Two humanitarian aid boats heading to Cuba have gone missing, Mexico says

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Navy searching for two boats that left Isla Mujeres last week bound for Havana with nine crew members of different nationalities on board

Mexico’s navy said on Thursday it had activated a search-and-rescue operation in the Caribbean to locate two sailboats carrying humanitarian aid to Cuba after the vessels failed to arrive in Havana as scheduled.

In a statement, the navy said the two boats left Isla Mujeres, in the Mexican Caribbean state of Quintana Roo, last week bound for Havana with nine crew members of different nationalities on board.

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Newsom signs California bill to rename Cesar Chavez Day as Farmworkers Day

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Lawmakers earlier passed bill to rename 31 March holiday following sexual abuse allegations against labor leader

California governor Gavin Newsom signed legislation Thursday renaming Cesar Chavez Day to Farmworkers Day in the wake of shocking allegations that the labor leader sexually abused women and young girls.

The bill, passed by the state senate earlier on Thursday, authorized the renaming ahead of the state holiday on 31 March. The state has observed the holiday honoring Chavez, who in the 1960s built a major farm-worker labor rights movement California’s agricultural heartland, for more than two decades.

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Gulf of Mexico oil spill spread hundreds of miles, killed wildlife and polluted Mexican reserves – AP News

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  1. Gulf of Mexico oil spill spread hundreds of miles, killed wildlife and polluted Mexican reserves  AP News
  2. Wildlife killed, reefs damaged in ‘active’ Gulf of Mexico oil spill  Al Jazeera
  3. Mexican navy says petroleum tanker, natural seabed likely caused Gulf coast spill  Reuters
  4. Mexico blames oil slick on illegal dumping  Griffon News
  5. The invisible tragedy of the oil spill in Mexico  EL PAÍS English
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Costa Rica to accept 25 deportees per week under Trump deportation effort – Al Jazeera

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  1. Costa Rica to accept 25 deportees per week under Trump deportation effort  Al Jazeera
  2. Kristi Noem Strikes an Immigration Deal for Trump in New Role  Newsweek
  3. Costa Rica Agrees to Take Migrants Deported by the Trump Administration  The New York Times
  4. Costa Rica announces plans to accept 25 migrants deported from the U.S.  KTVN
  5. Costa Rica to take 25 deported migrants weekly from the US under 'third-country' deal  WJLA
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Venezuelans deported by US detail fresh claims of torture and abuse at El Salvador mega-prison

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Petition seeks accountability from Salvadorian authorities over human rights violations at notorious Cecot facility

A group of 18 Venezuelan men whom the US expelled a notorious Salvadorian mega-prison are demanding that Salvadorian authorities be held internationally accountable for violation of human rights – detailing new allegations of torture, sexual assault and medical neglect.

A new petition, filed on Thursday before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, alleges that El Salvador violated the human rights of these men, who were expelled to El Salvador’s Terrorism Confinement Center (Cecot) last year without charge.

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Trump faces new oil shock threat as Iran eyes second strait – Politico

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  1. Trump faces new oil shock threat as Iran eyes second strait  Politico
  2. Mines, missiles and miles of coastline: Why Iran has the upper hand in the Strait of Hormuz  CNN
  3. Iran threatens key Red Sea strait if US launches ground operation  The Hill
  4. Amid Iran talks, Strait of Hormuz dotted with about a dozen Iranian mines, U.S. officials say  CBS News
  5. Iran has been threatening to close the Strait of Hormuz for years – it’s a key part of Tehran’s defence strategy  The Conversation
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Putin asks oligarchs to donate to budget as cost of Ukraine war soars – Financial Times

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  1. Putin asks oligarchs to donate to budget as cost of Ukraine war soars  Financial Times
  2. Putin asks oligarchs to donate to Russia’s dwindling defence budget  The Guardian
  3. Kremlin denies Putin asked businessmen to fund Russian war effort  Reuters
  4. Putin Makes Humiliating Request as His War Costs Surge  The Daily Beast
  5. Putin 'asks oligarchs to donate to budget' as cost of Ukraine war soars  Sky News
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After Wooing Trump With Deals, Pakistan Gets a Seat at the Table – The New York Times

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  1. After Wooing Trump With Deals, Pakistan Gets a Seat at the Table  The New York Times
  2. Europeans to press Rubio over Russian support for Iran at G7 meeting  The Detroit News
  3. Politics  The Economist
  4. Pakistan's Peace Broker Role In Iran-US War Has A Saudi Problem  NDTV
  5. Why Pakistan has emerged as a key mediator between US and Iran  The Times of Israel
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Flatterers out in force to fill Trump’s head with Venezuelan statue dreams

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President’s popularity top of mind at another weird and wild cabinet meeting – riff on merits of Sharpies included

They have become so notorious for displays of flattery and obsequiousness that critics have drawn comparisons with North Korea. Thursday’s cabinet meeting at the White House was no different.

Doug Burgum, the US interior secretary, outflanked his fellow praise singers by saying he believes that Venezuela – which the US attacked in January – intends to honour the president with a statue.

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In Israel, outrage rises over wartime settler violence in West Bank – The Christian Science Monitor

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  1. In Israel, outrage rises over wartime settler violence in West Bank  The Christian Science Monitor
  2. Pro-Israel Democrats decry settler violence in West Bank amid attacks on Palestinians  The Guardian
  3. Palestinian killed, 14 wounded in settler raids, 5 outposts erected in one night  Haaretz
  4. 257 incidents of settler violence carried out against Palestinians in 25 days, says watchdog  The Times of Israel
  5. West Bank settler violence poses deep danger to national security  The Jerusalem Post
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Air Canada C.E.O. Apologizes for English-Language Condolences After Plane Crash – The New York Times

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  1. Air Canada C.E.O. Apologizes for English-Language Condolences After Plane Crash  The New York Times
  2. Air Canada CEO apologises for English-only condolence video  BBC
  3. Air Canada CEO Issues Apology Over English-Only Message  WSJ
  4. Lawmakers call for Air Canada chief to resign after English-only message to plane crash victims  The Guardian
  5. The LaGuardia crash isn’t about Official Languages  Canada's National Observer
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Do Israel, Iran and Hezbollah Think We’re Stupid Enough to Believe Any of Us Is Winning? – Haaretz

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  1. Do Israel, Iran and Hezbollah Think We're Stupid Enough to Believe Any of Us Is Winning?  Haaretz
  2. 78% of Jewish Israelis back Iran war, but fervent support dropping, IDI survey finds  The Times of Israel
  3. 'Angel of Destruction': Is Netanyahu Leading Israel Toward a 'Mafia State'?  Haaretz
  4. A victory ‘for decades’? Netanyahu’s promise after June strikes proved hollow, but Israelis still support Iran war  CNN
  5. As World Seeks War’s End, Israelis Hold Out for Full Victory  Bloomberg.com
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Russia says Britain’s decision to detain its vessels is hostile, vows response – Reuters

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  1. Russia says Britain's decision to detain its vessels is hostile, vows response  Reuters
  2. UK authorises military to board Russian shadow fleet tankers  Reuters
  3. UK now 'ready' to seize Russian shadow fleet ships, Healey says  BBC
  4. Starmer gives green light for UK forces to intercept Putin’s shadow fleet  politico.eu
  5. French Navy Intercepts Suspected Russian Tanker in Western Mediterranean  USNI News
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Scientists captured female sperm whales on video working together during a birth to protect the calf – AP News

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  1. Scientists captured female sperm whales on video working together during a birth to protect the calf  AP News
  2. Description of a collaborative sperm whale birth and shifts in coda vocal styles during key events | Scientific Reports  Nature
  3. Family Of Sperm Whales Help Mother Give Birth Before Teaching Newborn To Swim  Yahoo
  4. Scientists Filmed a Whale Birth. The Surprise: Mom Had Many Helpers.  The New York Times
  5. The Astonishing Lessons of a Sperm-Whale Birth  The New Yorker
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