International
José Mujica apologizes for “crude” comments about Cristina Kirchner, urges peronist renewal
![](https://www.newscentral.news/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/MUJICA.jpg.webp)
Former Uruguayan President José Mujica acknowledged on Monday that his comments about Argentina’s ex-president Cristina Kirchner, made during an AFP interview, were “crude” and “not at all diplomatic.” Mujica criticized Kirchner for not stepping aside to allow new generations to lead but reiterated the need for renewal within the Peronist movement.
“The terminology was not diplomatic at all—it was crude,” Mujica told the Uruguayan newspaper La Diaria. He was referring to remarks about Kirchner, who served as president from 2007 to 2015 and as vice president from 2019 to 2023.
“There’s old Kirchner in Argentina, still leading Peronism. Instead of becoming an elder advisor and letting new generations take over, no, she’s still meddling. How hard it is for them to let go of the cake! Damn it!” Mujica had said in the AFP interview published last Friday.
Mujica, an 89-year-old former guerrilla fighter and global leftist icon who served as Uruguay’s president from 2010 to 2015, emphasized to La Diaria that he respects Kirchner, describing her as “a phenomenon,” with “tremendous subliminal weight,” and “an admirable and exceptional woman.”
However, he doubled down on his call for renewal within Peronism. “I think that major figures—and there’s no greater figure in Peronism than Cristina Kirchner—should use their influence to explore, identify, and promote new generations,” he stressed.
Mujica’s comments to AFP about Kirchner generated significant media attention, though he told La Diaria that “no one has said anything” to him about it because people are familiar with his blunt way of speaking.
This isn’t the first time Mujica’s remarks about Kirchner have sparked controversy. In April 2013, while serving as president of Uruguay, he was overheard saying, “That old lady is worse than the one-eyed man. The one-eyed man was more political; she’s more stubborn,” referring to then-President Kirchner and her late husband, former President Néstor Kirchner, unaware his microphone was on before a meeting in Uruguay.
International
Venezuelan official urges migrant youths to come back and build the “future we deserve”
![](https://www.newscentral.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/venezuela-deportados.jpeg)
The President of Venezuela’s National Assembly (AN, Parliament), the chavista Jorge Rodríguez, invited all migrant youths to return to the country and, as he said, help build the “prosperous homeland” during a speech on Wednesday before hundreds of supporters who were commemorating Youth Day.
“We extend a hand to all the young people, anywhere in the world, and we tell them, come back sisters, come back brothers, this is your land, this is your homeland, we welcome you with open arms,” said Rodríguez in a speech outside the Legislative Palace in Caracas, where the demonstration concluded.
Rodríguez urged young people to return with their knowledge and strength to help build the “prosperous homeland” and the future they deserve.
“Here we want you, here we love you (…) come on, we are waiting for you to build together the homeland we deserve, the future we deserve,” he said, recalling that 190 migrants deported from the United States arrived in Venezuela on Monday, who, as he stated, came from “sadness, persecution, and shame.”
International
Colombian president appoints new minister of Labor amid government crisis
![](https://www.newscentral.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/AME1131-COLOMBIA-PETRO.jpg.webp)
Colombian President Gustavo Petro appointed a new Minister of Labor on Wednesday, following the resignation of the former head of the ministry amid the ongoing internal government crisis, which has seen the departure of seven ministers and high-ranking officials.
The appointed minister is Antonio Sanguino, a sociologist and former senator from the centrist Green Party, who will face the main challenge of advancing the labor reform through Congress. This reform is one of Petro’s key political initiatives, as he promised to support the most vulnerable after being elected as the country’s first left-wing president.
“Antonio takes on the responsibility of implementing the pension reform and advancing the labor reform for the dignity of Colombian workers,” Petro stated on X, previously known as Twitter.
With this appointment, Petro begins to restructure the cabinet, which was left weakened by a series of irrevocable resignations from five ministers and one senior official, following internal tensions that became public over a week ago during an unprecedented live broadcast of a private ministerial meeting, where Petro demanded accountability and received criticism in return.
International
Mexico’s president rejects DEA interference after Terry Dale’s nomination
![](https://www.newscentral.news/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/shien-cia.jpeg)
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum stated on Wednesday that she “will not allow interference” from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) following the nomination of Terry Dale as the new director of the agency, with whom she has had prior interactions in Mexico.
“We will not allow interference or violations of sovereignty. What exists is coordination and collaboration with U.S. government agencies, the State Department, and all U.S. government Secretariats, with the White House and President Donald Trump himself,” she expressed.
The Mexican president responded in her morning conference to questions about the nomination of Dale, announced by Trump on Tuesday. Trump has labeled Mexico’s drug cartels as terrorists and warned of possible bombings on Mexican territory and covert operations with U.S. troops.
Dale worked for 21 years with the DEA, with missions in Colombia, Afghanistan, and Mexico, and now, as Secretary of Security for Virginia, he leads 11 state security agencies with over 19,000 employees, as outlined by the Republican leader on Truth Social.
-
International5 days ago
Mexico’s Sheinbaum urges U.S. to target cartels on its own soil
-
International4 days ago
Milei’s government moves forward with privatization of Belgrano Cargas
-
International4 days ago
Powerful 7.5-magnitude earthquake strikes Honduras and the Caribbean
-
International1 day ago
Venezuela welcomes first group of deported migrants following U.S. diplomatic agreement
-
Central America2 days ago
Humpback whale found dead on Guatemala’s Pacific Coast
-
International5 days ago
Trump strips Biden of classified briefings: ‘Joe, you’re fired’
-
International2 days ago
Saudi PhD student’s sentence reduced to 4 years after Twitter activity
-
International2 days ago
Klaus Iohannis resigns as romanian president following growing opposition pressure
-
International2 days ago
Paraguayan authorities dismantle alleged drug trafficking network inside prison
-
International2 days ago
Victims of Álvaro Uribe case request international observers for trial
-
International1 day ago
Gaza ceasefire at risk after Trump’s ultimatum on hostages, says Hamas
-
International1 day ago
Trump nominates Terry Dale as DEA director
-
International1 day ago
Luisa González criticizes Daniel Noboa for hiding after narrow first-round defeat
-
International1 day ago
Gulf of Mexico renamed “Gulf of America” on Google Maps following Trump’s executive order
-
International6 hours ago
Mexico’s president rejects DEA interference after Terry Dale’s nomination
-
International6 hours ago
Venezuelan official urges migrant youths to come back and build the “future we deserve”
-
International6 hours ago
Colombian president appoints new minister of Labor amid government crisis
-
International6 hours ago
Mexico leads Latin America in journalist deaths in 2024, says CPJ report