International
Gisèle Pelicot, the victim of hundreds of rapes orchestrated by her husband, testified again at the trial
Gisèle Pelicot, the victim of hundreds of rapes orchestrated by her husband when she was under the influence of drugs, will testify again in the trial opened in early September in Avignon, in the south of France, to try to clarify some of the points that have been addressed in the process.
The victim’s statement has raised media expectations for the process, which had fallen in recent days, and which should last until December 20.
Pelicot’s lawyer, Stéphane Babonneau, assured France Bleu radio that his client “has heard many things, which have sometimes hurt, hurt and scandalized her,” while pointing out that this new testimony in the middle of the trial “will allow the case to be better judged.”
Symbol against male domination
Turned into a symbol against male domination, Gisèle Pelicot has attended almost all of the trial sessions, has listened to the testimonies of the defendants and the projection of the images recorded by her husband of the alleged rapes.
The last time he took the floor was to denounce “a humiliation” in some of the testimonies and in the strategies of some of the defenses: “They came to rape me, it’s so degrading what I hear in this room.”
In the vicinity of the Court of Avignon, several banners could be seen in support of Gisèle Pelicot and the victims of sexual abuse.
“A rape is a rape,” says one of those banners, while another read “Welcome our sisters in support of Gisèle,” a reference to the group of Spanish feminists who attended the demonstration that took place last Saturday in front of the court in support of the victim.
As is tradition, upon arrival in court Gisèle Pelicot was applauded, as a sign of support for a case that has become a cause with which this woman wants “shame to change sides”, that the victims stop being questioned, as she herself denounced that she was, and that the events she suffered for almost 10 years are never repeated.
Giséle Pelicot: “I also had an exceptional man”
Gisèle Pelicot reminded the women who today supported her relatives accused that she also had “an exceptional man.”
“These mothers, sisters, women, have said that their brothers and husbands were exceptional. I also had an exceptional man, but the profile of the rapist can be in the family, in the friends,” he said on Wednesday when he intervened again as a witness in the Court of Avignon (southeast).
This woman, who has become an authentic feminist symbol in France, explained that every day she goes to trial for all the victims of rape and for those women and men who support her day after day, with applause in the courts and with messages through social networks.
“I have realized that I don’t have to be ashamed, I have nothing to reproach myself for, I have suffered 100 violations,” he said.
He also said that his request for an open trial and his consent to have videos of the rapes shown is because he wants “all rape victims to be able to say that, if Mrs. Pelicot did it, we can do it too.”
“I don’t want them to be afraid, we don’t have to be ashamed, it’s them,” he insisted.
However, she acknowledged that she is “destroyed” at the age of 72: “I am a completely destroyed woman and I don’t know how I’m going to get up. I don’t know if my life will give me to understand everything that has happened to me.”
International
Trump replaces Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem with Senator Markwayne Mullin
U.S. President Donald Trump announced Thursday the departure of Kristi Noem as Secretary of Homeland Security, one of the key architects of the administration’s policy of deporting undocumented immigrants.
Noem, who has been assigned a new role as a “special envoy” to Latin America, will be replaced starting March 31 by Republican Senator Markwayne Mullin, the president said in a message posted on his social media platform Truth Social.
According to media reports, Trump made the decision after Noem’s recent hearings in Congress, during which she faced tough questions regarding the awarding of a major public contract.
International
Young Woman Will Represent Mexico at 2026 World Cup Opener, Says President Sheinbaum
Mexico’s president, Claudia Sheinbaum, announced Thursday that the young Mexican woman who proves to have the best ball control skills will receive her personal ticket to the opening match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Mexico City.
The left-wing leader had previously said she would not attend the tournament’s opening game on June 11 in the Mexican capital and instead planned to give away the ticket number 00001, reserved for her by FIFA.
During her morning press conference, Sheinbaum explained that women between 16 and 25 years old can participate by submitting a video through an official platform.
“What do they have to do? Keep the ball in the air for one minute,” she said, referring to the soccer juggling challenge that will determine the winner.
Among the judges selecting the winner will be Mexican striker Charlyn Corral, the world’s top female scorer who set a ball-control record in 2005, and professional referee Katia Itzel García.
Sheinbaum also revealed that she plans to watch the opening match during a large public gathering with giant screens in the Zócalo, located in the historic center near the presidential palace.
“Very few people will be able to attend the opening. So I will watch it here with the people, and a young woman will represent me and the people of Mexico,” the president said.
Sheinbaum has previously commented on the high cost of World Cup tickets, as well as the difficulty of obtaining them in a metropolitan area with more than 20 million inhabitants.
In the 2026 tournament, jointly hosted by United States, Mexico, and Canada, Mexico will stage 13 matches in Mexico City, Guadalajara, and Monterrey.
The opening match will take place at the legendary Estadio Azteca, which previously hosted World Cup opening ceremonies in 1970 and 1986, occasions when the presidents in attendance were famously booed by the crowd.
International
Claudia Sheinbaum: Operation Against ‘El Mencho’ Was Based on Pending Arrest Warrants
Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum on Wednesday rejected claims that the military operation that resulted in the death of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as “El Mencho,” leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), was carried out under pressure from the United States government.
Sheinbaum explained that the deployment of federal forces was aimed at executing outstanding arrest warrants against Oseguera Cervantes, who was considered one of the most wanted criminals in both Mexico and the United States.
“That was not the objective (to ease pressure from the United States). It is very important, and I want to repeat it. This individual had an arrest warrant, or several,” Sheinbaum said, referring to the operation conducted on February 22.
According to the president, the initial goal was to capture Oseguera Cervantes, but military forces responded after coming under attack during the intervention.
“The operation was to detain him. The problem is that they were attacked — the Secretariat of National Defense — and they responded at that moment,” she said.
The president insisted that the action was not carried out in response to external demands, although she acknowledged intelligence cooperation with the United States.
“It was not done in any way because of pressure from the United States, not at all. Of course, there was intelligence information from the United States that was used specifically,” she concluded.
Trump replaces Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem with Senator Markwayne Mullin
Young Woman Will Represent Mexico at 2026 World Cup Opener, Says President Sheinbaum
Claudia Sheinbaum: Operation Against ‘El Mencho’ Was Based on Pending Arrest Warrants
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
Extension of the state of emergency approved in southern Chile
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