Latest news with #SebastianCastaneda
Straits Times
15-05-2025
- Straits Times
Peru says suspect in miner killings arrested in Colombia
FILE PHOTO: Family members of mine workers from a small mine linked to gold mining company Poderosa who were kidnapped and killed by illegal miners, wait outside the local morgue to receive the remains of their loved ones, in Trujillo, Peru May 5, 2025. REUTERS/Sebastian Castaneda/File Photo LIMA - Peru's interior ministry said on Thursday that a suspect in the killing of 13 miners in the northern district of Pataz has been arrested in Colombia. The ministry said in a post on X that the arrest of Miguel Rodriguez, alias "Cuchillo" or "Knife," followed extensive intelligence work and coordination between the Peruvian and Colombian National Police and Interpol. Earlier this month, workers at a gold mine in northern Peru were kidnapped and murdered by illegal miners that were allied with criminal groups, according to police and industry sources, among a wave of violence over control of the area, which has forced the government to establish a military facility there. A lawyer for the suspect, Kevin Diaz, told local radio station RPP that his client had been in Venezuela for "a few days" before returning to Colombia, where he was arrested. Rodriguez had previously denied involvement in the killings in an interview with a local television station. Illegal mining in Peru, mainly for gold, has begun moving more money than drug trafficking, between $3 billion and $4 billion, per year, according to the government. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
The Star
13-05-2025
- Sport
- The Star
Soccer-River Plate ease into Argentine quarters after 3-0 win over Barracas
FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Copa Libertadores - Group B - Universitario v River Plate - Estadio Monumental, Lima, Peru - April 2, 2025 River Plate's Paulo Diaz celebrates scoring their first goal REUTERS/Sebastian Castaneda/File Photo (Reuters) -River Plate secured their place in the quarter-finals of the Argentine Apertura tournament on Monday with a 3-0 home win over Barracas Central at the Mas Monumental stadium. Paulo Diaz gave River an early advantage when he fired home from close range in the 12th minute and they doubled their lead two minutes before the break when Franco Mastantuono set up Ignacio Fernandez to score. Fernandez said he was glad to be back in the side. "I was back as a starter, and I took it in stride, eager to keep improving," told TNT. "No one likes to be out, but when it's my turn, I try to do my part and make the most of the moment. "We know that sometimes it's your turn and sometimes it's not but you have to stick with it and support the team because, at the end of the day, if one person does well everyone does well," he added. Marcelo Gallardo's side continued to dominate after the break and thought they had scored the third when Mastantuono set up Fabricio Bustos following a swift counter-attack. However, the goal was disallowed following a VAR review due to a foul by Kevin Castano on Barracas midfielder Dardo Miloc. "I think Kevin got the ball back well and Miloc let himself fall, lost the ball and stayed there protesting," River midfielder Enzo Perez said. "The referee made the decision and I told him it was a clean challenge and that we got the ball back, but these are quick decisions and there's nothing you can do about it." Next it was Barracas' turn to have a goal ruled out when Facundo Bruera headed in Rodrigo Insua's free kick but it was called back for offside. Marcos Acuna finally added River's third with a superb long-range shot in the closing minutes to set up a meeting with Platense in the next round. (Reporting by Angelica Medina in Mexico City; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
Straits Times
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
In Peru's north, locals remember Pope Leo driving pick-up, playing tennis
A picture depicting late Pope Francis is placed on a chair, following the election of Pope Leo XIV, who is a dual U.S.-Peruvian citizen, in Chiclayo, Peru, May 9, 2025. REUTERS/Sebastian Castaneda People eat at \"Las Americas\", a restaurant that Pope Leo XIV has visited prior to his election, following the election of Pope Leo XIV, who is a dual U.S.-Peruvian citizen, in Chiclayo, Peru, May 9, 2025. REUTERS/Sebastian Castaneda A picture depicting late Pope Francis is placed on a chair under several pictures of members of the clergy including that of Pope Leo XIV prior to his election, in Chiclayo, Peru, May 9, 2025. REUTERS/Sebastian Castaneda A man holds a sign that reads: \"The Pope has eaten here. Blessed food, food with faith\", outside \"Las Americas\" restaurant, following the election of Pope Leo XIV, who is a dual U.S.-Peruvian citizen, in Chiclayo, Peru, May 9, 2025. REUTERS/Sebastian Castaneda A man holds a sign that reads: \"The Pope has eaten here. Blessed food, food with faith\", outside \"Las Americas\" restaurant, following the election of Pope Leo XIV, who is a dual U.S.-Peruvian citizen, in Chiclayo, Peru, May 9, 2025. REUTERS/Sebastian Castaneda CHICLAYO, Peru - The small city of Chiclayo in northern Peru was bustling with excitement on Friday, with businesses and locals sharing photos, memories and stories about its most famous former resident: Pope Leo XIV. The new head of the global Roman Catholic Church was born in Chicago, but spent decades in Peru. He first arrived in 1985 as a young missionary in the mostly impoverished north, spending many of his formative years in the area. He became a Peruvian citizen in 2015 when he was appointed Bishop of Chiclayo, where he served until 2023. In the city, people remember him driving a white pick-up truck to help those affected by floods and heavy rains. He played tennis in his free time at the local Santo Toribio de Mogrovejo monastery, always greeted people outside his official residence and celebrated local holidays. "Nothing could get in his way," Zury Castillo, secretary of the Chiclayo diocese, told Reuters, recalling then-Bishop Robert Prevost helping get oxygen to people during the COVID-19 pandemic and delivering supplies during the wet-season floods. "He didn't need a driver, he brought bags of food and supplies and handed them out to people crossing through waters," added Castillo, who worked closely with the bishop. "Later, when he became cardinal, we told him, 'the next step is pope'. He'd laugh and shake his head. But in our hearts something told us that after he left he'd become pope." Castillo recalled the pope enjoying local music and singing. He said Leo loved Peruvian Creole tunes and sang classic songs like "Mi Perú" and "Alma, corazón y vida." On Thursday, a newspaper-stand in front of Chiclayo's cathedral was filled with magazines and broadsheets leading with news of the election of the new pope. "The pope is Peruvian and misses ceviche," one headline read, a reference to a popular Peruvian dish. "The pope is Chiclayano," read another. 'THE POPE ATE HERE' One nearby restaurant advertised what it said was the pope's favorite breakfast, a fried pork dish with potatoes and an onion relish called Frito Chiclayano. Next door, the Las Americas restaurant claimed the pope's favorite dish was their fried chicken chicharrón with homemade sauce. "The pope ate here," read a blackboard outside. Rodrigo Cuoto, the restaurant's manager, said the then-Prevost would eat at the restaurant with other members of the clergy and was supportive of the city's youth, always offering guidance. "He gave me a lot of advice," Cuoto said. "Always do good, always be thankful, thank God and always be grateful." Cuoto said the pope was close to his grandmother, the founder of the restaurant, celebrating her birthday with her and her church friends. She even had his contact on WhatsApp, Cuoto said. "Her happiness on hearing the news, she was beaming," Cuoto said. Marisela Roalcaba, a 73-year-old retiree outside the cathedral, commented with approval on how the new pope had spoken some Spanish during his first speech and greeted "his beloved Chiclayo". "As a Chiclayo native, he has given me great joy," she said. Inside a mass at the cathedral, Cecilia Pataz was delighted at the choice of pontiff, who replaced Argentine Pope Francis who died last month at the age of 88. "(Prevost) was a very lovely father ever since he arrived in Chiclayo. We loved him a lot here and we still do," she said. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Yahoo
Grisly Peru mining murders spotlight 'gold curse' in the Andes
By Sebastian Castaneda and Marco Aquino TRUJILLO, Peru (Reuters) - Peruvian mining sector worker Frank Monzón was aware of the risks, but the lure of gold deep in the Andean rock of northern Pataz province outweighed the danger. Now he and 12 others are dead in one of the country's worst mining massacres. Authorities this week halted some mining activity in Peru's gold-rich north and sent in the military after police recovered the bodies of the 13 mine workers from inside the Lidmar mine after they were kidnapped by illegal miners last month and killed. Lidmar was working in agreement with major local gold producer Poderosa, Peru's second-largest producer. The killings, by suspected gangs involved in illegal mining, have shaken the mineral-rich country, the world's no. 3 copper producer and no. 8 for gold, where soaring global prices of the precious metal have led to a boom in illegal activity and sparked clashes between big mines and wildcat operators. Illegal mining, primarily of gold, has surpassed even drug trafficking in terms of value, hitting some $3-4 billion each year, according to Peru's government. "He used to tell me that there were many deaths and I always kept telling my son 'leave this job, son, come back, don't work there, work somewhere else'," said Abraham Dominguez, who identified himself as the father of one of the victims. "For us as parents, it is such a great pain that we feel. It's our children, our blood. I thought maybe one day he would bury me, but instead, I am going to bury my son." Into the night on Tuesday, relatives of the murdered mine workers, who had been security guards, said farewell to their loved ones, with burials in cities around the country. In Trujillo, capital of the region where Pataz is located, relatives were scared to speak to the media as funerals were held, saying they feared reprisals from criminal gangs who authorities have blamed for the murders. The white coffin of Monzón was carried by friends and family and paraded through the streets of Trujillo before his burial. In northern Piura, Darwin Cobeñas was laid to rest in his humble hometown, while his family sobbed and prayed that his death not go unpunished. "I'm only alive because my friend told me not to go," one local man in his 30s, who said he had worked before with some of the victims, told Reuters at Monzon's funeral. "He told me: 'A lot of things are happening, don't go'". 'GOLD IS A CURSE' Pataz has become Peru's largest gold-producing region, in no small part due to artisan or informal mines, which operate under temporary REINFO permits. However, with gold prices near record highs, illegal groups often muscle into the operations of small-scale miners or steal their production in collusion with criminal gangs, according to police and industry sources. "Gold is a curse for Pataz," the mayor of Pataz, Aldo Mariño, told Reuters. He had traveled to Lima to speak with President Dina Boluarte and demand greater investment in his remote region, an 18-hour drive even from Trujillo. He said that despite the area's great mineral wealth, his community lives in poverty, without basic services and on deteriorating or unpaved roads. "This has been going on for several years, with the difference that now everything has collapsed. It's due to the absence of the State," he said. "People continue to die." Trujillo prosecutors investigating the deaths said on Tuesday that the workers had been dead for seven to eight days, citing forensic studies. Lidmar said in a statement its workers "were ambushed, cruelly tortured, and murdered by hitmen." Poderosa has reported the deaths of 39 workers in recent years in attacks on its facilities or small mines that supply it with gold. And in the last four years, 15 of the company's high-voltage towers have been destroyed with explosives. Peru exported $15.5 billion in gold in 2024, a sharp increase from $11 billion the previous year. It is estimated that around 40% of this likely came from illegal sources. (Reporting by Sebastian Castaneda and Marco Aquino; Additional reporting by Anthony Marina; Editing by Adam Jourdan and Sharon Singleton)
Hindustan Times
07-05-2025
- Hindustan Times
Grisly Peru mining murders spotlight 'gold curse' in the Andes
By Sebastian Castaneda, Marco Aquino Grisly Peru mining murders spotlight 'gold curse' in the Andes TRUJILLO, Peru, - Peruvian mining sector worker Frank Monzón was aware of the risks, but the lure of gold deep in the Andean rock of northern Pataz province outweighed the danger. Now he and 12 others are dead in one of the country's worst mining massacres. Authorities this week halted some mining activity in Peru's gold-rich north and sent in the military after police recovered the bodies of the 13 mine workers from inside the Lidmar mine after they were kidnapped by illegal miners last month and killed. Lidmar was working in agreement with major local gold producer Poderosa, Peru's second-largest producer. The killings, by suspected gangs involved in illegal mining, have shaken the mineral-rich country, the world's no. 3 copper producer and no. 8 for gold, where soaring global prices of the precious metal have led to a boom in illegal activity and sparked clashes between big mines and wildcat operators. Illegal mining, primarily of gold, has surpassed even drug trafficking in terms of value, hitting some $3-4 billion each year, according to Peru's government. "He used to tell me that there were many deaths and I always kept telling my son 'leave this job, son, come back, don't work there, work somewhere else'," said Abraham Dominguez, who identified himself as the father of one of the victims. "For us as parents, it is such a great pain that we feel. It's our children, our blood. I thought maybe one day he would bury me, but instead, I am going to bury my son." Into the night on Tuesday, relatives of the murdered mine workers, who had been security guards, said farewell to their loved ones, with burials in cities around the country. In Trujillo, capital of the region where Pataz is located, relatives were scared to speak to the media as funerals were held, saying they feared reprisals from criminal gangs who authorities have blamed for the murders. The white coffin of Monzón was carried by friends and family and paraded through the streets of Trujillo before his burial. In northern Piura, Darwin Cobeñas was laid to rest in his humble hometown, while his family sobbed and prayed that his death not go unpunished. "I'm only alive because my friend told me not to go," one local man in his 30s, who said he had worked before with some of the victims, told Reuters at Monzon's funeral. "He told me: 'A lot of things are happening, don't go'". 'GOLD IS A CURSE' Pataz has become Peru's largest gold-producing region, in no small part due to artisan or informal mines, which operate under temporary REINFO permits. However, with gold prices near record highs, illegal groups often muscle into the operations of small-scale miners or steal their production in collusion with criminal gangs, according to police and industry sources. "Gold is a curse for Pataz," the mayor of Pataz, Aldo Mariño, told Reuters. He had traveled to Lima to speak with President Dina Boluarte and demand greater investment in his remote region, an 18-hour drive even from Trujillo. He said that despite the area's great mineral wealth, his community lives in poverty, without basic services and on deteriorating or unpaved roads. "This has been going on for several years, with the difference that now everything has collapsed. It's due to the absence of the State," he said. "People continue to die." Trujillo prosecutors investigating the deaths said on Tuesday that the workers had been dead for seven to eight days, citing forensic studies. Lidmar said in a statement its workers "were ambushed, cruelly tortured, and murdered by hitmen." Poderosa has reported the deaths of 39 workers in recent years in attacks on its facilities or small mines that supply it with gold. And in the last four years, 15 of the company's high-voltage towers have been destroyed with explosives. Peru exported $15.5 billion in gold in 2024, a sharp increase from $11 billion the previous year. It is estimated that around 40% of this likely came from illegal sources. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
