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Ecuador seeks Mexican Embassy entry in Quito to arrest glas, amidst asylum request

The Ecuadorian government has requested permission from Mexico to enter its embassy in Quito and arrest Jorge Glas, who served as vice president during Rafael Correa’s presidential term (2007-2017) and has been residing in the diplomatic mission since December awaiting a response to his asylum request.

Ecuador’s government has asked Mexico to allow the apprehension of Glas within its embassy in Quito because granting him asylum would “render void all commitments acquired in international instruments such as the United Nations Convention against Corruption,” as confirmed by sources from the Foreign Ministry to EFE.

In the document, Ecuador’s Foreign Ministry asks Mexican Ambassador Raquel Serur for consent “for law enforcement (police), under the authority of the Ministry of the Interior, to enter the premises of the diplomatic mission and carry out the arrest of Mr. Jorge David Glas Espinen, as ordered by the National Court of Justice of Ecuador.”

Before making this request, Ecuador’s Foreign Minister Gabriela Sommerfeld had previously stated that if Mexico granted asylum, President Daniel Noboa’s government would not provide Glas with safe passage to leave the country without detention.

Glas, who was released at the end of 2022 after serving five years in prison for two convictions of bribery and illicit association, faces charges of embezzlement in the “Reconstruction” case in the coastal province of Manabí following the 2016 earthquake.

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Arrival at the Mexican Embassy

In mid-December 2023, Glas, who considers himself innocent and a victim of ‘lawfare,’ arrived at the Mexican Embassy in Quito, before a detention order was issued against him.

In early January, a judge ordered his provisional detention for the Manabí reconstruction case.

The investigation by the Prosecutor’s Office revealed alleged misuse of public funds benefiting third parties, individuals, and legal entities who were contractors and supervisors of the contracts signed.

Glas spent five years and four months in prison after being sentenced to eight years for bribery in the “Bribery” case and six years for illicit association related to the Odebrecht bribery scandal.

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Glas’s Background

The former vice president, who served during part of Correa’s term and the early months of Lenín Moreno’s presidency (2017-2021), has stated that he will seek to overturn his case after Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court annulled evidence from Odebrecht’s computer system.

Glas’s asylum request echoes the case of former Correa-era minister María de los Ángeles Duarte, also convicted in the “Bribery” case, who resided with her underage son in the residence of the Argentine ambassador for nearly two and a half years while awaiting a resolution to her asylum request from the Argentine government.

At the end of 2022, Argentina’s government under President Alberto Fernández granted her asylum, but Ecuador’s conservative government under President Guillermo Lasso denied her safe passage, leading the former minister to leave Ecuador unnoticed until reaching Venezuela.

This sparked a diplomatic standoff between Argentina and Ecuador, resulting in reciprocal expulsions of ambassadors and a delay of up to four months in appointing new mission heads.

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International

Florida officials warn against raw milk after dozens sickened

Unprocessed milk from a farm in Florida has sickened at least 21 people, prompting state authorities to issue a public health alert, U.S. media reported Monday.

The 21 cases include six children under the age of 10, all diagnosed with infections caused by E. coli and Campylobacterbacteria linked to raw milk from the farm in the southeastern U.S. state. Local authorities have also warned about the dangers of drinking unpasteurized milk.

Seven people have been hospitalized, two of whom have suffered complications, according to multiple reports.

The Florida Department of Health has urged the public to avoid raw milk consumption and blamed the outbreak on the farm involved—without naming it directly—citing poor sanitary practices.

Florida law prohibits the sale of unprocessed milk for human consumption, although it can be sold if labeled for pets. Pasteurization, which involves heating milk to kill harmful bacteria, is required under U.S. federal regulations for any dairy products sold across states.

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Despite these regulations, sales of raw milk have been increasing in recent years, fueled by online promotion from wellness influencers and advocates of unprocessed foods.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warn that raw milk can contain potentially deadly bacteria such as E. coli, Campylobacter, Listeria, or Salmonella, which can cause symptoms ranging from diarrhea, vomiting, and indigestion to severe complications like kidney failure.

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International

Massive wildfire in Southern France kills one, injures nine

Hundreds of firefighters battled on Wednesday to contain a massive wildfire in southern France that has left one person dead and nine others injured.

The blaze, which broke out Tuesday in the Aude department, is the largest recorded in France during the current summer season. Authorities have deployed 1,800 firefighters in an effort to bring it under control.

An elderly woman died in her home in the town of Saint-Laurent-de-la-Cabrerisse, while two others were injured—one in serious condition due to burns—according to the local prefecture. Seven firefighters suffered smoke inhalation injuries, and one person remains missing. The wildfire has already scorched an estimated 12,000 hectares of land.

“The fire is spreading very quickly due to unfavorable weather conditions. This is one of the driest areas of the department, and strong winds are fueling the flames,” said Lucie Roesch, secretary general of the Aude prefecture. Rémi Recio, subprefect for the city of Narbonne, added, “The fire is still spreading and is far from being contained or under control.”

The A9 motorway, which runs along the Mediterranean coast between France and Spain, has been closed in both directions between Narbonne and Perpignan, along with numerous secondary roads.

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In Saint-Laurent-de-la-Cabrerisse, the smell of smoke lingers over the charred hectares. A helicopter was seen drawing water from the river below the village and dropping it several kilometers away, AFP reporters observed.

A campsite and at least one village were partially evacuated, with 25 houses and around 35 vehicles damaged, according to a preliminary assessment.

French Prime Minister François Bayrou announced he will visit the affected area on Wednesday.

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International

Japan marks 80 years since Hiroshima bombing with call for nuclear disarmament

Japan observed a minute of silence on Wednesday to mark the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, a solemn reminder to the world of the horror it unleashed, amid heightened tensions between nuclear powers the United States and Russia.

At exactly 8:15 a.m. local time (23:15 GMT), the moment when the U.S. bomber Enola Gay dropped the “Little Boy” atomic bomb on August 6, 1945, the city paused to remember.

The bombing claimed an estimated 140,000 lives, not only from the devastating blast and fireball but also from the deadly radiation that followed. Three days later, another bomb dropped on Nagasaki killed 74,000 more. Japan’s surrender on August 15 marked the end of World War II.

On a sweltering morning, hundreds of students, survivors, and officials dressed in black laid flowers at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial. The city’s mayor, Kazumi Matsui, warned of “an accelerating trend toward military buildup worldwide,” citing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the ongoing war in the Middle East.

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba stated that Japan has a mission “to take the lead toward a world without nuclear weapons.”

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Today, Hiroshima is a thriving metropolis of 1.2 million people, yet the skeletal remains of one building still stand at its center as a powerful reminder of the tragedy.

Wednesday’s ceremony was attended by representatives from around 120 countries and regions, including delegates from Taiwan and Palestine for the first time.

Among the attendees was 96-year-old Yoshie Yokoyama, who arrived in a wheelchair accompanied by her grandson. She told reporters that her parents and grandparents were victims of the bombing.

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