International
Former Argentine bishop sentenced for sex abuse
AFP
A retired Argentine bishop seen as close to Pope Francis was sentenced on Friday to four and a half years in prison for sexually abusing two seminarians.
A court in the northwestern town of Oran, where Gustavo Oscar Zanchetta was bishop from 2013 to 2017, ordered his immediate detention.
The 57-year-old Zanchetta, who had traveled from the Vatican for the trial, was convicted of “simple, continued and aggravated sexual abuse,” with his offense aggravated by his role as a clergyman.
The charges were brought in 2018 by two seminary students, one of whom claimed the bishop had made multiple approaches towards him and asked for “massages.”
“We have mixed feelings,” said Estela Mari, a relative of one of the seminarians, after the sentence was announced. “We wanted the maximum penalty.”
Nonetheless, she still believes that justice has been served.
“The victims have been believed and the truth has come to light,” she said.
Zanchetta’s relationship with Argentine-born Pope Francis has heightened the case’s profile, as the pontiff still grapples with decades-long accusations of sexual abuse throughout the Catholic Chuch.
Zanchetta was appointed to the Oran diocese, which is about 1,700 kilometers (1,000 miles) north of Buenos Aires, by Pope Francis in 2013, and he has also served as an advisor to the Vatican on property management.
The Vatican has claimed that at the time of Zanchetta’s resignation in 2017, there were no sex abuse allegations made against him.
Zanchetta pleaded not guilty to the charges, and his attorney quickly noted that they will appeal the ruling.
If it is upheld, Zanchetta will have to register as a sex offender after serving his sentence.
The former bishop of Oran also has two other lawsuits open against him in Argentina, one for alleged financial mismanagement and another for abuse of power.
International
Bolsonaro diagnosed with skin cancer amid coup conviction
Former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro has been diagnosed with skin cancer while serving a historic sentence for attempting a coup d’état. His medical team confirmed that the lesions have been removed and that, for now, he does not require further procedures, though he will need regular monitoring.
On Wednesday, September 17, Bolsonaro’s doctors confirmed the diagnosis. The announcement comes shortly after the former leader was convicted of orchestrating an attempted coup.
According to his physician, Claudio Birolini, Bolsonaro has “squamous cell carcinoma, which is neither the most benign nor the most aggressive form — it is intermediate.” Birolini warned, however, that this type of skin cancer “can carry more serious consequences.”
International
Milei praises Paraguay’s growth, calls Argentina’s last 20 years a ‘decline’
Argentine President Javier Milei praised Paraguay’s economic growth over the past two decades during a speech before the Paraguayan Congress on Wednesday (Sept. 17, 2025), crediting it to incentives that favored capitalism. At the same time, he contrasted that progress with what he described as Argentina’s deepening “decline” during the same period.
“If we compare the last 20 years of Paraguay with those of the Argentine Republic, we will find almost diametrically opposite results,” Milei told lawmakers during a special session of Parliament on the second and final day of his official visit to Asunción.
“While you have not stopped growing, we have deepened our decline. If we understand incentives as the engine of capitalism, Paraguay focused on preserving and strengthening them, while Argentina dedicated itself to chaining, directing, and suffocating them,” the right-wing leader stated.
International
Trump administration launches large-scale immigration operation in Chicago
The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump intensified a large-scale immigration operation in the Chicago area with the arrival of additional Border Patrol agents on Tuesday and the presence of Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem during a raid.
Noem posted a video on her X account showing the immigration operation, in which DHS reportedly removed “violent criminals” from the streets. The footage shows Noem observing the arrest of a man taken into custody at his home early Tuesday morning at an undisclosed location.
“I was in Chicago today to make it clear that we will not back down,” the secretary wrote. “Our work is just beginning,” she added.
The warning from Noem was echoed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Chief Gregory Bovino, who posted a video on X Tuesday showing multiple Border Patrol vehicles arriving in the city with the caption: “Chicago, we are here!”
Bovino, who led the immigration crackdown in Los Angeles implemented since last June, said the team will remain in Chicago to continue the mission they started in California.
Operation “Midway Blitz” is currently focused on the Chicago metropolitan area and its suburbs. Activists and residents have reported sightings of masked agents and unmarked vehicles in predominantly Latino neighborhoods.
Bolsonaro diagnosed with skin cancer amid coup conviction
Milei praises Paraguay’s growth, calls Argentina’s last 20 years a ‘decline’
Trump administration launches large-scale immigration operation in Chicago
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
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