International
Death toll rises to five due to weather phenomena in Mexico
October 12 |
The death toll from the double whipping of cyclones Lidia and Max rose to five on Wednesday in Mexico after the death of two people was reported in Jalisco, a state in the western part of the country.
Among the damages caused by tropical storm Max in Mexico, it is reported the collapse of a part of the road to Acapulco, as well as more than 200 people affected by the meteorological phenomenon and several injured.
The passage of tropical storm Max along the Mexican Pacific coast caused on Monday the death of at least two people and injured another in Guerrero, in the south of the country, informed on Tuesday the Secretary of Integral Risk Management and Civil Protection of the state government.
On the other hand, a person died while crossing a river in the municipality of Pihuamo, according to the governor of Jalisco, Enrique Alfaro, on his social networks, while the Army reported the death of another person from a heart attack in Autlán after the evacuation of the regional hospital, which was flooded by the rains.
Meanwhile, a man died after a tree fell on his car during the storm near the Punta Mita tourist center, informed Miguel Ángel Navarro, governor of the state of Nayarit, to the north of Jalisco.
The national coordinator of Civil Protection, Laura Velázquez, informed that hurricane Lidia, which hit mainly Jalisco, Nayarit and Colima, and which on Tuesday was classified as category 4, decreased its intensity during the early hours of the morning, but heavy rains will continue in some entities.
Lidia was downgraded from hurricane to tropical storm and is moving over land to the north of Baja California Sur, informed the National Meteorological Service (SMN).
It maintains intense rains and strong winds over the Baja California Peninsula, Sonora, Sinaloa, Nayarit, Jalisco and Colima, in addition to high waves on the coast of these states.
Lidia and Max are the twelfth and thirteenth named cyclones of this season in the Pacific, where Adrian, Beatriz, Calvin, Dora, Eugene, Fernanda, Greg, Hilary, Irwin, Jova and Kenneth have also formed.
International
Suspect Armed With Shotgun and Knives Detained at White House Correspondents Dinner
U.S. authorities confirmed Saturday that the suspect who stormed into the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner while President Donald Trump was attending acted alone, adding that there is no ongoing threat to the public following the incident, which left one Secret Service agent injured.
Acting Metropolitan Police Department chief Jeff Carroll said during a press conference that the suspect was carrying “a shotgun, a handgun, and multiple knives” when he attempted to pass through a Secret Service security checkpoint inside the hotel lobby at approximately 8:36 p.m. local time.
“At this point, everything indicates that this was a lone actor, a lone gunman,” Carroll stated, adding that investigators have found no preliminary evidence suggesting the involvement of additional suspects.
During the exchange of gunfire inside the hotel corridors, the suspect was not struck by bullets but was subdued by law enforcement officers and later transported to a hospital for medical evaluation.
A member of the United States Secret Service Uniformed Division was shot during the incident, though the bullet was stopped by the officer’s ballistic vest, preventing serious injuries. The agent was taken to a hospital and is reportedly “in good spirits,” according to Carroll.
The shooting prompted the immediate evacuation of President Trump, Melania Trump, and several senior officials attending the event after multiple gunshots were heard outside the hotel’s main ballroom.
International
U.S. allows Venezuela to fund Maduro and Cilia Flores’ legal defense
Until now, the U.S. administration had blocked the Venezuelan government from covering the legal fees of Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, who is also jailed and facing drug trafficking charges, due to international sanctions imposed on Venezuela.
The couple’s legal team had relied on that argument in an attempt to have the indictment dismissed, claiming that preventing a defendant from accessing counsel of their choice violates rights guaranteed under the Sixth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
However, the U.S. Treasury Department will now allow “defense attorneys to receive payments from the Government of Venezuela under certain conditions,” New York prosecutor Jay Clayton wrote in a letter dated Friday to Judge Alvin Hellerstein, who is overseeing the case.
According to the letter, the funds must have become available after March 5, 2026, and cannot come from Venezuelan oil sales regulated in the United States.
Since Maduro’s removal from power in early January, former Vice President Delcy Rodríguez has served as Venezuela’s interim leader.
The United States effectively controls Venezuelan crude exports, with revenues deposited into special accounts supervised by Washington.
Court documents filed on Friday show that the defense acknowledged the sanctions exemption and, for now, withdrew its motion seeking dismissal of the charges.
International
U.S. Sanctions Network Linked to Fentanyl Trafficking Across India, Guatemala and Mexico
The United States Department of State announced sanctions on Thursday against 23 individuals and companies allegedly linked to an international fentanyl production and smuggling network operating in India, Guatemala and Mexico.
According to the State Department, the network supplied precursor chemicals to the Sinaloa Cartel, which the United States has designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization.
Washington declared fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid, a weapon of mass destruction last year due to its role in the ongoing overdose crisis in the United States.
“By targeting the entire supply chain — from chemical suppliers in Asia to logistical intermediaries in Central America and cartel-linked networks in Mexico — the Trump Administration is dismantling networks that destabilize governance across our hemisphere and threaten U.S. security,” the State Department said.
In a separate statement, the Office of Foreign Assets Control detailed sanctions against three Indian chemical and pharmaceutical companies: Sutaria, Agrat and SR Chemicals, along with a sales executive accused of supplying precursor chemicals to contacts in Guatemala and Mexico.
In Guatemala, authorities sanctioned J and C Import and Central Logística de Servicios, as well as intermediary Jaime Augusto Barrientos.
The OFAC also designated several intermediaries and import companies operating in the Mexican state of Sinaloa.
As part of the investigation, U.S. authorities identified Ramiro Baltazar Félix as a member of Los Mayos, a faction of the Sinaloa Cartel, and Alejandro Reynoso, accused of operating clandestine drug laboratories in Guadalajara.
Suspect Armed With Shotgun and Knives Detained at White House Correspondents Dinner
U.S. allows Venezuela to fund Maduro and Cilia Flores’ legal defense
U.S. Sanctions Network Linked to Fentanyl Trafficking Across India, Guatemala and Mexico
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
Defense Minister commends salvadoran soldier for Central American Cross Country victory
Extension of the state of emergency approved in southern Chile
-
International5 days agoIran refuses to reopen strait of Hormuz amid ongoing U.S. Naval blockade
-
Central America4 days agoGuatemala Court Voids List of Candidates for Top Prosecutor Position
-
International4 days agoPope Leo XIV Says Countries Have Border Rights but Migrants Deserve Respect
-
International2 days agoU.S. allows Venezuela to fund Maduro and Cilia Flores’ legal defense
-
International5 days agoAuthorities Say Teotihuacán Gunman Was Obsessed With Mass Shootings and Extremist Symbolism
-
International3 days agoU.S. Sanctions Network Linked to Fentanyl Trafficking Across India, Guatemala and Mexico
-
International1 day agoSuspect Armed With Shotgun and Knives Detained at White House Correspondents Dinner