International
González Urrutia asks Maduro to stop “violence” and accept “what expressed” in the stest
The standard-bearer of Venezuela’s main opposition coalition, Edmundo González Urrutia, asked President Nicolás Maduro to stop the violence unleashed after the July 28 elections – whose official result gave the victory of the Chavista leader – and accept that he lost the elections, as assured by the anti-Chavista bloc and some international observers.
“I call on you on behalf of all Venezuelans to stop the violence and persecutions and immediately release all the compatriots arbitrarily detained,” said the diplomat, in a video he shared through X, alluding to the more than 2,400 arrests that have taken place in the context of the post-election protests.
“Enough of persecution and violence, enough of trying to sow terror, enough of disrespecting the will of Venezuelans for change. Accept what is expressed by our people and let’s all begin to get our country out of this crisis,” continued González Urrutia, who claims to have won the elections by a wide margin.
He reiterated that demanding compliance with the Constitution, “protesting peacefully to make the will of millions of Venezuelans respected,” having worked as an electoral witness on July 28 and reporting what happened that day “is not a crime.”
“Crime is not to accept the will of our people, crime is to disappear, persecute, imprison and unjustly condemn hundreds of innocent citizens, crime is to savagely repress peaceful protesters,” he stressed.
This pronouncement comes hours after the PUD denounced, on the same social network, that “repression and political persecution have reached inhuman and critical levels,” since “dozens of adolescents, hundreds of women and men have been kidnapped for expressing their will for change and a better future.”
According to the NGO Foro Penal, which leads the defense of those considered political prisoners in the country, so far there have been 1,303 verified arrests, produced in the post-election situation, which includes 170 women, 116 adolescents, 14 indigenous people and 16 people with some disability.
In the context of the protests, violent and vandalism events were recorded, resulting in 24 civilians killed – according to the NGO Provea – as well as two soldiers killed and about a hundred security agents injured.
The National Electoral Council (CNE), which claims to have suffered a cyber attack on voting day, has not yet published the disaggregated results that confirm Maduro’s victory, a silence that has been questioned by numerous countries and organizations, including the Carter Center, which participated as an observer in the elections.
International
Luigi Mangione Pleads Guilty to Killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson
Luigi Mangione admitted Friday to fatally shooting Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, the largest health insurance group in the United States, during an appearance before a federal judge.
The case shocked the U.S. business community and dates back to December 2024, when Mangione opened fire on Thompson, 50, on a Manhattan street. Prosecutors have described the attack as being motivated by Mangione’s opposition to the U.S. health insurance system.
“On the morning of December 4, I shot Mr. Thompson in Manhattan and he died,” Mangione said as he pleaded guilty to a federal stalking charge related to his pursuit of the executive.
Mangione, 28, is scheduled to be sentenced on December 18, and prosecutors have indicated that they will seek a life sentence.
In addition to the federal charges related to stalking Thompson, Mangione also faces a murder case brought by the state of New York.
Following his guilty plea in federal court, Mangione’s defense asked a state court to dismiss the state charges, arguing that prosecuting him again for the same conduct would violate protections against double jeopardy.
“We have just filed our motion in state court to explain why the charges should be dismissed under New York’s protections against double jeopardy,” Mangione’s attorney, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, said Friday.
Both the federal and state cases could result in a life sentence. Two other federal charges that initially carried the possibility of the death penalty were dismissed by a judge earlier this year.
International
ICE Plan to Equip Agents With Electric Shock Gloves Raises Abuse Concerns
Plans to equip U.S. immigration agents with gloves capable of delivering electric shocks are raising concerns over potential abuses by a law enforcement agency that critics accuse of using excessive force and providing inadequate training to its personnel.
The plan involves the potential purchase of electric-shock gloves for agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the agency primarily responsible for carrying out President Donald Trump’s campaign to deport millions of undocumented immigrants.
Democratic Representative Maxwell Frost criticized the proposal on X, arguing that the agency has already faced accusations of excessive force during immigration enforcement operations.
“As if assaulting and shooting people in the streets wasn’t enough,” Frost wrote. He also criticized the reported $20 million potential expenditure on the devices and called for greater restrictions on ICE.
The agency has faced growing scrutiny following a series of deadly shootings during immigration enforcement operations. Among the incidents were the deaths of two U.S. citizens in Minnesota in January who were participating in protests against the agency.
Critics have focused on the tactics used by ICE agents when detaining immigrants, as well as allegations that training standards for newly recruited personnel have been lowered.
According to a procurement plan first reported by the Associated Press, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees ICE, could spend between $10 million and $20 million on the devices.
The gloves are described by the agency as tools intended for “distraction and de-escalation,” rather than lethal weapons. The system, known as GLOVE, stands for “Generated Low-Output Voltage Emitter.”
The device is manufactured by Compliant Technologies, a Kentucky-based company that describes its products as advanced non-lethal tools designed to protect and assist law enforcement and other personnel.
The proposal comes amid an intensifying national debate over ICE’s enforcement methods and the use of force during the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.
International
Three U.S. Executions Set for Same Day as Trump Pushes to Expand Death Penalty
The death penalty has been abolished in 23 of the 50 U.S. states, while three others —California, Oregon and Pennsylvania— currently have moratoriums in place.
The United States is set to carry out three executions on the same day, a rare occurrence that has not happened since 2010, according to the nonprofit Death Penalty Information Center.
President Donald Trump has sought to expand the use of capital punishment for what he describes as “the most heinous crimes.” In April, the Department of Justice proposed expanding execution methods to include firing squads, lethal gas and electrocution.
Tennessee is scheduled to execute Anthony Darrell Dugard Hines, 66, on Thursday. He was sentenced to death for the 1985 murder of a woman, according to local media.
In Oklahoma, Carlos Cuesta-Rodríguez, 70, is scheduled to be executed for a 2003 murder.
Meanwhile, Alabama plans to execute Jeremy Williams, 42, who was sentenced to death for the rape and murder of a five-year-old girl.
The United States carried out 47 executions in 2025, the highest number since 2009, when 52 executions were recorded.
Florida conducted the largest number of executions last year, with 19, followed by Alabama, South Carolina and Texas, with five each.
Of the executions carried out in 2025, 39 were conducted by lethal injection. Three were carried out by firing squad and five through nitrogen hypoxia, a method that involves forcing nitrogen gas into a face mask, depriving the prisoner of oxygen.
The United Nations has condemned nitrogen gas as a cruel and inhumane method of capital punishment.
Luigi Mangione Pleads Guilty to Killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson
ICE Plan to Equip Agents With Electric Shock Gloves Raises Abuse Concerns
Three U.S. Executions Set for Same Day as Trump Pushes to Expand Death Penalty
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
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