

BOLSONARO COUP ATTEMPT

Riots in Brazil following arrest of Bolsonaro supporter

A group of demonstrators sympathetic to Brazilian ex-President Jair Bolsonaro have staged riots in Brasilia on Monday night by setting fire to vehicles and attempting to invade the Federal Police headquarters, following the arrest of a Bolsonaro supporter hours after the accreditation of Lula da Silva's electoral victory.


File - Brazilian Federal Police during an operation in Rio de Janeiro.

 - JOSE LUCENA / ZUMA PRESS / CONTACTOPHOTO© Provided by News 360

The police used rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse the demonstrators, who responded by throwing sticks and stones at the officers.

At least one person has been injured in the confrontation, in which several buses have been set on fire and dozens of cars have been destroyed, reports the Brazilian newspaper 'O Globo'.

The District Public Security Secretariat has blocked several streets in the city as a "preventive measure" and to "control disturbances, traffic and possible fires", in response to the vandalism carried out by the demonstrators, reports the Brazilian media UOL.

In addition, the authorities have reinforced security in the vicinity of the hotel where President-elect Lula da Silva was staying.

The protests have started after Brazilian Supreme Court judge Alexandre de Moraes ordered the detention of José Acácio Serere Xavante, known as 'Tserere', for ten days for allegedly organizing protests against the election results.

The PF has indicated that "the defendant is accompanied by lawyers and all the formalities related to the detention are being adopted in accordance with the legislation, safeguarding the physical and moral integrity of the detainee".

It also reported that the disturbances in the vicinity of its headquarters "are being contained with the support of other security forces".

The future Minister of Justice and Public Security, Flávio Dino, condemned the attacks: "The depredation and attempted invasion of the Federal Police building in Brasília is unacceptable", he said.

"Court orders must be complied with by the Federal Police. Those who consider themselves harmed must offer the appropriate remedies, never to practice political violence", Dino assured.

For his part, the current head of this portfolio, Anderson Torres, said tonight that "everything will be investigated and clarified", in the context of the protests in which the Federal Police has tried to contain the violence and restore order together with local and national authorities.

"Nothing justifies the regrettable scenes we saw in downtown Brasilia. The federal capital is traditionally the scene of peaceful and orderly demonstrations - and it will continue to be!" he added, while showing his support for the police officers.

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva received this Monday the credentials as future president of the country, thus certifying that the elections of last October were legal and that the inauguration will be held on January 1.

Moraes, at the ceremony held at the organization's headquarters in the Brazilian capital, stressed that those responsible for the attacks on democracy will be identified and held accountable.

Supporters of Brazil's defeated Bolsonaro attack police headquarters

Story by By REUTERS • Yesterday

Supporters of far-right Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on Monday attempted to invade the federal police headquarters in the capital Brasilia, in a flash of post-election violence on the day the president's electoral defeat was certified.




A supporter of Bolsonaro© (photo credit: UESLEI MARCELINO/REUTERS)

Reuters witnesses saw Bolsonaro supporters, many in their trademark yellow national soccer jerseys or draped in Brazilian flags, confronting security forces at police headquarters. Police fired stun grenades and tear gas to disperse the crowd. Nearby buses and cars were set on fire.

Federal police said "disturbances" near the headquarters were being handled with support from capital security forces.

The violence unfolded after a Bolsonaro supporter was detained for allegedly organizing violent "anti-democratic acts," according to the judge who ordered his arrest.

Earlier on Monday, the federal electoral court (TSE) certified the Oct. 30 election victory of Bolsonaro's leftist rival, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, as president. After months of baseless suggestions that Brazil's voting system is vulnerable to fraud, Bolsonaro has neither conceded defeat to Lula nor has he formally blocked the handover of power.

People attend a protest over Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro's defeat in the presidential run-off election, in Anapolis, Goias state, Brazil, November 2, 2022. 

(credit: REUTERS/UESLEI MARCELINO)

But some of the president's most diehard supporters have blocked highways in protest and camped out in front of army barracks, calling for a military coup to bar Lula from office.

Hundreds of Bolsonaro supporters gathered outside the presidential residence on Monday afternoon with banners calling for "military intervention." The president joined them for a public prayer but did not address the crowd.

"There's not going to be an inauguration," said Jose Trindade, 58, one of the Bolsonaro supporters in the crowd. "Bolsonaro was re-elected, but they stole it. So only the army can put things in order."

Related video: Brazil: Bolsonaro breaks post-election silence, calls for 'military coup' (WION)
Duration 2:28
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Supporters of outgoing Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro clash with police in Brasilia

The conspiracy theories and subsequent violence have rekindled memories of the January 2021 invasion of the US Capitol by supporters of former US President Donald Trump. It also raises security concerns about Jan. 1, when Lula takes office in a public ceremony in Brasilia.

Senator Randolfe Rodrigues, a key Lula aide, said there were concerns about the physical safety of Lula and Vice President-elect Geraldo Alckmin, as protesters had surrounded the hotel where he is staying in Brasilia. Lula's team denied reports that Lula would be removed from the hotel by helicopter.

"There's not going to be an inauguration, Bolsonaro was re-elected, but they stole it. So only the army can put things in order."Jose Trindade, 58, riot participant

Brasilia's public security officials said they had secured the area around Lula's hotel, and urged motorists to avoid the center of the city where many roads had been closed.

Sparked by arrest

The violence in Brasilia came after Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who has led probes into Bolsonaro and his allies, on Monday ordered the temporary arrest of José Acácio Serere Xavante for allegedly carrying out anti-democratic acts.

Xavante, an indigenous leader, is among the Bolsonaro supporters who have protested in defiance of the Oct. 30 election result.

"I cannot accept criminals reigning in Brasil," Xavante tweeted last month. "Lula cannot be certified."

Last week, Bolsonaro broke weeks of post-election silence to say that his situation "hurts my soul."

"Who decides where I go are you. Who decides which way the armed forces go are you," Bolsonaro told his supporters at the gates of the presidential residence on Friday.

In a statement, the Supreme Court said Moraes "decreed the temporary arrest, for 10 days, of the indigenous José Acácio Serere Xavante, due to evidence of the commission of crimes of threat, persecution and violent abolition of the Democratic State of Law."

It said Xavante had led protests across Brasilia and had used "his position as chief of the Xavante people to enlist indigenous and non-indigenous people to commit crimes," threatening Lula and Supreme Court justices.

Xavante had "expressly summoned armed people to prevent the certification of elected" politicians, the statement added.

UPDATED

Peru's former President Castillo denies charges as protest death toll rises

Story by Claudia Rebaza • CNN 

Peru’s former President Pedro Castillo has denied allegations of conspiracy and rebellion, following his dramatic ouster and arrest last week. His appearance in court on Tuesday came amid ongoing protests by Castillo’s supporters that have seen at least six killed.

Castillo was impeached and arrested on Dec. 7, after he announced plans to dissolve Congress and install an emergency government ahead of a looming impeachment vote by lawmakers.

Dina Boluarte, his former vice president, has since become president. On Monday, Boluarte proposed bringing general elections forward two years to April 2024 during a televised speech.

Castillo appeared in a virtual court hearing on Tuesday to appeal his seven-day detention order, an appeal which was ultimately rejected by Judge Cesar San Martin.

During the hearing Castillo told San Martin, “I have never committed the crime of conspiracy or rebellion” and described his detention as arbitrary and unjust.

Dressed in a blue jacket and sitting next to his lawyer Ronald Atencio, Castillo also said, “I will never resign and abandon this popular cause.”

“From here I want to urge the Armed Forces and the National Police to lay down their arms and stop killing these people thirsty for justice. Tomorrow at 1:42 p.m. I want my people to join me…” he also said, before being interrupted by the judge.

Since last week, demonstrations have erupted in cities across the country in support of Castillo, sometimes marked by clashes with Peru’s security forces,

At least six people have died in the demonstrations, including two minors, Peru’s ombudsman’s press office said on Tuesday. And at least 47 individuals were hospitalized as a result of protests in the cities of Lima, Apurímac, Huancavelica and Arequipa, Peru’s Health Ministry tweeted.



Peru's former President Castillo denies charges as protest death toll rises© Provided by CNNProtests in Arequipa, southern Peru, on Monday. - Denis Mayhua/picture alliance/Getty Images

Demonstrators have called for a general election, the dissolution of Congress, and the creation of a new constituent assembly, according to the radio and television broadcaster Radio Programas del Perú.

Boluarte on Tuesday called for calm to be restored to the country, and said that she had instructed police not to use any lethal arms against protesters.

“Everyone has the right to protest but not to commit vandalism, burn hospitals, ambulances, police stations, assault airports, (these) are not normal protests, we have reached the extreme,” Boluarte added.

Travel disrupted

Trains to and from Machu Picchu will be suspended from Tuesday due to Peru’s protests, railway operator PeruRail said in a statement.

“We regret the inconvenience that these announcements generate for our passengers; however, they are due to situations beyond the control of our company and seek to prioritize the safety of passengers and workers,” the statement read.



At least seven dead as Peru protests disrupt flights and train travel© Provided by CNNDemonstrators clash with police in the Peruvian capital Lima on Monday. - Aldair Mejía/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

Flights have also been disrupted due to protests, with LATAM Airlines Peru announcing the temporary suspension of services to and from airports in the cities of Arequipa and Cuzco.

Protesters attempted to storm the terminal at Alejandro Velasco Astete International Airport in Cuzco on Monday, according to the Peruvian Corporation of Airports and Commercial Aviation (CORPAC).

So far there have been no reports of injuries, arrests or damage to the airport, according to CORPAC.


At least seven dead as Peru protests disrupt flights and train travel© Provided by CNNProtestors at the Alfredo Rodriguez Ballon international airport in Arequipa on Monday. - Diego Ramos/AFP/Getty Images

LATAM called on Peruvian authorities to take “corrective measures to ensure safety” for the operation of its flights.

“We regret the inconvenience that this situation beyond our control has caused our passengers,” it added.

Peru’s National Police said that, as of Monday evening, there were blockades on national roads in at least 11 regions of the country.

In addition, the government has declared a state of emergency in seven provinces in the Apurimac region in south-central Peru.

A country on the brink

Peru has been racked with political instability in recent years, with many Peruvians calling for political change, according to a September poll by the Institute of Peruvian Studies, which found 60% of those surveyed supported early elections to refresh both the presidency and Congress.

It is unclear if Boluarte’s ascendancy to the presidency can gain widespread political buy-in.

Boluarte “does not have a recognized political career,” said Fernando Tuesta Soldevilla, professor of political science at Pontifical Catholic University of Peru. “And without partisan support, political party or social organization behind her, she is weak from the beginning.”

“Everyone knows when Dina Boluarte’s government began, but no one can be sure how long it will last,” he told CNN.

CNN’s Andy Ortiz, Hira Humayun, Sahar Akbarzai and Gerardo Lemos contributed to this report.

Peru explodes into fiery protest as anger over political crises ignites

Story by By Marco Aquino and Adam Jourdan 

Protest demanding the dissolution of Congress and to hold democratic elections, in Lima© Thomson Reuters

LIMA (Reuters) - As Peru careers from one political crisis to another, the country has exploded in protest, with at least seven dead in the last week and the smoke of fires and tear gas hanging over city streets. A way out seems distant.


Protest demanding the dissolution of Congress and to hold democratic elections, in Lima© Thomson Reuters

The spark of the current unrest was the ouster and arrest of leftist leader Pedro Castillo after he tried to dissolve Congress illegally. It followed a months-long standoff where lawmakers impeached him three times, the final time removing him from office.

Peru has been one of the economic stars of Latin America in the 21st century, with strong growth lifting millions out of poverty. But the political turmoil is increasingly threatening to derail its economic stability, with ratings agencies warning of downgrades, blockades impacting major mines in the world's no. 2 copper producer, and protesters demanding Congress and new president Dina Boluarte step down.



Protest demanding the dissolution of Congress and to hold democratic elections, in Lima© Thomson Reuters

For those watching closely it should be little surprise. Voters are fed up with the constant political infighting that has seen six presidents in the last five years and seven impeachment attempts.

The heavily fragmented unicameral Congress is loathed - with an approval rating of just 11%, according to pollster Datum. That is below Castillo's, which despite a string of corruption allegations was 24% just before he was removed.

"The Peruvian people are just exhausted from all the political machinations, the crime, uncertainty and stalling growth," said Eric Farnsworth, a vice president at the Council of the Americas and Americas Society.

He said Boluarte's pledge to hold early elections in April 2024 could help calm things in the short run, but that would not solve entrenched issues of a divided electorate and infighting between the presidency and Congress.

"It's a toxic soup, with a weak president, a dysfunctional Congress, the deposed president seeking to generate a popular resistance to his legitimate removal, an agitated populace, and little vision from anyone on how to get out of this mess.

Peru's constitution makes it relatively easy for an unhappy legislature to initiate an impeachment, while a lack of dominant political parties - the largest, Popular Force, controls just 24 of 130 seats - means agreement is thin on the ground. Corruption has also been a frequent problem.



Protests despite a government proposal to bring forward elections, in Lima© Thomson Reuters

The only way many Peruvians feel they can make their voices heard is in the street. In recent days, protesters have blocked roads, set fires, and even taken over airports. Police have come under criticism from human rights groups for use of firearms and teargas. At leave seven people, mostly teenagers, have died.



Demonstrations demanding dissolution of Peru's Congress and democratic elections, in Cuzco© Thomson Reuters

There are echoes of protests in 2020, when thousands took to the streets after the impeachment and ouster of popular centrist leader Martin Vizcarra, who was succeeded by Congress leader Manuel Merino. After two died he also was forced to resign.

Castillo, less popular but with a support base in rural regions that helped him to a narrow election win last year, has looked to stoke things from jail, where he is being held while he is investigated over accusations of rebellion and conspiracy.

On Monday, he called Boluarte, his former vice president, a "usurper" in a written letter to the Peruvian people where he claimed to still be the country's legitimate leader.

"What was said recently by a usurper is nothing more than the same snot and drool of the coup-mongering right," he wrote, adding a call - long popular among a younger generation of Peruvians - for a new constitution.

"The people should not fall for their dirty games of new elections. Enough abuse! A Constituent Assembly now! Immediate freedom!" he wrote.

Boluarte, a former member of Castillo's far-left party who fell out with its leader and criticized Castillo after his attempt to dissolve Congress, has called for calm around the country and pledged a government of all stripes. But she faces a tough reality, caught between protesters and a hostile parliament.

With the recent history of Peruvian leaders littered with impeachment and jail, it is questionable whether Boluarte can hang on until new elections are held.

"Dina Boluarte is a murderer. Five people have died, and they say nothing. Nothing matters to her, she is shameless, treacherous," said Guadalupe Huaman, a Castillo supporter protesting with a Peruvian flag and hard hat in Lima.

Cutting Peru's outlook to negative and threatening a potential downgrade, ratings agency S&P said in a report on Monday that there seemed to be little to be hopeful about.

"The way Peru's most recent change in power occurred reflects heightened political deadlock, and it increases risks ahead," it said.

Farnsworth voiced similar concerns. While Peru had a history of volatile politics, it was unclear how things would resolve this time, he said.

"I think this time is somehow different," he said. "There is no real path forward it seems."

(Reporting by Marco Aquino and Adam Jourdan, Editing by Rosalba O'Brien)

 LIVE: Peruvian protesters demand election after former president’s impeachment

2 Killed, 4 Injured In Peru As Protests Demanding Elections Turn Violent

Violence erupts in deadly protests in Peru

Protests grow in support of Peru's ousted president Pedro Castillo

Peru armed forces to take control of infrastructure as protests rage on

LIMA (Reuters) - Peru's armed forces will take control of the "protection" of key infrastructure like airports and hydroelectric plants as protests continue across the country, the country's defense minister said Tuesday.


Protests despite a government proposal to bring forward elections, in Lima© Thomson Reuters

The government will also declare the country's highway system under a state of emergency in order to guarantee free transit, Defense Minister Alberto Otarola said.

(Reporting by Marco Aquino; Writing by Kylie Madry; Editing by Sarah Morland)

Peruvian police justify violence at pro-Castillo protests as raising «risk of death

The general of the Peruvian National Police, Víctor Zanabria, justified on Tuesday that the acts of violence directed against agents "increase the risks and possibly death", after seven deaths were confirmed in clashes with security forces in the protests in support of former president Pedro Castillo.


Demonstrators march in Lima demanding the release of former president Pedro Castillo and the closure of the Peruvian Congress. - Gian Masko/dpa

"Acts of violence against police personnel increase the risk and possibly death. We have the ownership of the use of force", said Zanabria, who said that they will increase the level of response and will begin to use rubber bullets "given the level of violence".

However, General Zanabria's announcement contrasts with the statements of the President, Dina Boluarte, who assured this same Tuesday that she has given orders to the police not to use any lethal weapon, not even rubber bullets", reports the Peruvian newspaper 'La Republica'.
Related video: Violent protest erupts in Peru demanding re-election (WION)
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Peruvian protests against new President Boluarte enter fourth day


Zanabria has detailed that more than 5,000 members of the National Police have been permanently deployed in different points of the historic center of Lima to contain the protests that for days have been registered in the capital in support of Castillo, imprisoned and accused a few days ago of a crime of rebellion.

For now, the new government of Boluarte has ruled out the presence of the Army in the streets of the country. "There will be no militarization and repression of the Armed Forces", said the Minister of Defense, Alberto Otárola.

Castillo has been in prison since last Wednesday, December 7, awaiting a judicial decision to confirm or not his release while he is being investigated for an alleged crime of rebellion after unsuccessfully announcing his intention to dissolve Congress and call legislative elections to initiate a new constituent process to change the Magna Carta inherited from Fujimori's regime.

The arrest took place when he was about to go to the Mexican Embassy to request asylum. In the meantime, Congress approved his dismissal through a motion of censure, the third he has faced since he took office a little more than a year and a half ago.

Since then, there has been a succession of protests in support of him and in favor of shutting down a Congress that from day one has been maneuvering to get him out of office. The current toll is seven dead and fifty injured between police and demonstrators. The new government of Dina Boluarte has called for dialogue and has convened a crisis cabinet to deal with the situation.

Peru: Seven dead and 119 police officers injured in demonstrations against the Peruvian government

Peruvian authorities have confirmed the death of at least seven people as a result of clashes between the country's police and demonstrators in ongoing protests in southern Peru demanding the release of former president Pedro Castillo and the calling of presidential elections.


Archive - Protests in Lima (FILE) - MARIANA BAZO / ZUMA PRESS / CONTACTOPHOTO© Provided by News 360

Of the total number of deaths, six have taken place in the Department of Apurimac, while another has occurred in Arequipa, as reported by the regional health directorates of both regions in statements reported by the radio station RPP.

Among the dead are two minors, aged 15 and 16, who reportedly lost their lives in demonstrations in the towns of Andahuaylas and Chincheros, both in Apurimac.

Likewise, the Regional Government of Apurimac has detailed that 28 people have been reported injured on Monday.

For its part, the Regional Health Management of Arequipa has reported that 26 people have been injured during the protests, of which 16 are men and eight are women.

In addition to the civilians, up to 119 police officers have been injured throughout the country, among whom one remains seriously injured and six have been held hostage for several hours, a police official told RPP.

Likewise, 15 police officers have been injured after being attacked with pyrotechnic devices and explosives during a confrontation in Andahuaylas, in Apurimac, the Peruvian National Police said in a statement.

Thousands of people are protesting in the south of the country against the dismissal of Pedro Castillo, asking the new government to call for presidential elections.

The clashes between police and demonstrators have led the president of the Andean country, Dina Boluarte, to declare a state of emergency in three regions of the country: Ica, Arequipa and Apurimac.

"I announce the declaration of a state of emergency in areas of high social conflict. I have given instructions to peacefully recover the control of internal order, without affecting the fundamental rights of the citizens," said the newly appointed Peruvian president in a televised speech on Sunday night.

60 DAY STATE OF EMERGENCY 

A day after Boluarte announced the declaration of a state of emergency in the south of the country due to the turbulent protests, the Executive has detailed that the measure will last for 60 days.

This state of emergency will be maintained for a little more than two months in the departments of Ica, Arequipa and Apurimac, as reported by Andina news agency.

In this context, the Peruvian National Police will be able to maintain "the control of internal order", all this with the support of the Armed Forces, according to a decree published this Monday afternoon by the Executive.

ARE THERE NO NEO NAZI'S TO HARRASS

German climate activists say police searched properties in criminal probe

BERLIN (Reuters) - Police searched the homes of 11 environmental activists across Germany on suspicion of "formation of a criminal organization", a spokesperson for the "Last Generation" group said on Tuesday.


FILE PHOTO: Last Generation activists protest near Munich© Thomson Reuters

"There is little connection between these people, this is clearly an intimidation attempt," Lilly Schubert told Reuters.

The prosecutor's office in Neuruppin north of Berlin, which Schubert said was leading the investigation, was not immediately available for comment when contacted by Reuters.

Five of the people whose homes were searched were in custody at the time in the southern German state of Bavaria in connection with a separate investigation, she said. Nobody was arrested as part of Tuesday's searches, she added.

Climate activists in Germany and elsewhere in Europe have drawn the scrutiny of authorities with increasingly bold stunts, from blockading airport runways to hurling paint at priceless paintings in museums.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in late October took aim at climate protesters after a demonstration by two climate activists on a Berlin motorway was blamed for slowing emergency services' response to a traffic accident, after which a cyclist died of injuries.

German daily Welt reported that Tuesday's investigation was in connection with suspected sabotage of an oil pipeline in Schwedt, home to the refinery which provides 90% of Berlin's fuel, without citing sources.

Asked about a possible connection between the police searches and the pipeline, Last Generation's Schubert said: "That is possible, we don't know."

The Schwedt refinery was not immediately available for comment.

Carla Hinrichs, a member of the group, said on Twitter that her home was one of the properties searched by police.

"Now what? Yes, it's scary when the #police go through your closet. But do you seriously think we're going to stop now?," she said.

(Additional reporting by Alexander Ratz; Writing by Maria Sheahan; Editing by Alexandra Hudson)

Canada signs onto global forest restoration challenge at COP15

Canada promises to restore 19 million hectares of degraded and deforested land by 2030 as international negotiations to save the world’s rapidly dwindling biodiversity carry on in Montreal.

The Dec. 12 announcement makes Canada the 62nd country to sign onto the Bonn Challenge, an initiative launched in 2011 by Germany and the International Union for Conservation of Nature that aims to restore 350 million hectares of degraded and deforested landscapes by 2030 to tackle the twin crises of biodiversity loss and climate change.

With the inclusion of Canada’s commitment, almost 230 million hectares have been pledged for restoration across the globe as part of the Bonn Challenge, according to the federal government.

The pledge comes just days before international ministers are set to descend on Montreal and hammer out an agreement to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030 — something scientists say is necessary to avoid critical tipping points.

“We are working with Indigenous communities, provinces and territories to protect and restore nature, including through our commitment to planting two billion trees,” Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson said in a news release. “As the world gathers in Montreal for COP15, we look forward to others joining us in the Bonn Challenge to protect nature globally.”

The same day, Natural Resources Canada announced over 50 new agreements under the Two Billion Trees program, a key campaign promise the Liberals made in 2019 to plant two billion trees by 2030. Representing more than $37 million in funding, the new agreements are expected to plant more than 12.5 million new trees across three different provinces, the majority of which will be planted by the McLeod Lake Indian Band of McLeod Lake, B.C., to help reforest its reserve forest that was destroyed by a spruce beetle infestation.

In the same news release, Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault urged other countries to follow Canada’s lead and “join the global efforts to restore healthy and protected ecosystems.”

Other large Bonn Challenge pledges include Ethiopia with 15 million hectares, India with 26 million and the Republic of Sudan with 14.6 million. Ottawa’s initial pledge of approximately 19 million hectares is based on federally funded programs that support on-the-ground ecosystem restoration activities in forests, grasslands, peatlands, wetlands, agricultural lands and urban areas across the country.

Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas (IPCAs) are “an important component of Canada’s pledge,” Amelie Desmarais, Environment and Climate Change Canada spokesperson, told Canada’s National Observer in an emailed statement.

“Post-COP15, Canada will actively engage with non-federal partners and explore other restoration initiatives in order to surpass its initial pledge.”

While restoration is important, the best thing we can do is keep our forests standing, especially old and primary forests, said Tegan Hansen, forest campaigner with Stand.earth.

“The unfortunate reality is that planting trees right now is not going to do anything to mitigate … the ongoing climate catastrophe or to protect biodiversity. That's just the simple truth. Seedlings can't do anything in the next 30 years to absorb enough carbon that we need to stabilize our climate,” said Hansen. “The government's commitment to plant two billion trees rings a bit hollow when our government is still allowing the most carbon-rich, biodiverse forests to be clear-cut.”

Before COP15 began, a leaked letter first reported by The Guardian revealed Canada’s attempts to water down European Union forestry trade regulations, which environmental groups say is emblematic of Canada’s tendency to say one thing and do another in regards to sustainability.

Shortly after, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was asked about the leaked letter and how Canada’s “green promises” align with industrial practices like clear-cut logging, and told media Canada is a leader in biodiversity and that “the government of B.C. is a strong, steadfast partner when it comes to protecting nature, and that's just an example of the great work we will continue to do and lead on.”

Hansen said Trudeau’s statement was “pretty laughable” and that “it's a pretty terrible look for Canadian officials to be trying to water down regulation that could help with better sourcing and forestry practices.”

Another restoration-related announcement accompanied the Bonn Challenge pledge.

Wilkinson simultaneously announced $18.7 million of Canada’s $5.3-billion climate finance commitment will be allocated to eligible countries for efforts to scale up forest and landscape restoration, enable inclusive landscape governance and equip the next generation of forest leaders to address the twin crises of climate change and biodiversity loss.

When Ottawa earmarked $5.3 billion for international climate finance, it committed that 20 per cent of those funds would go toward nature-based climate solutions and projects that contribute biodiversity co-benefits. This announcement represents that biodiversity stream.

Because forests house 80 per cent of all terrestrial biodiversity, forest and landscape restoration is an important nature-based solution, the release noted.

A new international alliance is calling on countries to include explicit protection for primary forests in the final text of the global biodiversity framework currently being negotiated at COP15.

With over 100 signatories and counting, the Primary Forest Alliance wants to see an immediate moratorium on industrial development in primary forests, such as Canada’s old-growth forests in B.C. or carbon-rich boreal forests.

“First and foremost … throughout the targets, there needs to be explicit recognition for Indigenous rights and Indigenous territorial rights,” said Hansen. Secondarily, Hansen wants to see recognition of the critical role these ecosystems play and the need to keep them intact.

“If you think of places like British Columbia, where the forest has been extremely fragmented by industrial logging, and there's really small pockets of old-growth left, those small pockets are so essential to be kept standing so that the forest has a better chance of recovering, especially as we deal with climate change,” said Hansen.

Natasha Bulowski, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Canada's National Observer

Ancient coins unearthed in desert cave could point to evidence of Maccabean revolt

Story by Patrick Smith • 11h ago

An ancient treasure trove of silver coins dating back 2,200 years found in a desert cave in Israel could add crucial new evidence to support a story of Jewish rebellion, archaeologists said Tuesday.

The Israel Antiquities Authority announced that earlier this year, a team of experts found 15 silver coins that they say were hidden by a refugee fleeing the turmoil of the Maccabean revolt from 167-160 B.C., when Jewish warriors rebelled against the Seleucid Empire.

The small wooden box, found in the Muraba‘at cave during an excavation in the Judean desert near the Dead Sea in May, is dated between 10 and 15 years before the revolt.

The find represents the “first evidence in the Judean Desert for the Maccabean revolt against the Greek Seleucid Kingdom,” the authority said in a press release Tuesday.


The Muraba‘at cave where the coins were discovered. (Israel Antiquities Authority)© Israel Antiquities Authority

The Maccabees revolted against the Seleucid king — Antiochus IV Epiphanes, referred to in Jewish sources as “The Wicked” — and his banning of Jewish practices.

The Seleucid Empire, covering large swaths of the Middle East and Central Asia, was one of several powers that succeeded the empire of Alexander the Great after his death in 323 B.C.

Eitan Klein, part of the team who studied the coins, said the discovery confirms the narrative that many fled the fighting and may have hidden their valuables.

“It is interesting to try to visualize the person who fled to the cave and hid his personal property here intending to return to collect it. The person was probably killed in the battles, and he did not return to collect his possessions that awaited almost 2,200 years until we retrieved it,” he said in a statement.

Klein described the find as “absolutely unique” and said it was the first archaeological evidence that the Judean Desert caves played an active role in the early days of the revolt, or the time just before it.


Excavation teams examine a wooden box containing the coins upon its discovery. (Israel Antiquities Authority)© Israel Antiquities Authority

Historians disagree over various details of the revolt, including its root cause; the Maccabees’ recapturing of Jerusalem and the rededication of the Second Temple are the origin of the Jewish festival of Hanukkah, which begins Sunday.

According to tradition, a priest called Mattathias sparked the revolt in 167 by refusing to worship Greek gods, killing a Jew who tried to take his place then destroying an altar. He and his five sons then fled and went into hiding.

The Books of the Maccabees — which are not part of the Hebrew Bible but are considered canonical by Catholic and Orthodox Christians — describes Jews hiding in caves to escape repression.

“Then many who were seeking righteousness and justice went down to the wilderness to dwell there: they, their sons, their wives, and their cattle, because evils pressed heavily upon them,” the first Maccabees book says.

The box was made with a lathe and was packed with earth and stone, below which was a purple woolen cloth covering the coins. The impeccably well-preserved tetradrachm coins — large silver coins commonly used in the ancient Greek world — are from the reign of Ptolemy VI, who ruled Egypt at the same time Epiphanes, his uncle, ruled the Seleucid Empire, including Judea.

The three earliest coins were minted in 176 or 175 B.C., while the latest was made in 171 or 170 B.C.


Amir Ganor, head of the Murba'at excavations team, inspects the coins within an ancient wooden box. (Yoli Schwartz / Israel Antiquities Authority)© Yoli Schwartz

Not all scholars agree on the coins’ significance, however.

While he agreed the new find was an important discovery for the understanding of the period, Benedikt Eckhardt, a senior lecturer in ancient history at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, said the Israeli interpretation of them belonging to a refugee fleeing the Maccabee revolt was just one possibility.

“What we have here is Ptolymaic coins that are obviously a refugee hoard. I agree with that, I think they fled from somewhere, otherwise there’s no reason to leave the box there,” he told NBC News by phone.

“But it doesn’t indicate to me that these are people fleeing because of persecution. It would rather indicate to me that these might be people who are connected to the earlier Ptolymaic structure and were deposed or otherwise fell out of favor with the Seleucids. And that would have possibly been before the revolt.”

Eckhardt added that this was a vast amount of money to be found in one place — the equivalent to two months’ wages — which along with the scarce purple cloth suggests the items may have belonged to a high-ranking official.

“There is very close proximity in time between these coins and the revolt, so it’s not absurd to think that there is a connection. It’s just that there are already similar coin hoards east of Jerusalem that are not connected to the revolt.”



The coins are inspected before being cleaned. (Yaniv Berman / Israel Antiquities Authority)© Yaniv Berman

Eckhardt was nonetheless excited to learn more about the hoard.

“Other hoards that have been found are reconstructed by specialists based on what came onto the antiquities market at a certain time, so it’s subject to some speculation. So in this sense, it’s very interesting and I will certainly read up on it further,” he said.

The coins are to be shown to the public over Hannukkah in the Hasmonean Heritage Museum in Modiin, central Israel, as part of Israel Heritage Week, the authority said.

The authority has announced a series of major discoveries this year, including a 1,500-year-old winery capable of making 2.5 million bottles a year.

Palestinian authorities have also announced a string of finds in Gaza, such as an ornate Byzantine-era mosaic found under a garden.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com