International
Mexican opposition bloc asks to “abstain” from declaring a winner before the official count
The campaign coordinator of the opposition Xóchitl Gálvez and member of the National Action Party (PAN), Santiago Creel, asked the media to “refrain” from declaring a winner of the Mexican elections before the official count of the National Electoral Institute (INE).
“The parties that make up the Force and Heart for Mexico coalition make an attentive and respectful appeal to the mass media to refrain from being the winner of this contest,” Creel demanded at a press conference.
In a hotel in the Mexican capital, the center of operations of Gálvez’s candidacy, he asked to wait for the INE to offer the quick count around 10:30 p.m. local time (04:30 GMT).
Even so, he stressed that in the internal data of the alliance between the PAN, the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) and the Democratic Revolution (PRD), his “winning trend” is observed in “several” of the states that renew their state government, such as Guanajuato (center) or Mexico City.
“In our measurements, we have numbers that confirm that our candidate and candidates are victorious,” said the president of the PAN, Marko Cortés, who reiterated his request for prudence to the media that have published projections that predict the triumph of the ruling candidate, Claudia Sheinbaum.
In addition, he stressed the perception that the citizen participation provided by his information registers “high percentages”, something that “is not weighing” either.
On the other hand, the leader of the PRD, Jesús Zambrano, again asked the “representatives of booths (voting centers) throughout the country” to stay in their positions, because “the most difficult hours are coming” of the day.
“Anything can happen to distort the electoral result, to disappear minutes or even to supplant electoral packages,” he warned.
The PRI president, Alejandro Moreno, who emphasized the alleged opposition victory in six of the nine states at stake in this contest, maintained a “respectful, but firm” tone before the journalists gathered in the room.
“We are less than two hours away from the counts and the clear information announced by the electoral referee. (…) In the measurements of the counts we have we are consolidated,” he said.
Earlier, the opposition presidential candidate Xóchitl Gálvez said this Sunday that she “has already won,” but asked to “count until the last vote” of the elections, because she is “competing against authoritarianism and power and they are capable of everything.”
“I had told them for months that we were going to win these elections despite all the trap, all the lies, despite all the abuse of power and their millions of deviated pesos,” said the candidate of the Fuerza y Corazón coalition for Mexico in the Mexican capital.
Gálvez said she was the winner “for the very high citizen participation, of more than 80% of many boxes (voting centers), for the energy and enthusiasm of the people,” after the closure of the voting centers at 18:00 local time (00:00 GMT), although the National Electoral Institute (INE) still does not offer official results.
International
Trump: U.S. has hit three venezuelan narco boats in Caribbean
U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday that American forces have struck three suspected Venezuelan drug-trafficking vessels in the Caribbean so far, not two as previously reported.
“We took down boats. It was actually three boats, not two, but you only saw two,” Trump told reporters at the White House before departing for a state visit to the United Kingdom.
The president was asked about remarks by Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, who accused Washington of plotting to invade his country.
“Stop sending members of the Tren de Aragua to the United States. Stop sending drugs to the United States,” Trump responded.
The Republican leader mentioned this third vessel a day after announcing that U.S. forces had struck a speedboat in which, according to him, three “terrorists” were killed. Later, from the Oval Office, he claimed the boat had been carrying cocaine and fentanyl.
The attacks come amid escalating tensions between Washington and Caracas, as the U.S. military maintains a Caribbean deployment under the banner of counter-narcotics operations.
The Trump administration accuses Maduro of heading the so-called Cartel of the Suns, which the Venezuelan government denies. Washington has also offered a $50 million reward for information leading to Maduro’s capture.
On Monday, Maduro said communications with the U.S. were “broken” in the face of what he called an “aggression” and declared that Venezuela is now “better prepared” in case of an “armed struggle.”
International
Ecuador’s Noboa declares State of Emergency in seven provinces amid fuel price protests
Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa declared a state of emergency on Tuesday in seven provinces due to what he described as “serious internal unrest,” as road blockades and demonstrations erupted in response to the elimination of the diesel subsidy and growing concerns over insecurity.
The 60-day measure applies to the provinces of Carchi, Imbabura, Pichincha, Azuay, Bolívar, Cotopaxi, and Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas.
Since Monday, partial protests have been reported in Pichincha, Carchi, Azuay, and Imbabura. On Tuesday, road blockades extended to northern Pichincha and routes in Carchi, near the Colombian border. In response, the Executive headquarters was temporarily relocated to Cotopaxi and the Vice Presidency to Imbabura.
The presidential decree states that the measure comes amid “strikes that have disrupted public order and provoked acts of violence, endangering the safety of citizens and their rights to free movement, work, and economic activity.”
According to the decree, the goal is to “prevent the radicalization of disruptive actions” in the affected provinces and to limit the impact on the population. It further emphasizes that the situation requires an “exceptional intervention by state institutions to safeguard security, guarantee citizens’ rights, maintain public order, and preserve social peace.”
Social organizations and labor groups, including the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (Conaie), have strongly rejected the diesel price increase following the subsidy’s elimination.
The decree justifies the two-month duration as necessary “to ensure a strengthened state presence in the affected territories, restore order, and prevent further acts of violence against people, public, and private property.”
International
Colombia’s special peace tribunal hands down first sentence against former FARC leaders
Seven former rebel leaders, including their last known commander Rodrigo Londoño, alias “Timochenko,” have been handed the maximum penalty established in the 2016 peace agreement.
Under the ruling, they will face mobility restrictions and be required to carry out activities aimed at restoring the dignity of victims, such as helping locate missing persons and participating in landmine clearance in territories where they once operated. These alternative sentences to prison were part of the historic deal signed in 2016 between the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) —once the most powerful guerrilla group in Latin America— and then-President Juan Manuel Santos, Nobel Peace Prize laureate.
The Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP) found the ex-commanders guilty of being responsible for the kidnapping of 21,396 people before laying down their arms and transitioning into a political party. “Investigations showed that kidnapping became a systematic practice. These crimes not only broke the law but also left open wounds that persist in families, communities, and the daily life of the country,” a magistrate told reporters in Bogotá, in the absence of the former commanders, who had accepted responsibility for their crimes back in 2022.
It took the tribunal more than seven years to deliver its first ruling, amid criticism from opponents of the peace deal who argue it is too lenient on the rebels. The former commanders still face charges for other crimes against humanity, including the recruitment of minors.
During their decades-long conflict, the FARC held hostage soldiers, police officers, businesspeople, and political leaders, including French-Colombian Ingrid Betancourt. Images of emaciated captives chained in jungle camps shocked the world and became symbols of the conflict.
Trump: U.S. has hit three venezuelan narco boats in Caribbean
Ecuador’s Noboa declares State of Emergency in seven provinces amid fuel price protests
Trump files $15 billion defamation suit against The New York Times
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
Extension of the state of emergency approved in southern Chile
-
International4 days agoJair Bolsonaro sentenced for leading armed criminal plot after 2022 election loss
-
International4 days agoAuthorities capture CJNG financial chief in international airport operation
-
International1 day ago20th Festival Salvadoreñísimo brings together thousands of salvadorans in Houston
-
International3 days ago22-Year-Old Suspect Arrested After 33-Hour Manhunt in Small Western U.S. Town
-
International1 day agoEl Salvador unveils 2025-2029 National Reintegration Plan for returned migrants
-
International5 hours agoEcuador’s Noboa declares State of Emergency in seven provinces amid fuel price protests
-
Sin categoría5 hours agoTrump files $15 billion defamation suit against The New York Times
-
International5 hours agoTrump: U.S. has hit three venezuelan narco boats in Caribbean
-
International6 hours agoColombia’s special peace tribunal hands down first sentence against former FARC leaders