International
Mexican government files criminal charges against mining conglomerate
October 14 |
In the usual press conference of the Mexican Government, the Secretary of the Environment, María Luisa Albores, announced Thursday that Grupo Mexico, a mining, construction, engineering, infrastructure and transportation conglomerate, was criminally charged for not complying with its commitment to environmental remediation of the Sonora River.
The Mexican authority stated that the company has done nothing to alleviate the consequences of the chemical spill that occurred in 2014 in that river. “We last August 17 made a criminal complaint to Grupo Mexico because it has not complied with the environmental remediation,” said Albores.
The incident occurred on August 6, 2014, when 40,000 cubic meters of acidified copper sulfate were spilled into the Tinajas stream, directly impacting the Sonora and Bacanuchi riverbed.
“This is considered the worst environmental disaster in the history of metallic mining in Mexico”, declared Albores, who confirmed “that the disaster was not an accident, it was negligence (…) There are still effects on the health of the nearby communities and there was never any remediation after the environmental disaster (…) Who must compensate for this environmental damage is the company”.
Although the environmental authority did not add other details about the judicial process, he said that the new agreement must be the reparation, now complete, of all the conditions of that region.
Days earlier the conglomerate had issued a statement announcing that the remediation of the Sonora River had been “successful” and that the ecosystems of the Bacanuchi and Sonora rivers were “not affected”.
Grupo Mexico is one of the largest copper producers in the world and also has operations in the infrastructure and transportation sectors. After learning of the government’s complaint, the company’s shares fell around 3.1 percent, their lowest price since January of this year.
International
Mexico Arrests CJNG Leader “El Jardinero” in Nayarit
Mexican authorities arrested Audias Flores, known as “El Jardinero,” on Monday during a naval operation in the western state of Nayarit, delivering another major blow to the Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG).
Flores was considered one of the top regional leaders within the cartel and had reportedly overseen criminal operations along Mexico’s Pacific coast. Security analysts viewed him as a potential successor to slain drug kingpin Nemesio Oseguera.
The arrest was carried out by Mexico’s Navy Special Forces in a planned operation, according to Security Minister Omar García Harfuch.
The United States Department of the Treasury had previously identified Flores as a “significant foreign narcotics trafficker,” while U.S. authorities offered a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to his capture and extradition.
A U.S. grand jury indicted Flores in 2021 on charges including conspiracy to distribute cocaine and heroin.
His capture comes months after the reported death of “El Mencho,” an operation that Mexican authorities considered a priority due to the cartel leader’s alleged involvement in a 2020 assassination attempt against García Harfuch.
International
Suspect Armed With Shotgun and Knives Detained at White House Correspondents Dinner
U.S. authorities confirmed Saturday that the suspect who stormed into the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner while President Donald Trump was attending acted alone, adding that there is no ongoing threat to the public following the incident, which left one Secret Service agent injured.
Acting Metropolitan Police Department chief Jeff Carroll said during a press conference that the suspect was carrying “a shotgun, a handgun, and multiple knives” when he attempted to pass through a Secret Service security checkpoint inside the hotel lobby at approximately 8:36 p.m. local time.
“At this point, everything indicates that this was a lone actor, a lone gunman,” Carroll stated, adding that investigators have found no preliminary evidence suggesting the involvement of additional suspects.
During the exchange of gunfire inside the hotel corridors, the suspect was not struck by bullets but was subdued by law enforcement officers and later transported to a hospital for medical evaluation.
A member of the United States Secret Service Uniformed Division was shot during the incident, though the bullet was stopped by the officer’s ballistic vest, preventing serious injuries. The agent was taken to a hospital and is reportedly “in good spirits,” according to Carroll.
The shooting prompted the immediate evacuation of President Trump, Melania Trump, and several senior officials attending the event after multiple gunshots were heard outside the hotel’s main ballroom.
International
U.S. allows Venezuela to fund Maduro and Cilia Flores’ legal defense
Until now, the U.S. administration had blocked the Venezuelan government from covering the legal fees of Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, who is also jailed and facing drug trafficking charges, due to international sanctions imposed on Venezuela.
The couple’s legal team had relied on that argument in an attempt to have the indictment dismissed, claiming that preventing a defendant from accessing counsel of their choice violates rights guaranteed under the Sixth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
However, the U.S. Treasury Department will now allow “defense attorneys to receive payments from the Government of Venezuela under certain conditions,” New York prosecutor Jay Clayton wrote in a letter dated Friday to Judge Alvin Hellerstein, who is overseeing the case.
According to the letter, the funds must have become available after March 5, 2026, and cannot come from Venezuelan oil sales regulated in the United States.
Since Maduro’s removal from power in early January, former Vice President Delcy Rodríguez has served as Venezuela’s interim leader.
The United States effectively controls Venezuelan crude exports, with revenues deposited into special accounts supervised by Washington.
Court documents filed on Friday show that the defense acknowledged the sanctions exemption and, for now, withdrew its motion seeking dismissal of the charges.
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