International
Chile seeks to resolve conflict between the State and the Mapuche people
June 21 |
The Chilean President, Gabriel Boric, presented today the Commission for Peace and Understanding that seeks to solve the historic conflict between the State and the Mapuche people, especially the demand for land.
“I have the hope, the conviction, that through broad social dialogue the foundations will be laid for a lasting and sustainable solution to a long-standing conflict,” said the president.
The eight-member commission is made up of representatives of the indigenous community, business, politics and academia.
Its objective is to give an adequate response to a problem that has been trapped for too many years and which is associated with the demand for land, said the president.
Another purpose is for the State to take charge of the lack of development, poverty, violence and insecurity and the reparation of victims in the so-called southern macro-zone.
The President admitted that Biobío and La Araucanía are currently among the poorest regions in the country, despite their enormous cultural, natural and economic wealth.
Although the Mapuche have been victims of dispossession since the Spanish conquest, the most recent conflict began in 1850, when the State and the oligarchy invaded their lands south of the Biobío, reduced their properties and gave them the Titles of Merced.
However, in the following years the occupation continued and in the 20th century many of these lands were given to European settlers, especially Germans, Swiss and Austrians, and also to Chileans.
Questioned by Prensa Latina about this new commission, Congresswoman Ericka Ñanco said she hoped that the cadastres could be taken and the lands restituted to the communities, which would create the foundations for a new way of dealing between two peoples.
Meanwhile, the secretary general of the Communist Party of Chile, Lautaro Carmona, valued all efforts aimed at the return of ancestral territories and recalled that the cosmovision of the native peoples is directly related to the Pachamama, where their culture and economy are rooted.
International
Trump to build $200M ballroom at the White House by 2028
The U.S. government under President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that it will begin construction in September on a new 8,000-square-meter ballroom at the White House.
The announcement was made by Karoline Leavitt, the administration’s press secretary, during a briefing in which she explained that the expansion responds to the need for a larger venue to host “major events.”
“Other presidents have long wished for a space capable of accommodating large gatherings within the White House complex… President Trump has committed to solving this issue,” Leavitt told reporters.
The project is estimated to cost $200 million, fully funded through donations from Trump himself and other “patriots,” according to a government statement. Construction is scheduled to begin in September and is expected to be completed before Trump’s term ends in 2028.
The Clark Construction Group, a Virginia-based company known for projects such as the Capital One Arena and L’Enfant Plaza in Washington, D.C., has been selected to lead the project.
The new ballroom will be built on the East Wing of the White House, expanding the iconic residence with a space designed for state dinners, official ceremonies, and large-scale events.
International
Three salvadorans in Florida sentenced in $146 million construction tax fraud scheme
Three Salvadoran residents living in Orlando, Florida, were sentenced for conspiracy to commit tax fraud and wire fraud involving a scheme exceeding $146 million in the construction industry, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida. The sentence was handed down by federal judge Timothy J. Corrigan on Tuesday, July 29.
Eduardo Aníbal Escobar (45) was sentenced to 4 years and 9 months in prison, Carlos Alberto Rodríguez (36) to 3 years and 4 months, and Adelmy Tejada (57) to 18 months in prison, followed by 6 months of house arrest. All three pled guilty on April 3, 2025.
In addition to the prison terms, the court ordered restitution payments totaling $36,957,616 to the IRS for unpaid payroll taxes, and $397,895 to two insurers for workers’ compensation claims related to the scheme.
Escobar and Rodríguez are permanent legal residents originally from El Salvador, while Tejada is a naturalized U.S. citizen of Salvadoran origin.
International
Kremlin hails preparedness after Kamchatka quakes leave no casualties
The Kremlin expressed relief that the earthquakes that struck Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula today —the first being the strongest since 1952— resulted in no casualties, and emphasized that the region is well prepared to face such natural disasters.
“Thank God, there were no victims,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov during his daily press briefing.
The presidential representative stated that “all alert systems were activated in time, and evacuations were organized for residents in areas requiring it in response to tsunami threats.”
“Overall, the seismic resilience of the buildings proved effective (…) Therefore, we can say that the technological preparedness demonstrated a high level,” Peskov added.
Honduras sees ongoing killings of land defenders and attacks on press, warns NGO
Trump to build $200M ballroom at the White House by 2028
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Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
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