International
Former opposition electoral rector registers as a candidate for the presidential elections of Venezuela
The former rector of the National Electoral Council (CNE) of Venezuela Enrique Márquez, close to the opposition, registered this Monday – last day of applications – after 21:00 local time (1:00 GMT on Tuesday), as a candidate for the presidential elections of next July 28, outside the consensus of the main anti-Chavist coalition Democratic Unitary Platform (PUD).
Márquez, nominated by the political party Centrados, said at an event at the headquarters of the CNE that he wants to represent political change in Venezuela, so he will begin a tour of the country to convince citizens that the only instrument is the vote.
“We want to represent the Venezuelan people who suffer, the people outraged by corruption, decimated by migration, the people who dream of a better country,” he said.
He also criticized the opponents who have called for abstention in other past electoral processes because, in his opinion, that has deepened the problems in the Caribbean nation.
Márquez indicated that if any politician asks not to vote in the presidential elections, he is rejected by the citizenry, because he is an “accomplice of the country that we do not want, because only abstention guarantees the continuity of what we do not want to continue.”
In addition to Márquez, President Nicolás Maduro has registered to compete in the upcoming elections; deputies Luis Eduardo Martínez, Juan Alvarado, José Brito and Javier Bertucci; former mayors Claudio Fermín and Daniel Ceballos; Antonio Ecarri, Luis Ratti and comedian Benjamín Rausseo, dissidents from the broader sector of the opposition.
Meanwhile, the main opposition coalition, the Democratic United Platform (PUD), denounced impediments to accessing the system and registering its candidate, the historian Corina Yoris, chosen as such in the face of the disqualification that prevents María Corina Machado, winner of the October primaries, from competing for public positions in these and other elections until 2036.
Having failed to obtain the application, the PUD has asked the CNE to extend the period to apply for candidacies for three days, in order to “remedy the violations of fact and law that have occurred in the process.”
However, the electoral body did not extend the period or pronounce on the request for extension of registration by the PUD.
Yoris assured on Monday that the opposition he represents has exhausted all the means at his disposal “so that this can be resolved,” so he demanded that Maduro “respect the Constitution” and his political rights.
Machado, for his part, warned that if the candidate who will compete against Chavismo in the presidential elections is “chosen” by the Maduro Government, these cannot be considered elections.
International
Five Bodies Found in Ecuador as Police Probe Suspected Gang Turf War
Ecuadorian authorities are investigating the deaths of five people whose bodies were found inside a rural home, in what police believe may be linked to a territorial dispute between organized criminal groups.
The victims, aged between 21 and 30, were discovered Tuesday in the town of La Troncal, in the Andean province of Cañar. Police reported that two of the bodies were bound with wire, while a burned-out vehicle was found outside the residence.
Investigators said graffiti on the walls of the house included messages such as “Lobos territory” and “Lobos active,” suggesting a possible connection to the criminal organization known as Los Lobos.
Police believe the killings were likely the result of a conflict over territorial control between rival gangs.
The discovery came on the same day authorities arrested a former mayor in the neighboring province of Azuay. Officials identified him as the alleged main financial backer of Los Lobos, one of Ecuador’s most powerful criminal organizations.
Ecuador has experienced an unprecedented surge in violence in recent years, driven by criminal groups involved in drug trafficking, illegal mining, kidnapping, and extortion.
According to Insight Crime, the country recorded 51 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants in 2025—equivalent to roughly one killing every hour—making it one of the most violent countries in Latin America.
International
Georgia Teen Sentenced to Life Without Parole for Deadly School Shooting
A Georgia teenager who killed four people in a 2024 school shooting was sentenced Tuesday to life in prison without the possibility of parole after pleading guilty to the attack.
Colt Gray, now 16, admitted to opening fire at Apalachee High School in Winder, about 70 kilometers (45 miles) northeast of Atlanta. He was 14 years old at the time of the shooting.
The attack claimed the lives of two students and two teachers, while nine other people were injured. Despite being a minor when the shooting occurred, Gray was prosecuted as an adult.
During the sentencing hearing, Judge Nicholas Trimm acknowledged the failures of the teenager’s family but said they did not excuse his actions.
“Your parents failed you. Your family failed you. But that does not absolve you,” the judge said.
Trimm also rejected any suggestion that the shooting was motivated by bullying or personal grievances.
“You were not bullied at Apalachee. This was not driven by hate. You didn’t know anyone at that school. It was simply the desire to commit a notorious act,” he told Gray.
The case also led to the prosecution of the shooter’s father, Colin Gray, who was convicted in March of voluntary manslaughter and involuntary manslaughter. The case marked one of the first instances in which a parent was held criminally responsible for a mass shooting carried out by their child.
Prosecutors said Colin Gray had given his son an AR-15-style rifle as a Christmas gift in 2023, despite being aware that the teenager had previously threatened to carry out a school shooting.
Authorities said the same rifle was used in the attack less than a year later. Months before the shooting, FBI investigators had alerted local law enforcement after receiving reports of online messages linked to the Gray family’s internet address that referenced plans for a school massacre.
The case reflects growing legal scrutiny in the United States over the responsibility of parents whose children commit acts of gun violence.
In a similar case, the parents of a Michigan teenager who killed four people at his high school in 2021 were convicted of involuntary manslaughter in 2024 and sentenced to prison terms ranging from 10 to 15 years.
According to U.S. health authorities, firearms have been the leading cause of death among children and teenagers in the United States for several years.
International
Portuguese Authorities Seize 2.6 Tons of Cocaine Worth More Than $550 Million in Drug Bust
Italian financial police reported Monday that Portuguese authorities intercepted a speedboat carrying more than 2.6 tons of cocaine, with an estimated street value exceeding $550 million.
Four people — two Spanish nationals, one Albanian citizen, and a man from Gibraltar — were arrested in connection with the operation, according to Italian authorities.
The vessel was intercepted off the coast of Lisbon by Portugal’s maritime police following an investigation led by Italian authorities.
Italian financial police estimated that the seized shipment had a street value of approximately 500 million euros ($570 million), making it one of the largest drug seizures reported in the region in recent years.
Portuguese authorities said the interception took place on Thursday, about 90 kilometers (50 nautical miles) southwest of Cape Espichel, during an operation targeting international drug trafficking routes.
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