International

Former Ecuadorian vice-president awaits response to asylum request in Mexico

Photo: @evoespueblo

December 27 |

The former vice president of Ecuador, Jorge Glas, who on Wednesday will have his pre-release hearing, is awaiting a response from the Government of Mexico to his request for diplomatic asylum, his lawyer said Tuesday.

Glas, alleging that he felt his safety was at risk, entered the Mexican embassy in Quito on December 17, as a guest, and three days later formally requested diplomatic asylum.

The former Ecuadorian vice-president (2013-2018), who was already imprisoned for five years and four months for corruption cases, made the decision to take refuge in the diplomatic mission after the Prosecutor’s Office requested him for proceedings in the investigation of a case called “Reconstruction”.

Sonia Vera, lawyer of the former vice-president, denounced that her client suffers from “a bloody legal and political persecution” by the prosecutor Diana Salazar, of whom the correísmo has requested an impeachment for alleged “breach of duties”.

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The lawyer pointed out that there is no deadline for Mexico to issue a response to the asylum request, but indicated that in similar cases the process took about a month.

Vera, on the other hand, confirmed that this Wednesday at 15:00 local time (20:00 GMT) the pre-release hearing for her client will be held.

After being five years and four months in jail, Glas is in a regime of semi-liberty.

The lawyer mentioned that the former vice president, sentenced to eight years for bribery and six for illicit association linked to the Odebrecht bribery scandal, has served 60 percent of his sentence.

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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.