International

Justice rejects that the investigation of luxury watches has violated the rights of Boluarte

The Peruvian Justice declared this Sunday unfounded the protection of rights presented by the defense of Dina Boluarte, who argued that the rights of the president were violated during the investigation of the Prosecutor’s Office for the alleged commission of illicit enrichment in the case of the luxury watches that she wore without having declared.

“Judicial power declares unfounded protection of rights presented by the defense of President Dina Boluarte, in the investigation followed against her for the alleged crime of illicit enrichment and another in the grievance of the State,” the institution reported on social network X.

He added that this decision was issued by the Supreme Court of Preparatory Investigation, in charge of Judge Juan Carlos Checkley Soria, “who considered that the defense arguments raised in this appeal have no factual or legal basis.”

Last Tuesday, in the hearing in which this protection of rights was analyzed, the lawyer of Boluarte, Eduardo Barriga, maintained that the Prosecutor’s Office violates the rights to the defense and due process of the ruler during the investigation opened by the case of the luxury watches that Boluarte wore in public without having declared.

He questioned the alleged violation of the right to defense and equality of parties, because the Prosecutor’s Office would not have allowed him to intervene in open source information extraction proceedings (public media information).

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“(Boluarte) Requests before this Supreme Court Protection of Rights for being the subject of tax proceedings without the presence of technical defense and for violation of the constitutional right of defense and procedural equality by the Public Ministry,” reads the document of the complaint published on May 16 by the Judiciary in X.

Boluarte requested that, for that reason, the actions carried out by the Prosecutor’s Office during the investigation be declared null and void and that the information obtained in proceedings of the Public Prosecutor’s Office be excluded from it.

“As a corrective measure, it requests that the actions carried out by prosecutors Karina Llatance Mendoza and Walter Arlando Giles Paucar be declared null and void with respect to the tax proceedings of extraction and open source transcription act described in their application,” the complaint adds in this regard.

He also requested that the information generated as a result of the tax proceedings of extraction and open source transcription described in his application be excluded from the investigation.

A month ago, on April 24, the Prosecutor’s Office extended the preliminary investigation to Boluarte for the case known as ‘Rolexgate’ by including the possible commission of a crime of improper passive bribery, which is in addition to that of illicit enrichment and failure to record statements in documents.

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He also announced that he expanded the preliminary investigations to include the regional governor of Ayacucho, Wilfredo Oscorima, who assured that he lent the luxury watches to the president, for the alleged commission of generic active bribery crimes.

International

Peruvian presidential candidate proposes death penalty amid crime surge

Peru is facing an unprecedented surge in crime ahead of its presidential election scheduled for April 12, with violence fueled by extortion networks and a wave of contract killings linked to organized crime.

Police data show that 2,200 homicides tied to organized crime were recorded in 2025, while extortion complaints increased by 19%, underscoring the growing security crisis in the South American nation.

Amid this backdrop, presidential candidate Álvarez has proposed reinstating the death penalty if elected, arguing that extreme measures are needed to curb the violence.

To implement the proposal, Álvarez said Peru would withdraw from the American Convention on Human Rights—also known as the Pact of San José—which the country signed in 1978. The agreement prevents member states that have abolished capital punishment from reinstating it.

Currently, Peruvian law only allows the death penalty in cases of treason during wartime.

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“We have to leave the Pact of San José and apply the death penalty in Peru because those miserable criminals don’t deserve to live,” Álvarez told AFP during a campaign stop at a market in Callao, the port city neighboring Lima.

“An iron fist against those criminals,” he added, proposing to declare hitmen as military targets.

During the campaign event, Álvarez walked through stalls selling vegetables, groceries, and fish, greeting vendors while musicians played cumbia music nearby.

The 62-year-old candidate, who spent more than four decades working in television as a comedian, is a newcomer to politics and is running for president under the País para Todos party.

Polls place him fifth in voter preference with nearly 4% support in a fragmented race featuring 36 candidates.

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“I am an artist who has taken a step into politics to bring peace to my country,” Álvarez told reporters while surrounded by supporters.

International

FBI: Man who attacked Michigan synagogue died from self-inflicted gunshot

The man who died during Thursday’s attack on a synagogue in the United States suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, according to the FBI.

FBI agent Jennifer Runyan told reporters that the suspect, identified as 41-year-old Lebanese citizen Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, shot himself at some point during the confrontation.

“At some point during the shooting, Ghazali suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head,” Runyan said during a press conference.

A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security confirmed the suspect’s identity.

Authorities said Ghazali drove a truck into the Temple Israel synagogue in West Bloomfield, located in the state of Michigan, on Thursday.

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According to Michael Bouchard, sheriff of Oakland County, synagogue security personnel noticed the vehicle and confronted the suspect with gunfire.

Investigators said it would be premature to speculate about the motive for the attack, although reports indicate Ghazali recently lost relatives during Israeli strikes in Lebanon earlier this month.

“It would be irresponsible for me to speculate about his motive,” Runyan said.

Ghazali arrived in Detroit in 2011 on a spouse visa for U.S. citizens and obtained American citizenship in 2016, according to reporting by The New York Times.

He was the father of two teenagers, divorced from his wife in 2024, and had recently been working as a waiter.

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The newspaper also reported that Ghazali attended a memorial service in the nearby city of Dearborn for relatives killed in the recent conflict, alongside other grieving family members from the Lebanese town of Machghara.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation said the incident is being investigated as an act of violence targeting the Jewish community.

A source from Michigan’s Lebanese-American community told CBS News that several of Ghazali’s relatives had been killed roughly ten days before the attack, leaving him deeply devastated.

International

Mexican Navy Ships Deliver Third Shipment of Humanitarian Aid to Cuba

Two logistics support vessels from the Mexican Navy — the ARM Papaloapan and the ARM Huasteco — docked again on Friday in the bay of Havana carrying a third shipment of humanitarian aid for Cuba.

The vessels had previously arrived on the Caribbean island on February 28 with a second cargo that included 1,200 tons of food, sent to help alleviate the country’s ongoing crisis, which has worsened following the U.S. oil restrictions affecting fuel supplies to the island.

Cuba’s deputy foreign minister Josefina Vidal confirmed the new shipment in a social media post.

“Two ships carrying a third shipment of aid from the Government and the people of Mexico for the Cuban people are now arriving at the port of Havana. Thank you Mexico for your solidarity with Cuba,” she wrote.

Previous aid shipments

During the second shipment, the Papaloapan transported 1,078 tons of beans and powdered milk, while the Huastecocarried 92 tons of beans and 23 tons of assorted food products collected by social organizations with support from the government of Mexico City.

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In recent months, Mexico has become the largest provider of humanitarian aid to Cuba, sending around 2,000 tons of supplies, mostly staple foods and hygiene products, in the two shipments prior to Friday’s delivery.

The first shipment alone included 814 tons of food.

Cuba praises Mexico’s support

Hours before the ships arrived, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel highlighted Mexico’s support during a televised appearance, describing the country as “a friendly and brotherly nation that has shown tremendous solidarity,”particularly praising Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum.

Díaz-Canel also addressed reports suggesting that Mexican donations were being resold in state-run stores, dismissing them as a “disinformation campaign” promoted by right-wing groups.