Paraguay Protests Erupt After Ueno Bank Collapse and Ex-President's Arrest

Large protests have erupted in Paraguay following the collapse of major bank Ueno, which served about 60 percent of the country's adult population. The former president, Santiago Peña, has been detained at a military base amid an investigation into alleged corruption linked to the bank's failure. Peña, who was impeached earlier this week, is accused of using political influence to place hundreds of millions of dollars in public funds into Ueno. Authorities have frozen accounts for three million customers, triggering the nation's biggest political crisis in a decade, with police using pepper spray and rubber bullets against demonstrators. The former president faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted, and prosecutors have requested his assets be frozen during the investigation. Peña has denied all wrongdoing, stating in his farewell message that he wanted to prioritize the country over his personal fate.