Stories for August 30th 2023

Wednesday, August 30th 2023 - 20:50 UTC
Meta thwarts “Spamouflage,” covert campaign to boost China and criticize US

Facebook parent Meta announced on Tuesday it had shut down a so-called “Spamouflage” campaign to covertly boost China's image on its platforms. Some 7,700 Facebook accounts plus hundreds of other pages, groups, and Instagram accounts that pushed pro-China narratives online, were eliminated.
Wednesday, August 30th 2023 - 10:11 UTC
Cafiero, Kishida discuss deepening ties

Argentine Foreign Minister Santiago Cafiero Tuesday met in Tokyo with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to discuss further Japanese investments in the South American country, where there are already some 70 leading companies from the Asian power.
Wednesday, August 30th 2023 - 09:55 UTC
Lula announces new ministry for SMEs

As part of his efforts to develop over 2 million formal jobs by the end of the year, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said Tuesday he would create a ministry to deal with issues linked to small and medium-sized enterprises, assisting those who wish to become entrepreneurs, Agencia Brasil reported. It will be the 38th ministry in Lula’s administration
Wednesday, August 30th 2023 - 09:42 UTC
Punta Arenas Winter Hockey Cup: Tierra del Fuego official calls Chilean mayor a 'colonialist'

Success and the brilliant sportsmanship spirit from the Falkland Islands hockey teams, and their trophies, at the Punta Arenas Winter Cup, could not have come with some acid comments from Argentina.
Wednesday, August 30th 2023 - 09:41 UTC
US State of Florida braces for Hurricane Idalia

Some 1.6 million people in the US State of Florida were to evacuate their homes in the coming hours as Hurricane Idalia has been forecast to make landfall on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico in the northwest of the state with Category 3 winds (111 mph or 178 kph) Wednesday.
Wednesday, August 30th 2023 - 09:38 UTC
Minerva's latest move shakes up Uruguay's meat processing landscape

Conrado Ferber, President of the National Meat Institute (INAC) of Uruguay, expressed his concerns on Tuesday regarding Minerva Foods' proposed acquisition of three meat processing plants from Marfrig. If the deal is finalized, it would result in one of the Brazilian multinational corporations controlling 45% of the southern country slaughterhouse market.
Wednesday, August 30th 2023 - 09:12 UTC
Military group overthrows President, seizes power in Gabon

A group of military officers making up the so-called “Committee for the Transition and Restoration of the Institutions” of Gabon seized power Wednesday in the African country, announcing the “end to the current regime” through a TV broadcast. The rebels also said they had dissolved all government institutions and annulled last Saturday's elections.
Wednesday, August 30th 2023 - 08:59 UTC
Chile: One of Víctor Jara's murderers kills himself

Eighty-six-year-old Retired Chilean Army General Hernán Carlos Chacón Soto committed suicide Tuesday moments before he was to be transferred to the Puntateuco jailhouse to begin serving his 25-year sentence for the 1973 abduction and murder of singer-songwriter Victor Jara and Prisons Bureau Director Littré Quiroga, it was reported in Santiago.
Wednesday, August 30th 2023 - 08:50 UTC
Britain orders review of air traffic controls system that cancelled flights and left thousands stranded

The British government has ordered a review into the country's air traffic control system on Tuesday after a glitch stranded thousands of passengers and caused delays that are set to last for days
Wednesday, August 30th 2023 - 08:41 UTC
Loss of sea ice causes catastrophic breeding failure for emperor penguins

Emperor penguin colonies experienced unprecedented breeding failure in a region of Antarctica where there was total sea ice loss in 2022. The discovery supports predictions that over 90% of emperor penguin colonies will be quasi-extinct by the end of the century, based on current global warming trends.