International

Paraguay vice president withraws resignation after graft claims

AFP

Paraguay’s Vice President Hugo Velazquez, who resigned last week after being sanctioned by Washington for “significant corruption,” said Thursday he would remain in his post after all.

He told reporters he had initially offered to resign as he “assumed” there was a domestic investigation against him.

But on Wednesday, he received notice from the Paraguay prosecutor’s office stating “that there is no case against me,” he said.

Velazquez, 54, said President Mario Abdo Benitez respected his decision to withdraw his resignation, which would also have entailed him pulling out of the running for presidential elections next year.

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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken last week said Velazquez would be barred from entering the United States due to his “involvement in significant corruption, including bribery of a public official and interference in public processes.”

Several family members were also sanctioned, as well as Juan Carlos Duarte, a close friend and legal adviser to the company that runs the major Yacyreta hydroelectric power station.

The allegations relate to Duarte offering “a bribe to a Paraguayan public official in order to obstruct an investigation that threatened the vice president and his financial interests,” said Blinken.

Velazquez has denied wrongdoing.

Last month, the United States announced a ban on former Paraguayan president Horacio Cartes, accusing the businessman-turned-politician of corruption and links to “terrorist” groups.

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International

Merengue concert turns to mourning as Jet Set collapse claims 136 lives

Dominican rescue teams will end search and recovery operations on Wednesday, April 9, 2025, at the Jet Set nightclubin Santo Domingo, where the building collapsed during a live concert.

Authorities estimate that the final 20 bodies will be recovered from the rubble today, bringing the official death toll to 136. This includes 12 additional bodies found overnight in the disaster zone, adding to the previously confirmed 124 fatalities.

Outside the collapsed nightclub, desperate relatives of the missing continue to gather, clinging to hope for news. Many also visited nearby hospitals and morgues in search of their loved ones.

A list of confirmed victims has been posted on a tent set up near the site, where the bodies are being transferred for identification.

The tragedy occurred during a performance by renowned merengue singer Rubby Pérez, who was among the deceased.

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Central America

Colombia to host fourth EU-CELAC Summit in November

The Fourth Summit between the European Union (EU) and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) will take place on November 9 and 10 in Santa Marta, Colombia, according to a joint statement released Wednesday by the Colombian government and the European Council.

The summit will be co-chaired by Colombian President Gustavo Petro, in his role as pro tempore president of CELAC, and European Council President António Costa, the statement added.

The last EU-CELAC summit took place in July 2023 in Brussels, when both blocs agreed to hold these meetings every two years.

The summit brings together the 27 EU member states and the 33 CELAC countries, representing 14% of the global population, 21% of global GDP, and one-third of the members of the United Nations, the communiqué noted.

International

Russia and US to Meet in Istanbul for Diplomatic Talks on April 10

The Kremlin confirmed today a forthcoming meeting with the United States to discuss the normalization of diplomatic relations, which will take place in Istanbul.

“Our participation will be through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,” said Dmitry Peskov, the presidential spokesperson, during his daily telephone press conference.

Peskov was responding to a question about who would represent Russia in the new round of negotiations, which is supposedly scheduled for April 10.

Subsequently, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that the delegations will be led by the Russian ambassador to the U.S., Alexandr Darchiev, and the U.S. Deputy Secretary of State, Sonata Coulter.

These are the same negotiators who met in late February in Istanbul, where the expert-level negotiation format was the same, according to the source.

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Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had said a few days ago that the next meeting would be held in the Turkish city, though he did not confirm a date.

Lavrov, who participated in only one of these meetings, clarified that the upcoming discussions would address the issues still dividing Moscow and Washington diplomatically, referring to the operations of both countries’ embassies.

The Kremlin asserted that Washington has not yet responded to Russia’s security concerns, preventing a ceasefire declaration on land, sea, and air.

Meanwhile, Trump expressed discontent with Russia’s recent attacks, including one last week that killed 20 people in Krivi Rig, the hometown of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

So far, Russia has rejected a cessation of hostilities and only declared a 30-day ceasefire on March 18 against attacks on energy infrastructure, which was extended by Kyiv a week later.