International

Hospitalized accused of drugging his wife so that she was raped by other men

Dominique Pelicot, the man who is being tried in Avignon (southeast of France) for having drugged his wife for years so that others sexually abused her in a state of unconsciousness, has been hospitalized this Tuesday, leaving his statement and the continuity of the process suspended.

Her lawyer, Béatrice Zavarro, told the press at a break from the trial that she had been informed that Pelicot, 71, had been hospitalized for medical care.

Zavarro explained that his client had begun to have the first symptoms last Friday of “a urinary infection, perhaps a nephritic colic” and implied that “he did not necessarily receive attention during the weekend.”

At the beginning of this morning’s hearing, the president of the Vaucluse Criminal Court, Roger Arata, had indicated that the main defendant would not be able to testify in the afternoon, as planned, due to a health problem, but a possible change in the program was not anticipated at that time.

On Monday, Pelicot was absent shortly after the session was started for the same reason. Arata decided to request an expert opinion this morning to know exactly his state of health and be able to decide.

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His lawyer considered the postponement of the process “indispensable” if it is intended to continue in his absence, and above all, she rejected the speculations that there were this morning about an alleged maneuver by his client not to testify.

He said that he “will answer all the questions,” but said that this medical problem “that he had not scheduled” has arisen.

The process, which also puts 50 other men on the bench accused of having abused his wife, Gisèle – from whom he has been divorced since August – began on the 2nd and must end one or two weeks before Christmas.

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.

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“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.