Mexico to help create 20,000 jobs in Honduras to curb migration - Reuters

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexico’s government said on Saturday it would help Honduras create 20,000 jobs this year and support its coffee farmers as the two countries seek to curb migration to the United States that has created tensions with U.S. President Donald Trump.

FILE PHOTO: People belonging to a caravan of migrants from Honduras en route to the United States walk by an immigration checkpoint in Huehuetan, Mexico April 15, 2019. REUTERS/Jose Cabezas

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and his Honduran counterpart, Juan Orlando Hernandez, pledged to work together to lift prosperity in Central America, where poverty and violence have fueled an exodus of people north.

That migration has angered Trump, who has made border security a priority, and issued economic threats against Mexico and Central America if more is not done to contain the flows.

Speaking after the Honduran and Mexican leaders met in the eastern state of Veracruz, Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said Lopez Obrador had given instructions to help Honduras create 20,000 jobs between now and December.

He did not provide further details, but afterwards the two presidents offered more insights into their plans in speeches in the eastern city of Minatitlan.

Hernandez said he was hoping a “great international coalition for mass job creation” in Central America could be forged, while Lopez Obrador stressed that Mexico would support the region with funds and employment schemes.

In particular, Lopez Obrador said, Mexico would assist Honduran coffee farmers, whose businesses have suffered this year from a drop in international prices.

“We’ll help improve coffee production in whatever is needed,” he said, “so you have no problem selling coffee.”

Lopez Obrador did not offer more details, but also said schemes he has championed in Mexico to create jobs via youth apprenticeships and tree planting would come to Honduras too.

There has been a surge this year in migrant apprehensions on the U.S. southern border with Mexico. Most of the people caught trying to enter the United States illegally come from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.

On Friday, Trump said he had reached a deal with Guatemala to curb migration, though that plan was called into question on Saturday by the two politicians vying to become Guatemala’s next president in an election next month.

Reporting by Noe Torres and Dave Graham; Editing by Richard Chang

Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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2019-07-28 01:03:00Z
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More than 750 people detained in Moscow amid clashes over city council election, monitor says - The Washington Post

July 27 at 12:48 PM

MOSCOW — Russian police in riot gear detained hundreds of protesters Saturday at a demonstration opposing the exclusion of opposition politicians from the ballot for an upcoming city council election, marking another flare of anti-government defiance a week after Moscow’s largest opposition rally in years.

Police said around 3,500 people gathered near City Hall for the unauthorized protest organized by prominent opposition figure Alexei Navalny. Earlier this week, a Russian court sentenced Navalny to 30 days in jail for calling for the demonstration. A handful of other prominent opposition politicians also were arrested before the rally took place.

A monitoring group that tracks political arrests in Russia, OVD-Info, said more than 750 people were detained during the police sweeps Saturday, the Associated Press reported. In previous mass detentions, many people were released after being held for several hours. The Moscow police had earlier said they had made 295 arrests, the Associated Press reported, but did not offer a final number.

Law enforcement officers detain a participant of a rally calling for opposition candidates to be registered for elections to Moscow City Duma, the capital's regional parliament, in Moscow, Russia July 27, 2019. REUTERS/Shamil Zhumatov (Shamil Zhumatov/Reuters)

Police also stormed a TV studio belonging to Navalny that was live-streaming the protests on YouTube, and arrested Vladimir Milono, who was in charge of the program. Navalny previously ran unsuccessfully for mayor of Moscow in 2013.

A number of opposition politicians’ names were banned from the ballot for the September city legislative vote after election officials claimed they had not gathered enough signatures to qualify. But their supporters say that the government is intentionally boxing them out from participating in the elections in order to maintain the council’s status quo. There are 45 seats on Moscow’s city council, which is currently controlled by a pro-Kremlin party.

The fight over the council is emblematic of political tests around Russia for Russian President Vladimir Putin such as municipal elections and challenges over building projects. The outcomes do not directly threaten Putin’s grip on the country, but serve as rallying points for opposition groups that have faced relentless pressure from the Kremlin.

Last Saturday, more than 22,000 people gathered for a protest in downtown Moscow in the largest such demonstration in years. This week, protesters chanted “Russia will be free,” the AP reported.

Photos from the scene show police in riot gear detaining protesters and beating them with batons.

The protests involved just a tiny fraction of the 13 million people who live in the city, and it was business as usual in much of the center on a balmy August afternoon. But the recent protests represented perhaps the biggest anti-government groundswell in the Russian capital in recent years.

The main target of the protesters’ ire was Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin, who is a close ally of Putin.

The protests are the latest sign that Russians are becoming increasingly vocal in voicing their frustration, even if their numbers are still far too few to pose an immediate challenge to Putin’s power. The demonstrations are driven, analysts say, by everything from economic stagnation and anger over government cutbacks and corruption to a rejection of Putin’s increasingly authoritarian rule.

Earlier this summer, protesters took to the streets in Moscow to stand up for Ivan Golunov, an investigative journalist who was framed for drug crimes by the police and then released amid public outrage. Across Russia, meanwhile, people have loudly protested local issues in recent months, from the planned construction of a cathedral in the Urals city of Yekaterinburg to a plan for a new landfill in the far north.

O’Grady reported from Washington.

Police officers detain a woman during an unsanctioned rally in the center of Moscow, Russia, Saturday, July 27, 2019. Russian police are wrestling with demonstrators and have arrested hundreds in central Moscow during a protest demanding that opposition candidates be allowed to run for the Moscow city council. (Alexander Zemlianichenko)

Mandatory Credit: Photo by YURI KOCHETKOV/EPA-EFE/REX (10348393an) Russian riot police block off a street against protesters during a protest action in the center of Moscow, Russia, 27 July 2019. Activists and protesters say that Russian election authorities are preventing opposition candidates from running in upcoming municipal elections for the Moscow City Duma, according to reports. Opposition protest in Moscow, Russian Federation - 27 Jul 2019 (Yuri Kochetkov/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)

Law enforcement officers clash with protesters during a rally calling for opposition candidates to be registered for elections to Moscow City Duma, the capital's regional parliament, in Moscow, Russia July 27, 2019. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov (Maxim Shemetov/Reuters)

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2019-07-27 18:45:00Z
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More than 600 people arrested in Moscow after clashes over city council election, monitor says - The Washington Post

July 27 at 12:48 PM

MOSCOW — Russian police in riot gear detained hundreds of protesters Saturday opposing the exclusion of opposition politicians from the ballot for an upcoming city council election, marking another flare of anti-government defiance a week after Moscow’s largest opposition rally in years.

Police said around 3,500 people gathered near City Hall for the unauthorized protest organized by prominent opposition figure Alexei Navalny. Earlier this week, a Russian court sentenced Navalny to 30 days in jail for calling for the demonstration. A handful of other prominent opposition politicians also were arrested before the rally took place.

A monitoring group that tracks political arrests in Russia, OVD-Info, said more than 600 people were detained during the police sweeps Saturday. The Moscow police had earlier said they had made 295 arrests, the Associated Press reported, but did not offer a final number.

Law enforcement officers detain a participant of a rally calling for opposition candidates to be registered for elections to Moscow City Duma, the capital's regional parliament, in Moscow, Russia July 27, 2019. REUTERS/Shamil Zhumatov (Shamil Zhumatov/Reuters)

Police also stormed a TV studio belonging to Navalny that was live-streaming the protests on YouTube, and arrested Vladimir Milono, who was in charge of the program. Navalny previously ran unsuccessfully for mayor of Moscow in 2013.

A number of opposition politicians’ names were banned from the ballot for the September city legislative vote after election officials claimed they had not gathered enough signatures to qualify. But their supporters say that the government is intentionally boxing them out from participating in the elections in order to maintain the council’s status quo. There are 45 seats on Moscow’s city council, which is currently controlled by a pro-Kremlin party.

The fight over the council is emblematic of political tests around Russia for Russian President Vladimir Putin such as municipal elections and challenges over building projects. The outcomes do not directly threaten Putin’s grip on the country, but serve as rallying points for opposition groups that have faced relentless pressure from the Kremlin.

Last Saturday, more than 22,000 people gathered for a protest in downtown Moscow in the largest such demonstration in years. This week, protesters chanted "Russia will be free!”

Photos from the scene show police in riot gear detaining protesters and beating them with batons.

The protests involved just a tiny fraction of the 13 million people who live in the city, and it was business as usual in much of the center on a balmy August afternoon. But the recent protests represented perhaps the biggest anti-government groundswell in the Russian capital in recent years.

The main target of the protesters’ ire was Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin, who is a close ally of Putin.

The protests are the latest sign that Russians are becoming increasingly vocal in voicing their frustration, even if their numbers are still far too few to pose an immediate challenge to Putin’s power. The demonstrations are driven, analysts say, by everything from economic stagnation and anger over government cutbacks and corruption to a rejection of Putin’s increasingly authoritarian rule.

Earlier this summer, protesters took to the streets in Moscow to stand up for Ivan Golunov, an investigative journalist who was framed for drug crimes by the police and then released amid public outrage. Across Russia, meanwhile, people have loudly protested local issues in recent months, from the planned construction of a cathedral in the Urals city of Yekaterinburg to a plan for a new landfill in the far north.

O’Grady reported from Washington.

Police officers detain a woman during an unsanctioned rally in the center of Moscow, Russia, Saturday, July 27, 2019. Russian police are wrestling with demonstrators and have arrested hundreds in central Moscow during a protest demanding that opposition candidates be allowed to run for the Moscow city council. (Alexander Zemlianichenko)

Mandatory Credit: Photo by YURI KOCHETKOV/EPA-EFE/REX (10348393an) Russian riot police block off a street against protesters during a protest action in the center of Moscow, Russia, 27 July 2019. Activists and protesters say that Russian election authorities are preventing opposition candidates from running in upcoming municipal elections for the Moscow City Duma, according to reports. Opposition protest in Moscow, Russian Federation - 27 Jul 2019 (Yuri Kochetkov/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)

Law enforcement officers clash with protesters during a rally calling for opposition candidates to be registered for elections to Moscow City Duma, the capital's regional parliament, in Moscow, Russia July 27, 2019. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov (Maxim Shemetov/Reuters)

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2019-07-27 18:00:00Z
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Moscow police detain hundreds over election protests - Guardian News

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2019-07-27 16:19:50Z
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American teens accused of fatally stabbing Italian cop after drug deal gone wrong - Fox News

Two American teenagers have reportedly confessed to stabbing and killing an Italian police officer who was investigating the theft of a bag after a drug deal gone wrong in Rome.

Italian media reported that a detention order was issued for the suspects, identified as Gabriel Christian Natale Hjorth and Lee Elder Finnegan. They are said to have both been born in San Francisco in 2000.

Lee Elder Finnegan (left) and Gabriel Christian Natale Hjorth (right) are accused of fatally stabbing an Italian police officer after a drug deal gone wrong. (Polizia Di Stato)

They are accused of killing Carabinieri paramilitary officer Mario Cerciello Rega, 35, who was reportedly stabbed multiple times.

ITALIAN POLICE AND FBI RAID MAFIA IN SICILY WITH TIE TO GAMBINO FAMILY

The two American teens – believed to be 19 – allegedly snatched a drug dealer’s bag with the phone and cash after he swindled them by giving them aspirin instead of the cocaine they sought, according to reports. The owner of the bag called his phone and one of the thieves allegedly offered to sell the bag back to him for 100 euros ($112).

After they agreed to meet for the exchange, the alleged drug dealer called police.

In this photo released by Carabinieri, is portrayed officer Mario Cerciello Rega, 35, who was stabbed to death in Rome early Friday, July 26, 2019. Italian police said Saturday that two 19-year-old American tourists have confessed to fatally stabbing the Italian paramilitary policeman who was investigating the theft of a bag with a cellphone.

ROME IMPLEMENTS RECYCLING MACHINE FOR TRANSIT CASH

Two plainclothes paramilitary police officers arrived at the scene of the meeting around 3 a.m.

During a scuffle, Rega – who had just returned from his honeymoon with his longtime sweetheart a few days prior - was stabbed 8 times. He died a short while later in hospital.

Prosecutors said that Finnegan is the main suspect, accusing him of fatally stabbing Rega. Meanwhile, Hjorth is accused of using his bare hands to strike the officer’s partner, who wasn’t seriously injured in the attack.

A car of the Italian Carabinieri, paramilitary police, is parked near a blood stain, the site where Carabiniere Vice Brigadier Mario Cerciello Rega was stabbed to death by a thief in Rome on Friday. (Angelo Carconi/ANSA Via AP)

The Carabinieri said video surveillance cameras and witnesses allowed them to quickly identify the two Americans and find them in a hotel near the scene of the slaying. Police said the pair were “ready to leave” Italy when they were found.

In their hotel room, police found a long knife – possibly the one used to attack Rega – hidden behind the panel in the room’s ceiling. Police also said they found clothes the two purportedly wore during the attack.

A man who was allegedly questioned in the case of a slain Carabinieri policeman is seen on a Carabinieri car as it leaves a police station, in Rome, early Saturday morning, July 27, 2019. A young American tourist has confessed to fatally stabbing an Italian paramilitary policeman who was investigating the theft of a bag and cellphone before dawn Friday, the Italian news agency ANSA and state radio reported. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

The Carabinieri statement said the two Americans admitted responsibility after being questioned by prosecutors and faced with “hard evidence.”

"It was me, but I didn't think he was a policeman," Finnegan reportedly told investigators. "I was afraid of being cheated again."

Both suspects are also being investigated for attempted extortion.

Finnegan's lawyer, Francesco Codini, told the Associated Press that his client exercised his right not to respond to question during a detention hearing held Saturday in the Rome jail where the two teens are being kept. Hjorth's lawyer wasn't immediately available for comment.

Two Italian Carabinieri, paramilitary police officers, stand near a blood stain, the site where their colleague, Carabiniere Vice Brigadier Mario Cerciello Rega, was stabbed to death by a thief in Rome. (Associated Press)

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Rega was described as generous and kind by people who knew him He regularly escorted ailing people to a religious shrine in the town of Loreto, his station commander, Sandro Ottaviani, told reporters. His funeral will take place on Monday.

Authorities said the suspected drug dealer has not been caught.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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2019-07-27 16:12:25Z
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Russian Police Arrest Hundreds at Moscow Election Protest - TIME

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2019-07-27 14:24:27Z
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Italian officer Mario Rega killed: 2 American teens "confessed their deeds" after officer stabbed to death, Rome police say - CBS News

Two American teenagers have been implicated in an Italian policeman's murder and are being held pending formal charges, Italy's Carabinieri police force said Saturday.

The two, both 19 years old, "confessed their deeds" after an Italian paramilitary policeman was fatally stabbed in Rome on Friday while investigating the theft of a bag with a cellphone. Elder Finnegan Lee and Christian Gabriel Natale Hjorth are being detained for aggravated murder and attempted extortion, correspondent Seth Doane reports.

A 35-year-old newlywed Carabinieri officer, Mario Rega, was stabbed to death on a Rome street early Friday morning. The Carabinieri said their investigation reveals that shortly before the murder, the two young men stole a backpack from an Italian man, and then threatened him during a phone call that they would not return the backpack unless they were given 100 euros and a gram of cocaine.

Two Italian Carabinieri stand near a blood-stained street where their colleague, Carabiniere Vice Brigadier Mario Cerciello Rega, was stabbed to death by a thief in Rome, Friday, July 26, 2019. The murder happened a few meters away from a police station and in front of the Italian Court of Cassation. Paolo Santalucia/AP

The man reported the incident to the Carabinieri, who came to the meeting to stop the criminals. But a scuffle unfolded, and the Carabinieri officer was stabbed to death.

Law enforcement found the Americans in their hotel room at Le Méridien Visconti, ready to leave Italy. Police say they searched the room and found the murder weapon – a "knife of considerable size," hidden behind a ceiling panel.

Populist politicians have taken to social media today railing against "foreign animals" being allowed in Italy.

Rega, the slain officer, was from Somma Vesuviana, Italy. He did volunteer work with the poor, accompanied sick people to Catholic shrines, and brought meals to the homeless at Rome's main station. His funeral on Monday will be at the same church where he was married just 43 days ago.

The two Americans are reportedly from California. A lawyer for one of the men was spotted arriving at Regina Coeli, the Rome jail where they are being held.

A preliminary hearing is being held to determine whether to formally charge them.

© 2019 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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2019-07-27 14:05:00Z
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