International

Santiago Peña takes office as president of Paraguay, promises prosperity and international presence

Photo: AP

August 16|

Economist Santiago Peña took office on Tuesday as Paraguay’s new president with a promise to promote prosperity for all in his country and lead the South American nation to become a protagonist on the international scene.

Peña, 44, became the youngest president since the return to democracy and maintains the continuity in power of the conservative Colorado Party in Paraguay, a country that has faced allegations of corruption in the spheres of power and is the last South American nation to maintain diplomatic relations with Taiwan.

“Success is to make all Paraguayans better off and for the world to witness the resurgence of a giant,” the new president said at a ceremony in the Paraguayan capital.

The inauguration ceremony was attended by leaders from neighboring countries, including Luis Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil, Alberto Fernández of Argentina and Gabriel Boric of Chile, to whom he said he will seek to make Paraguay a key country for South American integration, and will therefore seek to improve the functioning of the Mercosur sub-regional bloc.

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The ceremony was also attended by the King of Spain, Felipe VI, and the Vice President of Taiwan, William Lai, who traveled to Paraguay as part of a tour that will also take him to San Francisco and New York, at a time when China is seeking to increase the isolation of the autonomous island.

Regarding Taiwan, Peña said that their relationship is a sign of Paraguay’s policy of “alliances and cooperation with a geostrategic vision”.

Paraguay is one of 12 countries that still maintain diplomatic relations with Taiwan, mostly small and poor nations in Africa and the Caribbean.

“At the international level three global challenges generate geopolitical tensions: access to water, food security and energy sufficiency,” he said. “Paraguay being a power in those three major issues, we are called to be protagonists in the concert of nations.”

On the local level, he noted that his commitment is to “build a society where everyone can prosper,” he said, and pledged to generate at least 500,000 new jobs. In Paraguay, poverty reaches 24% of the little more than seven million inhabitants.

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Peña is a US-trained economist who worked for the International Monetary Fund.

In recent months, the issue of corruption in power circles has shaken the South American country. The United States accused former president Horario Cartes (2013-2018) of corruption and froze his assets. Cartes, considered Peña’s political “godfather”, owns a conglomerate of companies ranging from tobacco to cattle ranching and large media outlets, and has denied the charges.

In his speech as new president, Peña thanked Cartes, current president of the Colorado Party, for what he called his perseverance “in building consensus and seeking agreements over differences”.

On corruption, Peña said he had “the conviction” that it is solved “with an independent, impartial and fast justice, with sufficient resources to ensure an adequate and homogeneous administration throughout the national territory”.

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International

Actress Hayden Panettiere Dies at 36, Representative Confirms

Actress Hayden Panettiere has died at the age of 36, her representative confirmed to CNN.

“It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of our beloved Hayden. She was an incredible light and a force of nature who brought immeasurable love and joy to everyone who knew her, and to the millions who saw her on screen,” her father, Skip Panettiere, said in a statement to CNN.

The circumstances surrounding her death were not immediately known. ABC was the first outlet to report the news.

Panettiere rose to prominence in the late 2000s with her role as Claire Bennet in the television series “Heroes.” Her character was a cheerleader with the ability to heal herself, becoming one of the show’s most recognizable figures.

She later starred in the musical drama series “Nashville,” portraying Juliette Barnes, a young country music star whose career and personal life were central to the series.

Panettiere also appeared in the 2011 horror film “Scream 4” as Kirby Reed. She later returned to the franchise more than a decade later in “Scream VI.”

Her other notable film credits included “I Love You, Beth Cooper” and “Remember the Titans.”

Panettiere’s career spanned television and film, with roles that made her a familiar face to audiences from the 2000s onward.

International

Luigi Mangione Pleads Guilty to Killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson

Luigi Mangione admitted Friday to fatally shooting Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, the largest health insurance group in the United States, during an appearance before a federal judge.

The case shocked the U.S. business community and dates back to December 2024, when Mangione opened fire on Thompson, 50, on a Manhattan street. Prosecutors have described the attack as being motivated by Mangione’s opposition to the U.S. health insurance system.

“On the morning of December 4, I shot Mr. Thompson in Manhattan and he died,” Mangione said as he pleaded guilty to a federal stalking charge related to his pursuit of the executive.

Mangione, 28, is scheduled to be sentenced on December 18, and prosecutors have indicated that they will seek a life sentence.

In addition to the federal charges related to stalking Thompson, Mangione also faces a murder case brought by the state of New York.

Following his guilty plea in federal court, Mangione’s defense asked a state court to dismiss the state charges, arguing that prosecuting him again for the same conduct would violate protections against double jeopardy.

“We have just filed our motion in state court to explain why the charges should be dismissed under New York’s protections against double jeopardy,” Mangione’s attorney, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, said Friday.

Both the federal and state cases could result in a life sentence. Two other federal charges that initially carried the possibility of the death penalty were dismissed by a judge earlier this year.

International

ICE Plan to Equip Agents With Electric Shock Gloves Raises Abuse Concerns

Plans to equip U.S. immigration agents with gloves capable of delivering electric shocks are raising concerns over potential abuses by a law enforcement agency that critics accuse of using excessive force and providing inadequate training to its personnel.

The plan involves the potential purchase of electric-shock gloves for agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the agency primarily responsible for carrying out President Donald Trump’s campaign to deport millions of undocumented immigrants.

Democratic Representative Maxwell Frost criticized the proposal on X, arguing that the agency has already faced accusations of excessive force during immigration enforcement operations.

“As if assaulting and shooting people in the streets wasn’t enough,” Frost wrote. He also criticized the reported $20 million potential expenditure on the devices and called for greater restrictions on ICE.

The agency has faced growing scrutiny following a series of deadly shootings during immigration enforcement operations. Among the incidents were the deaths of two U.S. citizens in Minnesota in January who were participating in protests against the agency.

Critics have focused on the tactics used by ICE agents when detaining immigrants, as well as allegations that training standards for newly recruited personnel have been lowered.

According to a procurement plan first reported by the Associated Press, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees ICE, could spend between $10 million and $20 million on the devices.

The gloves are described by the agency as tools intended for “distraction and de-escalation,” rather than lethal weapons. The system, known as GLOVE, stands for “Generated Low-Output Voltage Emitter.”

The device is manufactured by Compliant Technologies, a Kentucky-based company that describes its products as advanced non-lethal tools designed to protect and assist law enforcement and other personnel.

The proposal comes amid an intensifying national debate over ICE’s enforcement methods and the use of force during the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.