International
Lula confesses that he was “frared” by Maduro’s threat about “a bloodbath” if he loses
The president of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, confessed on Monday that he was “scared” when his Venezuelan counterpart, Nicolás Maduro, said that if he loses Sunday’s elections in his country, there will be “a bloodbath.”
“I was scared by that statement,” Lula said in an interview with foreign correspondents, in which he revealed that he spoke twice with Maduro to warn him that “if he wants to contribute to solving Venezuela’s growth problem and the return of those who left, he has to respect the democratic process.”
Lula added that, in democracy, “he who loses takes a bath of votes, not a bloodbath,” and that “Maduro has to learn that when one wins he stays, and when he loses he leaves and prepares for other elections.”
According to the Brazilian president, next Sunday’s elections will be “the only opportunity” for Venezuela to “return to normal” and for the country to reintegrate into the regional and international community.
“That’s what I want for Venezuela and for all of South America,” he added.
He also reported that, in addition to the two observers that Brazil’s electoral justice will send, his former Foreign Foreign Affairs adviser, Celso Amorim, who will be present at Sunday’s elections, will also travel to Venezuela.
Lula has advocated at all times for elections within the consensus of the Barbados Agreements, with full participation of the opposition and with results recognized by all.
He has also defended a wide presence of international observers and expressed his “concern” about the veto of the opponent María Corina Machado, then replaced as a candidate by former diplomat Edmundo González Urrutia, whom the polls place as a favorite for Sunday’s elections.
International
Petro Resumes Extraditions, Sends Top Criminal to U.S. Before White House Talks
Colombian President Gustavo Petro extradited a major drug trafficking kingpin to the United States early Tuesday morning, just hours before his scheduled meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House.
Under pressure from Washington, the leftist leader resumed the extradition of top criminal figures, a practice that had been suspended for months amid stalled peace negotiations with armed groups.
“President Petro gave a very clear order over the weekend for the criminal known as Pipe Tuluá to be extradited from Colombia to the United States as quickly as possible,” Defense Minister Pedro Sánchez said on Monday. Sánchez is accompanying Petro in Washington for his first face-to-face meeting with Trump on Tuesday.
The criminal leader was transferred wearing a helmet and a bulletproof vest as he boarded a private aircraft that departed from a military base at Bogotá’s airport. Nearly 70 security officers were deployed for the operation, according to police colonel Elver Sanabria.
The United States had strongly criticized Colombia’s suspension of extraditions during a period of strained relations between Trump and Petro.
After months of tensions, the two presidents eased differences during a phone call on January 7.
Petro now appears to be taking steps aimed at improving relations with Washington, including the extradition of Pipe Tuluá, the leader of the feared criminal gang known as La Inmaculada, who is wanted by U.S. authorities.
International
Mexico Arrests Suspect in Shooting of Sinaloa Lawmakers
Mexican security authorities announced on Tuesday the arrest of one of the alleged perpetrators of last week’s armed attack against two local lawmakers in the northwestern state of Sinaloa, one of the most violent regions in the country.
The suspect was identified as Jesús Emir “N”, who authorities say is a member of a criminal cell and was “one of those responsible for the cowardly attack against lawmakers” from the opposition party Movimiento Ciudadano on January 28, according to Public Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch in a post on X.
García Harfuch said the detainee was in charge of controlling radio communications, installing surveillance cameras to monitor the movements of authorities, and acquiring drones for the criminal organization.
The attack took place in broad daylight as local lawmakers Sergio Torres and Elizabeth Montoya were leaving the state Congress building in Culiacán, the capital of Sinaloa, when they were shot by armed assailants.
According to Mexican media reports on Monday, Torres, 59, remained hospitalized in critical condition due to his injuries, while Montoya, 55, lost an eye in the attack but was reported to be out of danger.
Following the attack on the lawmakers and the kidnapping on January 23 of 10 workers from a Canadian mining company operating in southern Sinaloa, the federal government reinforced security in the state by deploying 1,600 military personnel.
Located along Mexico’s Pacific coast, Sinaloa is among the country’s five most violent states, particularly since an internal conflict erupted within the Sinaloa cartel in 2024.
That factional war broke out after the capture of Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, one of the cartel’s historic leaders, who was allegedly lured to the United States by a son of his former associate Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán.
International
U.S. Senate Rejects Budget, Bringing Government Closer to Shutdown Amid DHS Dispute
The U.S. Senate voted on Thursday against a budget proposal in a move aimed at pressuring changes at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), following the killing of two civilians during a deployment of immigration agents in Minneapolis.
All Senate Democrats and seven Republican lawmakers voted against the bill, which requires 60 votes to advance, pushing the country closer to a partial government shutdown that would cut funding for several agencies, including the Pentagon and the Department of Health.
The rejection came as Senate leaders and the White House continue negotiations on a separate funding package for DHS that would allow reforms to the agency. Proposed measures include banning Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents from wearing face coverings and requiring them to use body-worn cameras during operations.
The vote took place just hours after President Donald Trump said he was “close” to reaching an agreement with Democrats and did not believe the federal government would face another shutdown, following last year’s record stoppage.
“I don’t think the Democrats want a shutdown either, so we’ll work in a bipartisan way to avoid it. Hopefully, there will be no government shutdown. We’re working on that right now,” Trump said during a Cabinet meeting at the White House.
Petro Resumes Extraditions, Sends Top Criminal to U.S. Before White House Talks
Mexico Arrests Suspect in Shooting of Sinaloa Lawmakers
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