International
Mulino: If the situation in Venezuela worsens, migration will grow “in a very short time”
The president of Panama, José Raúl Mulino, warned on Thursday that if the “political situation” of Venezuela “worsens” after this Sunday’s elections, they must be prepared, because the flow of migrants through the Darién, the border jungle with Colombia used as a migratory route, will increase “in a very short time.”
“We are three days away from the solution or the worsening of the political situation in Venezuela. I advocate a democratic solution that respects the will of the people. If that turns out to be the case, I feel that we will have an improvement in the condition, because Venezuela is 66% of migrants. That country contributes a significant share of people to the transit,” the president of Panama said at his weekly press conference.
And he explained: “If the situation (in Venezuela after the elections) improves, it can be deduced that much fewer people will want to venture into that risk of transit through that jungle (of the Darién). If the political situation worsens, in another scenario, let’s prepare because that (the migratory flow) will increase in a very short time.”
According to Mulino, this Sunday’s elections in the South American country “would already be one of the last chances (opportunities) of Venezuela to open up to a democratic and peaceful world (so that) the people (find the) solution that they consider most appropriate.”
Last Thursday – also at that press conference he plans to offer every week – the Panamanian president said that “well-conducted” elections in Venezuela will possibly reduce the flow of migration through the Darién jungle, since most of the passers-by who go through it are from that South American country.
Venezuela will have its elections on July 28, in which ten candidates will participate, including President Nicolás Maduro, who seeks his re-election, and the main leader of the opposition and the polls, Edmundo González Urrutia, instead of the disqualified María Corina Machado.
Panama is trying to reduce migration through that dangerous jungle and since Mulino’s arrival in power, several measures have been taken, such as the installation of “perimeter barriers” (barred fences) in some points of Darién to close unauthorized passages and “channel” the flow, in addition to the signing of an agreement with the United States to return migrants who cross that jungle by plane.
So far this year, more than 216,000 migrants have crossed the dangerous Darién jungle, most of them Venezuelans, who seek to reach the United States or Canada in search of better living conditions, while in all of 2023 there were more than 520,000, an unprecedented figure, according to official data from Panama.
International
Authorities capture CJNG financial chief in international airport operation
A man identified as the main financial operator of the powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) was arrested Thursday at Mexico City’s international airport, authorities reported.
The individual, named by Mexican media as Óscar Antonio Álvarez, was apprehended during an operation involving the army, navy, National Guard, police, and the attorney general’s office, according to a joint statement.
Álvarez is considered the primary financial operator of a criminal group originating in Jalisco, and the capture took place at Benito Juárez Airport as he arrived on a flight from Barcelona, Spain.
Authorities stated that Álvarez faces charges of organized crime and money laundering, specifically for receiving and transferring illicit funds. His work with the CJNG reportedly included purchasing properties and managing businesses in the tequila and livestock sectors.
According to El Universal, Álvarez was directly under the command of Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, “El Mencho”, the cartel’s top leader, for whom the U.S. offers a $15 million reward.
The CJNG, which operates throughout Mexico and in various parts of the world, was designated earlier this year as a “foreign terrorist organization” by the U.S. government.
Álvarez was handed over to the federal public prosecutor to determine his legal situation, the report added.
International
Jair Bolsonaro sentenced for leading armed criminal plot after 2022 election loss
Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, 70, has been sentenced for leading an armed criminal organization that attempted to cling to power after losing the 2022 elections to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
The alleged coup plot, which reportedly included a plan to assassinate Lula, was not carried out due to lack of support from the military leadership.
By a four-to-one vote of the judges overseeing the case, seven co-defendants, including former ministers and military chiefs, were also convicted.
“A criminal armed organization was formed by the defendants, who must be sentenced based on the factual circumstances I consider proven,” said the final judge to cast a vote, Cristiano Zanin.
Bolsonaro, who has been under house arrest since August, did not attend the court hearings, citing health issues.
Reacting on X, Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, the former president’s son, said: “They call this a trial a process whose outcome everyone already knew before it began.”
One of the first international reactions came from the White House. Former U.S. President Donald Trump called the sentence “very surprising,” while Senator Marco Rubio, U.S. Secretary of State, stated that the United States will “respond accordingly” to the “unjust” ruling.
International
Poland invokes NATO Article 4 after russian drone incursion
The violation of Polish airspace by Russian drones on Wednesday triggered the most serious clash between Russia and NATO since the start of the war in Ukraine, prompting Poland to invoke Article 4 of the NATO Treaty, which calls for consultations among allies.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk addressed Parliament on Wednesday, describing an unprecedented “aggression” in which at least 19 Russian drones breached Polish airspace, creating a situation that the Prime Minister described as “the closest to an open conflict since World War II.”
Speaking at the start of an extraordinary Council of Ministers session, Tusk stated that “this is the first time Russian drones have been shot down over the territory of a NATO member state, and that is why all our allies are taking the situation very seriously.”
Although he affirmed that “there is no reason to claim that we are in a state of war,” he labeled the incidents as “a large-scale provocation” and ordered the invocation of NATO’s Article 4 to call for consultations with allied nations.
Tusk also noted on X (formerly Twitter) that he had received “not only expressions of solidarity with Poland but, above all, concrete proposals to support the country’s air defense” during discussions with European leaders throughout the day.
The Polish leader specifically mentioned conversations with the leaders of the United Kingdom, Italy, Germany, and the Netherlands—Keir Starmer, Giorgia Meloni, Friedrich Merz, and Dick Schoof—along with French President Emmanuel Macron, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg.
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