International

Authorities retake control of Tacambú prison, Paraguay

Photo: ABC Color

October 12 |

The general director of Intelligence and spokesman of the National Police of Paraguay, commissioner Ever Paris, confirmed Wednesday that the prisoners who since last Tuesday had taken control of the Tacambú prison reached an agreement with the authorities, which allows the reestablishment of order there.

In statements given to the media in the vicinity of the penitentiary, the largest in the South American country, Paris reported that the inmates released the 22 guards they held captive for almost 15 hours and that the weapons they had taken from the officers were recovered.

He also explained that several women who were inside the penitentiary for family visits were released and that 11 women who were there with their respective husbands, in the section for private meetings (which last one day), will be released soon. He confirmed that they did not participate in the events.

He said that at this moment the control of the penitentiary is being reestablished and its director is again in charge of his functions. He assured that the situation is back to normal, no deaths or injuries were reported, and that the National Police will continue its preventive work in the surroundings of the prison.

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Paris commented that the inmates requested a 15-day period for the reopening of family visits and for the return of a group of prisoners who were transferred to other prisons. He said that this Wednesday afternoon the Ministry of Justice is expected to hold a press conference on the case.

According to local media, a vice-minister of the Ministry of Justice, Rodrigo Nicora, who visited the place and refused to give statements, went to inform the head of the sector, Ángel Ramón Barchini, about the end of the negotiation.

Days before, the latter assured that the inmates had murdered and dismembered a former policeman held in Tacambú for homicide, Oliver Lezcano, who actually escaped from the prison. This accusation would have provoked the riot.

For his part, Paraguayan President Santiago Peña denied that there is a prison crisis in the country and that what happened is another expression of the State’s confrontation with crime. He gave his full support to Barchini, whose immediate resignation is already being demanded by legislators of the National Republican Association (Colorado Party) for his role in the events.

The rioting inmates were led by the head of the Rotela clan, Javier Rotela, who is serving time for crimes related to micro-trafficking in the metropolitan area of Asunción (capital). He is considered the king of micro-trafficking in that region of the country.

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Tacambú houses 3,000 prisoners and has an overcrowding rate of 607 percent, according to criminologist and professor Juan Martens. There are approximately 16,000 prisoners in 18 penitentiaries throughout the country.

International

White House says Cuba policy unchanged despite sanctioned fuel shipment

The White House said Monday that it has not changed its policy toward Cuba, despite allowing a sanctioned Russian oil tanker to deliver fuel to the island on humanitarian grounds.

U.S. officials emphasized that the decision was made as an exception and does not signal a broader shift in policy.

The administration added that similar decisions would be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, depending on humanitarian considerations.

The clarification comes amid ongoing restrictions related to U.S. sanctions policy, which continue to limit trade and financial flows involving Cuba.

International

Spain to grant citizenship to Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo López

The Spanish government is expected to grant citizenship this Tuesday to Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo Lópezthrough an extraordinary procedure known as “carta de naturaleza.”

The decision will be approved by royal decree, an exceptional legal mechanism used in special cases that require expedited resolution due to specific circumstances.

López has been living in Madrid since 2020, after leaving Venezuela following a prolonged political and legal conflict with the government of Nicolás Maduro.

According to government sources, López currently does not have a valid Venezuelan passport and faces difficulties in having his nationality fully recognized in his home country.

As a result, he applied for Spanish citizenship via a fast-track process at the end of 2025, after previously attempting to obtain it through regular procedures.

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The Spanish government justified the move based on López’s international relevance and foreign policy considerations.

López is the leader of the Voluntad Popular party and co-founder of the World Liberty Congress, an initiative launched in 2022 alongside figures such as Garry Kasparov and Masih Alinejad.

International

ICE to remain at airports amid DHS shutdown, Homan says

The U.S. “border czar,” Tom Homan, said Sunday that agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will remain deployed at airports until operations return to “100% normal,” as the shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) continues.

“We will maintain ICE presence until airports feel they are fully back to normal operations,” Homan said during an interview on Face the Nation on CBS.

Homan justified the deployment on security grounds, noting that the measure was ordered by President Donald Trumpamid widespread absenteeism among agents of the Transportation Security Administration, who have gone without pay for over six weeks due to the DHS shutdown.

According to acting TSA administrator Ha Nguyen McNeill, at least 460 TSA agents have resigned during the shutdown, while daily absenteeism has averaged 11%, exceeding 50% at some airports.

Homan warned that if TSA staffing levels do not recover after the shutdown, ICE agents will continue filling the gap. “ICE is there to support our TSA brothers and sisters. We will remain as long as needed to ensure airport security,” he said.

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The DHS shutdown reached 44 days on Sunday, making it the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. The impasse stems from disagreements between Democrats and Republicans over ICE funding.

A recent bipartisan Senate proposal to fund DHS without including ICE failed after being blocked by House Republicans, who insist on full funding for the agency.

Amid the deadlock, Trump signed an executive order directing Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin to immediately pay TSA agents to address what he called an “emergency situation” and restore order at airports, with payments expected to begin Monday.