International
Mussolini’s granddaughter abandons Meloni for Forza Italia, “more moderate and centrist”
The granddaughter of the Italian dictator Benito Mussolini who until now played in the far-right Brothers of Italy (FdI) party, Rachele, has left the formation of the Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, to move to the conservative Forza Italia (FI), more in line with its “moderate and centrist sensitivity”.
The most voted councilor in the City Council of Rome with FdI considers that Meloni’s formation has too extremist positions particularly on civil rights and feels more comfortable in the party founded by Silvio Berlusconi and now led by the Vice President of the Executive and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Antonio Tajani, revealed this Thursday the newspaper ‘Repubblica’.
“I thank FdI for having believed in me and having supported me during two candidacies, affection and esteem remain, but for me the time has come to turn the page and join a party that I feel closer to my moderate and centrist sensitivity,” Mussolini said succinctly to the Ansa agency after his decision was known.
The granddaughter of the ‘Duce’, twice elected councilor in the municipal elections in Rome, in the last as the most voted, maintains differences with the ultras of Meloni, as happened last August with the controversy surrounding the intersexual character of the Algerian boxer Imane Khelif and that she described as “a denigrating campaign,” according to the newspaper.
Khleif won the gold medal at the Paris Games and, after the withdrawal of his Italian rival Angela Carini, Meloni, who said that confrontation was not done on equal terms.
Rachele, daughter of Romano, the dictator’s fourth son, and half-sister of former MEP Alessandra, had also been against maintaining the tricolor flame in the past, one of the emblems of the Italian Social Movement, heir to her grandfather’s fascist party, as a symbol of the FdI.
Last June there was talk of his candidacy for the European elections, which finally did not materialize by his own decision. Then she assured, in the ‘Corriere dell’, that although she was proud of her last name after her father, a prominent jazz musician, “they would only have talked about my name and they would have said: ‘Meloni puts the granddaughter of the Duce as a candidate’”.
International
Former South Korean President Yoon sentenced to five years in prison
Former South Korean president Yoon Suk-yeol was sentenced on Friday to five years in prison for obstruction of justice and other charges, concluding the first in a series of trials stemming from his failed attempt to impose martial law in December 2024.
The sentence is shorter than the 10-year prison term sought by prosecutors against the 65-year-old conservative former leader, whose move against Parliament triggered a major political crisis that ultimately led to his removal from office.
Yoon, a former prosecutor, is still facing seven additional trials. One of them, on charges of insurrection, could potentially result in the death penalty.
On Friday, the Seoul Central District Court ruled on one of the multiple secondary cases linked to the affair, which plunged the country into months of mass protests and political instability.
International
U.S. deportation flight returns venezuelans to Caracas after Maduro’s ouster
A new flight carrying 231 Venezuelans deported from the United States arrived on Friday at the airport serving Caracas, marking the first such arrival since the military operation that ousted and captured President Nicolás Maduro.
On January 3, U.S. forces bombed the Venezuelan capital during an incursion in which Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were captured. Both are now facing narcotrafficking charges in New York.
This was the first U.S.-flagged aircraft transporting migrants to land in Venezuela since the military action ordered by President Donald Trump, who has stated that he is now in charge of the country.
The aircraft departed from Phoenix, Arizona, and landed at Maiquetía International Airport, which serves the Venezuelan capital, at around 10:30 a.m. local time (14:30 GMT), according to AFP reporters on the ground.
The deportees arrived in Venezuela under a repatriation program that remained in place even during the height of the crisis between the two countries, when Maduro was still in power. U.S. planes carrying undocumented Venezuelan migrants continued to arrive throughout last year, despite the military deployment ordered by Trump.
International
Sheinbaum highlights anti-drug gains after U.S. says challenges remain
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Friday highlighted her government’s achievements in the fight against drug trafficking, after the United States said challenges remain in combating organized crime.
On Thursday, Mexican Foreign Minister Juan Ramón de la Fuente held talks with his U.S. counterpart, Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Following the meeting, the U.S. State Department said in a statement that “despite progress, challenges still exist” in addressing organized crime.
“There are very strong results from joint cooperation and from the work Mexico is doing: first, a 50% reduction in fentanyl seizures at the U.S. border,” Sheinbaum said during her regular morning press conference.
The president also said that authorities have seized nearly 320 tons of drugs and that there has been a “40% decrease in intentional homicides in Mexico” since the start of her administration on October 1, 2024.
Sheinbaum added that the United States should implement campaigns to reduce drug consumption within its territory and curb the flow of weapons into Mexico.
“There are many results and there will be more, but there must be mutual respect and shared responsibility, as well as respect for our sovereignties,” she said.
On Monday, Sheinbaum held a phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump to discuss security issues. She said she once again ruled out the presence of U.S. troops in Mexico to fight drug cartels.
Security has been a recurring issue used by Trump to threaten tariffs on Mexico and to pressure negotiations over the USMCA (T-MEC) free trade agreement, which are scheduled for 2026.
The agreement is crucial for Mexico’s economy, as about 80% of the country’s exports are destined for the United States.
Former South Korean President Yoon sentenced to five years in prison
U.S. deportation flight returns venezuelans to Caracas after Maduro’s ouster
Sheinbaum highlights anti-drug gains after U.S. says challenges remain
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 agoDeadly van accident near Brazil border leaves 11 dead in Bolivia
-
International4 days agoU.S. to host Danish and Greenlandic Foreign Ministers at the White House
-
Central America4 days agoU.S. and El Salvador maintain close partnership, embassy says
-
Central America4 days agoTaiwan’s $10 million donation after 2001 earthquakes allegedly diverted in El Salvador
-
International4 days agoDominican court postpones hearing in deadly nightclub collapse case
-
International4 days agoPolice hunt gunmen after fatal shooting in Corsica
-
International4 days agoEx-President accused of bid to establish dictatorship as verdict nears in South Korea
-
International4 days agoVenezuelan opposition leader dedicates Nobel Prize to Trump
-
International3 days agoColombian Defense Chief Meets U.S. Officials to Advance Bilateral Narcotics Strategy
-
International2 days agoUkraine declares nationwide energy emergency amid russian attacks and extreme cold
-
International2 days agoIran closes airspace amid U.S. threats and deadly nationwide protests
-
Central America3 days agoBukele warns crime can become a ‘parallel government’ during visit to Costa Rica
-
International2 days agoX moves to block Grok from creating sexualized images of real people amid legal scrutiny
-
International2 days agoFrance joins Denmark’s ‘Operation Arctic Resistance’ in Greenland amid U.S. tensions
-
International2 days agoHillary Clinton skips Epstein inquiry as house panel threatens contempt charges
-
International2 days agoU.S.–Denmark tensions escalate as Trump pushes NATO to back U.S. claim on Greenland
-
International3 days agoPeruvian Court Orders Definitive Dismissal of Money Laundering Case Against Keiko Fujimori
-
International2 days agoUK Intelligence estimates russian casualties in Ukraine at over 1.2 million
-
International2 days agoSwiss Canton of Valais Grants Emergency Aid to Victims of Crans-Montana Bar Tragedy
-
International3 days agoU.S. to suspend visa processing for applicants from 75 countries
-
International24 hours agoCanada accuses Iran of killing its citizen during anti-government unrest
-
International24 hours agoSheinbaum highlights anti-drug gains after U.S. says challenges remain
-
International7 hours agoU.S. deportation flight returns venezuelans to Caracas after Maduro’s ouster
-
International7 hours agoFormer South Korean President Yoon sentenced to five years in prison