International
The president-elect of Panama, José Raúl Mulino, promises repatriation of migrants crossing the Darién
José Raúl Mulino promised during his proclamation act as president-elect of Panama repatriations for migrants crossing the Darién, the border jungle with Colombia. He will do it with international help and “respecting” human rights.
“Panama and our Darién is not a transit route. No, sir, that’s our border. The concept of closure that I have outlined implies a philosophical concept that is related to closing the border on the basis that we will start, with international help, a repatriation process with all respect for human rights,” Mulino said in his speech.
“So that those there and those who would like to come know that the one who arrives here will be returned to their country of origin,” he added.
The National Scrutiny Board made Mulino official as the new president for the period 2024 – 2029 and gave him the credentials during an event in Panama City.
However, the new Government officially begins on July 1, after a staggered transition process that will begin on June 3.
Panama has become the epicenter of an unprecedented migration crisis. So far this year, more than 130,000 people, mostly Venezuelans, have already passed through the Darién on their way to North America, a number that could exceed the historic figure of 520,000 migrants in 2023.
“Not only do we finish a cycle in the democratic life of our country, but we end that cycle peacefully. Everything is left behind as far as I’m concerned, everything that happened in this election that was unprecedented. Those facts and circumstances are unprecedented,” Mulino said.
And he added: “That for me is part of a memory that I don’t want anyone to live. I will make every effort within 5 years so that by this time the new president assumes power in a peaceful transfer in free elections.”
Mulino, a politician with a trajectory and a strong character, won the Presidency of Panama last Sunday with 34.2% of the votes, supported by the Realizing Goals (RM) and Alianza parties, according to 100% of the minutes already scrutinized.
He accidentally became a presidential candidate, two months before the elections, since he was the running mate of former President Ricardo Martinelli (2009 – 2014) until the former governor was politically disqualified after being sentenced to more than 10 years in prison for laundering. Case that led him to take asylum at the Embassy of Nicaragua in Panama.
Mulino, 64, acknowledged during his speech that the elections were “unique” and “unpublished”, with a high turnout (77.64%).
He applauded the triumph of the independent candidacies, led by young people who won 20 of the 71 seats in Parliament. Thus becoming the first force within the Legislature and displacing traditional parties to a second place.
He reiterated his intention to govern alongside the opposition, extending his hand to that independent bench.
“The most important thing is the message of Sunday, May 5, that the political renewal of the country began (…) the number of (independent) deputies in the National Assembly was impressive and I sent a clear message, that you have to do things right thinking that everything is final,” he said.
Mulino spoke of working for maximum economic efficiency: “there is no money to continue in the francachela that we came with the borrowed money.”
International
Austrian man arrested in Croatia with deceased woman as passenger in his car
A 65-year-old Austrian citizen was arrested at a border checkpoint in Croatia after attempting to enter the country in his car with a deceased woman sitting as a passenger, police announced on Tuesday.
The man was detained in a routine check in late November in Gunja, a border area separating Bosnia from Croatia, the police told AFP. Suspicious because they saw “no consciousness or movement” from the passenger, Croatian officers called a doctor, who confirmed the death of the 83-year-old woman, also Austrian, according to her identification.
The woman’s relationship to the suspect is unknown. She had died in Bosnia, and the man intended to repatriate her body to Austria to “avoid the formalities related to transporting a corpse,” according to the police. Croatian media reported that the man was her legal guardian.
Once her death was confirmed, a funeral service took charge of the body.
International
Colombian nationals arrested for human trafficking and disappearance of migrant boat
Colombian authorities arrested two nationals accused of the illegal trafficking of migrants to the United States and of endangering lives due to the disappearance of a boat with 40 people aboard, U.S. Department of Justice officials reported on Tuesday.
Hernando Manuel de la Cruz Rivera Orjuela, 52, and Luis Enrique Linero Pinto, 40, both Colombian citizens, were arrested on December 13 in Colombia at the request of the United States for their alleged involvement in a “transnational human trafficking operation,” the department said in a statement.
According to the charges, the detainees were transporting migrants to San Andrés Island in the Caribbean, where they would then be taken by boat to Nicaragua. The goal was to reach the United States through Central America and Mexico.
The accused are said to have advised the migrants on how to reach San Andrés Island, where they personally received them, arranged accommodations, and “took them to the boats that transported them to Nicaragua so they could enter the United States illegally,” the statement reads.
“These defendants put several migrants on the boat that disappeared off the coast of Nicaragua in 2023,” said Deputy Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Criminal Division, as cited in the statement.
Both men are “directly and personally responsible for the illicit trafficking of migrants on that vessel,” according to the indictment dated October 23.
International
Homemade landmine explosion in Michoacán kills two soldiers, injures five
Two soldiers were killed and five others were injured by the explosion of homemade landmines planted by a criminal group in a mountainous area of the Mexican state of Michoacán (west), the Secretary of Defense reported on Tuesday.
The attack occurred on Monday morning in the municipality of Cotija, a border area between Michoacán and the state of Jalisco, when the military was conducting a reconnaissance mission after receiving information about an armed camp in the area, explained Secretary General Ricardo Trevilla.
“At that moment, an improvised explosive device detonated. Unfortunately, two soldiers lost their lives, and five others were injured,” the military leader detailed. The affected soldiers were airlifted to hospitals in the region by a military helicopter, while the rest of the team continued with the reconnaissance of the area.
Trevilla stated that before the explosion, the military unit had located the dismembered bodies of three people, and upon continuing the mission, they confirmed the camp was abandoned.
Asked about the individuals responsible for placing the explosives, the general suggested they could be criminals linked to the local group Cárteles Unidos, which operates in Michoacán and uses these tactics in their territorial dispute with the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, one of the most powerful criminal organizations in the country.
Austrian man arrested in Croatia with deceased woman as passenger in his car
Colombian nationals arrested for human trafficking and disappearance of migrant boat
Homemade landmine explosion in Michoacán kills two soldiers, injures five
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
Ecuador prison riot leaves at least 43 dead
-
International5 days agoDismembered bodies of five found in Guanajuato pickup truck
-
Central America5 days agoMassive fire destroys 100 shops in Honduras capital market
-
Central America5 days agoEl Salvador intensifies monitoring of Conchagua seismic activity
-
International3 days agoFrance will send a diplomatic delegation to Syria after 12 years without official representation
-
Central America5 days agoEl Salvador anticipates 125,000 international tourists during holiday season
-
Central America5 days agoPresident Bukele expresses condolences over tragic Los Chorros collapse
-
Central America2 days agoEl Salvador’s $9.663 billion budget for 2025 focuses on key sectors with no new debt issuance
-
Central America4 days agoHonduras Seizes Over 26 Tons of Cocaine in 2024, Marking Major Drug-Fighting Achievements
-
Central America4 days agoCosta Rica takes step toward full membership in Pacific Alliance to Stimulate Trade and Jobs
-
International2 days agoChrystia Freeland resigns as Canada’s deputy PM over dispute with Trudeau on U.S. Tariff Threats
-
International2 days agoVenezuela announces 179 new releases in post-election violence cases
-
International2 days agoAt least 12 injured in shooting at abundant life christian school in Wisconsin
-
International4 days agoGustavo Petro visits the Galápagos Islands for bilateral talks with Ecuador’s Daniel Noboa
-
International2 days agoTrinidad and Tobago Education Minister Lisa Morris-Julian dies in house fire with her children
-
International2 days agoMilan’s Via MonteNapoleone overtakes Fifth Avenue as world’s most expensive retail destination
-
International2 days agoEl Salvador’s bitcoin reserves soar in value as cryptocurrency’s bullish surge continues
-
International3 days agoMaría Corina Machado says that Nicolás Maduro is “cornered” inside and outside Venezuela
-
International2 days agoNearly 40 dead in Istanbul after consuming contaminated alcohol in six weeks
-
International4 days agoVenezuelan opposition in Argentine embassy urges Brazil to expedite safe passage
-
International3 days agoNetanyahu: “Israel’s policy in Syria will depend on the emerging reality”
-
International4 days agoMayor Brandon Johnson Vows to Protect Chicagoans from ICE Actions
-
International4 days agoEcuador police intercept major drug shipment destined for Europe
-
International10 hours agoHomemade landmine explosion in Michoacán kills two soldiers, injures five
-
International3 days agoThe new Syrian authorities plan to end compulsory military service
-
International3 days agoLula asks for severe sanction if the guilt of general arrested for coup is proven
-
International3 days ago
The Constitution of Venezuela, a quarter of a century later
-
International10 hours agoColombian nationals arrested for human trafficking and disappearance of migrant boat
-
International10 hours agoAustrian man arrested in Croatia with deceased woman as passenger in his car
-
International10 hours agoEcuador announces debt swap of $1.527 billion to protect Amazon rainforest