ARGENTINA – Health authorities in Argentina say they will inspect and quarantine a cargo ship in its waters after a crew member showed symptoms of mpox. A spokesperson for the country’s health ministry told CNN the inspection would be carried out by the border health service, which has already contacted the crew. According to the ship tracking service MarineTraffic, the vessel was anchored on a river off its destination in San Lorenzo as of 6:10 p.m. ET. Its previous stop was in Santos, Brazil.

Medical personnel will board it and inspect whether the crew member’s symptoms are compatible with mpox. If they are, they will take samples for study. The ship will remain in the harbor and the entire crew will be quarantined until the results of the studies are available. So far, the ministry has not said how many people are on board the Liberia-flagged ship named Ina-Lotte.

On Friday, the ministry called for strengthening border health control measures in Argentina, two days after the World Health Organization declared a public health emergency of international concern due to an outbreak of mpox in parts of Africa. Other Latin American countries, such as Colombia, El Salvador, Venezuela and Mexico have announced similar surveillance measures. A deadlier strain of the virus, clade 1b, is spreading quickly in the Democratic Republic of Congo and has reached at least four previously unaffected countries in Africa. (CNN)…[+]

LONDON – The launch of Boeing’s long-delayed 777X aircraft has encountered another problem, forcing the company to pause testing and dealing yet another blow to Boeing’s reputation for quality. Boeing discovered problems in a structural component between the engine and the plane’s wings in a test flight. Boeing said in a statement that it “identified a component that did not perform as designed” and it’s replacing the part to record “any learnings from the component.” The Air Current was first to report on the problems.

The 777X, billed by Boeing as the “world’s largest and most efficient twin-engine jet,” was supposed to enter service in 2020. It had expected to have delivered several hundred of the planes by now. But it has been plagued by delays and cost overruns. Another stumbling block could further delay its revised 2025 launch date. Test flights of its four-aircraft fleet will resume “when ready,” Boeing added.

The 777 has been a big success for Boeing since it began service in 1995, and it remains the best selling wide-body aircraft. The 777X would provide airlines with another version of the plane, in addition to the popular but aging 777-300ER. It’s another setback for Boeing, which is already embroiled in safety crisis following the mid-air blowout of one of its door plugs on a 737 Max flight operated by Alaska Airlines earlier this year. Boeing said that a lack of paperwork resulted in the four bolts needed to hold the door plug in place never being installed before the plane left the factory last year. (CNN) …[+]

GUYANA – President Mohamed Irfaan Ali on Monday said the government will increase the amount of money paid to Guyana’s indigenous community from the sale of carbon credits despite the decline in revenue. “This year, the total revenue received from carbon credit sale is US$ 87.5 million, which is less than last year. So the 15 per cent to Amerindian communities should be less,’ Ali said while speaking at the opening of the National Toshaos Council (NTC) Conference at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC).

“Because we are a government that cares for and loves you and believes in giving more, we have taken a decision to allocate 26.5 per cent of the earnings this year to Amerindian communities,” Ali said, noting that this would mean an estimated GUY$ 4.84 billion directly transferred to Amerindian villages.

Guyana’s low carbon development strategy commits 15 percent of all revenues from carbon credit sales to Amerindian villages for investment in village development activities. In 2023, the country received US$ 150 million and 15 percent meant that US$ 22.5 million had been allocated to the 242 Indigenous villages.

In addition, a total of seven indigenous villages received absolute grants and Certificate of Title, with land titling and demarcation for their villages now complete. Additionally, the Karasaibai District in Region Nine had its demarcation survey completed last month and was promised certificates of title within a short period of time. (Loopnews.caribbean.com) …[+]

WISCONSIN – A Milwaukee woman who argued she was immune from prosecution, because the man she fatally shot was sexually trafficking her was sentenced Monday to 11 years in prison, according to Kenosha County Court documents. Chrystul Kizer – who earlier this year pleaded guilty to reckless homicide in the case – will also serve five years parole, Kenosha County District Attorney Michael Graveley told CNN in an email Monday. “The 11 years is minus … 570 days because she has served those awaiting trial,” said Graveley.

Kizer shot Randall Volar, 34, at his Kenosha, Wisconsin, home in 2018 when she was 17 years old, Kenosha County Court prosecutors said. Kizer shot Volar in the head, burned his house down and stole his BMW, The Associated Press reported. She initially was charged with multiple counts, including first-degree intentional homicide, arson, car theft and being a felon in possession of a firearm.

She was 16 years old when she met Randal P. Volar III, 33, at a bus stop. He offered to give her a ride home, then got her number. The next time they met, according to Chrystul, he took her to dinner and shopping  then made clear what he expected in return. For two years, Volar regularly engaged in sexual abuse of Chrystul, and without her knowing it, filmed their interactions. Little did she know, Volar was under investigation by local police for abusing and filming many more girls  but they had not yet arrested him.

One night, after resisting his advances, Chrystul shot Volar in the head. She lit his house on fire and fled in his car. After posting about the crime on Facebook Live, she was arrested and charged with his murder. Now, her case is at the center of a nationwide debate, taking place in the post Me Too era, about what it means to be a victim, which women are believed, and who should be held accountable

Wisconsin’s Supreme Court ruled in 2022 a state law absolving trafficking victims of criminal liability for offenses committed as a direct result of being trafficked extends to first-degree intentional homicide. The court ruled Kizer’s legal team should have the opportunity to present evidence at trial that the crimes she was charged with were “a direct result of the violence she experienced,” according to a statement from the Chicago Community Bond Fund. (CNN) …[+]