International
Putin’s top candidates won’t take parliament seats
AFP
Candidates who topped the electoral lists of Russia’s ruling party in this month’s legislative elections will not take their seats in parliament, officials said on Wednesday.
The announcement prompted opposition figures to accuse the Kremlin of duping voters, on top of allegations of widespread electoral fraud.
On Wednesday, the Central Election Commission said four of the five candidates who headed the list of President Vladimir Putin’s United Russia party would not be serving as deputies.
“They are not on a list of lawmakers,” a commission spokeswoman told AFP.
The ruling party turned to popular figures including Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, 71, and Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, 66, to head its list, as pre-election polls saw its support as low as 30 percent.
The figures asked to take part in the campaign also included a popular doctor in charge of Moscow’s main Covid-19 hospital, who has become a symbol of Russia’s fight against the coronavirus.
The doctor, Denis Protsenko, initially refused the nomination, but after a call from President Vladimir Putin, the 45-year-old took part in the campaign.
Of the five, only the children’s rights ombudsman Anna Kuznetsova will take up a seat in parliament’s lower house, the State Duma.
Activist Elena Shmelyova, who heads a popular children’s centre, will also give up her mandate.
The team of jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny said it was “clear from the very beginning” that prominent figures were on the unpopular United Russia election list only to boost support and “cheat voters.”
“United Russia is spinning voters a line to remain in power,” Navalny’s team said on Telegram.
United Russia claimed a two-thirds majority in the lower house after a massive crackdown on the opposition. Kremlin critics have accused the authorities of mass voter fraud.
Official results gave United Russia 49.8 percent of the vote, down from 54.2 percent in the last parliamentary election in 2016.
Critics say online voting, new limits on election observers and the polls being spread over three days — a move officials said was to reduce coronavirus risks — all presented opportunities for fraud.
International
El Chapo’s son Joaquín Guzmán López pleads guilty to U.S. drug trafficking charges
Joaquín Guzmán López, one of the sons of notorious Mexican drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, pleaded guilty on Monday to drug trafficking charges in a U.S. court, months after his brother Ovidio reached a similar plea agreement, according to local media reports.
The defendant appeared before a federal court in Chicago early Monday afternoon and changed his previous plea in the case, the Chicago Tribune reported. U.S. authorities accuse him of forming, together with his three brothers, the cartel faction known as “Los Chapitos.”
The group is believed to have continued the operations of El Chapo, who has been serving a life sentence in the United States since 2019.
Guzmán López, 39, was arrested after landing in Texas in a small aircraft alongside cartel co-founder Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada.
International
Venezuela authorizes return flights as U.S. continues deportations amid rising tensions
The arrival of U.S. aircraft carrying undocumented Venezuelan migrants continued regularly despite rising tensions between Washington and Caracas over President Donald Trump’s military deployment in the Caribbean.
Trump maintains that the deployment is part of an anti-narcotics operation, while Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro insists the true objective is to remove him from power and seize the nation’s oil resources.
Venezuela’s aviation authority has “received a request from the United States government to resume repatriation flights for Venezuelan migrants from that country to Venezuela,” the Ministry of Transportation said in a statement .
“Under the instructions of President Nicolás Maduro, authorization has been granted for these aircraft to enter our airspace,” it added.
Caracas will permit two Eastern Airlines flights to land on Wednesday and Friday.
Migration remains one of the Trump administration’s flagship issues. On Monday, the U.S. president held a meeting with his National Security Council to discuss the situation in Venezuela, a day after confirming he had spoken with Maduro by phone, without offering further details.
According to the Venezuelan government, roughly 75 deportation flights have been carried out this year, returning at least 13,956 Venezuelans from the United States.
International
20,000 rounds stolen from german army after driver leaves cargo unattended
The German army confirmed the theft of a shipment of ammunition that occurred a week ago while it was being transported by a civilian delivery driver, a military spokesperson told AFP, confirming earlier media reports.
According to Der Spiegel and the regional broadcaster MDR, around 20,000 rounds of ammunition were stolen from an unguarded parking lot near Magdeburg, in eastern Germany, while the driver was asleep in a nearby hotel. No information has been released regarding the identity of the suspects, and the military declined to specify the exact type or amount of ammunition taken.
Authorities have also not indicated how the perpetrators knew the cargo would be left unattended.
“The theft was discovered upon delivery at the barracks,” the German army spokesperson said.
A police spokeswoman confirmed to AFP that an investigation has been opened but refused to provide further details “for tactical reasons.”
Sources close to the German military, cited by Der Spiegel, believe it is unlikely the theft was a coincidence. They suspect the thieves waited for the driver to stop for the night before striking.
Der Spiegel also reported that the Defense Ministry normally requires two drivers for this type of transport to ensure the cargo is constantly monitored. However, in this case only one driver was assigned, meaning the civilian transport company failed to comply with the security protocols.
El Chapo’s son Joaquín Guzmán López pleads guilty to U.S. drug trafficking charges
Venezuela authorizes return flights as U.S. continues deportations amid rising tensions
20,000 rounds stolen from german army after driver leaves cargo unattended
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
Extension of the state of emergency approved in southern Chile
-
Central America4 days agoTrump Pardons Former Honduran President Hernández and Warns of Aid Cuts Ahead of Election
-
Central America2 days agoHonduras Extends Voting by One Hour Amid High Turnout, CNE Announces
-
International1 day agoHong Kong police arrest 13 over deadly high-rise fire that killed 151
-
Central America3 days agoHonduras’ China–Taiwan Future Hinges on Sunday’s Presidential Election
-
International4 days agoMeta Says Russia Seeks to Ban WhatsApp for Defending Secure Communication
-
International1 day agoSri Lanka and Indonesia deploy military as deadly asian floods kill over 1,000
-
International1 day ago
Trump says asylum decision freeze will remain in place “for a long time”
-
International1 day agoChile enters runoff campaign with Kast leading and Jara seeking a last-minute comeback
-
International6 hours ago20,000 rounds stolen from german army after driver leaves cargo unattended
-
International6 hours agoVenezuela authorizes return flights as U.S. continues deportations amid rising tensions
-
International6 hours agoTrump convenes National Security Council as U.S.–Venezuela tensions intensify
-
International6 hours agoEl Chapo’s son Joaquín Guzmán López pleads guilty to U.S. drug trafficking charges