Category World News

Judge Julieta Makintach announced on Tuesday that she would withdraw from her position following reports that she had taken part in a documentary about Maradona’s passing and its aftermath.

Dalma and Gianinna, Maradona’s eldest daughters, Fernando Burlando and Fernando Burlando, both represented them in court.

While the proceedings are pending, judges are generally prohibited from conducting interviews and other public commentary. A three-judge panel that evaluated the fate of seven healthcare workers who assisted Maradona in his final days has been constituted by Makintach since March 11.

Following Maradona’s death by cardiac arrest in 2020, the group of six have been charged with negligent homicide.

A significant amount of scrutiny has been drawn in by this well-known case in Argentina. Maradona won the 1986 World Cup with the help of the national football team.

His participation in the World Cup that year has since become a sporting legend. Even a foul he committed in the quarterfinal has been dubbed the “Hand of God” because it gave Argentina the victory it had over England, a rival nation that had an ongoing territorial dispute with.

Maradona was named one of FIFA’s two “Players of the Century” in 2000, along with Pele from Brazil.

However, Maradona struggled with addiction, and he died shortly after having brain surgery to remove a blood clot. In turn, questions were raised about whether the football player received adequate medical care during his final years as a result of his death.

A neurosurgeon, a psychiatrist, nurses, and other healthcare professionals who attended him were the defendants in the seven cases. If found guilty, they could spend up to 25 years in prison. Eight people are scheduled to appear in court separately.

The seven main defendants are scheduled to face off against them in court hearings involving more than 190 witnesses. Maradona’s death was “was predetermined,” according to one coroner who testified to the court in March, and most likely came from an “agony.”

However, last week, one of the principal defendants, Leopoldo Luque, demanded that Judge Makintach be sacked from the bench.

When Maradona passed away, Luque was both a personal physician and neurosurgeon. Julio Rivas, Luque’s attorney, claimed that the BBC, a British news outlet, had approached him to participate in the documentary.

Through that conversation, Rivas explained that Juan Makintach, Judge Makintach’s brother, was connected to the documentary’s production company.

Additionally, police alleged that Judge Makintach had approved a camera in the courtroom.

As the case was being reviewed, prosecutor Patricio Ferrari requested that the trial be put on hold for a week on May 20. The trial’s beginning was depicted in footage that the court received from the documentary. The judge appeared to be a central figure in the proceedings.

Judge Makintach has refuted accusations of misconduct. Ferrari, however, argued that Ferrari’s claim that the situation threatens the judiciary’s standing.

The prosecutors, who are accused of enforcing labor laws, announced in a statement on Tuesday that they would seek damages in the amount of 257 million reais ($45 million) from BYD, China JinJiang Construction Brazil, and Tecmonta Equipamentos Inteligentes.

In order to construct a BYD plant in Camacari, in the northeastern state of Bahia, the three companies were accused of trafficking Chinese workers. According to the prosecutors, the companies “extremely degrading” the workers there.

220 Chinese workers were discovered to be living in conditions similar to slavery and those who were victims of international human trafficking in December of last year, according to the statement.

In addition to compensating moral damages, the prosecutors are seeking damages worth 50, 000 reais ($8, 867) per violation multiplied by the number of employees impacted.

Authorities claim they “rescued” 163 Chinese workers from Jinjiang and 57 from Tecmonta during a police raid in December 2024.

The workers were allegedly brought to Brazil with visas that didn’t fit their jobs, according to the prosecution, and they were victims of international human trafficking.

They also allege that the workers’ conditions at the construction site made them rely on their employers almost entirely, withholding up to 70% of their wages and demanding high contract termination costs. According to the prosecutors, some of the workers’ passports were taken away, limiting their ability to leave.

Additionally, the lawsuit details dreadful living conditions, including some stale beds.

According to the prosecutors’ statement, “in one dormitory, only one toilet was identified for use by 31 people,” forcing employees to get up at 4am to wash themselves before their workdays.

Outside of China, Brazil has the largest market for BYD. The Chinese automaker has stated that it is working with the authorities, will respond to the lawsuit in court, and is committed to protecting human rights.

In an effort to “smear” China and Chinese businesses, a company spokesman said in December that allegations of unfavorable working conditions were a part of a campaign.

The Brazilian labor attorneys, however, refuted the claim that their lawsuit was motivated by anti-Chinese sentiment.

In an interview, deputy labor prosecutor Fabio Leal stated that “our lawsuit is very well-founded and contains a significant amount of evidence from the investigation process.”

Lamine Yamal, a teenage sensation in Spain, has agreed to a new six-year deal with Barcelona, according to the Catalan football team.

The 17-year-old helped Spain win the Euro 2024 title and was a key player in Barcelona’s domestic treble-winning campaign.

This season, Barca won La Liga, the Spanish Super Cup, and the Copa del Rey, beating their fierce rivals in the finals of both the competitions in the process.

Yamal, a member of the club’s renowned La Masia academy, has quickly gained notoriety for his dribbling, playmaking, and goalscoring.

In a 2-0 victory over crosstown rival Espanyol in mid-May, the Barca-born forward scored the difference goal that earned his side’s 28th Spanish league title.

Lamine Yamal will only be 23 when she retires in 2031. 😳 pic. twitter.com/TPNgRloGaH

Hansi Flick’s former German national team coach, Hansi Flick, led Barca to the Champions League semifinals, where they were then defeated by Inter Milan after extra time.

Yamal had a record-setting season with 18 goals and 13 assists, which is best in the Spanish top flight.

The winger, who can play either flank, was key to Spain’s 2-1 victory over England in the summertime European Championship final. In the 2-1 victory over France in the semifinal, he also scored.

Yamal made his Barcelona debut in April 2023, and he has already made 106 appearances.

Lamine Yamal, who joined his hometown club at the age of 7, will only be 23 in a statement posted on social media platform X that detailed how far the player has come.

According to an internal memo from Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the administration of United States President Donald Trump is temporarily suspending the processing of visas for foreign students.

The cable prompted the US media to ban “any additional student or exchange visa appointment capacity… until further guidance is issued” in the Tuesday cable.

The State Department “plans to issue guidance on expanded social media vetting for all such applications,” the statement continued.

The Trump administration’s continued pressure on universities and students is the latest blow to foreign nationals looking to study in the US.

In a wider conflict over Harvard University’s response to pro-Palestine protests and its diversity initiatives, the administration last week revoked the university’s consent to admitting international students. The move has been temporarily stalled by a federal judge.

Rubio has also requested that the processing pause be done in response to his attempts to revoke hundreds of visas for foreign students, citing minor legal blunders or pro-Palestine advocacy.

US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce on Tuesday, saying in general that “we take very seriously the process of vetting who enters the country.” She did not directly respond to the cable.

According to the president and secretary Rubio, the goal is to ensure that those present understand what the law is, that they don’t have any criminal intentions, that they will contribute to the experience here, no matter how brief or long their status may be, she said.

Bruce further stated that while applying for student visas, applicants should expect more in-depth scrutiny.

Follow the usual procedures, the usual procedures, and [anticipate being looked at,” she said.

Rubio’s cable did not provide a suspension schedule, but instead advised diplomatic staff to follow through with the “coming days” plan.

ongoing difficulties

Concerning academic freedom and the rights of people living in the US on temporary visas, the Trump administration’s actions toward higher education have raised contentious constitutional issues.

A full accounting of the revoked visas that Trump had requested from lawmakers in the US Senate last week was not made public.

Rubio has relied on a mysterious law that the administration maintains grants broad authority to deport foreigners who violate US foreign policy objectives.

Lawyers for several students who have been targeted by Rubio for pro-Palestine views have argued that their clients’ freedom of speech is being violated. They include Mohsen Mahdawi, Rumeysa Ozturk, Mohsen Mahdawi, and Badar Khan Suri.

Harvard University has also claimed that the Trump administration is violating its rights by cutting funding and preventing foreign students from enrolling in Harvard University.

In the war-torn nation, the Sudanese Ministry of Health reported a rise in cholera cases, with 2,700 infections and 172 deaths in the past week.

The ministry said in a statement on Tuesday that 90% of cases had been reported in Khartoum state, where drone strikes have caused severe disruption to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which have been at war with the army since April 2023.

In the south, center, and north of the nation, cases were also reported.

Sudan has a long history of cholera, but outbreaks have gotten worse and worse since the war started, wrecking already fragile sanitation and healthcare infrastructure.

Out of more than 2,300 reported cases over the past three weeks, 91 percent of them in Khartoum state, the ministry reported last Tuesday that 51 people had died from cholera.

Before being completely pushed out of their final holdout positions in the capital last week, the RSF launched drone strikes across Khartoum this month, including on three power stations.

Water treatment facilities no longer in operation

According to Doctors Without Borders (MSF), the strikes caused residents to turn to unsafe water sources and eventually put the local water network out of service.

According to Slaymen Ammar, MSF’s medical coordinator in Khartoum, “Waste treatment stations no longer have electricity and can’t provide clean water from the Nile.”

If left untreated, cholera, an acute diarrhoeal condition brought on by consuming contaminated food or water, can spread within hours. However, it can be prevented and treated with prompt medical care, sanitation, and clean water.

The World Health Organization claims that the conflict has brought the country’s already fragile healthcare system to its “breaking point.”

According to the doctors’ union, up to 90% of the nation’s hospitals have been forced to close at some point as a result of the fighting, with regularly targeted looting, bombing, and storming facilities.

The second-largest state in the country is at the center of a debate over whether and how to regulate smartphone use by children and teenagers, with Texas Governor Greg Abbott signing a bill into law that requires Apple and Alphabet to verify the age of users of their app stores.

On Tuesday, the bill was passed into law.

Users under 18 must have parental consent before apps can be downloaded or purchased in-app, according to the law, which goes into effect on January 1. The first US state to pass a similar law this year was Utah, and US lawmakers have also introduced a federal law.

A second Texas bill, which was approved in the state’s House of Representatives and is awaiting a vote in the Senate, would impose age restrictions on social media apps.

Wide support

One of the few areas where there is widespread consensus in the US is regarding age restrictions and parental consent for social media apps. In a Pew Research poll conducted in 2023, 81% of Americans supported requiring parental consent for children to create social media accounts, and 71% supported age verification before using social media.

Social media’s impact on children’s mental health is a growing global issue. The US surgeon general has issued an advisory on child safeguards, and dozens of US states have sued Meta Platforms. Social media for children under the age of 16 was banned in Australia last year, while Norway and other nations are considering new regulations.

How age restrictions are implemented has created a conflict between Apple and Google, the two main US app stores, and Meta, the owner of Instagram and Facebook.

The bill’s passage was applauded by Meta and the social media platforms Snap and X.

Parents want a one-stop shop to verify their child’s age and grant them permission to download apps in a privacy-preserving manner. More than one-third of US states have passed laws that acknowledge the crucial role that app stores play, according to the companies, and the app store is the best place for it.

The Texas law is likely to face legal challenges due to First Amendment issues, according to Kathleen Farley, vice president of litigation for the Chamber of Progress, an organization supported by Apple and Alphabet.

In an interview with the Reuters news agency on Tuesday, Farley claimed that “adult speech is burdened in attempting to regulate children’s speech.” There are arguments, according to “I’d say, that this is a content-based regulation that excludes digital communication.”

Parents can only have effective control over their children’s use of technology, according to online safety organizations that supported the Texas bill.

The issue is that the digital marketplace has failed to self-regulate apps, which place the safety and rights of children and families first, according to Casey Stefanski, executive director for the Digital Childhood Alliance.

The Texas bill, according to Apple and Google, imposes blanket requirements for sharing age data with all apps, even those that aren’t controversial.

App stores will be required to collect and maintain sensitive personal information for every Texasan who wants to download an app, even if it’s just an update on the weather or sports scores, according to Apple in a statement.

Google and Apple each have a different proposal that only requires sharing age range data with app developers, rather than all of them.

According to Kareem Ghanem, senior director of government affairs and public policy at Google, “we see a role for legislation here.”