BOLIVIA
Morales has tumor removed
President Evo Morales has undergone an operation for a “small tumor” that was detected during a routine checkup, he said on Twitter on Wednesday. Morales, 58, who has been in power since 2006 and signaled a controversial intention to run for a fourth term next year, posted a picture of himself being checked by medics in a hospital bed and declared that he was “very well, 100 percent” and would be discharged yesterday. “Very grateful for your solidarity, your prayers and your blessings,” he wrote. “In a routine checkup doctors found a small tumor which has been removed satisfactorily through an emergency, but low-risk operation.” The Bolivian President’s Office said that Morales had been treated at a private clinic in La Paz. The state news agency ABI said that Morales, who it added “practices sports regularly and works in his office normally from five in the morning until midnight,” gave no other details about where the tumor was found or the surgery itself.
UNITED STATES
Baby’s dried remains found
The remains of a baby found in a trunk during a drug search in Texas were beyond decomposed, authorities said. Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said that the trunk containing the remains was discovered inside a closet of a home near San Antonio on Tuesday. The remains were in a desiccated or dried-up state, he said. “At this point, it’s too early to tell if it’s a homicide,” he said. An autopsy is to be performed to help determine the cause of death and the baby’s identity. Salazar said the baby appeared to be less than one year old. He added a dozen people were found inside the house along with various drug paraphernalia. Authorities were searching the home on a drug warrant.
UNITED STATES
Mother held for selling child
Authorities are accusing a Texas mother of selling her seven-year-old son and trying to sell her two young daughters. The Texas Department of Public Safety on Tuesday said that 29-year-old Esmeralda Garza of Corpus Christi was arrested on Friday last week. She remained in the Nueces County Jail on Wednesday on a charge of sale or purchase of a child. Bond was set at US$100,000. Jail records did not list an attorney for her. The Texas Department of Public Safety said that agents were executing a drug search warrant in Corpus Christi when they located a seven-year-old who had allegedly been sold and purchased. Two girls, ages two and three, were in the process of being sold, authorities said. The case remains under investigation. A man and woman were arrested as a result of the drug investigation.
VENEZUELA
Maduro warns for invasion
President Nicolas Maduro on Wednesday urged his armed forces to be on guard following news reports that US President Donald Trump one year ago raised the possibility of invading Venezuela. “You cannot lower your guard for even a second, because we will defend the greatest right our homeland has had in all of its history, which is to live in peace,” Maduro said at a military ceremony. He alluded to reports in the US press that Trump in August last year asked foreign policy advisers about the possibility of invading Venezuela, which the Trump administration has derided as a corrupt, left-wing dictatorship. Trump raised the idea during a meeting about sanctions that the US has imposed on the oil-rich country, CNN said, quoting a senior administration official. Trump’s advisers said no, as did Latin American leaders with whom Trump raised the idea, CNN said.
EUROPEAN FUTURE? Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama says only he could secure EU membership, but challenges remain in dealing with corruption and a brain drain Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama seeks to win an unprecedented fourth term, pledging to finally take the country into the EU and turn it into a hot tourist destination with some help from the Trump family. The artist-turned-politician has been pitching Albania as a trendy coastal destination, which has helped to drive up tourism arrivals to a record 11 million last year. US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, also joined in the rush, pledging to invest US$1.4 billion to turn a largely deserted island into a luxurious getaway. Rama is expected to win another term after yesterday’s vote. The vote would
FRAUD ALLEGED: The leader of an opposition alliance made allegations of electoral irregularities and called for a protest in Tirana as European leaders are to meet Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama’s Socialist Party scored a large victory in parliamentary elections, securing him his fourth term, official results showed late on Tuesday. The Socialist Party won 52.1 percent of the vote on Sunday compared with 34.2 percent for an alliance of opposition parties led by his main rival Sali Berisha, according to results released by the Albanian Central Election Commission. Diaspora votes have yet to be counted, but according to initial results, Rama was also leading there. According to projections, the Socialist Party could have more lawmakers than in 2021 elections. At the time, it won 74 seats in the
CANCER: Jose Mujica earned the moniker ‘world’s poorest president’ for giving away much of his salary and living a simple life on his farm, with his wife and dog Tributes poured in on Tuesday from across Latin America following the death of former Uruguayan president Jose “Pepe” Mujica, an ex-guerrilla fighter revered by the left for his humility and progressive politics. He was 89. Mujica, who spent a dozen years behind bars for revolutionary activity, lost his battle against cancer after announcing in January that the disease had spread and he would stop treatment. “With deep sorrow, we announce the passing of our comrade Pepe Mujica. President, activist, guide and leader. We will miss you greatly, old friend,” Uruguayan President Yamandu Orsi wrote on X. “Pepe, eternal,” a cyclist shouted out minutes later,
Myanmar’s junta chief met Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) for the first time since seizing power, state media reported yesterday, the highest-level meeting with a key ally for the internationally sanctioned military leader. Senior General Min Aung Hlaing led a military coup in 2021, overthrowing Myanmar’s brief experiment with democracy and plunging the nation into civil war. In the four years since, his armed forces have battled dozens of ethnic armed groups and rebel militias — some with close links to China — opposed to its rule. The conflict has seen Min Aung Hlaing draw condemnation from rights groups and pursued by the
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