International
María Hinojosa to Latinos: “We have to eat that fear”
Emmy-winning journalist and author Maria Hinojosa, of Mexican descent, talks about being the first Latina to work in all the newsrooms she’s ever worked, in her new book “Once I Was You: A Memoir of Love and Hate in a Torn America.”
The long-time host of the National Public Radio Latinos in the US, tells the story of her life, as an immigrant, storyteller, advocate for Latinos, as well as the challenges she had to overcome to succeed as a journalist.
Hinojosa details her struggle with anxiety, being a mother, her career and becoming a media entrepreneur. She also opens up about the historical events that shaped her life and the stories she has covered as a reporter. Such as the Salvadoran refugees who became her friends at school, who were exiled from their country because of the U.S. intervention in Central America. For decades, she covered news about immigration and the U.S. policies behind the way they treat its most vulnerable residents.
There are few people who can afford to be “first”, the ones who break down barriers that will indirectly help more people. Journalist Maria Hinojosa is one of those people. But she would not have made it without putting aside her fear of “eating it”, as she puts it.
“I talk about it a lot, because I was the first Latina to work in all my newsrooms. The first on NPR, on CNN, on CBS. The first to create my own nonprofit journalistic company,” she says. “When you’re the first one, when you’re a Latina, you’re obviously scared… but one of the most beautiful things I’ve been able to understand is why I was able to eat that fear.
Hinojosa refers to the company The Futuro Media Group, which she launched in 2010. A positive consequence of having lost her fear, thanks in large part to her life partner, her husband Germán Pérez, a Dominican painter.
Once I Was You, tells the author’s stark truth, from being raped in her youth in Mexico, to her struggle as a woman in a career exclusively for men, to the love-hate relationship that many have with the country that has welcomed them as migrants: The United States.
International
Gustavo Petro increases Colombia’s minimum wage by 9.54%
Colombian President Gustavo Petro signed a decree on Tuesday to increase the minimum wage in the country by 9.54% (following a lack of consensus with business sectors and labor unions), meaning that starting January 1, it will be 1,423,500 Colombian pesos (about US$322).
“This is an improvement in the standard of living for all people who tie their income to the minimum wage,” Petro celebrated as he signed the decree in Zipaquirá, during an event where he participated in the last Novena de Aguinaldo and reconnected with several friends and colleagues in the Bolívar 83 neighborhood, which holds personal significance for the president.
Currently, the minimum wage in Colombia is 1,300,000 pesos (about US$294).
Petro also responded to criticisms from the business sector regarding the minimum wage increase, after the president of the National Association of Entrepreneurs of Colombia (Andi), Bruce Mac Master, warned that it would lead to “a great number of consequences.”
International
Silent Christmas in Bethlehem as Gaza conflict overshadows celebrations
Hundreds of faithful gathered on Tuesday around the Church of the Nativity in the Palestinian town of Bethlehem, which is preparing for another quiet Christmas, with no major celebrations due to the ongoing war in Gaza.
Local authorities decided to suspend large public celebrations for the second consecutive year, and in Manger Square, there are neither decorations nor the traditional giant Christmas tree, reflecting the somber mood of its residents since the war between Israel and Hamas broke out in Gaza. At the Vatican, Pope Francis will inaugurate the Holy Year 2025 on Tuesday, a major international pilgrimage expected to draw over 30 million faithful from around the world to Rome.
On this Christmas Eve, at 7:00 PM (6:00 PM GMT), in the presence of around 30,000 people and with worldwide broadcast, the Argentine Jesuit will open the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, symbolizing the start of this “ordinary” Jubilee.
Afterwards, he will preside over the Christmas Eve Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica, an occasion in which the pontiff often highlights global conflicts.
Over the weekend, Francis’ remarks calling Israeli airstrikes in Gaza “cruel” sparked criticism from the Israeli government.
International
Pope Francis to open jubilee year in Vatican, calls for global peace amid conflict
Pope Francis will open the Catholic Church’s “Holy Year” 2025 on Tuesday, a major international pilgrimage expected to bring over 30 million faithful from around the world to Rome, under the sign of the Jubilee.
On this Christmas Eve, at 7:00 PM (6:00 PM GMT), in the presence of around 30,000 people and with worldwide broadcast, the Argentine Jesuit will open the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, symbolizing the start of this “ordinary” Jubilee. Throughout the year, pilgrims will be able to pass through this heavy and imposing bronze door, closed during ordinary times, to receive the “plenary indulgence,” the forgiveness of sins according to tradition.
The 88-year-old pope, who faces frequent health issues, will preside over the Christmas Eve Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica, before delivering his traditional “Urbi et Orbi” blessing (to the city and the world) on Wednesday at noon. It is expected that he will address global conflicts and renew his calls for a ceasefire in the Middle East, three days after condemning the “cruelty” of the attacks in Gaza, comments which provoked protests from Israeli diplomats.
Security around the Vatican has been reinforced following the deadly attack on a Christmas market in Germany. About 700 additional officers have been deployed to Rome, as announced by the Ministry of the Interior.
One dead in explosive attack on new prison site in Santa Elena, Ecuador
Gustavo Petro increases Colombia’s minimum wage by 9.54%
Sheinbaum and Petro reaffirm solidarity with Panama after Trump’s remarks on Canal
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
Defense Minister commends salvadoran soldier for Central American Cross Country victory
Ecuador prison riot leaves at least 43 dead
-
International4 days agoAt least ten dead in Iran in a bus accident in the west of the country
-
International3 days agoTrump criticizes Panama Canal fees and demands U.S. control over strategic waterway
-
Internacionales3 days agoSinaloa security secretary resigns amid wave of violence and cartel infighting
-
International4 days agoAt least 21 dead and 61 injured after Israel’s last attacks in Gaza
-
International4 days agoHelene, the violent hurricane that destroyed the southeastern United States
-
International3 days agoPutin vows retaliation following drone attack on luxury building in Kazan
-
International4 days agoMilei closed about 200 areas of the Public Administration in its first year of Government
-
International3 days agoSmall plane crashes in Gramado, Brazil, killing nine people
-
International2 days agoLula calls for reconciliation and dialogue in his Christmas message
-
International2 days agoThe driver involved in the accident with 41 dead is handed over to the Brazilian police
-
International4 days agoNew Syrian leader addresses with the United States the lifting of sanctions for reconstruction
-
International2 days agoA federal committee leaves the decision on the purchase of US Steel in the hands of Joe Biden
-
International4 days agoThe piangua, the mangrove mollusk that empowers women in the Colombian Pacific
-
International2 days agoThe former president of the United States Bill Clinton was hospitalized in Washington after “develoting a fever”
-
International2 days agoPope Francis to open jubilee year in Vatican, calls for global peace amid conflict
-
International2 days agoSilent Christmas in Bethlehem as Gaza conflict overshadows celebrations
-
Central America2 days ago
Sheinbaum and Petro reaffirm solidarity with Panama after Trump’s remarks on Canal
-
International8 hours agoGustavo Petro increases Colombia’s minimum wage by 9.54%
-
Internacionales8 hours agoOne dead in explosive attack on new prison site in Santa Elena, Ecuador