International

Italy again sends a ship with 8 migrants to Albanian detention centers

The Italian ship ‘Libra’, used by the government of Giorgia Meloni to transfer immigrants to its controversial detention centers in Albania, sails with 8 migrants to the Balkan country, as sources on board have confirmed to EFE.

The ship left last night for Albania and could arrive at port tomorrow, Thursday, or Friday, depending on weather conditions.

The government of the far-right Meloni is using this ship to welcome certain immigrants on the high seas – adult and healthy men from countries considered safe – and take them first to the center of Shengjin and then to Gjader, according to the agreement signed with Albania.

Maximum discretion

The first time Meloni implemented this strategy was on October 16, but it failed: the ship only brought 16 immigrants from Egypt and Bangladesh and 4 of them had to be immediately returned to Italy for being minor or “vulnerable.”

Shortly after, the remaining twelve also had to be taken out of Albania and taken to Italy because a Court in Rome determined that neither Egypt nor Bangladesh could be considered “safe countries”, under the ref a judgment of the Court of the European Union.

20250501_mh_noexigencia_dui_728x90

This was the beginning of a harsh confrontation between the Executive and Judicial powers, to which the Government reacted by shielding the list of “safe countries” by law and keeping Egypt and Bangladesh in it.

Given the outcry that aroused the first time it was carried out, on October 16, this new operation is being carried out with the utmost discretion.

Meloni thus insists on carrying out this plan that, in its implementation, aroused great interest among its community partners, but which is being threatened by the repeated sentences of some Italian courts.

This Monday, the Court of Catania (south) – as did the one in Rome – annulled the arrest of an Egyptian maintaining that Egypt is not a safe country and thus going against the government law, while the Court of Bologna (north) has addressed the European justice to assess the legitimacy of this migration protocol.

20250501_mh_noexigencia_dui_728x90

International

Dominican court postpones hearing in deadly nightclub collapse case

10 reported dead after explosion in Dominican Republic

A Dominican court on Monday postponed until March a preliminary hearing against the owners of a nightclub that collapsed last year, killing more than 200 people.

The roof of the Jet Set nightclub collapsed in the early hours of April 8, 2025, during a concert by popular merengue singer Rubby Pérez, who died along with 235 other people.

Jet Set owner and manager Antonio Espaillat and his sister Maribel, who served as the club’s administrator, were arrested on charges of involuntary manslaughter but were later released on bail after posting approximately $842,500.

Both appeared at the Palace of Justice, where they were met by a small protest from relatives and friends of the victims.

“Thirty years in prison is not enough” and “President, we want JUSTICE,” read signs held by demonstrators.

20250501_mh_noexigencia_dui_728x90

The preliminary hearing determines whether there is sufficient evidence to send the case to trial. The court decided to reschedule the hearing for March 16.

“We don’t want money and we’re not demanding anything else, only justice for those who died,” said Secundino Pérez, a 75-year-old shopkeeper who lost 12 friends in the Jet Set tragedy.

“Antonio and his family celebrated Christmas sitting at a table, celebrating their freedom,” said Edgar Gómez, who lost his daughter in the collapse.

The Dominican Republic’s Public Prosecutor’s Office maintains that the defendants “significantly altered” the structure of the nightclub. Prosecutors filed formal charges in November and requested that the case proceed to trial.

The charge of involuntary manslaughter carries a sentence of three months to two years in prison.

20250501_mh_noexigencia_dui_728x90

“May your conscience never let you sleep. I lost my son,” a woman shouted through tears before the hearing, while others chanted, “Murderers, murderers, murderers.”

International

Venezuelan opposition leader dedicates Nobel Prize to Trump

U.S. President Donald Trump said last week that he was “eager” to welcome the opposition leader, who left Venezuela clandestinely with U.S. assistance, to receive her Nobel Prize in Oslo.

Machado dedicated her Nobel Prize to Trump, who nevertheless showed a very cautious attitude toward including her in any potential political transition in Venezuela.

The opposition leader said on Monday, after an audience with Pope Leo XIV, that “the defeat of evil is closer” in Venezuela following the U.S. military operation that overthrew and removed President Nicolás Maduro and his wife from the country.

Trump has claimed that he is now in control of the South American nation, stating that the primary objective at this stage is to stabilize the country before considering elections.

Venezuelan oil is Washington’s main objective, Trump added after Maduro’s overthrow.

20250501_mh_noexigencia_dui_728x90

International

Police hunt gunmen after fatal shooting in Corsica

A man was shot dead on the French Mediterranean island of Corsica, local media reported. The victim was identified as Alain Orsoni, former president of local football club AC Ajaccio, according to sources close to the investigation cited by French news channel BFMTV.

Orsoni, 71, was killed in the town of Vero, near Ajaccio, the island’s capital, while attending his mother’s funeral.

He was also a former member of the National Liberation Front of Corsica (FLNC), a nationalist organization that has long sought independence for the island, reports said.

BFMTV reported that the gunmen fled the scene and remain at large. Local police have opened an investigation into the shooting.