International
The president of the ruling National Party of Uruguay resigns after the dissemination of chats
The president of the ruling National Party of Uruguay (PN), Pablo Iturralde, resigned from his position this Thursday after the dissemination of a series of conversations with former senator Gustavo Penadés, who remains in pretrial detention for allegations of child sexual abuse, for alleged benefits in the Prosecutor’s Office.
“By virtue of the disclosure of a private and personal conversation and in order not to compromise my colleagues or the institutional functioning of my party, I have made the decision to resign from my position as President of the Board of Directors of the National Party,” Iturralde wrote on his social network X account.
As published on Thursday by the local weekly Búsqueda, Iturralde celebrated with Penadés the appointment of prosecutor Alicia Ghione, whom he described as a “friend,” in the investigation for the allegations of child sexual abuse against the former senator after the accused complained about the appointment in the first instance of prosecutor Mariana Alfaro.
“(Alfaro) This is a great HDP. She was the one who asked for the raid on Azul for the subject of rape and is with the theme of Ocean. I threw him to kill him today and he shit himself. He understood the message. The one next is Ghione. If there is a logic, they would have to give it to it. Ghione is my friend,” Iturralde said in one of the published chats to which Penadés replied “hopefully.”
In another of the messages published by the weekly, the now former president of the PN informed Penadés about the appointment of Ghione in the case.
“They gave it to Alicia Ghione. He just called me. He asked me for your number. It is of total confidence. Great girl,” Iturralde said.
In that context, prosecutor Ghione said this Thursday in an interview with local radio Sarandí that she sleeps “in peace” and pointed against her colleagues in, in her opinion, a “enchastre campaign.”
“I would like colleagues to do law instead of dirty campaigns,” he said.
Finally, the pre-candidate and main favorite in the polls to represent the PN in the presidential elections of that country Álvaro Delgado valued on Thursday Iturralde’s decision to resign from the presidency of the party.
“Obviously today some private publications come to light (of) that we learned from the press and I found the decision of the chairman of the Board of Directors correct, prudent and courageous,” Delgado said.
International
Mexico Arrests CJNG Leader “El Jardinero” in Nayarit
Mexican authorities arrested Audias Flores, known as “El Jardinero,” on Monday during a naval operation in the western state of Nayarit, delivering another major blow to the Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG).
Flores was considered one of the top regional leaders within the cartel and had reportedly overseen criminal operations along Mexico’s Pacific coast. Security analysts viewed him as a potential successor to slain drug kingpin Nemesio Oseguera.
The arrest was carried out by Mexico’s Navy Special Forces in a planned operation, according to Security Minister Omar García Harfuch.
The United States Department of the Treasury had previously identified Flores as a “significant foreign narcotics trafficker,” while U.S. authorities offered a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to his capture and extradition.
A U.S. grand jury indicted Flores in 2021 on charges including conspiracy to distribute cocaine and heroin.
His capture comes months after the reported death of “El Mencho,” an operation that Mexican authorities considered a priority due to the cartel leader’s alleged involvement in a 2020 assassination attempt against García Harfuch.
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.
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