International

Maradona’s house arrest is again a focus of tension in the trial for his death

The decision for Diego Armando Maradona to recover from his last operation in a home hospitalization was today the focus of a new hearing of the trial for his death, in which a revealing recording was known where one of the accused doctors urged another to modify the historic clinic of the former footballer so as not to be legally responsible for the decision of home hospitalization.

Tuesday’s hearing had the testimony of psychiatrist Ana Marcela Waisman Campos, who was in contact with Maradona’s medical team during his hospitalization at the Olivos Clinic, located on the outskirts of the city of Buenos Aires.

In that clinic, the Argentine idol was operated on on November 3, 2020 for a subdural hematoma on his head, and remained there until the 11th of the same month, when he was transferred to a home in Tigre (province of Buenos Aires) to travel there for the rest of his recovery.

Waisman Campos stated that he visited the star in the clinic but that he refused to be treated by her.

The doctor also referred to her contacts with Maradona’s psychiatrist, Agustina Cosachov, and said that she was in contact with her during those days and that they discussed the case of the former soccer player.

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During the hearing, in addition to making known conversations between the two on medical issues, an audio sent on November 10 by Cosachov to Maradona’s family doctor, Leopoldo Luque, was reproduced, in which she mentioned a recommendation by Waisman Campos to eliminate from the former footballer’s medical record the participation of both in the decision of home admission.

“This psychiatrist threw me some tips that I think are good regarding something that we have to put in the medical history before Diego leaves, that you can write because they put a lot of ‘family doctor, family doctor’ to be legally protected,” begins the recording, in which Cosachov is also heard warning Luque that the clinical history of the Olivos Clinic indicated that the decision of home hospitalization had been made jointly between the doctors and the family.

“So, she suggested to me, and the truth is that I respect her position very much in this, that legally it suited us, which is actually true, to make a last evaluation saying that the family, let’s say, in the face of the different therapeutic options, is the one who, understanding and understanding the risks of the options, agree and opt for home hospitalization, because legally we are more covered,” Cosachov adds in the recording.

The question of who chose to have Maradona recover in a home instead of in a clinic is one of the keys to the trial for his death.

The information provided by the witnesses who have testified so far indicates that, while the former footballer was recovering in the clinic, a meeting was held between relatives, doctors from the clinic, from the prepaid medicine company Swiss Medical and Luque and Cosachov in which two alternatives were considered: continue with the treatment in a rehabilitation clinic or do it in a home under the modality of home hospitalization.

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Given Maradona’s pre-existing pathologies, the complaint states that the home hospitalization that was finally opted for was “a way to sentence him to death.”

Two of Maradona’s daughters, as well as their ex-partner Verónica Ojeda, declared in recent weeks that Luque was very clear in his recommendation that the former footballer recover in a house and flatly ruled out the option of admitting him – willfully or by force – to a clinic.

“We discussed the 3 options, it didn’t seem so bad because they promised us the same thing (in home hospitalization) as at the Olivos Clinic, and it never happened. They deceived us in the cruelest way,” said Dalma Maradona, one of the idol’s daughters, last Tuesday, who assured that the conditions of the house where their father was admitted did not fit what they had promised them.

On the housing conditions and the medical treatment that Maradona received there, two Swiss Medical workers told on Tuesday, who disconnected the prepaid medicine company from the failures in the care of the former footballer.

In addition to Luque, Cosachov, the doctor and coordinator of the Swiss Medical company, Nancy Forlini, the psychologist Carlos Díaz, the doctor Pedro Di Spagna, the coordinator of nurses Mariano Perroni and the nurse Ricardo Almirón are tried in this process.

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Nurse Gisela Madrid is also on trial but will face a jury trial, as requested.

In this process, judges Maximiliano Savarino, Verónica Di Tommaso and Julieta Makintach must determine whether seven of the eight defendants are guilty of the crime of simple homicide with eventual malice, which has a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison.

International

Mexico and Guatemala Agree on Five-Point Binational Plan for 2027

Mexico and Guatemala agreed Tuesday on a 2027 Binational Plan built around five areas of cooperation, along with a schedule of meetings and initiatives aimed at making progress by the end of 2026 on security, border infrastructure, human mobility, development and technical and social cooperation.

The agreement was announced by the foreign ministers of both countries following a meeting in Mexico City.

Mexican Foreign Minister Roberto Velasco said the plan will establish the “direction and priorities” of bilateral relations for next year. His Guatemalan counterpart, Carlos Ramiro Martínez, said the meeting allowed both governments to make decisions, schedule activities and revitalize bilateral cooperation mechanisms.

Security and border infrastructure

In the area of security, the two governments have nearly completed negotiations on a new memorandum of understanding for the Mexico-Guatemala High-Level Security Group (Ganseg), which was reactivated in 2025.

The countries expect to sign the agreement in the coming months to strengthen coordination and their ability to respond to shared security threats.

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Regarding their nearly 1,000-kilometer shared border, Mexico and Guatemala agreed to advance infrastructure improvements at border crossings and continue work on a joint cargo clearance program between Ciudad Hidalgo and Tecún Umán, two border areas separated by the Suchiate River.

The measures are intended to facilitate bilateral trade while making cross-border exchanges safer and more efficient.

The two governments will also continue defining a route toward a railway connection between their countries through Line K of Mexico’s Interoceanic Corridor of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec (CIIT), with the aim of strengthening economic and community ties.

Migration and development

On human mobility, Mexico and Guatemala will maintain coordination to ensure safe, orderly and dignified returns, while strengthening protection for people in transit.

The bilateral agenda also includes a second phase of the Sembrando Vida program in Guatemala, which is expected to benefit 10,000 people across 15 departments.

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Both countries will also advance initiatives under Juntos para el Bienestar, as well as six technical, scientific and energy cooperation projects approved by the Joint Commission.

The agreements seek to strengthen bilateral ties and establish concrete priorities for cooperation between Mexico and Guatemala during 2027.

International

France to Expel Two Iranian Diplomats Over Alleged Attack on French Officials

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot announced Tuesday, August 18, 2026, that France will expel two Iranian diplomats in response to what Paris described as an attack on two French representatives in Iran last month.

“Two French diplomats were scandalously and deliberately assaulted on July 19. I had announced that this intolerable act would have consequences. It has now happened. Two Iranian diplomats in France will be expelled in the coming days,” Barrot said in a message posted on X.

The two Iranian diplomats have been declared persona non grata and will be required to leave France within the coming days, according to the French foreign minister.

About a month ago, Barrot said that two members of the French diplomatic staff had been detained by Iranian security forces for several hours. One of them was also subjected to harassment, he said.

The French government described the incident as an “extremely serious act of intimidation” that violated diplomatic immunity.

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The two French embassy staff members were working on programs supporting Iranian civil society, particularly initiatives involving artists and researchers.

Iran has denied France’s allegations regarding the incident. The diplomatic dispute comes amid already strained relations between Paris and Tehran.

International

Heat wave puts more than 70 million Americans under alerts as temperatures near 46°C

36 deaths reported due to heat wave in Nuevo Leon, Mexico

More than 70 million people remained under heat alerts Monday as an intense heat wave continued across the southern United States, particularly Florida and states along the Mexican border, where temperatures and heat indexes could reach as high as 46 degrees Celsius, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).

Several cities recorded or tied temperature records over the weekend and into Monday, including Miami and Fort Lauderdale in Florida; Laredo, Borger and Austin’s airport in Texas; Atlanta, Georgia; Raleigh and Charlotte, North Carolina; and Memphis, Tennessee.

The NWS warned that the heat wave will continue affecting the southern and southeastern United States, with maximum temperatures expected to remain near 38°C to 40°C for several days. The heat index, which combines temperature and humidity to estimate how hot conditions feel, could reach 46°C.

The extreme heat is also spreading into the Southwest, where temperatures began rising again between Monday and Tuesday. Forecast highs in the region range from about 38°C to 43°C.

Heat alerts remain in effect across Nevada, Arizona and California, including areas in southern Arizona and California near the Mexican border, as authorities warn of the risks posed by prolonged extreme temperatures.

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The NWS urged residents to limit outdoor activity, stay hydrated, ensure access to air conditioning or cooling centers, and check on vulnerable friends, neighbors and family members.

The United States is experiencing a summer marked by above-average temperatures and repeated heat waves. One of the most intense episodes occurred during the July 4 weekend, when extreme heat was blamed for roughly 30 deaths.

July was the hottest month ever recorded in the United States since measurements began, with the average temperature across the contiguous country approaching 25°C, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

The combination of extreme heat and drought conditions has also fueled wildfires. Nearly 3 million hectares have burned across the country so far in 2026, making it the largest area affected by wildfires in a decade.