Latin American Herald Tribune: Bolsonaro Makes Guns an Issue in Brazil Presidential Race

October 27, 2018

PRN-Latino News Latin American Herald Tribune: Bolsonaro Makes Guns an Issue in Brazil Presidential Race Latin American Herald Tribune: Death Toll of Floods in Jordan Increases to 21 Latin American Herald Tribune: Olimpia Eyes Chance to Increase Its Lead in Paraguayan Soccer Latin American Herald Tribune: Economists Lower Eurozone Growth Forecasts Latin American Herald Tribune: Unannounced Strike in Brussels Airport Leaves Thousands without Luggage Latin American Herald Tribune: Federer Battles Past Simon to Reach Swiss Indoors Semifinals Latin American Herald Tribune: League-Leading America to Face Second-Place Cruz Azul in Mexican Soccer Latin American Herald Tribune: Panama, Cuba Sign Environmental Cooperation Agreement Latin American Herald Tribune: US Economy Grows 3.5% in Third Quarter Latin American Herald Tribune: Red Bull Top Free Practice 1 for Mexico Grand Prix Latin American Herald Tribune: Four Palestinians Dead, 85 Wounded during Friday Demonstration in Gaza Latin American Herald Tribune: Richard Gere Meets Spain Lawmakers, Supports Foundation Fighting Homelessness Latin American Herald Tribune: CPJ Calls for End to Trump’s Reckless Assaults on Journalists Latin American Herald Tribune: Latin American Farmers Boost Production with Artificial Intelligence Latin American Herald Tribune: Man Arrested for Sending Package Bombs in US Has Criminal Record Latin American Herald Tribune: Venezuela Opens New Consulate in China’s Guangzhou City Latin American Herald Tribune: Former President Rajapaksa Surprisingly Named Sri Lanka’s New Prime Minister Latin American Herald Tribune: Strong Quake Shakes Greek Island of Zakynthos Latin American Herald Tribune: Nevada’s Jacky Rosen Fights for Senate Seat Promising Diversity, Dialogue Latin American Herald Tribune: US Authorities Name Man Suspected of Sending Suspicious Packages Latin American Herald Tribune: Bolsonaro Makes Guns an Issue in Brazil Presidential Race PRN-Latino News from mikenova (16 sites) Bolsonaro Makes Guns an Issue in Brazil Presidential Race SAO PAULO – Nilton Gonçalves, who runs a small gun shop in downtown Sao Paulo, is excited about far-right presidential candidate Jair Bolsonaro’s pledge to loosen Brazilian gun control laws, but doesn’t expect a Bolsonaro victory to spur a big boost in sales.A sticker on one of the pillars in his modest establishment displays a trademark quote from Bolsonaro: “My neighbor does not have weapons. Read More Latin American Herald Tribune: Death Toll of Floods in Jordan Increases to 21 PRN-Latino News from mikenova (16 sites) Death Toll of Floods in Jordan Increases to 21 AMMAN – The Jordanian Department of Civil Defense said on Friday the number of victims of the flash floods that have hit the Arab country had risen to 21 dead and 35 injured, with several people still missing.Sources inside the civil defense department told EFE that three Iraqis were killed due to the flash floods that hit an area near the Dead Sea, in the west of Jordan on Thursday, including two children and a 20-year-old man, while the rest of the victims were Jordanians.Most of the victims were children aged between 11-13 years who were on a school trip, riding in a bus that was washed away by the floods.So far, it is not clear from reports whether all the fatalities counted were aboard the damaged school bus.Authorities had said on Thursday that first responders had been able to rescue 10 of the students from the bus.Torrential rains ended earlier on Friday and Jordan’s King Abdullah II presided over a National Policies Council meeting and ordered a comprehensive report on what happened, according to the Jordan state-run Petra news agency.“What happened yesterday is a terrible catastrophe that we all were very saddened (by). Read More Latin American Herald Tribune: Olimpia Eyes Chance to Increase Its Lead in Paraguayan Soccer PRN-Latino News from mikenova (16 sites) Olimpia Eyes Chance to Increase Its Lead in Paraguayan Soccer ASUNCION – First-place Olimpia comes into Matchday 16 action in Paraguayan soccer’s Clausura championship with a view to extending its five-point advantage over struggling second-place Cerro Porteño, which has lost its last two league games.Olimpia (35 points) will take on sixth-place Deportivo Capiata in a road match on Sunday afternoon before Cerro Porteño hosts seventh-place 3 de Febrero on Sunday evening.3 de Febrero has struggled this season but did manage to go on the road and rout General Diaz 5-1 on Oct. Read More Latin American Herald Tribune: Economists Lower Eurozone Growth Forecasts PRN-Latino News from mikenova (16 sites) Economists Lower Eurozone Growth Forecasts MADRID – Forecasters surveyed by the European Central Bank lowered their predictions for economic growth in the 19-nation eurozone this year and next, pointing to a run of weak economic data and trade tensions, a report from the ECB showed on Friday.The report comes a day after the ECB confirmed plans to phase out its giant bond-buying program by December while keeping interest rates on hold through next summer.The ECB’s survey of professional forecasters reported weaker growth expectations for the coming years.The experts lowered their forecasts for gross domestic product growth to 2 percent this year and 1.8 percent next year.They had previously forecast growth of 2.2 percent this year and 1.9 percent next year.“The main downside risk [to growth] continued to be the possibility of a further escalation of the trade conflict between the US and China, and its global implications,” the survey said.“A few respondents suggested higher oil prices and an increase in global uncertainty could weigh on growth from next year,” it added.Respondents left their forecasts for inflation unchanged at 1.7 percent for each of the years 2018-20, however.The ECB aims to keep inflation just below 2 percent over the medium term. Read More Latin American Herald Tribune: Unannounced Strike in Brussels Airport Leaves Thousands without Luggage PRN-Latino News from mikenova (16 sites) Unannounced Strike in Brussels Airport Leaves Thousands without Luggage BRUSSELS – A Belgian company that provides aircraft ground handling services on Friday launched a spontaneous strike in Belgium’s main airport of Brussels-Zaventem, a spokesperson for the airport told EFE.The ground handling service personnel working for Belgian company Aviapartner halted at 3:30 pm on Thursday, forcing around 300 passengers to sleep at the airport.Trade unions said that there was no planned end to the strike and that the walkout was due to a total breakdown in communication between the union and Aviapartner.The unions added that the duration of the industrial action would depend on the solutions the handling company offered its workers.The strike has left passengers of 28 outgoing and 34 incoming flights with no luggage, and the airport was unable to inform passengers when they were likely to recover their belongings.Brussels airport is recommending flyers check whether their luggage is set to be handled by Aviapartner and, if so, to travel with only hand luggage. Read More Latin American Herald Tribune: Federer Battles Past Simon to Reach Swiss Indoors Semifinals PRN-Latino News from mikenova (16 sites) Federer Battles Past Simon to Reach Swiss Indoors Semifinals BASEL, Switzerland – Top-seeded Roger Federer edged Frenchman Gilles Simon 7-6 (1), 4-6, 6-4 on Friday to reach the semifinals of the Swiss Indoors, a hard-court ATP tournament.Federer, an eight-time winner of his hometown event, was far from his best but managed to come back from a break down to win the first set in a tiebreaker.After dropping the second set, the world No. Read More Latin American Herald Tribune: League-Leading America to Face Second-Place Cruz Azul in Mexican Soccer PRN-Latino News from mikenova (16 sites) League-Leading America to Face Second-Place Cruz Azul in Mexican Soccer MEXICO CITY – League-leading Club America will square off Saturday night against second-place Cruz Azul in a highly anticipated Matchday 14 showdown in Mexican soccer’s Apertura championship.America (27 points) has a record of eight wins, three draws and two losses and is just one point ahead of Mexico City rival Cruz Azul coming into their match in high-altitude conditions at the capital’s Estadio Azteca, the home ground for both teams.The rivalry makes for an intense match no matter the circumstances.But the stakes are higher on this occasion because if one team wins it will end the weekend in first place with just three games remaining in regular-season play in the Apertura, the first of two championships in the 2018-2019 Mexican-league season.America will almost surely remain in first if the contest ends in a draw.Last weekend, America took over first thanks to its 3-0 win over Tijuana and Cruz Azul’s 2-0 loss to Queretaro in Matchday 13.“Cruz Azul has shown something different from previous tournaments. Read More Latin American Herald Tribune: Panama, Cuba Sign Environmental Cooperation Agreement PRN-Latino News from mikenova (16 sites) Panama, Cuba Sign Environmental Cooperation Agreement PANAMA CITY – The governments of Panama and Cuba signed on Friday an environmental cooperation agreement designed to promote sustainable use of natural resources and conservation of biodiversity, the Panamanian Environment Ministry said.The accord was signed by Environment Minister Emilio Sempris and Cuba’s minister of science, technology and environment, Elba Rosa Perez Montoya.Under the pact, specialists from each country will visit the other to promote the identification and implementation of new technologies in the environmental field.Sempris said that Cuba and Panama have established a solid institutional structure for scientific, technical and academic collaboration in environmental matters.The agreement will foster a continual updating of information, Perez said. Read More Latin American Herald Tribune: US Economy Grows 3.5% in Third Quarter PRN-Latino News from mikenova (16 sites) US Economy Grows 3.5% in Third Quarter WASHINGTON – The United States’ economy grew at an annual rate of 3.5 percent in the third quarter, down slightly from the 4.2 percent growth rate registered in the previous quarter, the government said Friday.The report was the Commerce Department’s first of three estimates of gross domestic product (GDP) growth between July and September.Consumer spending – which accounts for two-thirds of US economic activity – increased by 4 percent, its fastest rate in nearly four years.Even though GDP growth slowed relative to the previous quarter, this latest figure shows the continued strength of the world’s largest economy.US GDP expanded by 2.5 percent in the first quarter and by 4.2 percent between April and June.This latest figure, however, still does reflect the anticipated negative impact from the tariffs President Donald Trump’s administration has imposed on the majority of the US’s trading partners, including China and the European Union.Trump has promised to achieve annual growth rates of 3 percent, in part through a sweeping tax overhaul he signed into law last December that lowers levies on US corporations and – to a lesser extent – many ordinary Americans.The sustained economic improvement – including a drop in the unemployment rate to 3.7 percent, its lowest level in nearly 50 years – has led the Federal Reserve to raise its benchmark interest rate three times this year.Most recently, the central bank in September hiked its federal-funds rate to its current target range of between 2 percent and 2.25 percent. Read More Latin American Herald Tribune: Red Bull Top Free Practice 1 for Mexico Grand Prix PRN-Latino News from mikenova (16 sites) Red Bull Top Free Practice 1 for Mexico Grand Prix MEXICO CITY – Red Bull drivers Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo took the top two spots on Friday in the first free practice for the Formula 1 Mexico Grand Prix.The Dutchman, who won last year’s race at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, finished first with a best lap of 1:16.656, 0.483 seconds faster than his Australian teammate.Spain’s Carlos Sainz (Renault) finished third.Briton Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes), who only needs to finish in seventh place on Sunday to secure the championship, was 1.419 seconds slower than Verstapen in his best lap and finished fifth.Hamilton leads the championship with 346 points after having won half of the 18 sessions carried out so far, namely in Azerbaijan, Spain, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Singapore, Russia and Japan, while also finishing second on three occasions and third in three other sessions.Germany’s Sebastian Vettel has the second-highest score, with 276 points, and Kimi Raikkonen of Finland has 221.In the constructor’s championship, Mercedes is ahead with 563 points, followed by Ferrari (497) and Red Bull (337). Read More Latin American Herald Tribune: Four Palestinians Dead, 85 Wounded during Friday Demonstration in Gaza PRN-Latino News from mikenova (16 sites) Four Palestinians Dead, 85 Wounded during Friday Demonstration in Gaza GAZA – Four Palestinians were shot dead by the Israeli military and another 85 were wounded during the 31st round of weekly protests on the Israel-Gaza boundary, according to Palestinian medical sources.One of the victims was identified as Mohamed Abdul Nabi, 27, who was shot in the head when he was near the Israeli separation fence between Gaza and Israel in Jabalia City in the northern part of the strip, said Gaza’s health ministry spokesperson, Ashraf al-Qedra.The other three dead were identified as Naser Abu Tayem, Ahmad Abu Lebda and Ayesh Shaath, all from the southeastern Gaza city of Khan Yunis.The weekly Gaza-Israel border fence protests began March 30 as part of the so-called Great March of Return, which demands the right of Palestinian refugees to return to their former homes inside Israel; another goal of the march is to pressure Israel to end its blockade of the Gaza Strip, imposed in 2007.Friday’s deaths brought to 210 the number of Palestinians killed in Gaza by the Israeli military since the start of the Great March. Read More Latin American Herald Tribune: Richard Gere Meets Spain Lawmakers, Supports Foundation Fighting Homelessness PRN-Latino News from mikenova (16 sites) Richard Gere Meets Spain Lawmakers, Supports Foundation Fighting Homelessness MADRID – Well-known Hollywood actor Richard Gere visited Spain’s Parliament on Friday to attend a joint meeting between lawmakers and members of the RAIS Foundation, a Spanish non-profit organization seeking a solution to homelessness.The United States actor, who was on a two-day visit to Spain, is a patron of RAIS, a state-wide, nonprofit and independent organization, created in 1998.RAIS sums up its role in its slogan: “So that no one lives on the street,” and is a member of FEANTSA, the European Federation of Entities Working with the Homeless.Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, of the Socialist Party, had welcomed Gere on Thursday to Moncloa Palace, his official residence as leader of the government.Gere recalled the four years he had worked with the organization, whose aim is to assist people “on the brink of desperation” and to help integrate them into society and enable them to “have dreams like the rest of us.”In Gere’s opinion, the initiative RAIS defends is “cheaper than having people sleeping rough in the streets.”He added that while a homeless condition “costs them their life and dignity,” for society as a whole “it entails an enormous amount of money in laws, institutions, and health (services).”At Spain’s Lower Chamber, Gere, accompanied by his partner, Alejandra Silva, shared and defended RAIS’S objectives.He wore on his lapel a United Nations sustainable development Agenda 2030 pin and was accompanied by, Ana Pastor, who presides the lower chamber of parliament.She thanked the actor for his generosity and support for such a worthy cause.Gere said his main objective in Spain was to drive home the RAIS campaign “Locked-out in the streets” and to demand that lawmakers include this human tragedy in their legislative agendas.According to RAIS estimates there are 31,000 people sleeping rough every night in Spain’s streets. Read More Latin American Herald Tribune: CPJ Calls for End to Trump’s Reckless Assaults on Journalists PRN-Latino News from mikenova (16 sites) CPJ Calls for End to Trump’s Reckless Assaults on Journalists NEW YORK – The Committee for the Protection of Journalists called on Friday for an end to United States President Donald Trump’s public verbal attacks on journalists, saying many now feel unsafe because of them.“Journalists across the country feel unsafe because of the constant hostility and belittling of their role in our democracy by the head of state. Read More Latin American Herald Tribune: Latin American Farmers Boost Production with Artificial Intelligence PRN-Latino News from mikenova (16 sites) Latin American Farmers Boost Production with Artificial Intelligence PANAMA CITY – Latin American farmers now have access to a next-generation tool to boost production thanks to Microsoft’s artificial intelligence platform, a company executive said.Microsoft’s director of marketing and operations for Central America, Ineke Geesink, told EFE that she is collaborating with the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) for the prevention of pests and plagues for users of its services through the incorporation of AI with sensors and chatbots, among other instruments.“It’s really an artificial intelligence solution that’s going to help them prevent plagues,” she said.She noted that about three months ago “we started with Costa Rica and I understand there are also some South American countries using the chatbot service.”The plan is for Costa Rica-based IICA “to start spreading the use of these instruments around the hemisphere over the next few months,” she said. Read More Latin American Herald Tribune: Man Arrested for Sending Package Bombs in US Has Criminal Record PRN-Latino News from mikenova (16 sites) Man Arrested for Sending Package Bombs in US Has Criminal Record MIAMI – Cesar Sayoc Jr., the Florida man arrested Friday on suspicion of sending various package bombs to prominent critics of US President Donald Trump, has a long criminal record, including a 2002 conviction for making bomb threats.Sayoc, a 56-year-old resident of the greater Miami municipality of Aventura, was arrested outside an auto parts store in Plantation, Florida, about 50 kilometers (30 miles) north of Miami.The postal facility that processed some of the parcels is in the Miami suburb of Opa-Locka.According to his LinkedIn page, Sayoc worked in the entertainment industry.Court records show Sayoc was arrested in Miami in 2002 for making a bomb threat, for which he was convicted and sentenced to a year’s probation.The records also show Sayoc was arrested for theft and battery, and that he filed for bankruptcy in 2012.His social media profiles confirm that he was a strong supporter of President Donald Trump.In June, he uploaded a video via Twitter in which he calls Trump “the greatest president ever.”According to The Wall Street Journal, Sayoc registered to vote for the first time in Florida on March 4, 2016.The suspect is a registered Republican and voted in the 2016 primaries and general election, as well as in the 2018 primary.Authorities seized the white van he was driving, which was covered with photos of President Donald Trump and with threatening images against figures such as former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and filmmaker Michael Moore.Since Monday, a dozen suspicious packages were sent to prominent Democratic figures, an act that authorities have described as “terrorism.”Some of the recipients include Hillary Clinton, former President Barack Obama, former Vice President Joseph Biden, actor Robert de Niro and billionaire philanthropist George Soros.Authorities are now seeking to determine if the packages were designed to detonate or if they were simply sent to spread fear, as none of them exploded. Read More Latin American Herald Tribune: Venezuela Opens New Consulate in China’s Guangzhou City PRN-Latino News from mikenova (16 sites) Venezuela Opens New Consulate in China’s Guangzhou City BEIJING – Venezuela opened on Friday a new consulate office in the city of Guangzhou in southern China’s Guangdong province.The Latin American country already has a consulate in Shanghai and Hong Kong.The jurisdiction of the new consulate general will include the provinces of Guangdong, Hainan, Fujian, Hunan and Jiangxi and the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, state-run agency Xinhua reported.“This consulate will facilitate economic, commercial, social and cultural exchanges between our countries,” Hector Rodriguez, governor of Venezuela’s Miranda state, said at the opening ceremony.The Venezuelan foreign ministry had announced the launch of the new consulate in May and said it will further strengthen friendly ties and exchanges with local governments and communities through economic, trade and technological cooperation.Trade volume between Guangdong province and Venezuela reached 1.94 billion yuan ($281 million) in 2017, a year-on-year increase of 4.4 percent.The opening of the mission takes place a month after the official visit of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to China, during which he had sealed several strategic cooperation agreements on oil, mining, economy, security, technology and health. Read More Latin American Herald Tribune: Former President Rajapaksa Surprisingly Named Sri Lanka’s New Prime Minister PRN-Latino News from mikenova (16 sites) Former President Rajapaksa Surprisingly Named Sri Lanka’s New Prime Minister COLOMBO – Former Sri Lanka president Mahinda Rajapaksa was named on Friday the new prime minister of the South Asian island-nation, according to a presidential statement, although the incumbent premier has rejected the surprise appointment.The decision came after the United People’s Freedom Alliance withdrew from the current national unity government, which was formed after elections in 2015 and is being led by President Maithripala Sirisena.“Mahinda Rajapaksa has been appointed as the prime minister for the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka and was sworn in before President Maithripala Sirisena today at the Presidential Secretariat,” the president said in an official statement.“The decision to withdraw from the coalition government was taken today at the meeting of parliamentarians of United People’s Freedom Alliance,” the general secretary of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, Prof. Read More Latin American Herald Tribune: Strong Quake Shakes Greek Island of Zakynthos PRN-Latino News from mikenova (16 sites) Strong Quake Shakes Greek Island of Zakynthos ATHENS – A powerful magnitude-6.4 earthquake rocked the western Greek island of Zakynthos early Friday, causing slight damage to the port and some buildings but no one was injured, authorities said.The quake, which was felt as a tremor as far away as Italy, Albania and Malta, caused rocks to tumble down the island’s slopes, in some cases crashing into beaches, and led several of the island’s 40,000 residents to spend the night out on the streets, authorities said.“Kudos. Read More Latin American Herald Tribune: Nevada’s Jacky Rosen Fights for Senate Seat Promising Diversity, Dialogue PRN-Latino News from mikenova (16 sites) Nevada’s Jacky Rosen Fights for Senate Seat Promising Diversity, Dialogue LAS VEGAS – Convinced that women govern better because they’re open to dialogue and ready to hear everyone’s point of view, Nevada Democrat Jacky Rosen seeks to take the US Senate seat now held by Republican Dean Heller in the Nov. Read More Latin American Herald Tribune: US Authorities Name Man Suspected of Sending Suspicious Packages PRN-Latino News from mikenova (16 sites) US Authorities Name Man Suspected of Sending Suspicious Packages WASHINGTON – The Florida man arrested in connection with the package bombs sent to prominent critics of President Donald Trump faces up to 48 years in prison, US officials said on Friday.“These charges may change or expand as the investigation continues,” Attorney General Jeff Sessions told a press conference.FBI director Christopher Wray confirmed that the suspect in custody is Cesar Altieri Sayoc and that authorities intercepted 13 improvised explosive devices in the packages sent to prominent figures throughout the country.“Today’s arrest does not mean we’re out of the woods. Read More

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