International
The trial against Daniel Sancho in Thailand concludes and the reading of the sentence is set for August 29
The trial against the Spaniard Daniel Sancho, accused of the premeditated murder of Colombian surgeon Edwin Arrieta, concluded this Thursday in Thailand with a plea from the accused after a trial of about a month.
The last hearing of the trial against Sancho concluded this Thursday around 11:00 local time (04.00 GMT) in the Provincial Court of Samui (southern Thailand), a day before the date initially scheduled for the end of the process, which has been held behind closed doors since last April 9.
Although initially the magistrate gave a month for the parties to present final arguments in writing from now on, the defense asked to extend that period to two months because they have to translate it, which the magistrate authorized and delayed the reading of the sentence.
During today’s hearing, Sancho made a final plea of about 45 minutes, which he had requested himself.
The last session of the trial is held after Sancho finished the eve of testifying, especially in Spanish but also in English, with difficulties in translating into Thai, and after answering in two consecutive hearings to the questions of the defense and the Prosecutor’s Office.
The trial, which has been held in the midst of enormous media attention and which has had a total of twelve sessions and about 35 witnesses, with only a dozen on behalf of the defense, was attended by Sancho’s father, actor Rodolfo Sancho, and the accused’s mother, investment analyst Silvia Bronchalo.
Likewise, representatives of the Embassy of Spain in Thailand have attended the hearings, a usual protocol since it is a compatriot accused of a crime that can be punished with up to the death penalty, although the Asian country barely applies it.
The Spaniard is also accused of the concealment of the body, for the dismemberment of Arrieta, whose remains were scattered in several places on the island, including the sea, and of the destruction of other people’s documentation, by the Colombian’s passport.
Sancho pleaded not guilty to the premeditated murder, the crime that carries the maximum penalty, and the destruction of other people’s documentation during the first day of the trial, when he only accepted the charge of concealment of the body.
The defense has alleged that Sancho, who has played a very active role in the trial, acted in self-defense after an attempted rape by Arrieta and that the death of the Colombian surgeon in the Spaniard’s villa in Phangan was due to an accident during a fight.
Sancho has been in pre-trial detention since August 7 in the Samui prison, from which he has traveled in a police van to attend the trial and in which he will be re-hospitalized this Thursday.
Spanish actor Rodolfo Sancho assured this Thursday that “it is an absolute lie” that he has not conveyed his condolences to the family of Colombian surgeon Edwin Arrieta, for whose alleged premeditated murder his son Daniel Sancho has been tried in Thailand.
“I just want to comment on one thing, that I don’t know why there are people who are saying that I am inhuman, that I have never said that I felt anything for the family (from Arrieta), that I have not presented my condolences,” Rodolfo Sancho said today at the exit of the Provincial Court of Samui (southern Thailand), where the trial against his son concluded this Thursday.
“It’s an absolute lie,” the actor stressed, who added: “The first thing I did when all this jumped was indeed that, and people who know it, know it, and those who don’t, have not informed themselves well.”
International
El Chapo’s son Joaquín Guzmán López pleads guilty to U.S. drug trafficking charges
Joaquín Guzmán López, one of the sons of notorious Mexican drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, pleaded guilty on Monday to drug trafficking charges in a U.S. court, months after his brother Ovidio reached a similar plea agreement, according to local media reports.
The defendant appeared before a federal court in Chicago early Monday afternoon and changed his previous plea in the case, the Chicago Tribune reported. U.S. authorities accuse him of forming, together with his three brothers, the cartel faction known as “Los Chapitos.”
The group is believed to have continued the operations of El Chapo, who has been serving a life sentence in the United States since 2019.
Guzmán López, 39, was arrested after landing in Texas in a small aircraft alongside cartel co-founder Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada.
International
Venezuela authorizes return flights as U.S. continues deportations amid rising tensions
The arrival of U.S. aircraft carrying undocumented Venezuelan migrants continued regularly despite rising tensions between Washington and Caracas over President Donald Trump’s military deployment in the Caribbean.
Trump maintains that the deployment is part of an anti-narcotics operation, while Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro insists the true objective is to remove him from power and seize the nation’s oil resources.
Venezuela’s aviation authority has “received a request from the United States government to resume repatriation flights for Venezuelan migrants from that country to Venezuela,” the Ministry of Transportation said in a statement .
“Under the instructions of President Nicolás Maduro, authorization has been granted for these aircraft to enter our airspace,” it added.
Caracas will permit two Eastern Airlines flights to land on Wednesday and Friday.
Migration remains one of the Trump administration’s flagship issues. On Monday, the U.S. president held a meeting with his National Security Council to discuss the situation in Venezuela, a day after confirming he had spoken with Maduro by phone, without offering further details.
According to the Venezuelan government, roughly 75 deportation flights have been carried out this year, returning at least 13,956 Venezuelans from the United States.
International
20,000 rounds stolen from german army after driver leaves cargo unattended
The German army confirmed the theft of a shipment of ammunition that occurred a week ago while it was being transported by a civilian delivery driver, a military spokesperson told AFP, confirming earlier media reports.
According to Der Spiegel and the regional broadcaster MDR, around 20,000 rounds of ammunition were stolen from an unguarded parking lot near Magdeburg, in eastern Germany, while the driver was asleep in a nearby hotel. No information has been released regarding the identity of the suspects, and the military declined to specify the exact type or amount of ammunition taken.
Authorities have also not indicated how the perpetrators knew the cargo would be left unattended.
“The theft was discovered upon delivery at the barracks,” the German army spokesperson said.
A police spokeswoman confirmed to AFP that an investigation has been opened but refused to provide further details “for tactical reasons.”
Sources close to the German military, cited by Der Spiegel, believe it is unlikely the theft was a coincidence. They suspect the thieves waited for the driver to stop for the night before striking.
Der Spiegel also reported that the Defense Ministry normally requires two drivers for this type of transport to ensure the cargo is constantly monitored. However, in this case only one driver was assigned, meaning the civilian transport company failed to comply with the security protocols.
El Chapo’s son Joaquín Guzmán López pleads guilty to U.S. drug trafficking charges
Venezuela authorizes return flights as U.S. continues deportations amid rising tensions
20,000 rounds stolen from german army after driver leaves cargo unattended
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
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