International

Former Uruguayan President José Mujica, who has a gastrostomy, is operated on

The former president of Uruguay José Mujica was operated on this Saturday in the sanatorium where he was hospitalized, where he had a gatrostomy for feeding.

This was indicated in a press conference by his personal doctor, Raquel Pannone, who stressed that the procedure was carried out in the morning hours, its result was “excellent” and the former president is recovering accompanied by his wife, Lucía Topolansky.

“The situation, as I told you 48 hours ago, was to try to achieve oral feeding in the best conditions, with the right preparation. We tried to do it and the result was not entirely satisfactory,” said the doctor, who added that that led them to make the decision to climb a new step and do a gastrostomy for feeding.

What is the purpose of the intervention with former President Mujica?

“This gastrostomy allows us safe access for food and hydration, with a good flow and to be able to allow, while this happens, the esophagus can be repaired naturally. That’s what we bet on: to have it better nourished, well hydrated and give the esophagus time to fulfill the natural stages of recovery,” Pannone said.

He added that it is not known how long this process will take and that it will depend on its nature and evolution. He also added that when it ends, Mujica will return to a normal diet.

20250301_vacunacion_vph-728x90

20241211_mh_noexigencia_dui_728x90

20231124_etesal_728x90_1

20230601_agenda_primera_infancia_728X90

domfuturo_netview-728x90

20240604_dom_728x90

CEL

Meanwhile, the doctor explained, the former president will be fed with certain preparations or with foods with an adequate consistency.

“Progressively, we will continue to test oral tolerance and as soon as this is okay he will eat normally again,” Pannone reiterated, who added that Mujica will remain hospitalized for a few more days.

Boarding since Thursday

The former president who arrived this Thursday at a sanatorium in Montevideo, has been under rehydration due to the little liquid intake he was receiving.

This was explained that day by Pannone in a press conference in which he indicated that the former president has a fibrosis in the esophagus as a result of the radiotherapy treatment he received in that area, which generates difficulties in feeding.

“’Pepe’ is back in the sanatorium. The cause of the transfer to the sanatorium this time has to do with the fat that he was receiving very little liquid intake at home by oral route and he was not receiving enough food. That was the reason for moving it,” the doctor pointed out.

20250301_vacunacion_vph-728x90

20241211_mh_noexigencia_dui_728x90

20231124_etesal_728x90_1

20230601_agenda_primera_infancia_728X90

domfuturo_netview-728x90

20240604_dom_728x90

CEL

He added that he was tested and he began to be rehydrated intravenously.

Last week, the former president had already entered the sanatorium after having difficulties feeding himself due to the radiotherapy treatment he received months ago, as a result of a malignant tumor in the esophagus.

International

Marco Rubio warns Venezuela against military action against Guyana

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned Venezuela on Thursday that a military attack on Guyana would be “a big mistake” and “a very bad day for them,” expressing his support for Georgetown in its territorial dispute with Caracas.

“It would be a very bad day for the Venezuelan regime if they attacked Guyana or ExxonMobil. It would be a very bad day, a very bad week for them, and it would not end well,” Rubio emphasized during a press conference in Georgetown alongside Guyanese President Irfaan Ali.

International

Ecuador oil spill worsens as containment dam collapses

The collapse of a containment dam holding back part of the 25,000+ barrels of oil spilled from a pipeline rupture nearly two weeks ago has worsened the environmental crisis in northwestern Ecuador, contaminating rivers and Pacific beaches.

The Ecuadorian government attributed the March 13 pipeline rupture—which led to the spill of 25,116 barrels of crude—to an act of sabotage. The spill affected three rivers and disrupted water supplies for several communities, according to authorities.

On Tuesday, due to heavy rains that have been falling since January, a containment dam on the Caple River collapsed. The Caple connects to other waterways in Esmeraldas Province, a coastal region bordering Colombia, state-owned Petroecuador said in a statement on Wednesday.

Seven containment barriers were installed in the Viche River, where crews worked to remove oil-contaminated debris. Additional absorbent materials were deployed in Caple, Viche, and Esmeraldas Rivers, which flow into the Pacific Ocean.

Authorities are also working to protect a wildlife refuge home to more than 250 species, including otters, howler monkeys, armadillos, frigatebirds, and pelicans.

20250301_vacunacion_vph-728x90

20241211_mh_noexigencia_dui_728x90

20231124_etesal_728x90_1

20230601_agenda_primera_infancia_728X90

domfuturo_netview-728x90

20240604_dom_728x90

CEL

“This has been a total disaster,” said Ronald Ruiz, a leader in the Cube community, where the dam was located. He explained that the harsh winter rains caused river levels to rise, bringing debris that broke the containment barriersthat were holding the accumulated oil for extraction.

International

Federal court blocks Trump’s use of Enemy Alien Act for deportations

A federal appeals court upheld the block on former President Donald Trump’s use of the Enemy Alien Act on Wednesday, preventing him from using the law to expedite deportations of alleged members of the transnational criminal group Tren de Aragua.

With a 2-1 ruling, a panel from the Washington, D.C. Court of Appeals affirmed previous decisions by two lower court judges, maintaining the legal standoff between the White House and the judiciary.

On March 14, Trump invoked the 1798 Enemy Alien Act, a law traditionally used during wartime, to deport hundreds of Venezuelans whom he accused of belonging to Tren de Aragua, a criminal organization that originated in Venezuelan prisons.

The centuries-old law grants the president the power to detain, restrict, and expel foreign nationals from a country engaged in a “declared war” or an “invasion or predatory incursion” against the United States, following a public proclamation.