International

Guatemala: Protest against attempt to reverse election results

Photo: EFE

November 22 |

Guatemalans demonstrated this Tuesday in caravans of vehicles that departed from the west of the country and reached the center of Guatemala City (capital), to protest against the coup attempts to reverse the results of the past presidential elections.

“We, as ancestral authorities, have come to claim the collective right and the individual right of our peoples (…) We are here, but not to defend a political party or the elected presidential binomial. We are here to defend the democracy of our country”, said one of the leaders of the indigenous organizations in front of the crowd gathered in the Historic Center.

On November 16, the Public Prosecutor’s Office (MP) requested the withdrawal of the immunity of president-elect Bernardo Arévalo and his vice-president, Karin Herrera. According to the MP, both are accused of committing crimes against national patrimony. Since then, protests were called by indigenous organizations and the transport union.

In spite of the fact that the police had been notified in advance of the call for protests, they detained at a checkpoint of the National Civil Police several people, mainly cab drivers, who were on their way to the protests in their vehicles.

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A few days ago, the Secretary General of the United Nations (UN), Antonio Guterres, said he was “alarmed” by the most recent actions of the Guatemalan Attorney General’s Office and called on the current authorities “to guarantee that the democratic will expressed at the ballot box is respected”.

The president-elect has warned that the country’s attorney general, Consuelo Porras, is trying to carry out a “coup d’état” against him. The objective is that the candidate will not be sworn in on January 14, the day of the inauguration.

International

Florida judge sets 2027 trial in Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit against BBC

A federal judge in Florida has scheduled February 2027 for the trial in the lawsuit filed by U.S. President Donald Trump against the BBC, in which he is seeking $10 billion in damages for defamation.

Trump accuses the British broadcaster of airing a misleading edit of a speech he delivered on January 6, 2021, which, he says, made it appear that he explicitly urged his supporters to attack the U.S. Capitol in Washington.

The president filed the suit in December in federal court in Florida, alleging defamation and violations of a law governing business practices when the program was broadcast ahead of the 2024 election.

Trump is seeking $5 billion in damages for each of the two claims.

Lawyers for the BBC unsuccessfully asked the court to dismiss the case, arguing that Trump had not suffered a “legally recognizable harm,” since the investigative program Panorama, which included the edited footage, aired outside the United States.

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International

Head-of-state diplomacy key to guiding China–U.S. ties, Beijing says

Head-of-state diplomacy plays an irreplaceable strategic guiding role in China–United States relations, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on Thursday during a regular press briefing, when asked about high-level exchanges between the two sides.

Lin added that in a recent phone call, U.S. President Donald Trump once again expressed his intention to visit China in April, while Chinese President Xi Jinping reiterated his invitation.

Both sides remain in communication regarding the matter, the spokesperson said.

Lin noted that the essence of China–U.S. economic and trade ties lies in mutual benefit and win-win outcomes.

“Both parties should work together to implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, injecting greater certainty and stability into China–U.S. economic and trade cooperation, as well as into the global economy,” he said.

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International

Trump administration to end special immigration operation in Minnesota

The administration of Donald Trump is bringing to a close its special operation targeting illegal immigration in the northern state of Minnesota, border czar Tom Homan announced Thursday, following weeks of unrest and the fatal shootings of two activists by federal agents.

Thousands of federal officers had been deployed to Minnesota in December to carry out large-scale raids against undocumented immigrants.

The operations triggered strong reactions from residents and advocacy groups, leading to daily confrontations and the deaths of two people who were shot by federal agents.

“I proposed, and President Trump agreed, that this special operation should end in Minnesota,” Homan said during a press conference in the state capital, Minneapolis.

“A significant drawdown began this week and will continue into next week,” he added.

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Homan indicated that similar enforcement efforts could be launched in other cities.

“Next week we will redeploy the agents currently here back to their home stations or to other parts of the country where they are needed. But we will continue to enforce immigration laws,” he said.