Jessica Harvey used to worship in a church with stained glass and a soaring ceiling. The Catholic parish gave Harvey and her family a sense of community as they settled into their new hometown in Virginia. But a year later, they started worshipping at a Catholic school four miles away, in a cramped space that used to double as a ballet studio and storage room. Instead of stained glass, colored images cover the windows. Exposed ductwork hangs overhead. Why the downgrade' Harvey's parish was forced to relocate its traditional Latin Mass, an ancient version of the Catholic liturgy that has set off one of the fiercest controversies in modern Catholicism. In 2021, Pope Francis restricted access to the old rite and required that priests get special permission to celebrate it. The parishes that are still allowed to offer the traditional Mass can't advertise it in their bulletin. And many Latin Mass devotees, like Harvey, no longer worship in their churches, which are largely reserved for the newer, now-standard rite. Traditionalists have been relegated in some cases to auditoriums and school gyms....

Latin America startup investment declined sequentially in the first quarter of this year, driven by a drop in later-stage dealmaking. Even so, funding was above the depressed levels seen a year ago, and early-stage dealmaking showed signs of strength. Altogether, investors put just over $800 million into seed through growth-stage deals across Central America and South America in Q1, per Crunchbase data. That's about 17% higher than year-ago levels, but down about 35% from the prior quarter, a robust period for late-stage dealmaking. !function(e,n,i,s){var d="InfogramEmbeds";var o=e.getElementsByTagName(n)[0];if(window[d]&&window[d].initialized)window[d].process&&window[d].process();else if(!e.getElementById(i)){var r=e.createElement(n);r.async=1,r.id=i,r.src=s,o.parentNode.insertBefore(r,o)}}(document,"script","infogram-async","https://e.infogram.com/js/dist/embed-loader-min.js"); Round counts declined sequentially and year over year across stages. We expect the Q1 deal counts to rise somewhat over time, however, as seed rounds in particular are commonly reported weeks or months after they close....

Latin America's venture capital scene has evolved fast. While funding has come down from the record highs of 2021, investment remains strong, hitting $4.2 billion in 2024 ' up 27% from the previous year. The region's large unbanked population and cash-dependent economies allowed for massive opportunities for fintech solutions when physical banking became difficult. The number of fintech startups doubled between 2018 and 2021 and attracted a record VC investment of over $6 billion in 2021. Other factors have also progressed Latin America's VC market, including the gradual decoupling between the U.S. and China. With similar time zones, shorter supply chains and reduced logistical complexity, Latin America offers the 'nearshoring' advantage U.S. investors are looking for. This supports why the U.S. has remained the region's largest investor, contributing 33% of LatAm's total investment in 2023. Spain also shows a dedicated interest, funding 11% of the total investment and promoting initiatives like ICEX-Invest in Spain and IDB Lab. The objective is to strengthen the connection between entrepreneurial ecosystems in Latin America and the Caribbean with Spain as a gateway....

Shareholders of the FTSE-listed investment platform are set to receive 1,110 pence per share, unless they opted into the Alternative Offer, which grants one Rollover Security per HL share held. Final settlement is expected by 7 April 2025. The acquisition triggers the end of HL's trading on the public markets. Shares were suspended on 24 March 2025, with delisting from the Official List and the London Stock Exchange scheduled for 25 March 2025. Significant board restructuring accompanied the deal. Departing directors include Alison Platt, Penny James, Andrea Blance, and others. New appointments to the Bidco Board include Bruce Hemphill as Chair, Amy Stirling as CFO, and Dan Olley as CEO. Peter Hargreaves, who opted for the Alternative Offer, is expected to become a Substantial B Shareholder with board nomination rights. Subscribe to our Newsletter to increase your edge. Don't worry about the news anymore, through our newsletter you'll receive weekly access to what is happening. Join 120,000 other PE professionals today....