International
Mexican government announces that mining conglomerate asks for dialogue
October 20 |
Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador applauded this Wednesday, during the usual morning press conference, that Grupo México is seeking a rapprochement with the Government to talk about the contamination of the Sonora River.
The Mexican federal government considers the mining conglomerate responsible for the environmental accident, and in recent days announced in the same space that they were taking criminal action against the company.
As a result of this, last Monday the Ministry of the Interior received a letter from Germán Larrea’s company “with the intention of establishing a dialogue to address several issues; one of them is to seek a solution to the problem of the contamination of the Sonora River”.
“If demagogy is put aside and the problem is addressed, I believe there is a way out. It is not a matter of cancelling concessions or anything like that, only that the company is not willing to do so. But on Monday, and I welcome this, they have already sought an approach”, said the President to the media present.
According to what was known, Grupo Mexico “is asking that a table be established for a dialogue and a review of the studies made by the Environmental Secretary and to be able to remedy this serious situation of contamination of the river”.
The response from the Government was that “there is the best disposition to carry out this meeting, dialogue, the time required and, of course, that the representatives of the affected people of the Sonora River will also be invited”.
But on this occasion it is not possible to “simulate what was done last time, when they just went along because it was a tragedy,” said López Obrador. The president also added that “we must attend to all those who are sick. Regardless of the result, whether the company does it or not, we have to take care of the people. Health is a right, we are going to do it, we are doing it”.
The incident occurred nine years ago when the company spilled 40,000 cubic meters of acidified copper sulfate into the Tinajas stream, directly impacting the Sonora and Bacanuchi rivers.
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.
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