International
Venezuelan president Maduro congratulates Yamandú Orsi on Uruguay’s election victory
On Sunday, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro congratulated Yamandú Orsi on his victory in Uruguay’s presidential elections, while advocating for “the building of a respectful and positive relationship, based on cooperation and mutual support” between both countries.
“I congratulate the Uruguayan people for the electoral process held on November 24, where they elected Yamandú Orsi, to whom I wish the greatest success,” Maduro expressed via Telegram.
Orsi, a candidate from the Frente Amplio party, became the third left-wing president in Uruguay’s history, defeating Álvaro Delgado of the Partido Nacional by just over 90,000 votes, with 98% of the electoral circuits counted, according to data provided by the Electoral Court.
In September, Orsi stated that “the situation in Venezuela is indefensible” and described the country as having “a very authoritarian regime.”
“I believe there is a very authoritarian regime, and it fits into the categories we usually call dictatorship,” he said at the time.
Luis Lacalle Pou, the current president of Uruguay, who maintains that Venezuela is under a “dictatorship,” was one of the first governments to reject the official result of Maduro’s re-election on July 28. He recognized Edmundo González Urrutia, the candidate from the largest opposition coalition, as the winner of the election.
Following this, the Venezuelan government expelled Uruguay’s diplomatic personnel over their “interfering actions and statements” regarding the elections, as well as that of six other countries that called for a vote verification process after the anti-Chavista coalition Platform Unitaria Democrática accused of “electoral fraud.”
International
Trump to build $200M ballroom at the White House by 2028
The U.S. government under President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that it will begin construction in September on a new 8,000-square-meter ballroom at the White House.
The announcement was made by Karoline Leavitt, the administration’s press secretary, during a briefing in which she explained that the expansion responds to the need for a larger venue to host “major events.”
“Other presidents have long wished for a space capable of accommodating large gatherings within the White House complex… President Trump has committed to solving this issue,” Leavitt told reporters.
The project is estimated to cost $200 million, fully funded through donations from Trump himself and other “patriots,” according to a government statement. Construction is scheduled to begin in September and is expected to be completed before Trump’s term ends in 2028.
The Clark Construction Group, a Virginia-based company known for projects such as the Capital One Arena and L’Enfant Plaza in Washington, D.C., has been selected to lead the project.
The new ballroom will be built on the East Wing of the White House, expanding the iconic residence with a space designed for state dinners, official ceremonies, and large-scale events.
International
Three salvadorans in Florida sentenced in $146 million construction tax fraud scheme
Three Salvadoran residents living in Orlando, Florida, were sentenced for conspiracy to commit tax fraud and wire fraud involving a scheme exceeding $146 million in the construction industry, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida. The sentence was handed down by federal judge Timothy J. Corrigan on Tuesday, July 29.
Eduardo Aníbal Escobar (45) was sentenced to 4 years and 9 months in prison, Carlos Alberto Rodríguez (36) to 3 years and 4 months, and Adelmy Tejada (57) to 18 months in prison, followed by 6 months of house arrest. All three pled guilty on April 3, 2025.
In addition to the prison terms, the court ordered restitution payments totaling $36,957,616 to the IRS for unpaid payroll taxes, and $397,895 to two insurers for workers’ compensation claims related to the scheme.
Escobar and Rodríguez are permanent legal residents originally from El Salvador, while Tejada is a naturalized U.S. citizen of Salvadoran origin.
International
Kremlin hails preparedness after Kamchatka quakes leave no casualties
The Kremlin expressed relief that the earthquakes that struck Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula today —the first being the strongest since 1952— resulted in no casualties, and emphasized that the region is well prepared to face such natural disasters.
“Thank God, there were no victims,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov during his daily press briefing.
The presidential representative stated that “all alert systems were activated in time, and evacuations were organized for residents in areas requiring it in response to tsunami threats.”
“Overall, the seismic resilience of the buildings proved effective (…) Therefore, we can say that the technological preparedness demonstrated a high level,” Peskov added.
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Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
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