World Briefs VENEZUELA’S EX-LEADERS HOLD SUMMIT

caracas, venezuela» A group of former presidents has held secret meetings in the Dominican Republic with Venezuelan officials and government opponents in an attempt to mediate the deeply polarized South American nation’s political standoff, an opposition leader confirmed Saturday.

Jesus Torrealba, executive secretary of the opposition alliance, said that the meetings took place under the auspices of the Union of South American Nations. But he said there was no face-to-face encounter, and instead the two sides exchanged messages through the ex-presidents.

Telesur reported that the Venezuelan government was represented in the Friday meetings by Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez and two top officials in the ruling socialist party. Three lawmakers were there for the opposition.

mexico city» Jailed drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman’s fight to stave off extradition to the United States has led to a schism among some of the people he’s counting on most: his own lawyers.

After two of Guzman’s attorneys filed an appeal against the extradition request, a third lawyer quickly disavowed it on Saturday.

Attorney Jose Refugio Rodriguez told The Associated Press that the move was not authorized by Guzman and his client will not sign off on the appeal, meaning the courts would not act on it.

“This hurts Joaquin Guzman because it hinders our defense,” Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez added that the lawyers who filed it, Juan Pablo Badillo and Jose Luis Gonzalez Mesa, are not part of the team working on the extradition case. That team is still considering the government’s arguments and plans an appeal in the coming weeks that “El Chapo” will approve.