International

Mexico says top US diplomat to visit for security talks

AFP

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit Mexico next week to discuss a new strategy to combat drugs and organized crime, Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said Wednesday.

The top US diplomat is expected in Mexico City on October 8, accompanied by Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, Ebrard told reporters.

At the top of the agenda is a memorandum of understanding “on what the priorities are, the security approach on which we can agree,” he said.

“Our priority is to reduce violence, homicides, all forms of violence that we have in Mexico,” he said.

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President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has urged the United States to end a security assistance program called the Merida Initiative and instead invest in economic development in Mexico and Central America.

“The Merida Initiative is over. Now we’re entering another stage,” Ebrard said, adding that the plan had only left “an increase in (drug) consumption, an increase in violence and an increase in arms trafficking.”

Launched in 2008, the Merida Initiative aimed to combat drug trafficking with US military equipment, technical support and training for security forces in Mexico and Central America, which received more than $3 billion in aid under the plan.

Ebrard said that the migration crisis that has seen tens of thousands of undocumented foreigners, mostly Haitians, arrive in Mexico in recent weeks heading for the United States was not expected to be discussed as it was a separate issue.

The situation facing the migrants on the border has provoked a major backlash for US President Joe Biden’s administration, which repatriated around 2,000 Haitians on expulsion flights.

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International

Maradona’s daughter accuses medical team of “horrible manipulation” in court

One of the daughters of Diego Maradona testified in court this Tuesday, breaking down in tears as she denounced what she described as “absolute and horrible manipulation” by her father’s medical team, during an emotional hearing in Argentina.

Gianinna Maradona stated that she and her siblings agreed to home hospitalization after doctors presented it as the best option following the neurosurgery Maradona underwent on November 3, 2020.

The football icon died on November 25 of that year, and the ongoing trial seeks to determine whether the conditions of his home care were appropriate.

According to Gianinna, what the family found at the residence where Maradona was recovering did not match what had been promised. She testified that there was no adequate medical equipment, constant monitoring, or even an ambulance available, despite assurances of continuous care.

“The manipulation was absolute and horrible,” she said during the hearing in San Isidro, near Buenos Aires.

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She accused members of the medical team, including neurosurgeon Leopoldo Luque, psychiatrist Agustina Cosachov, and psychologist Carlos Díaz, of misleading the family.

“I trusted these people, and all they did was manipulate us and leave my son without a grandfather,” she added.

Later in her testimony, recalling that six years have passed since her father’s death, she became emotional and said she struggled deeply with grief in the aftermath.

International

Trump extends Iran ceasefire after Pakistan mediation request

The president of the United States, Donald Trump, announced on Tuesday that he will extend the ceasefire with Iran, which was set to expire on Wednesday, following a request from Pakistan.

In a statement shared on Truth Social, Trump said the truce will remain in place until Iran presents a proposal and negotiations are concluded, regardless of the outcome.

“I will extend the ceasefire until their proposal is presented and negotiations are completed, whatever the result,” the U.S. leader stated.

Trump justified the decision by claiming that Iran’s government is “deeply divided” and noting that Pakistani authorities, acting as mediators, requested a pause in military action until Iranian leaders and representatives submit a unified proposal.

International

Venezuelan opposition demands election date and minimum wage increase

A group of opposition members from the Zulia Humana and former political prisoners on Tuesday demanded that authorities set a date for elections in Venezuela and increase the minimum wage, which has been frozen since 2022 and is currently worth just a few cents per month according to the Banco Central de Venezuela.

During a press conference in Maracaibo, Professor Eduardo Labrador stressed the urgency of establishing an electoral timeline. “We demand that a date be set for elections so Venezuelans can have free and transparent voting. It is essential to have that date now,” he said.

Economist Rodrigo Cabezas, who served under the late President Hugo Chávez, also called for an increase in the minimum wage, arguing that it is feasible through economic policy measures, although he did not specify an amount due to limited public data.

Cabezas warned that Venezuela experienced “galloping inflation” between March of last year and March 2026, a stage that precedes hyperinflation—a phenomenon the country has already faced. However, he clarified that Venezuela is not currently in hyperinflation, expressing hope that it will not return.