International

Wittenberg University in Springfield takes extreme precautions after threats of shooting

After several schools and buildings in Springfield, Ohio, had to close last week due to bomb threats, and following Donald Trump’s amplification of false claims against Haitians during his debate with Kamala Harris, Wittenberg University has announced “extreme precautions” this weekend due to new threats.

In a message posted on its website, Wittenberg University reported that on Saturday, an email was received threatening a potential shooting on campus on Sunday, September 15. The message was “targeted at Haitian members” of the community.

The email claimed that another local campus received the same threat. These incidents are being investigated by the Wittenberg Police, Springfield Police, and the FBI.

In response to the threats, all students, faculty, and staff have been advised to “take extreme precautions and remain alert to their surroundings,” while all weekend activities and sporting events have been canceled.

“The university administrators acknowledge that the city of Springfield has experienced an increase in threats against local government, businesses, and schools over the past week,” the statement concluded.

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These threats come after several prominent Republicans, including former President Donald Trump and his running mate, Ohio Senator JD Vance, promoted racist and false claims that Haitian immigrants are killing and eating pets.

Despite a lack of evidence and local officials denying these claims and calling for the rumors to stop as they endanger the community, the rumors persist.

In a CNN interview on Sunday, Vance did not retract his statements, asserting that the claims are based on what his constituents are telling him “firsthand.” He also claimed to have evidence that “immigrants are capturing geese from the local park pond and eating them.”

Regarding the threats the city is facing as a result of being mentioned in the debate, Vance stated that what is putting Springfield residents at risk is not being able to afford housing and that hospitals are overwhelmed because “Kamala Harris allowed 20,000 Haitian immigrants to be brought to a small town in Ohio.”

Located in southwestern Ohio with around 60,000 residents, Springfield has seen the arrival of approximately 10,000 Haitians in recent years seeking work.

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In a media briefing this week, Trump stated that if elected president, his plan to carry out the “largest deportation (of immigrants) in the country’s history” would start in Springfield, Ohio, and head to Venezuela.

“This is what you can say: We will carry out mass deportations from Springfield. We will remove those people. We will send them back to Venezuela,” he declared in a press conference at his golf club in Palos Verdes, California.

He believes that “illegal Haitians” are destroying the way of life for the local residents.

International

Peruvian presidential candidate Napoleón Becerra dies in campaign road accident

Presidential candidate Napoleón Becerra, representing the Partido de los Trabajadores y Emprendedores (PTE) in Peru, died in a traffic accident while traveling to a campaign event, local authorities confirmed Sunday.

Becerra, who also served as president of the centrist political party, ranked among the lowest in opinion polls in a crowded field of more than 30 candidates competing in the presidential election scheduled for April 12.

Recent surveys place Rafael López Aliaga at the top of voter preferences.

The accident occurred near the town of Ayacucho, in southern Peru, when the vehicle carrying the candidate overturned for reasons that remain under investigation.

“The candidate Becerra has died,” Balvin Huamani, mayor of the district of Pilpichaca, told RPP radio.

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According to Huamani, he personally transported the 61-year-old candidate to a local health center, where doctors confirmed his death.

The Jurado Nacional de Elecciones (JNE) expressed condolences over Becerra’s passing and wished a speedy recovery to the three people who were traveling with him and were injured in the crash.

International

Noboa intensifies anti-cartel crackdown as violence persists in Ecuador

A close ally of Washington, Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa has pursued a hardline security strategy against cocaine cartels for more than two years, yet homicide, disappearance and extortion rates remain high across the country.

Between Sunday night and the morning of March 31, Ecuador’s armed forces will launch a “very strong offensive” with “advisory support” from the United States, Interior Minister John Reimberg announced Tuesday.

The government has kept details of the operation confidential and has not confirmed whether U.S. troops will be deployed on Ecuadorian soil, as has occurred at times during Noboa’s administration.

As part of the security measures, residents in the coastal provinces of Guayas, Los Ríos, Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas, and El Oro will be subject to a nightly curfew from 11:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. local time for the next two weeks.

“We are in a war,” Reimberg said, urging citizens to remain indoors. “Do not take risks. Stay home and allow the security forces and our allies to do the work that must be done.”

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Although Ecuador does not produce cocaine, it has become a major departure point for drugs heading to the United States. Meanwhile, the violence associated with trafficking has increasingly affected the local population.

Bordering the world’s largest cocaine producers, Colombia and Peru, Ecuador has gone from being considered a relatively peaceful country to recording one of the highest homicide rates in Latin America—52 killings per 100,000 inhabitants—according to the **Observatory of Organized Crime.

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.