International
Uruguay clears two ex-consuls of involvement in russian passport fraud case
The Public Prosecutor’s Office of Uruguay announced on Tuesday that it has requested the dismissal of charges against two former Uruguayan consuls in Russia accused of participating in a scheme involving the issuance of false passports, a case linked to the former head of security for President Luis Lacalle Pou.
The scheme, which involved providing Russian citizens with falsified documents to obtain Uruguayan passports, relates to a criminal organization that has been operating since 2015, according to investigations.
Judicial documents indicate that the diplomat identified by the initials S.D.C.M., who served as Uruguayan consul in Moscow from 2013 to 2018, was charged in late November 2022 with fraud and “14 crimes of identity assumption.”
The other consul, identified as G.L.P.M., was indicted in March 2023 for committing “repeated crimes of identity assumption.” He had served in Russia from February 2019 until February 2022.
“However, the Public Prosecutor’s Office continued investigating and dismissed the involvement of both consuls in the scheme,” the office said in a statement on Tuesday.
Prosecutor Sabrina Flores argued that “both officials did not speak Russian,” and that “from the forensic analysis of their cell phones, there is no evidence to hold them accountable for the investigated events.”
Additionally, the statement said that “on several occasions when passports with falsified documents were processed,” the consuls “were not in the country” or were “on leave.” It was also discovered that their signatures had been “forged.”
In the context of this case, the former head of security for Lacalle Pou, Alejandro Astesiano, was sentenced in February 2023 to four and a half years in prison for conspiracy and influence peddling, among other crimes, following a plea deal.
For good behavior, in May of this year, he was granted early release on probation under police supervision, a decision that the Public Prosecutor’s Office did not appeal.
International
Trump says GOP ‘learned a lot’ after democratic election wins
U.S. President Donald Trump said that he and the Republican Party “learned a lot” from the Democratic victories in Tuesday’s state and local elections. He also compared Democrats to “kamikaze pilots” over the ongoing budget standoff.
Speaking at an event with Republican senators on Wednesday, Trump described the results as an unexpected setback.
“These were very Democratic areas, but I don’t think it was good for Republicans. In fact, I don’t think it was good for anyone. But we had an interesting night and we learned a lot,” he said during remarks broadcast by the White House.
Trump agreed with pollsters that two key factors led to Republican losses in New York’s mayoral race and the gubernatorial contests in New Jersey and Virginia.
International
Bolivia’s Jeanine Áñez freed after Supreme Court annuls her conviction
Former Bolivian interim president Jeanine Áñez was released from a women’s prison in La Paz on Thursday, where she had spent more than four and a half years for an alleged coup, after her conviction was annulled, AFP journalists confirmed.
Dozens of supporters and family members gathered outside the facility to celebrate her release. Áñez left the prison waving a Bolivian flag around 15:00 GMT.
“It is comforting to see that justice will once again prevail in Bolivia. She was the only woman who took on the role with bravery and courage,” said Lizeth Maure, a 46-year-old nurse who had come to show her support.
Áñez, a 58-year-old lawyer and conservative politician, governed Bolivia for nearly a year until November 2020, when she handed power to leftist leader Luis Arce.
She was arrested in 2021 and sentenced the following year to 10 years in prison for “resolutions contrary to the Constitution,” accused of illegally assuming the presidency after Evo Morales resigned in 2019 amid social unrest.
Her sentence was overturned on Wednesday by the Supreme Court of Justice, Bolivia’s highest judicial authority.
The court ruled that Áñez should have been subjected to a “trial of responsibilities” before Congress— a constitutional process reserved for sitting presidents, vice presidents, ministers, and top judges — rather than prosecuted in an ordinary criminal court.
As she was welcomed by relatives and supporters upon release, Áñez declared:
“I feel the satisfaction of having fulfilled my duty to my country, of never having bowed down. And I will never regret having served Bolivia when it needed me.”
International
Peru declares Mexico’s president Persona Non Grata over political asylum dispute
Peru’s Congress declared Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum persona non grata on Thursday, accusing her of “unacceptable interference in internal affairs” after granting political asylum to former Peruvian Prime Minister Betssy Chávez.
The motion, introduced by right-wing parties, passed with 63 votes in favor, 33 against, and two abstentions. Lawmakers argue that Sheinbaum has maintained a hostile stance toward Peru since taking office.
Peru severed diplomatic relations with Mexico on Monday following the asylum decision. Chávez, who is facing charges for her alleged involvement in former President Pedro Castillo’s failed coup attempt in December 2022, remains under protection at the Mexican embassy residence in Lima.
Following the diplomatic break, interim President José Jerí said on X that Mexico’s chargé d’affaires in Peru, Karla Ornela, has been notified by the foreign ministry that she must leave the country within a strict deadline.
The Mexican government condemned Lima’s decision as “excessive and disproportionate,” asserting that offering asylum to Chávez is a legitimate act grounded in international law and does not constitute interference in Peru’s domestic matters.
Trump says GOP ‘learned a lot’ after democratic election wins
Bolivia’s Jeanine Áñez freed after Supreme Court annuls her conviction
Peru declares Mexico’s president Persona Non Grata over political asylum dispute
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
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