Sin categoría
Barcelona create space for Torres by extending Umtiti contract
AFP
Barcelona extended Samuel Umtiti’s contract until 2026 on Monday, a deal that creates enough space in the club’s budget to register Ferran Torres, their new signing from Manchester City.
Torres has been unavailable to play for Barca since joining two weeks ago because registering the striker would mean falling foul of La Liga’s spending restrictions.
Umtiti’s three-year extension means his wages will be spread over a longer period of time, which in turn reduces the amount Barcelona are due to pay in the current financial year.
Barcelona also said “the French defender is reducing a part of the salary that he was due to receive in the year and half remaining on his contract”.
The club added: “This contract extension does not entail any greater financial commitments for FC Barcelona with regard to the player.”
The extension came as a surprise given Barcelona have been trying to sell Umtiti to help reduce the club’s debts of more than a billion euros. His previous contract was worth around 18 million euros per year.
Barca’s spending limit this season is just under 98 million euros but they are significantly over-budget, with La Liga rules stating they can spend only 25 per cent of any savings made as a result.
Umtiti was once a key player for the Catalans but his career has taken a downward turn due to a string of injuries and he has long-been on the fringes of the first team.
But the 28-year-old’s unexpected renewal means Torres is finally eligible to play for Barca.
“Through this contract extension, FC Barcelona will be able to increase its ‘financial fair play’ quota and thus register Ferran Torres with Spanish Football League,” the club said.
But Torres, who joined for 55 million euros from City on December 28, has tested positive for Covid and will need to return a negative test to make his debut in the Spanish Super Cup in Saudi Arabia this week.
Barcelona play Real Madrid in the semi-finals on Wednesday and the winners will face either Atletico Madrid or Athletic Bilbao in the final on Sunday.
Sin categoría
Trump files $15 billion defamation suit against The New York Times
U.S. President Donald Trump has filed a $15 billion defamation and libel lawsuit against The New York Times, which denounced the legal move on Tuesday as an attempt to silence the press.
In this new stage of his presidency, the 79-year-old Republican leader has escalated his long-standing hostility toward traditional media, repeatedly attacking critical journalists, limiting their access, or taking them to court.
The lawsuit, filed Monday in Florida, seeks $15 billion in damages, along with additional punitive compensation “in an amount to be determined at trial.”
The New York Times had reported last week that Trump threatened legal action over articles concerning a birthday letter allegedly sent by him to financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The letter featured a typed message inside the outline of a nude woman. Trump denies that the accompanying signature is his.
“For too long, The New York Times has been allowed to lie, defame, and slander me freely — and that ends NOW!” Trump wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social.
Sin categoría
Maduro warns Venezuela would enter armed struggle if attacked by foreign forces
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro stated on Friday that if his country were attacked, it would enter a phase of armed struggle, amid his claims of “threats” from the United States, which is conducting a military deployment in Caribbean waters near Venezuela’s coast under the pretext of combating drug trafficking.
Maduro emphasized that Venezuela is currently in the non-armed phase, which he described as political, communicational, and institutional, but added that if the country were somehow aggressed, it would move to a planned, organized armed struggle involving the entire population, whether the threat is local, regional, or national.
“We would enter a stage of armed struggle, in defense of peace, territorial integrity, sovereignty, and our people,” Maduro said during an event activating citizen militias, broadcast on state channel Venezolana de Televisión (VTV).
He also noted that Venezuela is currently in a phase of readiness and preparation to defend the country and will proceed to the deployment of defensive capacities, including training and retraining of the entire Venezuelan population.
Maduro described the Venezuelan people as pacifist yet warrior-like, asserting that “no one will enslave us, neither today nor ever.”
Sin categoría
USCIS gains law enforcement powers: Agents now authorized to investigate and arrest immigration violators
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), traditionally responsible for handling naturalizations, visas, residence permits, and work authorizations, is now expanding its role to include law enforcement powers, according to a statement released by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
Under the new directive, specially designated USCIS agents are now authorized to investigate, arrest, and bring to justice individuals who violate U.S. immigration laws. Previously, USCIS primarily managed administrative and bureaucratic processes, while enforcement responsibilities were handled by agencies like Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
Illegal immigration has been a central issue under President Donald Trump’s administration, with DHS reporting that over 300,000 migrants have been arrested in the first six months of his presidency. However, the number of people who have crossed U.S. borders illegally in recent years remains controversial, with experts estimating between 8 to 10 million individuals.
The policy shift also comes amid heightened legal battles over immigration enforcement. Recently, a federal judge blocked the deportation of minors to Guatemala, who were moments away from boarding a flight. Trump’s aggressive measures, including large-scale raids in cities like Los Angeles, have faced multiple judicial challenges, some upheld and others overturned at various federal levels, including the Supreme Court.
According to the DHS statement, the expanded authority allows USCIS to “manage investigations from start to finish rather than referring cases to ICE,” aiming to reduce backlogs and combat fraud within the immigration system.
USCIS Director Joseph B. Edlow will have the power to appoint and train special agents under the order signed by DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, ensuring that the agency can effectively execute its newly granted enforcement responsibilities.
Environmental groups denounce Nicaragua’s mining deals as ‘ecocide’ in protected areas
Petro expresses concern over fatal shooting during mass protests in Lima
Panama’s president accuses U.S. Embassy official of visa threats amid China tensions
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
Defense Minister commends salvadoran soldier for Central American Cross Country victory
Extension of the state of emergency approved in southern Chile
-
Central America4 days agoGuatemala arrests first escaped gang member after Barrio 18 prison break
-
International4 days agoMexico reports 64 dead, 65 missing after devastating central region floods
-
International4 days agoVenezuela calls for continued global pressure to secure ‘just peace’ for Palestine
-
International2 days agoMexican government prioritizes 191 communities after deadly floods
-
International4 days agoPope Leo XIV to skip COP30 in Brazil but plans future visit, Lula confirms
-
International3 days agoSheinbaum: Urgent to restore access to towns cut off by heavy rains
-
International3 days agoArmed forces target illegal mines in Northern Ecuador with bombing raids
-
International3 days agoVenezuelan media faces fresh restrictions after reporting on opposition leader’s Nobel win
-
International1 day agoPetro expresses concern over fatal shooting during mass protests in Lima
-
Central America1 day agoNicaragua grants 2,500-hectare mining concession to chinese firm in protected region
-
International3 days agoCaracas shuts embassy in Oslo without explanation following Machado’s Nobel win
-
International2 days agoNew road and bridge explosions raise alarm amid indigenous protests in Ecuador
-
International1 day agoPeru’s interim president José Jerí refuses to resign after protester’s death in Lima
-
Central America1 day agoPanama’s president accuses U.S. Embassy official of visa threats amid China tensions
-
Central America7 hours agoEnvironmental groups denounce Nicaragua’s mining deals as ‘ecocide’ in protected areas