International
Dinosaur tail found in Chile stuns scientists

AFP
Chilean paleontologists on Wednesday presented their findings on a dinosaur discovered three years ago in Patagonia which they said had a highly unusual tail that has stumped researchers
The remains of the Stegouros elengassen were discovered during excavations in 2018 at Cerro Guido, a site known to harbor numerous fossils, by a team who believed they were dealing with an already known species of dinosaur until they examined its tail.
“That was the main surprise,” said Alexander Vargas, one of the paleontologists. “This structure is absolutely amazing.”
“The tail was covered with seven pairs of osteoderms … producing a weapon absolutely different from anything we know in any dinosaur,” added the researcher during a presentation of the discovery at the University of Chile.
The osteoderms — structures of bony plaques located in the dermal layers of the skin – were aligned on either side of the tail, making it resemble a large fern.
Paleontologists have discovered 80 percent of the dinosaur’s skeleton and estimate that the animal lived in the area 71 to 74.9 million years ago. It was about two meters (almost seven feet) long, weighed 150 kilograms (330 pounds) and was a herbivore.
According to the scientists, who published their research in the journal Nature, the animal could represent a hitherto unknown lineage of armored dinosaur never seen in the southern hemisphere but already identified in the northern part of the continent.
“We don’t know why (the tail) evolved. We do know that within armored dinosaur groups there seems to be a tendency to independently develop different osteoderm-based defense mechanisms,” said Sergio Soto, another member of the team.
The Cerro Guido area, in the Las Chinas valley 3,000 km (1,800 miles) south of Santiago, stretches for 15 kilometers. Various rock outcrops contain numerous fossils.
The finds there allowed the scientists to surmise that present-day America and Antarctica were close to each other millions of years ago.
“There is strong evidence that there is a biogeographic link with other parts of the planet, in this case Antarctica and Australia, because we have two armored dinosaurs there closely related” to the Stegouros, said Soto.
International
Trump to decide soon on deportation exemptions for construction and farm workers

U.S. President Donald Trump stated on Tuesday in Florida that he will make a decision in the coming weeks regarding exemptions from deportations for workers in the construction and agriculture sectors.
Trump made these remarks to the media during a visit to the new migrant detention center, ‘Alligator Alcatraz,’ located in the middle of a wetland in Florida, the White House reported.
ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) raids have targeted many of these workers, sparking fear among them and threatening to slow down two sectors that are vital to the U.S. economy.
In construction, 25.7% of workers are immigrants, and 14.1% of the total workforce nationwide is undocumented, according to the American Immigration Council.
In agriculture, the percentage of undocumented employees rises to 42%, according to data from the Department of Agriculture cited by the New York Times.
International
IDB plans $11 billion in sustainable financing to support countries facing currency risks

The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) aims to unlock at least $11 billion in sustainable financing to help countries address challenges including natural disasters that strain their currencies and hinder private sector investment.
As the United States and other wealthier countries reduce official development assistance, multilateral lenders face pressure to find new ways to tackle issues such as climate change and biodiversity loss. During the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development, IDB President Ilan Goldfajn stated that the measures adopted by the IDB are expected to inspire more private sector contributions, which is a key priority of the conference.
“We are not just announcing ideas; we are launching what the private sector is asking for: credible tools, scalable platforms, and real opportunities to invest with impact and confidence,” he added.
Support will include a new platform designed to help countries manage the risk of large swings in their national currencies that can deter international investors by making returns harder to predict. Based on a program in Brazil that has already attracted $8 billion from the private sector since its launch last year, the plan is to expand the concept to other regional economies over the next three years and at least double the amount mobilized.
Called FX EDGE, the platform will offer a credit line that activates if a currency drops sharply—a common problem during political or debt crises or after natural disasters—ensuring debtors can continue to service their loans in dollars or other foreign currencies.
The platform also aims to enable greater use of long-term currency hedging instruments, such as derivatives, through local banks and financial institutions, backed by the IDB’s credit rating.
International
Maduro’s government appeals to Vatican for help rescuing migrant children

Este lunes, durante su programa semanal ‘Con Maduro +’, el mandatario venezolano anunció que pediría al sumo pontífice su ayuda para rescatar a 18 niños migrantes.
“Yo sé que el papa es un hombre que comprende estos temas. Le pido ayuda a la Iglesia católica, apostólica y romana, al papa León, para que la Iglesia católica de Estados Unidos y la Iglesia católica de El Salvador proteja a los migrantes y nos ayude con sus gestiones para rescatar a estos niños y a estas niñas”, indicó Maduro en el espacio transmitido por VTV.
Más temprano, Rodríguez había pedido al alto comisionado de la ONU para los Derechos Humanos, Volker Türk, y al coordinador residente de la ONU en Venezuela, Gianluca Rampolla, pronunciarse sobre este hecho y exigió a Washington devolver a los pequeños.
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