International

Gustavo Petro calls U.S. claims about ‘Cartel of the Suns’ a political fiction

Amid rising tensions between the United States and Venezuela, Colombian President Gustavo Petro denied the existence of the so-called Cartel of the Suns, a purported criminal group accused by Washington of infiltrating Caracas’ power structure since the 1990s to traffic drugs to the U.S.

“The Cartel of the Suns does not exist; it is a fictitious excuse used by the extreme right to overthrow governments that do not obey them,” the president wrote on his X account on Monday.

According to Petro, the real organization controlling cocaine trafficking in the region is a broader network he calls “the Drug Trafficking Board,” which he claims is composed of kingpins operating from Europe and the Middle East.

A few days ago, following attacks in Amalfi and Cali, Petro stated that the “Drug Trafficking Board” operates internationally as “a confederation of mafias” and called for these groups to be designated as terrorist organizations, which would allow them to be pursued anywhere in the world, including Bogotá.

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CNN reached out to the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry, the U.S. Department of Justice, and the U.S. State Department for comment on Petro’s statements and is awaiting a response.

The U.S. recently designated the Cartel of the Suns as an international terrorist organization. According to the Treasury Department, this alleged criminal group has infiltrated the highest political, military, and judicial levels in Venezuela since the late 1990s to traffic drugs to the U.S.

From Caracas, senior officials have rejected the accusations. Diosdado Cabello Rondón, Venezuela’s Minister of Interior, Justice and Peace, has called the Cartel of the Suns “a U.S. invention” and “a big lie used for manipulation.”

International

U.S. condemns death of nicaraguan opposition figure in custody

The United States on Monday denounced the death of a Nicaraguan opposition figure who was detained in July and expressed being “horrified” by the “inhumanity” of co-presidents and spouses Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo.

Opposition member Mauricio Alonso was arrested on July 18 during police raids in the municipality of Jinotepe, 45 km south of Managua, according to Nicaraguan exile media, which also reported his death on Monday.

“Horrified by the inhumanity of the Murillo-Ortega dictatorship, authorities returned today the lifeless body of Mauricio Alonso to his family, a Nicaraguan defender of religious freedom,” tweeted the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs. “The dictatorship unjustly detained Alonso and kept him incommunicado for a month, until his death,” it added.

Ortega and Murillo have been accused of pursuing a relentless crackdown on the opposition following protests against the government in 2018, which Managua described as a U.S.-backed attempted coup. The repression of these demonstrations resulted in more than 300 deaths, according to the United Nations.

Alonso’s death “occurred under the watch of Murillo-Ortega,” and “the United States will not tolerate such cruelty nor forget this crime,” the State Department stated.

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Ortega, a 79-year-old former guerrilla leader in power since 2007 and previously in the 1980s, is accused by critics and human rights organizations of establishing a “family dictatorship” alongside 74-year-old Murillo, who was named co-president in February following a constitutional reform.

International

Lula’s government steps in to aid farmers affected by Trump’s trade measures

The government of Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva announced on Tuesday the direct purchase of various food products from sectors impacted by tariffs imposed on the country by the United States.

Initially, the government’s purchases—whose total amounts were not disclosed—will focus on açaí, grapes, coconut water, honey, mango, fish, and nuts. These products will be used to supply schools, universities, hospitals, the Armed Forces, and prisons, among other state institutions.

“This initiative will include family farmers and companies that have stopped exporting to the United States due to the tariffs imposed” by U.S. President Donald Trump, according to a decree published in the Official Gazette.

Paulo Teixeira, Minister of Agrarian Development, explained that other food products affected by the tariffs, such as coffee and beef, are not currently included as they “have other markets around the world.”

The expansion of government procurement programs is part of a relief package designed to minimize the impact of Trump’s decision to impose a 50% tariff on much of Brazil’s exports to the United States.

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Trump justified the tariffs by citing an alleged trade deficit, which U.S. data contradict, showing that bilateral trade favors the United States. The move also appeared to have political motives, as Trump criticized what he called a “witch hunt” against former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and demanded the end of his trial for alleged coup-related activities before Brazil’s Supreme Court.

International

World’s smallest turtle successfully bred for first time in Jalisco Zoo

A zoo in Jalisco, western Mexico, has successfully bred a ‘Casquito’ turtle under professional care for the first time. This species, native to areas near Puerto Vallarta, is considered the world’s smallest turtle and is currently at risk of extinction.

Biologist Ricardo Dávalos, head of the herpetarium at Guadalajara Zoo, told EFE that the species was only discovered in 2018 and now faces a critical threat, with only around 500 individuals remaining. Urban expansion around the Ameca River wetlands, which divide Jalisco and Nayarit and are home to this endemic species, has significantly reduced its natural habitat.

“The construction of residential areas is increasingly encroaching on the areas where some of these turtles live near Puerto Vallarta. On top of that, because it’s a rare species, it becomes more attractive to traffickers. We know that animals have already been trafficked to Japan, China, and Korea,” Dávalos warned.

The Kinosternon vogti, also called the ‘Vallarta Casquito Turtle,’ is recognized for the yellow marking on the males’ noses and reaches only about 10 centimeters in length as adults. Newly hatched turtles measure approximately 2 centimeters, roughly the width of an adult human thumb.

Dávalos explained that after receiving 37 turtles confiscated by Mexico’s Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources in 2023, the zoo managed to successfully mate some pairs in a controlled herpetarium area that simulates their natural habitat.