International
The United States urges Ukraine to “lower the tone” and accept Trump’s proposal on its minerals
White House National Security Advisor Mike Waltz said on Thursday that the Ukrainian government needs to “lower the tone” after the tense cross of insults between US President Donald Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky.
“They have to lower the tone, analyze the situation well and sign that agreement,” Waltz said on Thursday in an interview with the conservative Fox News network.
Zelenski revealed on Wednesday, for the first time at a press conference, that last week the United States proposed to Ukraine to cede 50% of its natural resources to Washington, especially minerals and rare earths key for technological development, as compensation for the past aid to Kiev, without guarantees of future assistance.
According to the Ukrainian president, the agreement does not include any commitment that the US will continue to support Ukraine, which has led his government not to sign it.
In addition, Waltz considered “unacceptable” Kiev’s refusal to accept the mining pact and his criticism of the way Trump is conducting peace talks.
“We have presented Ukrainians with an incredible and historic opportunity: that the United States invests in Ukraine, boosts its economy, its natural resources and becomes a partner for its future in a sustainable way. This would be the best security guarantee they could expect, much more than another shipment of ammunition,” he said.
Zelenski meets this Thursday in Ukraine with the US special envoy for war, Keith Kellogg, in a meeting whose conclusions could be key.
Relations between Washington and Kiev are going through a particularly delicate moment after Trump and Zelenski exchanged insults, with the American calling the Ukrainian “dictator” and accusing the US president of living in a bubble of “disinformation” from Russia.
US Vice President J.D. Vance also intervened in the controversy by warning yesterday in statements to The Daily Mail that publicly criticizing Trump would only harm Zelenski.
International
El Chapo’s son Joaquín Guzmán López pleads guilty to U.S. drug trafficking charges
Joaquín Guzmán López, one of the sons of notorious Mexican drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, pleaded guilty on Monday to drug trafficking charges in a U.S. court, months after his brother Ovidio reached a similar plea agreement, according to local media reports.
The defendant appeared before a federal court in Chicago early Monday afternoon and changed his previous plea in the case, the Chicago Tribune reported. U.S. authorities accuse him of forming, together with his three brothers, the cartel faction known as “Los Chapitos.”
The group is believed to have continued the operations of El Chapo, who has been serving a life sentence in the United States since 2019.
Guzmán López, 39, was arrested after landing in Texas in a small aircraft alongside cartel co-founder Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada.
International
Venezuela authorizes return flights as U.S. continues deportations amid rising tensions
The arrival of U.S. aircraft carrying undocumented Venezuelan migrants continued regularly despite rising tensions between Washington and Caracas over President Donald Trump’s military deployment in the Caribbean.
Trump maintains that the deployment is part of an anti-narcotics operation, while Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro insists the true objective is to remove him from power and seize the nation’s oil resources.
Venezuela’s aviation authority has “received a request from the United States government to resume repatriation flights for Venezuelan migrants from that country to Venezuela,” the Ministry of Transportation said in a statement .
“Under the instructions of President Nicolás Maduro, authorization has been granted for these aircraft to enter our airspace,” it added.
Caracas will permit two Eastern Airlines flights to land on Wednesday and Friday.
Migration remains one of the Trump administration’s flagship issues. On Monday, the U.S. president held a meeting with his National Security Council to discuss the situation in Venezuela, a day after confirming he had spoken with Maduro by phone, without offering further details.
According to the Venezuelan government, roughly 75 deportation flights have been carried out this year, returning at least 13,956 Venezuelans from the United States.
International
20,000 rounds stolen from german army after driver leaves cargo unattended
The German army confirmed the theft of a shipment of ammunition that occurred a week ago while it was being transported by a civilian delivery driver, a military spokesperson told AFP, confirming earlier media reports.
According to Der Spiegel and the regional broadcaster MDR, around 20,000 rounds of ammunition were stolen from an unguarded parking lot near Magdeburg, in eastern Germany, while the driver was asleep in a nearby hotel. No information has been released regarding the identity of the suspects, and the military declined to specify the exact type or amount of ammunition taken.
Authorities have also not indicated how the perpetrators knew the cargo would be left unattended.
“The theft was discovered upon delivery at the barracks,” the German army spokesperson said.
A police spokeswoman confirmed to AFP that an investigation has been opened but refused to provide further details “for tactical reasons.”
Sources close to the German military, cited by Der Spiegel, believe it is unlikely the theft was a coincidence. They suspect the thieves waited for the driver to stop for the night before striking.
Der Spiegel also reported that the Defense Ministry normally requires two drivers for this type of transport to ensure the cargo is constantly monitored. However, in this case only one driver was assigned, meaning the civilian transport company failed to comply with the security protocols.
El Chapo’s son Joaquín Guzmán López pleads guilty to U.S. drug trafficking charges
Venezuela authorizes return flights as U.S. continues deportations amid rising tensions
20,000 rounds stolen from german army after driver leaves cargo unattended
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
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