International
Mexico celebrates 200 years of independence
AFP
Mexico celebrated the 200th anniversary of the country’s independence from Spain on Monday with a commemoration featuring fireworks, theatre, and pyrotechnics in the capital’s central plaza.
The event in Mexico City’s Zocalo square, once the heart of the Aztec empire, was headed by President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.
“What we experienced that day, 200 years ago, marked forever our political separation with Spain,” said AMLO, the acronym by which the president is known.
Multiple countries sent congratulatory messages, including US President Joe Biden, who assured that his country “has no closer friend than Mexico.”
“I look forward to all that our two nations will accomplish together in the years to come,” Biden said in recorded video.
Pope Francis’ congratulations included an acknowledgment of the Catholic Church’s “sins” in Mexico.
AMLO has asked the Spanish government and the Vatican several times to apologize for the “massacres and oppression” committed in the name of colonizing and evangelizing the indigenous peoples of Mexico.
“Both my predecessors and I have asked for forgiveness for personal and social sins,” Pope Francis wrote.
In a ceremony that limited visitors due to the Covid-19 pandemic, organizers used theatre, multimedia displays, and pyrotechnics to illustrate the country’s pre-Hispanic history, including the war for independence.
The staging is part of a series of events organized by the Mexican government to mark the 700th anniversary of the founding of the Aztec capital and the 500th anniversary of the Spanish conquest.
Most Mexicans have mixed European and indigenous ancestry and have contrasting feelings about the violence of the conquest, which imposed culture, language, and religion on the country.
As part of Monday’s celebration, Italian general Roberto Riccardi was awarded the Aztec Eagle, the highest distinction granted to a foreigner in Mexico, for his work in the recovery of archaeological pieces.
Since 2018, 5,746 historical artifacts have been repatriated to the country, most of which are archaeological, AMLO said.
International
Judge declares Donald Trump not guilty in Stormy Daniels case
Judge Juan Merchan acquitted U.S. President-elect Donald Trump in the case involving former porn actress Stormy Daniels.
“At this moment, I am issuing this verdict to cover all 34 charges,” Merchan stated. The judge also wished Trump good luck in his second term as president.
Trump will now become the first criminal president.
Merchan declined to impose any punishment. This decision strengthens Trump’s acquittal and clears the way for his return to the White House without the threat of prison or a fine.
“Never before has this court faced such a unique and remarkable set of circumstances,” Judge Merchan said.
International
Canada imposes sanctions on 14 venezuelan officials for human rights violations
Canada imposed sanctions on 14 high-ranking officials of the Venezuelan “regime” this Friday, including prominent members of the Military Counterintelligence Directorate (DGCIM), for their involvement in human rights violations in Venezuela.
Among those sanctioned are DGCIM prosecutors Dinorah Yoselin Bustamante Puerta and Farik Karin Salcedo Mora; the director of criminal investigations at the agency, Asdrubal José Brito Hernandez, as well as its former deputy director, Rafael Ramón Blanco Marrero.
The sanctions also target several members of the Bolivarian National Guard: its general commander, Elio Ramón Estrada Paredes; the commander of the capital region, Johan Alexander Hernández Lárez, and lieutenant colonel, Alexander Enrique Granko Arteaga.
Other individuals sanctioned include the director of the Bolivarian National Intelligence Service (SEBIN), Alexis José Rodríguez Cabello, and his deputy director, Miguel Antonio Muñoz Palacios; Brigadier General of the Bolivarian National Police, Rubén Darío Santiago Servigna, and Domingo Antonio Hernández Lárez, commander of the Bolivarian National Armed Forces.
International
María Corina Machado urges Edmundo González Urrutia not to return to Venezuela for his safety
Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado said on Friday that she asked Edmundo González Urrutia, former candidate of the Democratic Unitary Platform (PUD), not to return to Venezuela to avoid putting himself at risk.
In a video message, Machado explained that the opposition evaluated the situation and concluded that González Urrutia would be in danger if he tried to enter Venezuela as he had planned.
González Urrutia, who claims to have won the July 28 elections with the support of more than 85% of the official voting records, had announced that he would return to Venezuela on January 10 to assume the presidency.
Earlier, Nicolás Maduro, who was declared the winner of those elections, took the oath of office for a third term.
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