International
Nine hurt as quake rattles Peruvian capital
AFP
A 5.6-magnitude earthquake rattled Peru’s capital and surrounding areas Friday, leaving at least nine people injured and some homes damaged, authorities said.
The quake was registered at 5:27 am (1027 GMT), with its epicenter 19 kilometers (12 miles) northeast of Lima at a depth of 116 kilometers, according to the Geophysical Institute of Peru (IGP).
Some people in the capital fled their shaking homes in panic.
Civil defense authorities reported nine people injured, including one person seriously, and damage to three homes in the San Juan de Lurigancho and Ate areas, east of Lima.
A major highway linking the capital to central Peru was blocked by fallen rocks.
“Thankfully, we haven’t counted any deaths,” National Emergency Operations Center coordinator Rolando Capucho told TV channel N.
One man, Jeison Arapa, 28, was injured when he fell from the third floor of his home while trying to evacuate, civil defense authorities said.
Capucho also said three children were trapped in a home after the quake but had since been rescued.
IGP director Hernando Tavera said the shaking was intense due to the depth of the quake.
“It is possible that this moderate-magnitude event has generated, in high areas, rockfalls and landslides on roads and in valleys, and even possible damage to precarious homes,” he said in a statement on the institute’s website.
The quake was felt in the provinces of Canete and Chincha to the south of Lima, and in the port city of Chimbote nearly 400 kilometers to the capital’s north. No tsunami threat was registered.
“People of Peru, let us remain calm but let us be prepared for any aftershock,” President Pedro Castillo said on Twitter.
A 7.5-magnitude quake shook the Amazon region in northern Peru in November, destroying 117 homes, injuring 12 people and leaving more than 2,000 without a roof over their heads.
Peru experiences at least 400 perceptible earthquakes every year.
It is located in the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire — an area of seismic activity that extends along the west coast of the American continent.
A powerful 7.9-magnitude quake struck Peru’s central coast on August 15, 2007, causing more than 500 deaths.
International
U.S. doubles bounty on Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro to $50 million
In February, the United States designated eight Latin American criminal organizations as “global terrorist” groups, including Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel, Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua, and the MS-13 gang. In July, it added the Cartel of the Suns to the list — a group Washington claims is led by Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
Last Thursday, U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration doubled the reward for information leading to Maduro’s arrest, raising it from $25 million to $50 million, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced on social media platform X.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio explained that labeling the Cartel of the Suns as a terrorist organization allows for a strategic shift in dealing with the Venezuelan regime, as it is now also considered a direct threat to U.S. national security, according to El Espectador.
In an interview with The World Over on EWTN, Rubio said the designation enables the U.S. to “use intelligence agencies, the Department of Defense, or any other element of American power to go after them.” He stressed this is no longer just a law enforcement matter, but a national security operation.
When asked at the White House whether he believes it is worth sending the military to combat Latin American drug cartels, Trump responded:
“Latin America has many cartels, a lot of drug trafficking, so, you know, we want to protect our country. We have to protect it.”
International
Three injured in early-morning New York City shooting
A shooting in New York City early Saturday morning left three people injured, a police spokesperson told AFP.
The incident occurred at around 1:20 a.m. local time (05:20 GMT) following a dispute. An 18-year-old woman sustained a scratch to the neck, while a 19-year-old man and a 65-year-old man were injured in the lower limbs.
The victims were taken to Bellevue Hospital, where they were reported to be in stable condition.
The alleged shooter was taken into custody at the scene, and a firearm was recovered. As of now, the suspect has not been formally charged.
Videos circulating on social media show scenes of panic among the crowd, though AFP has not been able to verify their authenticity. The incident comes just weeks after another shooting in a Manhattan skyscraper that left four people injured before the gunman took his own life.
International
Colombian President Gustavo Petro announces talks with clan del Golfo outside country
Colombian President Gustavo Petro stated on Friday that his government has begun talks outside the country with the Clan del Golfo, Colombia’s main criminal group also known as the Gaitanist Army.
“We have started conversations outside Colombia with the self-called Gaitanist Army,” the president said during the handover of 6,500 hectares of land to farmers in the Caribbean department of Córdoba.
The president noted that his administration “has seized more cocaine than any other government” because it seeks to “cut off the finances (of criminal groups) that fuel violence in many regions of Colombia.”
“A bill has been introduced that I hope the Congress studies thoroughly, because it essentially elevates restorative justice even for serious crimes,” Petro said.
The initiative he referred to was presented by his Minister of Justice, Eduardo Montealegre, aimed at “the consolidation of total peace.”
According to the Ministry of Justice, the bill seeks to provide the government with clear regulations to achieve the disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration of illegal armed groups.
For groups such as the Clan del Golfo, a judicial submission process will be applied, which could bring possible legal benefits if they genuinely cooperate, surrender weapons, and dismantle their groups.
U.S. doubles bounty on Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro to $50 million
Three injured in early-morning New York City shooting
Nicaragua’s Telica volcano erupts four times, no damages reported
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
Defense Minister commends salvadoran soldier for Central American Cross Country victory
Extension of the state of emergency approved in southern Chile
-
International4 days agoMassive wildfire in Southern France kills one, injures nine
-
Central America4 days agoFour honduran presidential candidates sign anti-corruption pact ahead of 2025 elections
-
International4 days agoFlorida officials warn against raw milk after dozens sickened
-
Central America1 day agoNicaragua’s Telica volcano erupts four times, no damages reported
-
International1 day agoOver 240 guatemalans detained at Florida’s Alligator Alcatraz await deportation
-
International4 days agoJapan marks 80 years since Hiroshima bombing with call for nuclear disarmament
-
International1 day agoColombian President Gustavo Petro announces talks with clan del Golfo outside country
-
International1 day agoMaría Corina Machado thanks OAS allies for condemning Venezuela’s growing repression
-
International18 hours agoThree injured in early-morning New York City shooting
-
International18 hours agoU.S. doubles bounty on Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro to $50 million