International

Citizen Revolution leader shot to death in Ecuador

Photo: @PaolaCabezasC

August 15|

Leaders and defenders of the Citizen Revolution denounced Monday the murder in the Ecuadorian province of Esmeraldas of the political leader belonging to that group, Pedro Briones, a few days after the murder of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio.

According to information shared from social networks by his fellow militants, Pedro Briones was a leader of the party of former president Rafael Correa in Esmeraldas, in the northern coast of the country, and was shot to death.

For his part, Rafael Correa also confirmed the news from his Twitter account. “Another of our comrades was murdered in Esmeraldas, enough is enough,” he said, while sharing the message of the former candidate for the Esmeraldas prefecture, Janeth Bustos.

Regarding the political situation in the country, the presidential candidate, Luisa Gonzalez said that “Ecuador is living its bloodiest period. This is due to the total abandonment of an inept government and a State taken over by the mafias. My solidarity embrace to the family of comrade Pedro Briones, fallen in the hands of violence. Change is urgent!”.

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Likewise Rafael Correa in an interview to an Ecuadorian media this August 14 indicated that the assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio responds to a plot in which the National Police is involved.

“In the specific case of Villavicencio’s assassination, I have no doubt that it is a plot in which the Police is involved. I know about this, I have had security. It is not possible that they embark a person in a car without a driver. The person, the VIP (Very Important Person), the protected person, boards last, maybe second to last. The person who accompanies him or her as co-pilot boards last. And always the protected person behind the co-pilot. Here he is embarked alone and without a driver. It means that the assassination was prepared and the security knew it, the police knew it”, said Rafael Correa.

International

Florida judge sets 2027 trial in Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit against BBC

A federal judge in Florida has scheduled February 2027 for the trial in the lawsuit filed by U.S. President Donald Trump against the BBC, in which he is seeking $10 billion in damages for defamation.

Trump accuses the British broadcaster of airing a misleading edit of a speech he delivered on January 6, 2021, which, he says, made it appear that he explicitly urged his supporters to attack the U.S. Capitol in Washington.

The president filed the suit in December in federal court in Florida, alleging defamation and violations of a law governing business practices when the program was broadcast ahead of the 2024 election.

Trump is seeking $5 billion in damages for each of the two claims.

Lawyers for the BBC unsuccessfully asked the court to dismiss the case, arguing that Trump had not suffered a “legally recognizable harm,” since the investigative program Panorama, which included the edited footage, aired outside the United States.

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International

Head-of-state diplomacy key to guiding China–U.S. ties, Beijing says

Head-of-state diplomacy plays an irreplaceable strategic guiding role in China–United States relations, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on Thursday during a regular press briefing, when asked about high-level exchanges between the two sides.

Lin added that in a recent phone call, U.S. President Donald Trump once again expressed his intention to visit China in April, while Chinese President Xi Jinping reiterated his invitation.

Both sides remain in communication regarding the matter, the spokesperson said.

Lin noted that the essence of China–U.S. economic and trade ties lies in mutual benefit and win-win outcomes.

“Both parties should work together to implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, injecting greater certainty and stability into China–U.S. economic and trade cooperation, as well as into the global economy,” he said.

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International

Trump administration to end special immigration operation in Minnesota

The administration of Donald Trump is bringing to a close its special operation targeting illegal immigration in the northern state of Minnesota, border czar Tom Homan announced Thursday, following weeks of unrest and the fatal shootings of two activists by federal agents.

Thousands of federal officers had been deployed to Minnesota in December to carry out large-scale raids against undocumented immigrants.

The operations triggered strong reactions from residents and advocacy groups, leading to daily confrontations and the deaths of two people who were shot by federal agents.

“I proposed, and President Trump agreed, that this special operation should end in Minnesota,” Homan said during a press conference in the state capital, Minneapolis.

“A significant drawdown began this week and will continue into next week,” he added.

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Homan indicated that similar enforcement efforts could be launched in other cities.

“Next week we will redeploy the agents currently here back to their home stations or to other parts of the country where they are needed. But we will continue to enforce immigration laws,” he said.