International
The Prime Minister of Lithuania asks by surprise for the resignation of the head of Defense
The Minister of Defense of Lithuania, Arvydas Anusauskas, announced this Saturday that he has resigned at the request of the Prime Minister, Ingrida Simonyte, just two months before the presidential elections and seven of the legislative elections, a demand that caught him by surprise in the midst of tensions with neighboring Russia.
Anusauskas himself explained this Saturday that the day before he received a “somewhat unexpected” offer from Simonyte, which was that he leave his position to another politician from next week and that he assume the presidency of a committee in the Seimas (Parliament), something he initially rejected.
After talking to the Prime Minister herself, she decided within the framework of “this difficult moment for the work of the Ministry of National Defense and the strengthening of the Army, and in a context in which threats do not decrease,” to write her letter of resignation to maintain political support for the head of the Government.
Symonite wrote on his Facebook account that the minister’s resignation “is not related to any sudden change in the Lithuanian state of national security, changes in threats or any negative news about the ministry’s activities.”
“I was worried about the expectation of making Lithuania feel safe for the rest of the mandate and that the Government would do even more and faster than it has done so far,” he explained, however.
“A lot has been done, but the remaining nine months are a short time, and this session of the Seimas is very important to make decisions in which maximum participation is required,” he added, referring to the legislative elections on October 13 in Lithuania.
In addition, the country will hold presidential elections on May 12, in which the current head of state, Gitanas Nauseda, who leads the polls with 28.5%, the highest percentage since October 2022, will be presented again.
He is followed by the lawyer and right-wing politician Ignas Vėgėlė with 13.4% and the Christian Democrat Simonyte, economist and prime minister since 2020.
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.
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.
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.
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