Laura Fernández of the governing conservative Sovereign People's Party won the presidential election in Costa Rica, according to BBC World. With over 88% of the votes counted, Fernández secured over 48% of the votes, surpassing centrist candidate Álvaro Ramos, who conceded defeat.
Fernández campaigned on a platform of intensifying the tough-on-crime policies initiated by outgoing President Rodrigo Chaves, who endorsed her as his successor, according to BBC World. Voters had expressed concerns regarding a rise in drug-related violence within the Central American nation.
In other news, Mexico is taking action to address industrial pollution following investigations by The Guardian that revealed high levels of contamination near a factory processing U.S. toxic waste. The Mexican government announced a sweeping array of tactics to combat pollution, including fines of 4.8 million against a plant.
Starbucks is implementing new technology, including AI robots, to improve efficiency and customer service, according to BBC Business. CEO Brian Niccol is exploring various strategies, including potential price increases, to boost the coffee chain's profits. Some Starbucks locations are using AI robots to take orders at drive-thrus, while baristas are utilizing virtual personal assistants to access recipes and manage schedules. Additionally, scanning tools are being used to automate inventory management, addressing stock issues that have previously frustrated the company.
Meanwhile, Cuba faces increasing pressure as the country suffers an acute fuel shortage, according to The Guardian. Experts warn that a complete cutoff would be catastrophic to its infrastructure. As reported by The Guardian, Javier Peña and Ysil Ribas waited since 6 a.m. outside a petrol station on Linea, a main road in Havana's Vedado neighborhood.
Lalo de Almeida, a documentary photographer based in São Paulo, Brazil, captured the devastation of the Pantanal wildfires in a photo essay, according to The Guardian. His work, "Pantanal Ablaze," received first place in the environment stories category at the World Press Photo contest in 2021. In 2022, he won the Eugene Smith grant in humanistic photography and World Press Photos long-term project award for his work Amazonian Dystopia, which documents the exploitation of the world's largest tropical forest.
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