International

Mystery deepens in Émile Soleil case as family members are arrested

The death of Émile Soleil, a two-and-a-half-year-old boy who went missing from a village in the French Alps in July 2023, remains unexplained—even after a hiker discovered his skull and teeth nine months later.

At the time, prosecutors stated that the cause of his death, which shocked France, could have been “a fall, involuntary manslaughter, or murder.” Police later found additional bones and pieces of the child’s clothing.

Émile had been spending the summer at his maternal grandparents’ home in the small village of Le Haut-Vernet, located at an altitude of 1,200 meters in the Alps, when he disappeared on July 8, 2023. The last known sighting of him was as he walked along one of the village streets.

His mother and father were not present on the day he went missing.

However, the investigation took a dramatic turn on Tuesday morning, shifting its focus to the boy’s family.

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The grandparents and two of their children, whose identities have not been disclosed, were arrested on charges of “premeditated murder and concealment of a body,” prosecutor Jean-Luc Blachon said in a statement to AFP.

Speculation had been reignited on March 13 when investigators were seen in the village, seizing a large planter placed at the entrance of the local chapel.

Authorities stated that the arrests were the result of months of investigation, with forensic teams now examining “several areas of interest.”

Following Émile’s funeral service in February, his grandparents had released a statement saying that “the time for silence must give way to the truth,” adding: “We need to understand, we need to know.”

The disappearance of Émile deeply impacted France, particularly as it revived memories of another tragic case: the 1984 death of four-year-old Grégory, whose body was found lifeless on the same day he vanished—an unsolved case that still haunts the nation’s collective memory.

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Central America

Nicaragua revokes legal status of 10 more NGOs, bringing total to over 5,600

The Nicaraguan government canceled the legal status of 10 more non-profit organizations on Friday (March 28, 2025), including the Swiss Foundation for Development Cooperation, bringing the total number of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) shut down since December 2018 to over 5,600.

According to the Ministry of the Interior, the Swiss Foundation for Development Cooperation, which had been registered since March 9, 2002, was found to be in non-compliance for failing to report its financial status for 2024 and for having an expired board of directors.

Among the 10 NGOs whose legal status was revoked were religious organizations, educational groups, consumer associations, and aquaculture organizations, all dissolved “voluntarily” or closed under similar reasons.

As of today, more than 5,600 NGOs have been dismantled following the popular protests that erupted in April 2018 in Nicaragua. In most cases, the assets of these organizations have been ordered to be transferred to the state.

International

Marco Rubio warns Venezuela against military action against Guyana

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned Venezuela on Thursday that a military attack on Guyana would be “a big mistake” and “a very bad day for them,” expressing his support for Georgetown in its territorial dispute with Caracas.

“It would be a very bad day for the Venezuelan regime if they attacked Guyana or ExxonMobil. It would be a very bad day, a very bad week for them, and it would not end well,” Rubio emphasized during a press conference in Georgetown alongside Guyanese President Irfaan Ali.

International

Ecuador oil spill worsens as containment dam collapses

The collapse of a containment dam holding back part of the 25,000+ barrels of oil spilled from a pipeline rupture nearly two weeks ago has worsened the environmental crisis in northwestern Ecuador, contaminating rivers and Pacific beaches.

The Ecuadorian government attributed the March 13 pipeline rupture—which led to the spill of 25,116 barrels of crude—to an act of sabotage. The spill affected three rivers and disrupted water supplies for several communities, according to authorities.

On Tuesday, due to heavy rains that have been falling since January, a containment dam on the Caple River collapsed. The Caple connects to other waterways in Esmeraldas Province, a coastal region bordering Colombia, state-owned Petroecuador said in a statement on Wednesday.

Seven containment barriers were installed in the Viche River, where crews worked to remove oil-contaminated debris. Additional absorbent materials were deployed in Caple, Viche, and Esmeraldas Rivers, which flow into the Pacific Ocean.

Authorities are also working to protect a wildlife refuge home to more than 250 species, including otters, howler monkeys, armadillos, frigatebirds, and pelicans.

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“This has been a total disaster,” said Ronald Ruiz, a leader in the Cube community, where the dam was located. He explained that the harsh winter rains caused river levels to rise, bringing debris that broke the containment barriersthat were holding the accumulated oil for extraction.