Americas
Headlines
Peru and Bolivia are unlikely allies in the war on drugs
IN THE early 1980s Peru’s government founded Ciudad Constitución to be the capital of the country’s Amazon region. Today, it serves as the capital of Peru’s war on drugs. Clandestine airstrips etched into the jungle make the area a hub for smugglers. They form part of an “air bridge”, with small planes flying in from Bolivia to pick...
Donald Trump makes migration Mexico’s problem
ALBERTO opens his wallet to show how little is in it. It contains no money and no bank card, only the identity card issued by the government of El Salvador, from which he has just fled. He left his job as a car repairman in San Salvador, the capital, which paid $100 a month, because members of the MS-13 gang had demanded from him more money than...
The sexual-abuse scandal in the Catholic church will not go away
Unholy shroud CATHOLIC America was already in shock, and then another hammer-blow fell. Two weeks after one of the country’s best-known prelates handed in his cardinal’s hat, amid allegations of molesting young men, a report has documented in sickening detail the sexual crimes that were perpetrated by over 300 priests in Pennsylvania over 70...
West Virginia’s statehouse impeaches the state’s entire Supreme Court
Sofa, not so good NEVER underestimate a successful man’s propensity to waste money on hideous personal items. Justin Bieber, a Canadian troubadour, reportedly spent $15,000 on jewelled tooth covers. Allen Loughry, West Virginia’s chief justice, spent $32,000—slightly less than the average income per person in his state—on a blue sectional...
Another insider account of Trumpland
Eight Cokes and a frown ONE by-product of the Trump administration’s extraordinarily high turnover is likely to be a large number of tell-all books from former staffers. The 45th president has only been in office for a year and a half and yet there are already three such books—by Sean Spicer, James Comey and, now, by Omarosa Manigault Newman....
Finance
Pendo Systems name Ruth Wandhöfer, a globally recognized banking expert, to their Board of Directors
Pendo Systems is proud to announce that Ruth Wandhöfer, Global Head of Regulatory and Market Strategy at Citi, has joined their board. Ms. Wandhöfer is a banking regulatory expert and one of the foremost authorities on transaction banking regulatory matters. Her reputation has been built around her ability to drive regulatory and industry dialogue...
Implications of the money laundering law reform
The amendment to the money laundering law approved in the first debate requires accountants, lawyers and real estate agents to report suspicious transactions made by their clients.Bill 19.951 reforming the Law on Narcotic Drugs, Psychotropic Substances, Drugs of Unauthorized Use, Related Activities, Legalization of Capital and Financing of Terrorism...
Wall Street finishes flat ahead of earnings season, key US-China meeting
It was a fairly flat session on Wall Street overnight, as investors exercised caution ahead of the first-quarter earnings season and a meeting between the US and Chinese presidents later this week. Investors will be focussed on the potentially tense meeting between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping on Thursday and Friday, after Mr Trump held out the possibility...
GLC Advisors Strengthens Advisory and M&A Expertise with Addition of Senior Bankers
Addition of Several Industry Bankers Including Former St. Charles Capital Professionals Deepens Firm’s Expertise and Relationships Across Technology, FIG, Consumer, Retail and Energy IndustriesGLC Advisors & Co., LLC (“GLC Advisors”) is pleased to welcome nine seasoned M&A professionals, including former Partners and professionals of Denver based...
Columbia Threadneedle opens office in Chile
Columbia Threadneedle Investments has opened its first Latin American office in Santiago, Chile. As its first proprietary distribution hub for the Andes (Chile, Peru and Colombia), the new office will serve the asset manager’s institutional and wholesale clients in the region. Columbia Threadneedle has also appointed Santiago Zarauza Riestra...
Legal
No City Liability for Police-Pursuit Death
Mark Gamar died when police nudged his car into a street pole during a high-speed chase. He was the passenger. His mother sued the City of Gardena for negligence and wrongful death, but the city won based on a state law that says police are immune if they receive annual training on police pursuits. In Ramirez...
Client, Going to Pick Up a File, Shoots His Lawyer to Death
An Indiana man shot and killed his lawyer while picking up a file at the attorney's house. The shooter, an 83-year-old man, was a client in a civil case. According to reports, the attorney and his client were also long-time friends. Police said they didn't know why the client killed T. Edward Page. Neither did...
New Hampshire 'Signature Mismatch' Law for Absentee Ballots Ruled Unconstitutional
In 2009, the National Academy of Sciences released a report concluding that almost all commonly used forensic techniques, including handwriting analysis, have never been properly scientifically tested. And yet, the State of New Hampshire was requiring untrained local election moderators review and compare handwritten...
'Disclose More Evidence,' Tennessee Tells Prosecutors
Everybody knows prosecutors have a duty to disclose exculpatory evidence, but reasonable minds may differ about how much. That is the sticking point in a debate that is heating up in Tennessee. In a new ethics opinion, the state Board of Professional Responsibility says prosecutors have a higher duty to disclose...
Elon Musk Subpoenaed by SEC for Tweets
Does Elon Musk really have anything to worry about since being subpoenaed by the Securities and Exchange Commission? After all, he has dominated doing everything from cars to solar power to spacecraft to tunnels. Maybe the submarine didn't work out, but that's business. But then his net worth hit an all-time...
Deals
Coefficient Capital to raise $150 mln venture-capital fund
Coefficient Capital has set out to raise a $150 million maiden venture-capital fund, according to a filing with the SEC.Read More
Merida Capital funds VividGro
VividGro, a spin-out from Lighting Science Group Corporation, which is backed by Pegasus Capital Advisors, has secured an undisclosed amount of funding. The investors are Merida Capital and LSG. Based in West Warwick, Rhode Island, VividGro is a provider of controlled environment agriculture LED lighting solutions and services for the indoor horticultural...
Madrona names Elisa La Cava senior associate
Madrona Venture Group named Elisa La Cava a senior associate.Read More
Rhumbix picks up $8 mln
San Francisco-based Rhumbix, a mobile platform for smarter construction sites, has raised $8 million in funding. Autodesk led the round. Read More
Guzman Energy gathers $130 mln
Coral Gables, Florida and Denver, Colorado-based Guzman Energy, a provider of wholesale power, energy trading and hedging services, has raised $130 million in funding. The investors were Vision Ridge Partners and ZOMA Capital. Read More
Acq Lite
Statoil using mega-rig to tap frontier North Sea area
March 12 (UPI) -- Norwegian energy company Statoil will move a deepwater drilling rig to the North Sea to tap a prospect awarded more than 30 years ago, a regulator said Monday.The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate gave Statoil consent to move the Deepsea Atlantic drilling rig to a section of the North Sea to tap into a prospect awarded to the company...
Eni deal a testament to Abu Dhabi's attraction
March 12 (UPI) -- In what's nearly a $1 billion commitment, Italian energy company Eni said it made its Emirati debut in an agreement with the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company.Eni signed agreements to acquire minority shares in the Lower Zakum, Umm Shaif and Nasr offshore fields from state-run ADNOC for a total fee of $875 million."The stakes in the two...
German green energy segment Innogy divvied up
March 12 (UPI) -- German utility company E.ON is now in control of the renewable energy segment created by its rival, RWE, in a landmark, multi-billion dollar deal, they said.In a joint statement, E.ON said it reached an agreement in principle with RWE to acquire more than three quarters of the stakes in renewable energy entity Innogy, an offshoot from...
Russia test-fires Kinzhal hypersonic missile
March 11 (UPI) -- A Russian jet successfully test-lauched a hypersonic missile Sunday, the Russian Defense Ministry said.The Kinzhal hypersonic missile was launched from an MiG-31 interceptor jet, which departed from an airfield in the Southern Military District, Russia's TASS News Agency reported."A MiG-31 fighter crew of the Russian Aerospace Forces...
Huntington Ingalls contracted for further repairs on USS Fitzgerald
March 9 (UPI) -- Huntington Ingalls was awarded a contract from the U.S. Navy to continue repairs on the USS Fitzgerald.The deal, announced Thursday by the Department of Defense, is valued at more than $77.5 million under the terms of a cost-plus-fixed-fee contract, which is a modification to a previous award.The modified contract between the U.S. Navy...