International
Daniel Sancho, before his sentence: “I am prepared for the best and for the worst”
The Spaniard Daniel Sancho claims to be “prepared for the best and the worst” before the sentence that will determine on August 29 whether or not he is guilty of the premeditated murder of Colombian surgeon Edwin Arrieta on an island in Thailand last year.
“I am prepared for the best and the worst,” Daniel Sancho told EFE on August 22 in Samui prison (southern Thailand) when asked how he faces the ruling, although he was optimistic and convinced that the judge will rule out that Arrieta’s death was due to a premeditated murder.
The Spaniard considered that during the trial “it was clear that it was an accident,” referring to Arrieta’s death on August 2, 2023 on the Thai island of Phangan, and cited the forensic evidence presented by the defense that, according to him, would prove that the death was due to a fight.
Sancho, 30 years old, made these statements during a visit to the prison and the conversation took place through a glass and a telephone without being able to record or take notes.
After more than a year in pretrial detention, the young man admitted that he lives impatiently waiting to know the sentence and that the months since the celebration of the trial, which ended last May, have become “very long.”
“Until the trial he was a man with a mission,” he said, and indicated that he spent a lot of time focused and preparing for the process, in which he played a very active role, since the judge allowed him to ask questions to the witnesses.
During the trial, held behind closed doors at the Provincial Court of Samui between April 9 and May 2, the accused and his defense team maintained that Arrieta’s death was due to an accident during a fight and that the Spaniard acted in self-defense in the face of an alleged attempted sexual assault.
The Prosecutor’s Office, for its part, tried to prove through dozens of evidence and witnesses, including the purchase of knives and a saw, that Sancho planned the previous days the murder and dismemberment of Arrieta, 44, whose remains were found in several places in Phangan, including the sea.
The autopsy performed at the Colombian surgeon was not conclusive because no key body parts such as the torso were found.
The Spaniard, who keeps the last few days before listening to the sentence his usual exercise and reading routine, had met with the Colombian surgeon, whom he knew since 2022, on the same day of the events.
The accused, who initially confessed to the crime to the Phangan Police, will go to the reading of the sentence next Thursday in the Samui court, where the trial was held in the midst of enormous media attention.
According to sources close to the case, the sentence is already drafted and has been sent for ratification to the office of the dean judge of Surat Thani (province on which Samui depends).
Sancho assured that it gives him “tranquility” and “confidence” in the process of this procedure, usual in Thailand for serious cases, both criminal and civil, that may involve high penalties or compensation.
The Thai penal code contemplates from 15 years in prison to the death penalty in cases of murder, although Thailand barely applies this last punishment and is usually commuted to lower ones.
Cases of involuntary manslaughter are punishable by between 3 and 15 years in prison.
The Spaniard is also accused of dismembering Arrieta’s body – of which he has pleaded guilty – and of making his passport disappear, crimes that could lead to between one and six years in prison, respectively.
Access to the courtroom during the reading of the sentence this Thursday will be very restricted, and the judge will not decide until the last moment who can enter, according to EFE.
It is planned, however, that the defendant’s father and mother, the Spanish actor Rodolfo Sancho and the investment analyst Silvia Bronchalo, will be present in the room, as well as the prosecutor, the Thai defense lawyers and those who represent the victim’s family in the Asian country.
Arrieta’s family will in principle not go to the reading of the sentence, and for the moment they have not wanted to make statements about how they face the ruling.
International
Colombia says it would not reject Maduro asylum request as regional tensions escalate
The Colombian government stated on Thursday that it would have no reason to reject a potential asylum request from Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro should he leave office, as regional tensions persist over the deployment of U.S. military forces in the Caribbean since August.
“In the current climate of tension, negotiations are necessary, and if the United States demands a transition or political change, that is something to be assessed. If such a transition results in him (Maduro) needing to live elsewhere or seek protection, Colombia would have no reason to deny it,” said Colombian Foreign Minister Rosa Villavicencio in an interview with Caracol Radio.
However, Villavicencio noted that it is unlikely Maduro would choose Colombia as a refuge. “I believe he would opt for someplace more distant and calmer,” she added.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro also commented on Venezuela’s situation on Wednesday, arguing that the country needs a “democratic revolution” rather than “inefficient repression.” His remarks followed the recent detention and passport cancellation of Cardinal Baltazar Porras at the Caracas airport.
“The Maduro government must understand that responding to external aggression requires more than military preparations; it requires a democratic revolution. A country is defended with more democracy, not more inefficient repression,” Petro wrote on X (formerly Twitter), in a rare public criticism of the Venezuelan leader.
Petro also called for a general amnesty for political opponents and reiterated his call for forming a broad transitional government to address Venezuela’s prolonged crisis.
Since September, U.S. military forces have destroyed more than 20 vessels allegedly carrying drugs in Caribbean and Pacific waters near Venezuela and Colombia, resulting in over 80 deaths.
U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly warned that attacks “inside Venezuela” will begin “soon,” while Maduro has urged Venezuelans to prepare for what he describes as an impending external aggression.
International
Cuba battles out-of-control dengue and chikungunya epidemic as death toll rises to 44
Cuba is facing a severe dengue and chikungunya epidemic that has already claimed at least 44 lives, including 29 minors, according to the Ministry of Public Health (Minsap). The outbreak—now considered out of control—has expanded across the entire country amid a critical shortage of resources to confront the emergency.
Authorities report more than 42,000 chikungunya infections and at least 26,000 dengue cases, though they acknowledge significant underreporting as many patients avoid seeking care in health centers where medicines, supplies, and medical personnel are scarce. The first cluster was detected in July in the city of Matanzas, but the government did not officially use the term “epidemic” until November 12.
Chikungunya—virtually unknown on the island until this year—causes high fever, rashes, fatigue, and severe joint pain that can last for months, leaving thousands temporarily incapacitated. Dengue, endemic to the region, triggers fever, muscle pain, vomiting, and, in severe cases, internal bleeding. Cuba currently has no vaccines available for either virus.
Minsap reports that of the 44 deaths recorded so far, 28 were caused by chikungunya and 16 by dengue.
The health crisis unfolds amid deep economic deterioration, marked by the absence of fumigation campaigns, uncollected garbage, and shortages of medical supplies—conditions that have fueled the spread of the Aedes aegypti mosquito, the primary vector for both diseases. “The healthcare system is overwhelmed,” non-official medical sources acknowledge.
Beyond the health impact, the epidemic is heavily disrupting economic and family life. The intense joint pain caused by chikungunya has led to widespread work absences, while hospital overcrowding has forced relatives to leave their jobs to care for the sick. In November, authorities launched a clinical trial using the Cuban drug Jusvinza to reduce joint pain, though results have not yet been released.
International
Ecuador on track for record violence as homicides hit highest level in Latin America again
Violence in Ecuador is expected to reach historic levels by the end of 2025, with the country set to record the highest homicide rate in Latin America for the third consecutive year, according to a report released Thursday by the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED). The organization warns that criminal activity is not only persisting but could worsen in 2026.
Official figures show 7,553 homicides recorded through October, surpassing the 7,063 registered throughout all of 2024. ACLED estimates that 71% of the population was exposed to violent incidents this year, despite President Daniel Noboa’s declaration of an “internal armed conflict” in an attempt to confront powerful criminal groups.
According to the report, several factors are driving the deterioration of security: a territorial war between Los Chonerosand Los Lobos, the two most influential criminal organizations in the country; the fragmentation of other groups after the fall of their leaders; and Ecuador’s expanding role as a strategic hub for regional drug trafficking.
Since 2021, violence has forced the internal displacement of around 132,000 people, while more than 400,000 Ecuadorians — equivalent to 2% of the population — have left the country. Between January and November alone, violent deaths rose 42%, fueled by prison massacres and clashes between rival gangs.
The report warns that conditions may deteriorate further. Ecuador has been added to ACLED’s 2026 Conflict Watchlist, which highlights regions at risk of escalating violence. The expansion of Colombian armed groups such as FARC dissidents and the ELN, state weakness, and a potential rerouting of drug trafficking corridors from the Caribbean to the Pacific intensify the threat.
“The president is facing a wave of violence that shows no signs of easing,” the report concludes.
Colombia says it would not reject Maduro asylum request as regional tensions escalate
Cuba battles out-of-control dengue and chikungunya epidemic as death toll rises to 44
Ecuador on track for record violence as homicides hit highest level in Latin America again
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
Defense Minister commends salvadoran soldier for Central American Cross Country victory
Extension of the state of emergency approved in southern Chile
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