Latin America in Short: Piedad Córdoba Arrested | New Massacre in Texas

A few days before the elections in Colombia, Senator Piedad Córdoba was arrested for carrying 60 thousand dollars without declaring. In the United States, a new massacre in Texas took place and left several victims, with which the possession of weapons is once again a trending topic in the North American country. On the other hand, the director of the WHO was re-elected this week for his efforts in handling the pandemic. In environmental news, a 6.9 earthquake has shaken Peru and neighboring countries. Finally, in sports, a Colombian wins stage 17 of the Giro d'Italia.

A few days before the elections in Colombia: leftist congresswoman is arrested for carrying more than 60 thousand dollars without declaring

The senator elected by the Historical Pact Piedad Córdoba was provisionally detained at the Palmerola international airport in Tegucigalpa this week after she was found in her possession, 68,000 dollars that she had not declared. The recently elected senator declared for Caracol Radio de Colombia that the money is from "an advisory contract that I have with an important group, we worked for two days (…) and they already paid me and that's all." International regulations only allow passengers to enter with 10,000 dollars (or its equivalent in another currency) without declaring at customs. Larger sums of money or merchandise must be reported on the customs ticket at the time of entering a country as a measure to combat money laundering and smuggling.

This is not the first scandal of the leftist leader. Precisely, Gustavo Petro, leader in voting intentions in the presidential elections in Colombia, asked Córdoba to distance himself from his campaign due to his legal troubles due to his alleged irregularities when he acted as a negotiator in the release of FARC hostages. Additionally, a brother of the Colombian senator was captured for allegedly participating in the shipment of drugs to the United States. US justice ensures that Álvaro Córdoba has links with drug traffickers. Piedad Córdoba is close to the Honduran ruling party of the Libertad y Refundación party. So much so that the Colombian senator was present as a guest at the inauguration of the current Honduran president, Xiomara Castro.

Read also: Elections in Colombia: the main proposals of the candidates in foreign relations

New details of the massacre of 19 children and 2 adults in Texas are known

The United States continues to mourn, after on May 24, a young gunman entered the Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, and opened fire on students and teachers. For now, the death toll is 19 minors and 2 dead teachers, in addition to the perpetrator of the attack, who was killed in the attack. The attack was premeditated by the 18-year-old attacker, who entered the school with a pistol and an AR-15 rifle. Salador Ramos, as the subject was identified, had expressed his intentions on his social networks. According to Texas Governor Greg Abbott, Ramos wrote on his Facebook account that he intended to kill his grandmother and attack an elementary school.

According to witnesses, Ramos drove a black truck through the town and shortly before arriving at the school, he crashed his vehicle into a ditch. However, the reasons why the subject carried out the attack are still unknown. According to several testimonies from family members, the work of several teachers was essential, as they heroically managed to prevent the death of dozens of their students. Uvalde is a small town on the border between Mexico and the United States. His community is majority Latino and he hardly appears on television when there is an immigration crisis. President Joe Biden and several leaders of the Democratic Party have insisted on legislating more severely on access to weapons in the United States, due to the constant cases of massacres inside educational centers.

Director of the World Health Organization was re-elected

Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus was re-elected for a second term as WHO Director-General, a position he will hold for a further 5 years. The news came in the middle of the 75th World Health Assembly in Geneva. The doctor of Ethiopian origin will continue with his strategy to face one of the biggest health crises in history and will face managing the impacts that it is leaving in other areas of health. Despite having received both criticism and praise for his command in coordinating the WHO's action against the Coronavirus pandemic, he did not have a candidate who opposed his re-election.

Strong earthquake of 6.9 shakes Peru and neighboring countries

This Thursday, May 26, a strong earthquake of 6.9 magnitude was recorded in the region of Puno, Peru. It is an area that borders Bolivia. The movement had a depth of 240 kilometers, according to the Geophysical Institute of Peru. However, the United States Geological Institute (USGS) indicated that the magnitude was 7.2, with a depth of 218 kilometers. The movement was also felt in Chile, Ecuador and Brazil. However, no major damage has been reported.

Colombian wins the 17th stage of Giro d'Italia

Colombian cyclist Santiago Buitrago won on stage number 17 of the Giro d'Italia. It is the first victory for the coffee country in this edition of the Corsa Rosa, largely due to the absence of Egan Bernal. The race lasted 168 kilometers between Ponte di Legno and Lavarone, in the north of the country. Santiago flew down the final descent to cross the finish line alone and celebrate his victory with a total time of four hours, 27 minutes and 41 seconds. For now, Ecuadorian Richard Carapaz is running as the Latino with the best chance of being victorious in this event.