The first quarter of 2023, between January and March, was the deadliest for migrants crossing the Mediterranean since 2017, with 441 lives lost trying to reach Europe, the UN said on Wednesday.

The United Nations International Organization for Migration (IOM) estimated that this figure of 441 deaths between January and March 2023 is below reality. “  With over 20,000  deaths recorded on this route since 2014, I fear these deaths have been normalized  ,” he warned, adding that “  delays and gaps in search and rescue operations by the States cost human lives  ”. “  Over the Easter weekend, 3,000  migrants reached Italy, bringing the total number of arrivals since the start of the year to 31,192  people  ,” IOM said.

Delays in search and rescue (SAR) operations have been a driving factor in at least six incidents so far this year, killing at least 127 of the remaining 441 people, the IOM said . . "  The complete lack of response during a seventh rescue operation claimed the lives of at least 73 migrants  " still included in this same tally, IOM said in a statement, adding that search and rescue efforts rescues from non-governmental organizations have declined markedly in recent months.

Entire boats missing

“  The continuing humanitarian crisis in the central Mediterranean is intolerable  ,” said IOM Chief Antonio Vitorino.  The UN agency's "Missing Migrants" project is also investigating several cases of missing boats, where there are no traces of survivors, debris and where no search and rescue operations have been carried out . . Some 300 people on board these boats are still missing, the organization said.

"  Saving lives at sea is a legal obligation for States  ," said Antonio Vitorino. “  We need proactive coordination from States in search and rescue efforts. Guided by the spirit of responsibility sharing and solidarity, we call on States to work together and strive to reduce the loss of life along the migration routes  ,” he added.

According to our information, the two ships have been rescued or are still on their way to Italy, accompanied by the Italian coast guard. But we do not know if they have already arrived. And we don't know how the people on board are doing either.

The category 4 tropical cyclone, formed over the ocean west of Australia, is strengthening and is expected to swing into category 5, according to Australian weather forecasts.

By Thursday morning, Cyclone Ilsa was about 250 kilometers off the coast of Western Australia and the system was categorized as Level 4. Moving at a speed of 16 kilometers per hour (km/h), it was causing gusts of up to at 260 km/h.

It is now expected that Ilsa will reach the mainland in the evening and be even more intense, becoming a category 5 cyclone.

This is awarded when the gusts exceed more than 279 km / h, according to the classification of the Australian meteorological office which then describes a system “extremely dangerous with very extensive destruction”.

Ilsa is described by some as "the most powerful storm of the decade" to make landfall.

About 700 kilometers of coastline are placed on alert south of the tourist town of Broome to the mining community of Port Hedland. Many vulnerable people and tourists in at-risk areas have already been evacuated to Broome.

While a weather station has already recorded winds of 260 km / h west of this city, residents are encouraged to go to evacuation centers set up along the coast.

The main road linking Broome to Port Hedland has been closed to traffic by the authorities for more than 500 kilometers.

The Brussels region has a large number of single-parent families: nearly one in three families. The heads of these households are overwhelmingly women.

Solo mothers came to testify to their experiences in the Brussels parliament this Wednesday, on the initiative of the socialist deputy Delphine Chabbert. The opportunity for these women to talk about their needs and to mention in particular the heavy mental burden that weighs on them.

Too little time for yourself

Sophie raises her 4-year-old daughter alone. A teacher and owner of her home, she does not benefit from aid. It is therefore not easy to make ends meet. But the precariousness is not only financial. It is also relational. Isolation and exhaustion are the daily life of single mothers. “ You have to manage everything on your own. This mental load is really very tiring to live with, especially when you work full time, ” explains the young woman. Renate agrees. Her daughter was born a year ago. She knew that she would take on the difficulties alone: ​​"I thought it would be rather logistics but in fact, the two biggest difficulties are isolation and having little time for yourself and therefore running out of energy after a while to occupy yourself properly of her child ".

Feeling supported and accompanied is therefore essential for single parents. A house is dedicated to them in Forest. Kadija Bouchirab, her coordinator, confirms the need to allow parents to breathe: " We have to rethink things for these families, offer childcare services, solutions for the well-being of single parents. They need these parentheses and taking time for them. This is what is most lacking in single-parent families, " she regrets.

Access to housing even more complicated for single-parent families

Finding accommodation is not easy in Brussels. It's even more complicated for single-parent families who often combine discrimination. The rent allowance is one of the tools of the support plan for these families put in place by the Brussels region in July 2021. " It helps single parents every month to pay their rent. Today there are a little more than 2,500 single-parent families who benefit from it. The amount varies between 120 and 280 euros depending on the composition of the household "explains Nawal Ben Hamou, Secretary of State for Equal Opportunities and Housing.

The voluntary sector also recalls that too many people are unaware of the aid to which they are entitled. To help make them known, there is a website.  Single parents can find information on the aid and services offered to them in the Brussels Region.

For many, Google Maps is an application for daily use to move around the city and reach destinations in the fastest and easiest way. For the benefit of these users, the platform is now working on a new update that aims to improve the user's search experience without getting lost on the map. 

The new tool will indicate the location where the person is at all times , even if they decide to enlarge, shrink or move the map. Below, all the details. 

As can be seen reflected in the image above, the new function of Google Maps is that of a red indicator that shows the current location of the user at all times or the one that he himself has decided to set.

The icon stays at the edge of the screen and allows the driver to scroll across the map without losing sight of the original orientation. 

This tool is convenient since before, when standing on one direction and moving the screen to another , the pin would be lost and the user would be confused. Now, however, the orientation process is easier and faster.

The app will also provide information on the location being pointed at , which is key to recognizing where you want to go. 

It is worth mentioning that these Google Maps tools are in the testing phase , so you will have to be attentive to the next update of the platform to access them. 

 When I look up at the starry sky on a beautiful spring evening, much of it is familiar. For example, I see the distinctive 'W' of the constellation Cassiopeia, the saucepan of the Big Dipper or the bright dot of our neighboring planet Venus. Then grab a star map and you can even find very precise celestial locations at which you, as a hobbyist, can point a telescope to see galaxies or fanning gas nebulae.

All this gives the feeling that we know that night sky a little bit. That we numbered everything, gave it names and checked it off on our star charts. However, that is an erroneous idea, as it turned out again recently, when Nasa reported something special. Something that the Hubble Space Telescope had seen in the depths of the Universe with its much sharper than human eye.

One of the photos from the telescope showed a small streak of light. Such an irrelevant-looking thing that at first scientists thought they were dealing with a speck, an anomaly, perhaps a stray sliver of cosmic rays that had collided with Hubble's cameras. Until it turned out that that stripe is something very special: a supermassive black hole racing through space with a stream of stars in its wake.

It is the first time that scientists have seen such a huge hole moving alone through the universe, they write in the journal The Astrophysical Journal Letters . You normally find such cosmic monsters in the center of galaxies. Our own home galaxy, the Milky Way, also has one: Saggitarius A*, photographed last year by the Event Horizon telescope. Astronomers have long thought that when two galaxies collide, a supermassive black hole in them might eject. No one had ever seen anything like it before, but now it seemed right.

That little dash is really huge, with all the staggering numbers associated with cosmic discoveries. For example, the black hole has the mass of twenty million suns and moves through the universe at a mere 5.7 million kilometers per hour. So fast that it can fly from Earth to the Moon in 4 minutes.

Such a monster moving through the universe at a killer pace is a terrifying thought, but at the same time turns out to be a source of cosmic creation. As the black hole collides with the gas in front of it, it is compressed in such a way that new stars are formed. That's the source of the stream of stars dragging the colossus: a tail 200,000 light-years long, twice the diameter of the Milky Way.

This bizarre spectacle takes place in a small part of the night sky, somewhere between all those familiar stars and planets. An illustration that what we see there is really only the minuscule vanguard of everything else that the cosmos hides from the naked eye.

Celebrities have shared their Easter holidays , generating comments of all kinds about the luxuries and whims of celebrities. Georgina Rodríguez has also been involved in a new controversy, however, it has not been due to current images. It all starts with her last post where she remembers her old summer vacation.

Last Saturday, Cristiano Ronaldo 's couple surprised their followers with some images from 2020. With the photographs, they accompanied the text "That summer afternoon we went to buy our boat, and some photos of that magical summer of 2020" , wrote the model.

That ship was the Azimut Grande 27 Metri yacht , nothing more and nothing less than a vessel with a value of more than six million euros . The couple has had it for three years and during the summer of 2020 they enjoyed a vacation in the Balearic Islands.

It seems that by sharing this luxurious purchase, Georgina has received many negative comments in the publication from some users, such as: "Then in 'El Hormiguero' you said that you are not materialistic" or "not humble at all" . Meanwhile, the influencer's followers have defended her, calling critics "envious."

This Thursday, King Philippe and Gabriel will attend the penultimate flight of Ariane 5. An important mission because the satellite it sends, Juice, will meet Jupiter and its moons. As for us, we discover the Prince.

The site of the Guiana Space Center in Kourou is huge. This Wednesday, on the eve of the take-off of the Ariane 5 rocket and the Juice satellite which it will send to Jupiter for a long eight-year journey, we played hide and seek with the King and Prince Gabriel.

They were naturally received as “very very VIPs” by the European Space Agency. While the few members of the Belgian press were visiting the site from which the future Ariane 6 will one day take off (Editor's note: we are talking about 2024), the King and his eldest son were discovering the Ariane 5 launch pad. The two were wearing a dark blue ESA cap. They were carrying a red bag with a gas mask inside. Security is omnipresent on this piece of land in French Guiana.

The third foreign infantry regiment keeps watch. There are soldiers everywhere and their physique impresses. It is in our interest to wear the right badge and not to be zouave! 

 The 27-year-old star Angèle caused a sensation on the Web on April 13, 2023. The reason? She shared a new, never-before-seen photo of herself. 

A picture that hits

In this shot, we discover the young woman posing in a slinky mini dress with a neon green slit. A dress combined with a pair of fuchsia pink boots. An explosive look that left no one indifferent since it was loved by more than 135,000 people. 

And if Angèle posed, it was for Antidote magazine . We must admit that the rendering is canon. Besides, another photo from this shoot caused a sensation. In this shot, we discover the starlet in a tight black dress with a V-neckline. Angèle strikes a pose and displays a bewitching gaze. 

The day before, the singer was all the rage by revealing unpublished photos of her last trip and concert in Seattle in the United States. A series of photos loved by over 170,000 people. One thing is certain, Angèle is on a roll.

 PAROS: The sound of drilling echoes early in the morning on the port of Naoussa in Paros, a Greek island very popular with tourists where construction work is being carried out at full speed before the start of a promising tourist season.

Truckers, workers and engineers are busy on various sites on the main road lined with whitewashed houses, shutters and doors painted in blue, green or more rarely in red, in the typical architectural style of the Cyclades archipelago.

Hammer in hand, plumber Nikos Kritikos tears old sewer pipes from a completely renovated building. Nearby, three men are unloading boxes of tiles and ceramic slabs from a truck. The extension work of this old house has made it possible to add three rooms for rent.

"It's crazy, the opening of the season is approaching and everyone is repairing, painting (...) to be on time", says this craftsman from the island.

Opposite, a complex with swimming pool and suites belonging to a real estate fund comes out of the ground, "proof of a dazzling breakthrough of foreign money", assures, circumspect, this fifty-year-old.

"All for profit"

After two years marred by the pandemic, the surge in tourism last year - 27.8 million visitors (+ 89.3% over one year), according to figures from the Bank of Greece - feeds hopes.

Tourism receipts should at least reach the level of 2022 this year (17.6 billion euros), and "according to the most optimistic scenario, exceed those of 2019" (18.1 billion euros), according to Yannis Retsos, President of the Union of Tourism Operators.

"The tourist season this year will be the best," also predicts the mayor of Paros, Markos Kovaios.

Last summer, the population of the island (15,000 inhabitants in normal times) was multiplied by five, according to him.

Hard hit by the financial crisis, Greece has relied heavily on construction and tourism to revive its struggling economy. The latter sector now accounts for almost a quarter of GDP.

Along the winding road linking Naoussa to the traditional villages of Lefkes or Marpissa, construction sites, tourist complexes, luxurious villas with swimming pools and underground accommodation follow one another, some hidden in ravines.

"All for profit, no limits", indignant Kostantis Haniotis in his cafe in Lefkes, complaining of the increase in prices due to "tourist overexploitation".

Laxity

The town hall of Sifnos, another island in the Cyclades, has sounded the alarm over the "unbridled growth" of tourism, calling for measures such as the banning of swimming pools, according to the daily Kathimerini.

On the hills covered with flowering bushes which contrast with the blue of the sky and the Aegean Sea, low stone walls still bear witness to the terrace cultivation that once prevailed on this island. Today, only a few olive groves and vineyards remain, and fishing is practiced mainly for gastronomic purposes.

"In the 1990s, each family built a house for the children (…) Now we don't stop building for tourists", laments Nikos Kritikos.

The craftsman fears that Paros will become like the very fashionable and neighboring Mykonos, which offers luxury holidays and attracts the international jet set.

At the beginning of March, the violent attack by unknown persons on an archaeologist in charge of examining building permits in Mykonos caused a great stir.

This attack, described as "mafia" by the authorities, revealed the chronic irregularities in the construction industry, an endemic problem in Greece.

Controls often take place after building permits have been issued, and the only solution in the event of irregularities "remains the fine, which no one fears because there is too much money" at stake in tourism, denounces Despina Koutsoumpa, President of the Union of Greek Archaeologists.

Panagiotis Galanis, a lawyer specializing in planning law, points out that "the authorities are often lax for economic reasons because tourism has become a heavy industry in the country".

The mayor of Paros, however, assures that controls have been intensified this year.

The first National Social Production Park (PPS) , which seeks to promote local productive development and houses social enterprises that respond to community problems, was officially inaugurated this Tuesday in the Tucuman town of Tafí Viejo, in an act headed by the minister of Science, Technology and Innovation of the Nation, Daniel Filmus and the governor Juan Manzur. - TELAM SE 2022. Queda expresamente prohibida la utilización de este contenido sin citar la autoría de TELAM, la omisión de este requisito es violatorio del Régimen Legal de la Propiedad Intelectual, Ley 11.723. lo que habilita el reclamo de nuestros derechos por vía judicial.

"This type of popular economy projects is here to stay. It is a model that allows people to live with dignity, not in a second-rate economy," said Filmus, who remarked that, to allow this to happen, these initiatives must "have high technological levels" to be able to "produce for the market. - TELAM SE 2022. Queda expresamente prohibida la utilización de este contenido sin citar la autoría de TELAM, la omisión de este requisito es violatorio del Régimen Legal de la Propiedad Intelectual, Ley 11.723. lo que habilita el reclamo de nuestros derechos por vía judicial.

The first PPS is located in the Municipal Ecoproductive Complex (CEM) in the town of Tafí Viejo. - TELAM SE 2022. Queda expresamente prohibida la utilización de este contenido sin citar la autoría de TELAM, la omisión de este requisito es violatorio del Régimen Legal de la Propiedad Intelectual, Ley 11.723. lo que habilita el reclamo de nuestros derechos por vía judicial.

- TELAM SE 2022. Queda expresamente prohibida la utilización de este contenido sin citar la autoría de TELAM, la omisión de este requisito es violatorio del Régimen Legal de la Propiedad Intelectual, Ley 11.723. lo que habilita el reclamo de nuestros derechos por vía judicial.

From the State, the PPS present an opportunity to bring the Science, Technology and Innovation System closer to the community in the search for solutions to social problems, but -in addition- they contribute to the creation of quality employment and to improve working conditions, of productivity and sustainability of companies through the added value of knowledge and technology. - TELAM SE 2022. Queda expresamente prohibida la utilización de este contenido sin citar la autoría de TELAM, la omisión de este requisito es violatorio del Régimen Legal de la Propiedad Intelectual, Ley 11.723. lo que habilita el reclamo de nuestros derechos por vía judicial.

What does the Park consist of? - TELAM SE 2022. Queda expresamente prohibida la utilización de este contenido sin citar la autoría de TELAM, la omisión de este requisito es violatorio del Régimen Legal de la Propiedad Intelectual, Ley 11.723. lo que habilita el reclamo de nuestros derechos por vía judicial.

The property was designed so that productive units, cooperatives or social enterprises can be established that can provide services and goods that respond to community and environmental needs. - TELAM SE 2022. Queda expresamente prohibida la utilización de este contenido sin citar la autoría de TELAM, la omisión de este requisito es violatorio del Régimen Legal de la Propiedad Intelectual, Ley 11.723. lo que habilita el reclamo de nuestros derechos por vía judicial.

 This Monday, April 10, 2023, Shakira posted a strong message on Instagram for the attention of the paparazzi and the media. She invites them to respect the privacy of her sons, Milan and Sasha, who are followed until they leave school.

" I moved to Barcelona to give my children stability, the same that we are now looking for in another corner of the world next to my family, friends and the sea. Today we are starting a new chapter in the pursuit of happiness ". Sunday April 2, 2023, Shakira announced to her 85 million subscribers that she was starting a new life in a new country. A decision that came a few months after her divorce in the summer of 2022, following allegations of infidelity against Gérard Piqué . Only, his move did not go smoothly, evidenced by a touching Instagram post, posted on Monday April 10, 2023.

Shakira's sons followed in the street

" Dear friends, journalists and media, at this time of change in my life as a public figure, it is understandable that there is a permanent curiosity on the part of the press around me and my family", writes the a singer. But if she is understanding, she shows her claws when it comes to her two sons. " My children Milan and Sasha have had a very difficult year, suffering relentless harassment and relentless persecution by the paparazzi and several media outlets in Barcelona. Now that they are starting a new stage in their lives, I urge to the media on behalf of my children to respect their right to privacy", she intimates. And for good reason, some do not hesitate to interfere in the daily lives of the two boys aged 8 and 10. "Please refrain from following them until the exit or at the entrance to the school, to wait for them at our door, or to follow them to their extra-curricular and playful activities as happened every day in Barcelona, ​​in order to obtain photos or better audiences ," adds Shakira.

It's about the health and physical and emotional integrity of two children "

The singer, known for her hits Whenever, Wherever (2001), La Tortura (2005), Hips Don't Lie (2006) and Loca (2010), appeals to the humanity of these people who relentlessly pursue her family. “ I hope that journalists and photographers will be sensitive to the situation that Milan and Sasha are facing and will be able to behave in the most humane way possible with them, taking into account that it is about health. and the physical and emotional integrity of two children who just want to go out on the street, go to school feeling safe and having the peace of mind of not being chased or subject to constant camera surveillance", she adds. Then, with great emotion, Shakira concludes: " I make this request no longer as an artist but as a mother who wishes to protect and take care of the psychological and emotional well-being of her children so that they can live a healthy and happy life, as every child deserves ."

 This Monday, Adriana Lecouvreur's premiere at the Opéra Royal de Wallonie-Liège kept its promises. Starting with the scenography and the exceptional sets, really successful, recreating a stage cage within the stage cage which lets you glimpse the boxes and imagine an audience of the Comédie-Française on the courtyard side. The set offers very beautiful scenes, even forgiving the downtime for certain set changes by technicians in costume.

Eagerly awaited in the role, Romanian Elena Mosuc delivered a fine vocal performance in the title role, creating real moments of emotion beyond her propensity to seduce the public. The entire voice cast was well applauded. Finally, the musical direction of Christopher Franklin gave all its dimension to this great moment of opera, with a homogeneous orchestra in a brilliant interpretation.

If we add the ballet choreographed by Gianni Santucci (and very successfully dressed by Carla Ricotti in the avant-garde spirit of the time when the piece was created at the very beginning of the 20th century), it's worth to invest in the remaining tickets for the next dates, April 14, 16, 18, 20 and 22. It should be noted that the role of Adriana will also be interpreted by Carolina Lopez Moreno, to whom the general manager Stefano Pace wished to trust for the last two performances.

 Three months after his dramatic snowplow accident, actor Jeremy Renner triumphantly walked the red carpet at the premiere of "Rennervations" on April 11 in Los Angeles.

The Avengers star was all smiles. This Tuesday, April 11, actor Jeremy Renner did not hide his pleasure of being able to be present at the premiere in Los Angeles of the original series "Rennervations" from Disney +. He arrived holding a cane on one side to help him walk the red carpet and the hand of his 10-year-old daughter Ava on the other.

Being able to stand up after his terrible accident which almost cost him his life on January 1st is a great victory for the hero of “Hawkeye”. Jeremy Renner had broken more than thirty bones and had to undergo multiple surgeries after being hit by his snow plow at his Nevada property.

The day before the premiere of “Rennervations”, he had already appeared on the show “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”, where armed with his cane he had launched into a little dance on stage. The animator then joked with him: “If there was a question about the identity of the toughest Avenger, it is settled now.”

(Bloomberg Opinion) -- More small U.S. businesses reported increasing difficulty obtaining loans in March after multiple bank failures led to further tightening of credit conditions.

A net 9% of homeowners who borrow frequently said it was harder to get financing than three months ago, the most since December 2012, according to a National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) survey. ) published on Tuesday. The same percentage expect credit conditions to worsen further in the next three months and equal the highest level in a decade.

“Small business owners are skeptical of future economic conditions,” Bill Dunkelberg, NFIB chief economist, said in a statement. "There are great uncertainties ahead, the most immediate being the concern that a banking crisis could be triggered."

The Himalayan Homestay Protecting The Red Panda

The collapse of four banks in March, most notably Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank, prompted many lenders to tighten standards for commercial lending. That has made it even more difficult for smaller companies to borrow, compounding an already difficult financial environment after a year of interest rate hikes by the Federal Reserve.

Bad credit news, coupled with deteriorating sales prospects and expansion plans, sent the NFIB Small Business Optimism Index down 0.8 points to a three-month low of 90.1. well below pre-pandemic levels.

Twenty-six percent of business owners who borrow money said they paid a higher interest rate in March compared to the previous three months, the highest percentage since 2006.

Although credit is getting a bit harder to come by, it's still less of a problem for businesses than inflation and the quality of the workforce.

The proportion of owners who believe that the next three months will be a good time to expand the business fell to the lowest level since 2009, the report showed. Companies also scaled back capital spending plans.

One in five owners expect to invest in equipment or structures in the next three to six months, the smallest proportion in two years. Companies also reduced hiring plans and compensation.

The survey also showed that a net 15% said they expected weaker sales in the next three months, the highest proportion since August.

Original Note: US Small Businesses Face Worst Credit in a Decade After SVB

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com

 According to a report by the National Food Safety Agency, more than a third of drinking water in France is polluted by chlorothalonil, a fungicide massively used by farmers but banned since 2020. For the Ministry of Ecological Transition, this pollution does not represent “no health risk”.

It is a disaster like drinking water producers have probably never experienced, the bill of which could amount to billions of euros and a large part of which risks remaining unmanageable for a long time. For several months, almost everywhere in France, public drinking water authorities and delegated companies have been alarmed to discover high concentrations of a degradation product (or “metabolite”) of chlorothalonil – a pesticide marketed by Syngenta, used since 1970 and banned in Europe in 2019.

These concerns are well founded. In a report to be made public on Thursday April 6, the National Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety (ANSES) confirms the almost generalized presence of the metabolite in question – R471811 – in metropolitan surface and underground waters. The latter was not researched until very recently, not all approved laboratories being able to measure it.

Even more alarming, the conventional treatment channels are unable to get rid of it: a large proportion of French people thus receive tap water that does not comply with regulatory quality criteria because of this single molecule, i.e. that its concentration exceeds the limit provided for by the regulations of 0.1 microgram per liter (µg/l). In January 2022, ANSES has classified R471811 as "relevant" (potentially problematic), it must therefore remain below this threshold in the same way as its parent molecule, considered as a probable carcinogen by the European health authorities and associated with the appearance of kidney tumors on laboratory animals. No health effect of the metabolite in question has been proven at these exposure doses, but the data are very incomplete.

The entire Paris Basin concerned

According to the ANSES probe, which is based on a non-exhaustive selection of distribution networks, around 34% of the water distributed in France does not comply with regulations – a figure which is only an estimate depending on the selection of samples made by the agency's experts. It is impossible, for the time being, to precisely determine the percentage of the population concerned, as R471811 has not yet been integrated into the surveillance plans of all the regional health agencies (ARS). The technical manager of a large public operator, speaking on condition of anonymity, considers himself “convinced that more than half of the French population is concerned” . Some bottled waters would not be spared.

TRANSFER RAILWAY

Madrid - Ferrovial (BME: FER ) holds a meeting that is decisive for its future, which involves moving its registered office from Spain to the Netherlands while the lack of agreement with the Government continues to be evident and support is continued to carry out this operation.

- There will be information with the approximate calendar of the steps that the company will take in the event that the shareholders approve the transfer.

IMF ASSEMBLY

Washington - The Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Kristalina Georgieva, and the President of the World Bank, David Malpass, review the global economic situation at a press conference, within the framework of the Spring Assembly that both institutions are holding this week in Washington.

- Latin America remains afloat at a time of uncertainty in the financial sector and slow economic growth.

OIL MARKET

Vienna - The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) publishes its monthly report on the oil market, the first to be released after its member countries decided to cut production to raise the price of crude oil .

CHINA .ERCIO

Shanghai - The General Administration of Customs of China publishes March data for trade between the Asian country and the rest of the world, which fell by 0.8% year-on-year in the first two months.

TOURISM CRUISES

Barcelona - The University of Barcelona and the International Association of Cruise Lines in Spain (CLIA) present a study on the evolution of cruise tourism and its contribution to the tax on tourist stays.

INFORMATION AGENDA

9:00 am.- Madrid.- MARITIME TRANSPORT.- The president of Puertos del Estado, Álvaro Rodríguez Dapena, participates in an informative breakfast organized by the New Economy Forum. Casino Gran Círculo (Alcalá, 15) must be previously accredited.

10:00 a.m.- Madrid.- MEDIATION COMPANIES.- III Conference on Intrajudicial Mediation organized by the Roca Junyent law firm Hotel Intercontinental, Salón Granados, Paseo de la Castellana, 49.

10:00h.- Madrid.- REAL ESTATE SECTOR.- Presentation of the 1st European Real Estate Observatory carried out by Masteos, a company specializing in turnkey rental investment, to 8,159 Europeans from eight different countries, including Spain. Calle Mendez Alvaro 20.

10:30 a.m.- Madrid.- COSMETICS SECTOR.- Stanpa presents the X-ray of the perfumery and cosmetics sector in Spain 2022, which analyzes the current situation of the industry. Santa Barbara Square, 3.

10:45 am.- Madrid.- SPAIN DEBT.- The Treasury holds an auction of government bonds and obligations.

11:00 a.m.- Madrid.- SUSTAINABLE MOBILITY.- The Minister of Transport, Mobility and the Urban Agenda, Raquel Sánchez, participates in the international presentation of the Global Mobility Call 2023. Press room, first floor, IFEMA Madrid.

11:30 a.m.- Madrid.- UGT UNIONS.- The general secretary of the UGT, Pepe Álvarez, and the secretary of International Relations, Jesús Gallego, participate in the rally called before the French embassy against the pension reform in this country . Calle Salustiano Olozaga, 9. (Text) (Video)

12:00 pm.- Madrid.- PRIM ESTRATEGIA.- The healthcare group Prim (BME: PRIM ) celebrates Shareholder and Investor Day PRIM Headquarters. (Avda. Llano Castellano, 43).

12:00h.- Gijón.- DURO FELGUERA.- Duro Felguera (BME: MDF ) holds an Extraordinary General Shareholders' Meeting to approve the capital increase corresponding to the entry as industrial partners of the Mexican Grupo Prodi and Mota-Engil (ELI: MOTA ) Mexico. Luis Adaro Fairground. (Text)

12:30 p.m.- Madrid.- FERROVIAL TRANSFER.- Ferrovial holds its ordinary shareholders' meeting on second call, which is followed by the reverse merger whereby the group's parent company will be a European company domiciled in the Netherlands. ONCE Auditorium, Paseo de la Habana number 208. (Text) (Photo) (Video).

16:00h.- Madrid.- SOCIAL DIALOGUE.- Meeting of the social dialogue table on the Government's National Reform Program (PNR). Ministry of Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation.

Madrid.- LABOR ACCIDENTS.- The Ministry of Labor publishes the statistics of work accidents corresponding to February. Madrid (Text)

Madrid.- HOUSING .PRAVENTA.- The Notariat publishes its monthly statistics on the sale of homes, corresponding to February.

Madrid.- TRANSPORT SITUATION.- The INE publishes the passenger transport statistics (TV) corresponding to February 2023. (Infographic)

International

Europe

11:00h.- Brussels.- EU INDUSTRY.- Eurostat publishes data on industrial production in the EU for February. (Infographic)

12:00 pm.- Paris.- OECD UNEMPLOYMENT.- The OECD publishes unemployment data for its member countries. (Infographic)

Vienna.- OIL MARKET.- The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) publishes its monthly report on the oil market. (Text)

London.- UNITED R. GDP.- The National Statistics Office publishes the British GDP for the month of February. (Text)

Paris.- FRANCE PENSIONS.- Another day of mobilizations in France against the pension reform, on the eve of the decision of the Constitutional Council on the validation of the law. (Text) (Photo) (Video)

America

13:00h.- New York.- DELTA RESULTS.- Delta today announces its latest quarterly results (Text) Date confirmed by the company.

2:00 p.m.- Rio de Janeiro.- BRAZIL AGRICULTURE.- The Brazilian Government discloses a new projection for the 2023 agricultural harvest. (Text)

2:30 p.m.- Washington.- IMF ASSEMBLY.- Press conference with the director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Kristalina Georgieva, and the president of the World Bank, David Malpass, within the framework of the spring meetings, which celebrate this week in Washington. (Text) (Photo) (Video)

5:30 p.m.- Panama City.- PANAMÁ AEROLÍNEAS.- Copa Airlines presents the company's plans and initiatives for 2023, in an event led by its executive director, Pedro Heilbron. (Text) (Photo) (Video)

Washington.- G7 FINANCES.- Meeting of G7 Finance Ministers to address movements in financial markets, inflation and the war in Ukraine.

Washington.- INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTION.- The Federal Reserve reports data on industrial production in the United States for the month of March.

Lima.- PERU EXPORTS.- Peru publishes its report on the Evolution of Exports and Imports until February 2023, with data from the INEI. (Text)

Sao Paulo.- TELEFÓNICA BRASIL.- Ordinary General Assembly of Telefónica Brasil (BVMF: VIVT4 ) (Text)

Mexico City.- MEXICO INTERESTS.- The Bank of Mexico publishes its minutes on the March 30 meeting in which the interest rate rose 25 basis points to a record of 11.25%, although with a slowdown in the rate of increase.

Santiago.- LATIN AMERICA AGRICULTURE.- Ministers of Agriculture and ambassadors from more than 20 countries meet this Thursday in Santiago de Chile at the First Ministerial Conference on Low Emission Food Systems, a meeting that seeks to find solutions to make agriculture more sustainable, which is currently responsible for approximately 11% of global greenhouse gas emissions. (Text) (Photo) (Video)

Panama.- PANAMA CONSUMPTION.- The Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture of Panama (CCIAP) presents the results of the Panamanian Consumer Confidence Index corresponding to March 2023. (Text)

Asia

Shanghai.- CHINA. TRADE.- The General Administration of Customs of China publishes March data for trade between the Asian country and the rest of the world, which fell by 0.8% year-on-year in the first two months. (Text)

New Delhi.- INDIA SPAIN.- The Secretary of State and Commerce of Spain, Xiana Méndez Bértolo, and the Minister of Commerce and Industry of India, Piyush Goyal, meet in New Delhi with businessmen and investors from both countries.

MEXICO CITY, MX.- Mario Gabriel Budebo, who was Undersecretary of Hydrocarbons in the Ministry of Energy during the government of former President Felipe Calderón Hinojosa, today is the CEO of the Mexico Infrastructure Partners (MIP) fund, which will buy 13 power plants from Iberdrola in Mexico through a financial vehicle with the participation of a government trust, published bloomberglinea.com .

AMLO and Iberdrola had multiple clashes since the Government tried to give control of the electricity sector to the state company CFE as of 2020, while accusing Iberdrola of participating in an illegal market for the sale of energy, which escalated to reforms to secondary laws , denial of energy permits and various legal actions against the Mexican authorities.

The president also criticized Iberdrola for including Calderón Hinojosa, López Obrador's opponent in the 2006 presidential election, as a member of the Board of Directors of its US subsidiary Avangrid, years after the end of his term. Since then, the mention of the company and the relationship with Calderón has been a constant.

Who is Gabriel Budebo?

Gabriel Budebo has a degree in Economics from the Autonomous Technological Institute of Mexico (ITAM), with a Master's degree in Economics from UCLA. He began his career in the public sector at the Ministry of Finance and Public Credit in 1986.

His first high-ranking position was as president of the National Commission of the Retirement Savings System (Consar) from 2003 to 2006, during the six-year term of former President Vicente Fox Quesada. He later held the position of undersecretary of hydrocarbons at Sener from 2006 to 2012. That same year he began working as an independent director of Pemex for the extinct subsidiary Pemex Gas and Basic Petrochemicals, today Pemex Transformación Industrial.

Other key MIP executives are Guillermo Fonseca Torres, Director of Finance. His professional experience includes being Scotiabank's managing director for Mexico and Latin America in its infrastructure and real estate wholesale banking for eight years until 2013. He was vice president of Alterra Partners and Bechtel Enterprises, in addition to working for three years at Banobras.

Luis Alberto Villalobos Anaya is the Director of Business Development at MIP. He was CEO of Macquarie Capital and also CEO of the Citigroup brokerage house in Mexico. He was also a member of the AMIB board of directors.

Brandon Allen Blaylock, Chief Investment Officer, is a Managing Partner at Faros Infrastructure Partners. He has been an employee of General Electric and CEO of its GE Transportation Finance division in Asia, in addition to five years at the Exxon oil company in projects and business development. He holds a BS in Civil Engineering and an MS in Petroleum Engineering from the University of Southern California and an MBA from UCLA.

The investments of the funds managed by Mexico Infrastructure Partners have Citibanamex as trustee, a bank that is currently in the sale process.

Iberdrola's announcement

On Monday, April 4, 2023, Iberdrola entered into an agreement of intent with Mexico Infrastructure Partners FF, Sociedad Anónima Promotora de Inversión de Capital Variable or SAPI de CV (MIP) to purchase a private trust managed by MIP for the entire capital of “ certain owner companies” of 16 power generation plants of the Spanish giant for a total of 8,539 MegaWatts.

The sale is equivalent to 80% of Iberdrola's electricity generation capacity in Mexico.

Minutes after the written announcement by Iberdrola, the Secretary of the Treasury Rogelio Ramírez de la O, in the company of President López Obrador and the President of Iberdrola, Ignacio Sánchez Galán, detailed in a video the purchase of 13 power plants for him to take over. Fonadin, which will "certainly" have the majority of the capital of the transaction valued at US$6,000 million, in addition to being the special vehicle to refinance it.

The Treasury added later in a statement that the national investment vehicle with Fonadin's majority stake is managed by Mexico Infrastructure Partners, and will have bank financing.

Information from the National Infrastructure Fund (Fonadin) seen by Bloomberg Línea details that MIP manages Fomento a la Energía e Infraestructura de México and Fomento a la Energía e Infraestructura de México 2 (Fondo EXI and Fondo EXI 2), two venture capital funds specialized in energy, communications, transport and hydraulic infrastructure. Fonadin has an investment disbursed in both instruments for MXN$800 million.

The funds' investments include works such as the Mayakán gas pipeline, a solar park in Chihuahua, two solar parks in Zacatecas, among other projects.