International
Peru: Faced with threats, natives ask for weapons to defend their lands
May 5 |
Two Amazonian indigenous leaders, whose territories and their own lives are threatened by drug traffickers and illegal loggers, ask the Peruvian government for weapons to defend their ancestral habitat.
The demand was presented to the foreign press by Yanet Velasco, leader of the Central de Comunidades de la etnia Asháninka del Río Ene (CARE) and Herlín Odicio Estrella, president of the Federación Nativa de Comunidades de la etnia Kakataibo, both located in the central Peruvian Amazon.
Yanet Velasco pointed out that drug traffickers and tree predators invaded areas of the territories of the 19 Asháninka communities that make up her organization, an invasion that included, she said, the murder of 20 Amazon defenders from various organizations since 2020.
It was recently announced the arrest of a suspected hitman who shot dead in April 2023 the leader Santiago Contoricó, of the Central Asháninka del Río Tambo (CART), in the region of Ucayali, bordering Brazil.
This organization repeatedly denounced that Contoricó’s life was in danger because he was receiving constant death threats from drug traffickers, without the authorities providing him with protection.
“We do not trust the police, many of them are in collusion with drug traffickers, nor do we trust the officials of the regions of Junín and Huánuco, nor the prosecutors; there is no one to turn to,” said Kakataibo leader Odicio Estrella.
Faced with this situation, the natives decided to defend themselves by organizing themselves into indigenous guards against drug traffickers and other invaders of their ancestral territories.
To do so, they only have bows, arrows and some old shotguns, so for years they have been asking the Armed Forces to provide them with more modern weaponry, but they have not received any response.
The leaders even went to the United Nations to denounce the depredation and appropriation of part of their lands and also raised the problem with Peruvian parliamentarians, without finding a solution.
They pointed out that drug and timber traffickers act in concert for the common interest of keeping native lands occupied or gaining them for their illicit activities.
As they need people to work for them and have economic power, the intruders promote the access of settlers from other regions and create fictitious population centers to legalize their presence in the habitat of the Amazonian nations.
Yanet Velasco highlights the fact that among these settlers there are criminals wanted by the police who join drug traffickers to grow coca leaf and produce cocaine, or carry out other activities such as contract killings.
They also use threats to pressure native inhabitants to also grow coca leaf, promote consumerism, and try to persuade young indigenous people to do the same in order to earn money.
The Asháninka leader pointed out that her people are interested in preserving the environment in the territory, maintaining their way of life and subsisting on fishing, hunting and the cultivation of food products, to which they add potentially exportable cacao, coffee and sesame plantations.
But to do so, they need to preserve their communally owned lands, where drug traffickers establish clandestine airstrips to transport drugs to neighboring countries such as Brazil, the platform for shipments to Europe.
Their fight also faces erroneous policies, such as the maintained and already ceased policy of programs financed by the European Union and United States cooperation, which financed alternative crops to coca grown by colonists and promoted the granting of land titles to them on lands that are part of indigenous territories.
In addition, municipal governments build roads in the middle of the jungle, with the obvious purpose of facilitating access to drug traffickers and illegal loggers.
International
Mexico and Guatemala Agree on Five-Point Binational Plan for 2027
Mexico and Guatemala agreed Tuesday on a 2027 Binational Plan built around five areas of cooperation, along with a schedule of meetings and initiatives aimed at making progress by the end of 2026 on security, border infrastructure, human mobility, development and technical and social cooperation.
The agreement was announced by the foreign ministers of both countries following a meeting in Mexico City.
Mexican Foreign Minister Roberto Velasco said the plan will establish the “direction and priorities” of bilateral relations for next year. His Guatemalan counterpart, Carlos Ramiro Martínez, said the meeting allowed both governments to make decisions, schedule activities and revitalize bilateral cooperation mechanisms.
Security and border infrastructure
In the area of security, the two governments have nearly completed negotiations on a new memorandum of understanding for the Mexico-Guatemala High-Level Security Group (Ganseg), which was reactivated in 2025.
The countries expect to sign the agreement in the coming months to strengthen coordination and their ability to respond to shared security threats.
Regarding their nearly 1,000-kilometer shared border, Mexico and Guatemala agreed to advance infrastructure improvements at border crossings and continue work on a joint cargo clearance program between Ciudad Hidalgo and Tecún Umán, two border areas separated by the Suchiate River.
The measures are intended to facilitate bilateral trade while making cross-border exchanges safer and more efficient.
The two governments will also continue defining a route toward a railway connection between their countries through Line K of Mexico’s Interoceanic Corridor of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec (CIIT), with the aim of strengthening economic and community ties.
Migration and development
On human mobility, Mexico and Guatemala will maintain coordination to ensure safe, orderly and dignified returns, while strengthening protection for people in transit.
The bilateral agenda also includes a second phase of the Sembrando Vida program in Guatemala, which is expected to benefit 10,000 people across 15 departments.
Both countries will also advance initiatives under Juntos para el Bienestar, as well as six technical, scientific and energy cooperation projects approved by the Joint Commission.
The agreements seek to strengthen bilateral ties and establish concrete priorities for cooperation between Mexico and Guatemala during 2027.
International
France to Expel Two Iranian Diplomats Over Alleged Attack on French Officials
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot announced Tuesday, August 18, 2026, that France will expel two Iranian diplomats in response to what Paris described as an attack on two French representatives in Iran last month.
“Two French diplomats were scandalously and deliberately assaulted on July 19. I had announced that this intolerable act would have consequences. It has now happened. Two Iranian diplomats in France will be expelled in the coming days,” Barrot said in a message posted on X.
The two Iranian diplomats have been declared persona non grata and will be required to leave France within the coming days, according to the French foreign minister.
About a month ago, Barrot said that two members of the French diplomatic staff had been detained by Iranian security forces for several hours. One of them was also subjected to harassment, he said.
The French government described the incident as an “extremely serious act of intimidation” that violated diplomatic immunity.
The two French embassy staff members were working on programs supporting Iranian civil society, particularly initiatives involving artists and researchers.
Iran has denied France’s allegations regarding the incident. The diplomatic dispute comes amid already strained relations between Paris and Tehran.
International
Heat wave puts more than 70 million Americans under alerts as temperatures near 46°C
More than 70 million people remained under heat alerts Monday as an intense heat wave continued across the southern United States, particularly Florida and states along the Mexican border, where temperatures and heat indexes could reach as high as 46 degrees Celsius, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).
Several cities recorded or tied temperature records over the weekend and into Monday, including Miami and Fort Lauderdale in Florida; Laredo, Borger and Austin’s airport in Texas; Atlanta, Georgia; Raleigh and Charlotte, North Carolina; and Memphis, Tennessee.
The NWS warned that the heat wave will continue affecting the southern and southeastern United States, with maximum temperatures expected to remain near 38°C to 40°C for several days. The heat index, which combines temperature and humidity to estimate how hot conditions feel, could reach 46°C.
The extreme heat is also spreading into the Southwest, where temperatures began rising again between Monday and Tuesday. Forecast highs in the region range from about 38°C to 43°C.
Heat alerts remain in effect across Nevada, Arizona and California, including areas in southern Arizona and California near the Mexican border, as authorities warn of the risks posed by prolonged extreme temperatures.
The NWS urged residents to limit outdoor activity, stay hydrated, ensure access to air conditioning or cooling centers, and check on vulnerable friends, neighbors and family members.
The United States is experiencing a summer marked by above-average temperatures and repeated heat waves. One of the most intense episodes occurred during the July 4 weekend, when extreme heat was blamed for roughly 30 deaths.
July was the hottest month ever recorded in the United States since measurements began, with the average temperature across the contiguous country approaching 25°C, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
The combination of extreme heat and drought conditions has also fueled wildfires. Nearly 3 million hectares have burned across the country so far in 2026, making it the largest area affected by wildfires in a decade.
Mexico and Guatemala Agree on Five-Point Binational Plan for 2027
France to Expel Two Iranian Diplomats Over Alleged Attack on French Officials
Heat wave puts more than 70 million Americans under alerts as temperatures near 46°C
Trump warns Iran over nuclear ambitions as U.S.-Iran ceasefire deadline passes
Brazil’s Lula and Flávio Bolsonaro kick off election campaigns amid focus on crime
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France to Expel Two Iranian Diplomats Over Alleged Attack on French Officials
Actress Hayden Panettiere Dies at 36, Representative Confirms
Trump warns Iran over nuclear ambitions as U.S.-Iran ceasefire deadline passes
Heat wave puts more than 70 million Americans under alerts as temperatures near 46°C
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Mexico and Guatemala Agree on Five-Point Binational Plan for 2027
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International16 hours agoFrance to Expel Two Iranian Diplomats Over Alleged Attack on French Officials
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International3 days agoActress Hayden Panettiere Dies at 36, Representative Confirms
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International2 days agoTrump warns Iran over nuclear ambitions as U.S.-Iran ceasefire deadline passes
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International2 days agoHeat wave puts more than 70 million Americans under alerts as temperatures near 46°C
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International16 hours agoMexico and Guatemala Agree on Five-Point Binational Plan for 2027