Drug Trafficking Trial Linked to Televisa Concludes in Nicaragua
The trial underway in Nicaragua against 18 drug traffickers linked to the Mexican Televisa media empire will end today, after the presentation of closing arguments from prosecutors and the defense.
During the previous session, the presentation of evidence against the gang members came to a close. The gang members operated in trucks marked with the logo of the consortium and had employment credentials, allegedly signed by the Vice President of Information, Amador Narcia.
Dozens of journalists attended the presentation of testimonies of four witnesses and several specialists of the National Police of Nicaragua on Tuesday, confirming the alleged relationship between the drug lords and Televisa directors.
An expert witness explained that 106 calls were made in just one month to a phone registered in Narcia’s name from the mobile phones of Rachel Alatorre and Johnny Torrez, first and second in command of the group.
The only woman in the gang made a total of 249 calls to 20 numbers, mostly attributed to the Televisa Vice President.
That information was recorded on the memory chips in the cellphones belonging to Alatorre and his friend, the Nicaraguan expert said.
Letters apparently signed by Narcia call for support for the group, and Narcia is also implicated with other elements that some media are calling “Caravan Televisa.”
Over objections from the defense, Judge Edgar Altamirano allowed these letters into evidence as well as one directed to customs authorities, asking entry permission for satellite transmission equipment on six trucks seized from the defendants.
On Tuesday it was also revealed that the passports of the 18 Mexicans entering through the Las Manos border post, located in the north of Nicaragua, are original and unaltered.
Impostor Televisa journalists were arrested four months ago, because of inconsistencies in their explanations to customs officials about the reasons for their journey, when $9.2 million dollars were found hidden in the vehicles in which they were traveling.
The prosecution sought a conviction for crimes attributed to the three Mexicans: money laundering, organized crime and international drug trafficking.
More Foreigners Arrive in Guatemala to Celebrate End of Baktun
Guatemala is awaiting the arrival today of even more foreigners, here to celebrate the change of calendars on Friday, according to the Mayan calendar, while indigenous organizations have announced they will celebrate this event separately from the government.
According to the estimate provided by Pedro Duchez, director of the Guatemalen Institute of Tourism (Inguat), this country expects nearly 200,000 foreigners to visit in order to celebrate the end of the 13th Baktun.
Some months ago, different indigenous groups expressed their nonconformity with the preparations promoted by the Guatemalan government to celebrate the event.
The National Indigenous Observatory criticized the Executive´s multi-million expenditure to promote the celebrations.
According to a government accounting in September, the Ministry of Culture and Sports had spent 26 million quetzals ($3,270,440 USD), while Inguat spent 40 million quetzals ($5,031,446 USD) to prepare the celebration activities.
The 13th Baktun will end on December 21, while many have speculated that date marks the end of the world, according to an apocalyptic interpretation of the Mayan scriptures.
Each Baktun is equivalent to 144,000 days, so in other words, 13 cycles of that type total 1,872,000 days (5,125 years).
UN Requests 1,5 billion dollars for Humanitarian Aid in Syria
The United Nations announced today two humanitarian-aid plans for Syria, for a total of $1.5 billion US in the first six months of 2013.
What the U.N. is calling the Humanitarian Aid Response Plan for Syria is aimed at four million people in that Arab country’s territory and calls for almost $520 million U.S. to be be contributed by the international community.
The rest of the sum requested will be devoted to another regional project for the Syrian refugees that have been displaced to neighboring countries, said U.N. Humanitarian Aid Coordinator for Syria, Radhouane Nouicer.
The first program includes 61 projects in 10 sectors and covers food, shelter, sanitation and medical services and water for those displaced by the conflict in 14 Syrian provinces, the official said.
According to U.N. estimates, the number of those needing assistance in rural Syria increased from one million to four million people between March and December of the current year and reached half a million in neighboring countries.