Homophobic chants force US-Mexico soccer match to end early in Las Vegas

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Written by northsouth

Category: Americas

Published: 17 June 2023

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LAS VEGAS — The United States men's match against Mexico was cut short Thursday night by the referee after the stadium devolved into echoes of homophobic chants from Mexican soccer fans, who for years have directed a slur at opposing teams' goalkeepers.

Officials have been trying to stamp out the troubling tradition for just as long, with fines, banishment from stadiums, and now early finishes.

Play was halted because of the deafening noise in the 90th minute at Allegiant Stadium with the U.S. up three goals. When action resumed, 12 minutes of stoppage time were signaled but the persistent chanting caused Salvadoran referee Iván Barton to end the match in the eighth added minute.

Four players were ejected in a testy second half of the game, which the U.S. won 3-0 for a spot Sunday in the CONCACAF Nations League final against Canada.

Christian Pulisic scored two goals and Ricardo Pepi scored one in a strong showing, but this game will be remembered much more for the ugliness.

“In terms of the chant, I want to make it very clear first and foremost, for our beliefs and our culture, it has no place in the game," B.J. Callaghan said after his first game as U.S. interim coach. "It has no place in our value system.”

FIFA fined Mexico 100,000 Swiss francs ($108,000) in January for anti-gay chants by fans at two games. That came after the sport's governing body banned fans from two of Mexico's games in 2021 after the chants broke out at an Olympic qualifying tournament.

FIFA also fined Mexico 60,000 Swiss francs ($65,000) in 2021 for the chants.

Before the stoppage of play, Americans Weston McKennie and Sergiño Dest were ejected by Barton along with Mexicans César Montes and Gerardo Arteaga.

That means McKennie and Dest are suspended for the final against Canada.

“These are rivalry games. These are derby games. Things like this happen across the world and in no way am I embarrassed,” Callaghan said about the ejections. “It comes from a good place. They care about each other so much in that locker room that they're standing up for each other. Sometimes does it have an issue where we take a red card? Yeah, but when you know where it comes from, you can accept it and it's a learning lesson for us.

As Callaghan coached the game on an interim basis, news broke that Gregg Berhalter had agreed to return as U.S. national team coach after being cleared in a domestic violence investigation. The U.S. Soccer Federation announced Friday that Berhalter will coach the team through the 2026 World Cup. He won’t take over until after CONCACAF Gold Cup.

Pulisic, the top American player, said last week the USSF should consider bringing Berhalter back.

Luca de la Torre and Joe Scally are possible replacements for McKennie and Dest in the final.

“It's definitely a blow,” Tim Weah said. “It comes with the game. I know the red cards are definitely a bummer, but it happens. Aggressive match tonight.”

Striker Folarin Balogun made his debut after the 21-year-old decided to play for the U.S. over England and Nigeria.

“The boys told me it was going to be intense, but I’m definitely still shocked by the events,” said Balogun, who at one point was shoved to the field. “I was just on the floor because I was in pain, but when I looked up I just saw so many people around and I knew my teammates were just trying to defend me.”

Making his first start for club or country since April 15, Pulisic put the U.S. ahead in the 37th minute and doubled the lead in the 46th. He has 25 goals in 59 international appearances, including four goals against Mexico. Pepi scored in the 79th, five minutes after replacing Bologun.

With its first three-goal victory over Mexico in 23 years, the U.S. stretched its unbeaten streak against El Tri to six (four wins, two draws), matching the Americans' longest, from 2011-15.

The U.S. went ahead when Gio Reyna poked the ball off Montes and then while prone, poked it forward off Jorge Sánchez. Pulisic burst behind the defenders, took a pair of touches and from the edge of the 6-yard box slotted the ball past goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa.

McKennie started the move toward the second goal with a long pass down a flank to Weah, who crossed. A sprinting Pulisic got behind Israel Reyes and Sánchez, stabbing the ball in with his left foot from 6 yards.

Montes was given a straight red card in the 69th for kicking Balogun while the two were challenging. McKennie was given a red card two minutes later for placing a hand on Sánchez's neck during the ensuing arguing and shoving.

Pepi scored his seventh international goal, receiving a pass from Dest, taking a touch and rounding Ochoa. Dest and Arteaga were sent off in the 86th for shoving each other.

“There was moments on both teams that we could have handled better," Callaghan said.

Notes: Reyna, his hair dyed blonde, made his first start for club or country since March 27, also the last time Dest and goalkeeper Matt Turner had appeared in any match. ... Canada beat Panama 2-0 in the opener on goals by Jonathan David in the 25th and Alphonso Davies in the 69th. Mexico and Panama meet in the third-place match.

Four children found alive in jungle weeks after plane crash

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Written by northsouth

Category: Americas

Published: 10 June 2023

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BOGOTA, COLOMBIA - Four children from an Indigenous community in Colombia were found alive in the country's south on Friday more than five weeks after the plane they were traveling in crashed in thick jungle, Colombia's President Gustavo Petro said.

The siblings were rescued by the military near the border between Colombia's Caqueta and Guaviare provinces, close to where the small plane had crashed.

The plane - a Cessna 206 - was carrying seven people on a route between Araracuara, in Amazonas province, and San Jose del Guaviare, a city in Guaviare province, when it issued a mayday alert due to engine failure in the early hours of May 1.

Three adults, including the pilot and the children's mother Magdalena Mucutuy, died as a result of the crash and their bodies were found inside the plane. The four siblings, aged 13, 9, 4, as well as a now 12-month-old baby, survived the impact.

Narcizo Mucutuy, the grandfather of the three girls and one boy, told reporters he was delighted at the news of their rescue.

"As the grandfather to my grandchildren who disappeared in the jungles of the Yari, at this moment I am very happy," he said.

Photos shared by Colombia's military showed a group of soldiers with the four children in the middle of the jungle.

"A joy for the whole country! The four children who were lost ... in the Colombian jungle appeared alive," Petro said in a message via Twitter.

Petro initially reported that children had been found on May 17 in a message on Twitter but later deleted the post, saying the information was unconfirmed.

"They were together, they are weak, let's let the doctors assess them. They found them, it makes me very happy," Petro told journalists on Friday, adding the children had defended themselves alone in the middle of the jungle.

Rescuers, supported by search dogs, had previously found discarded fruit the children ate to survive, as well as improvised shelters made with jungle vegetation.

Airplanes and helicopters from Colombia's army and air force participated in the rescue operations.

Sunak announces ‘Atlantic Declaration’ to boost UK-US ties after Biden talks

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Written by northsouth

Category: Americas

Published: 09 June 2023

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WASHINGTON - Rishi Sunak and Joe Biden have agreed a new partnership to bolster economic security in response to China’s growing influence, with the Prime Minister calling the UK-US relationship the “indispensable alliance”.

The Atlantic Declaration, announced as the Prime Minister and US president met in the White House, includes commitments on easing trade barriers, closer defence industry ties and a data protection deal.

The agreement comes after hopes of a full-blown free trade deal were abandoned, with UK officials insisting the new, targeted approach was a better response to the economic challenges posed by Beijing and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The Prime Minister said: “The UK and US have always pushed the boundaries of what two countries can achieve together.

“Over generations we have fought alongside one another, shared intelligence we don’t share with anyone else, and built the strongest investment relationship in world history.

“So it’s natural that, when faced with the greatest transformation in our economies since the industrial revolution, we would look to each other to build a stronger economic future together.

“The Atlantic Declaration sets a new standard for economic co-operation, propelling our economies into the future so we can protect our people, create jobs and grow our economies together.”

At a joint press conference with Mr Sunak, the president said: “It’s a testament to the depth, breadth and I would argue the intensity of our co-operation and coordination which continues to exist between the United Kingdom and the United States.

“There’s no issue of global importance – none – that our nations are not leading together.”

The deal mitigates some of the issues cause by Mr Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), with proposals for a critical minerals agreement to remove barriers which affected trade in electric vehicle batteries.

An agreement would give buyers of vehicles made using critical minerals processed, recycled or mined by UK companies access to tax credits in line with the IRA.

The Inflation Reduction Act provides a 3,750 dollars incentive for each vehicle, on conditions including that the critical minerals used in its production – principally used in the battery – are sourced from the US or a country with whom the US has a critical minerals agreement.

An agreement could help companies all over the UK, including firms carrying out nickel production in Wales and lithium processing in Teesside.

Mr Biden has committed to ask Congress to approve the UK as a “domestic source” under US defence procurement laws, allowing for greater American investment in British firms.

Work will be carried out to improve the resilience of supply chains and efforts will be stepped up to shut Vladimir Putin’s Russia out of the global civil nuclear market.

The agreement will also include a push for mutual recognition of qualifications for engineers, although this could require state-by-state approval in the US.

A deal on data protection will ease burdens for small firms doing transatlantic trade, potentially saving £92 million.

The two nations will also collaborate on key industries – artificial intelligence, 5G and 6G telecoms, quantum computing, semiconductors and engineering biology.

It also commits the UK and US to partnership across all forms of space activity, including on communications and space nuclear power and propulsion.

The declaration states that: “Technology, economics, and national security are more deeply intertwined than ever before.

“We face new challenges to international stability – from authoritarian states such as Russia and the People’s Republic of China; disruptive technologies; non-state actors; and transnational challenges like climate change.”

Officials believe the deal is a less sentimental and more pragmatic approach to the UK-US “special relationship”, based on the need to ensure the allies can maintain their economic power and security.

The global energy shock caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine illustrated the vulnerability of major economies reliant on supply chains beyond their political allies.

There are fears that a Chinese invasion of Taiwan could cause a similar economic meltdown due to the disputed territory’s significance in global semiconductor supplies.

The new UK-US declaration is the latest sign that the globalisation of recent decades is being replaced by an era of trading alliances of like-minded nations.

Meeting Mr Sunak in the Oval Office, Mr Biden – who inadvertently referred to the Prime Minister as “Mr President” said the special relationship was in “real good shape”.

“Together we are providing economic and humanitarian aid and security systems to Ukraine in their fight against a brutal invasion from Russia,” Mr Biden said.

“The global economy is undergoing the greatest transformation that has occurred since the industrial revolution,” he added.

The president told Mr Sunak: “We’re going solve all the problems of the world in the next 20 minutes.”

In reference to Winston Churchill’s wartime visit to the White House, Mr Sunak said: “It’s daunting to think of the conversations that our predecessors had in this room when they had to speak of wars that they fought together, peace won together, incredible change in the lives of our citizens.

“And again, for the first time in over half a century, we face a war on the European continent.

“And as we’ve done before, the US and the UK, have stood together to support Ukraine and stand up for the values of democracy and freedom and make sure that they prevail, as I know we will.

“But also I completely agree with what you said, our economies are seeing, perhaps the biggest transformation since the Industrial Revolution, as new technologies provide incredible opportunities, but also give our adversaries more tools for harm.”

Before their meeting, Mr Sunak announced the UK will host the first global summit on AI safety.

The summit, which will be held in the autumn, will consider the need for international co-ordinated action to mitigate the risks of the emerging technology.