International
Ukraine assures that the first North Korean soldiers will be deployed on the war front in two days
The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, warned this Friday citing information collected by his intelligence services, that the first North Korean soldiers who according to Seoul, Washington and Kiev already receive instruction in Russia will be sent with the Russian Army at the front in two days.
“According to intelligence information, on October 27 or 28 the first North Korean military will be deployed by Russia in combat zones,” Zelenski said after meeting with his military and security leadership.
“Obvious escalation” of Russia
The Ukrainian president described the alleged imminent deployment of North Korean soldiers on the front as an “obvious escalation” by Russia.
“The world has to do with it clearly what Russia really wants, which is the continuation of the war,” Zelenski said in his report of the meeting with his military leadership, published on his Telegram channel.
The Ukrainian president also called for “a forceful reaction” from the international community.
“The consummation of North Korea’s entry into combat actions should not be received with closed eyes and vague comments, but with tangible pressure on both Moscow and Pyongyang to respect the UN Charter and punish this escalation,” Zelenski said.
North Korean soldiers on the Kursk front
Both the United States and South Korea have confirmed that about 3,000 North Korean soldiers are already training in Russia to enter the war with the Russian Army.
According to Seoul intelligence, North Korea has decided to contribute up to 12,000 men to the Russian war effort.
Ukrainian sources say they have evidence of movements of North Korean soldiers from the Russian Far East, where they would have begun training, to the west of Russia, from where they would join the ranks of the Kremlin troops fighting against Ukraine.
According to some Kiev sources, the Russian oblast of Kursk – where Ukrainian troops control part of the territory – is the destination chosen for the first North Korean contingent to join the Russian Army.
“Compliance” with international law
Meanwhile, North Korea said that sending its troops to Russia “would comply with international law” if it occurred, in a statement from its Ministry of Foreign Affairs that is the first of the regime on the North Korean deployment allegedly destined for Ukraine.
“If something like what the international media talk about happens, I think it would be an action that complies with international legal norms,” Kim Jong-gyu, Deputy Foreign Minister in charge of Russia, said in a statement distributed by the state agency KCNA.
“I think there will surely be forces that want to present it as illegal,” Kim added in response to a question posed by a journalist from this official North Korean agency about the deployment of this country’s army in Russia, according to the KCNA.
“Our Ministry of Foreign Affairs does not participate directly in what the Ministry of Defense does and does not feel the need to confirm it separately,” said the deputy minister.
International
Peruvian Court Orders Definitive Dismissal of Money Laundering Case Against Keiko Fujimori
A court of Peru’s National Superior Court of Specialized Criminal Justice ordered the definitive dismissal of the criminal proceedings for alleged money laundering and criminal organization against presidential candidate Keiko Fujimori, authorities reported on Tuesday, January 13, 2026.
The ruling was issued by the Tenth National Preparatory Investigation Court in compliance with a previous decision by the Constitutional Court (TC). The decision was confirmed by Fujimori’s attorney, Giuliana Loza, who said on social media platform X that “there was no money laundering nor criminal organization.”
According to the defense, the case was closed for lacking legal grounds and for violating due process. “The proceedings concluded because they lacked a legal basis and constituted clear prosecutorial persecution,” Loza stated.
Judge Wilson Verastegui, whose ruling was reported by local media, said the Constitutional Court determined that the facts alleged in the so-called ‘Cocktails Case’ do not constitute a criminal offense under the principle of legality. The court noted that the crime of illegal financing of political organizations was not in force at the time the alleged acts occurred.
The dismissal also applies to other leaders of the Fuerza Popular party, including Pier Figari, Ana Rosa Herz, Jaime Yoshiyama and José Chlimper, as well as the party itself.
Keiko Fujimori, daughter of former president Alberto Fujimori (1990–2000), had been under investigation for the alleged irregular financing of her 2011 and 2016 presidential campaigns, a case that exposed her to a possible 30-year prison sentence. However, one year ago the National Superior Court annulled the trial and returned the case to the intermediate stage.
Fujimori is currently pursuing her fourth presidential bid, ahead of Peru’s general elections scheduled for April.
International
Colombian Defense Chief Meets U.S. Officials to Advance Bilateral Narcotics Strategy
Colombia’s Minister of Defense, Pedro Sánchez Suárez, is in the United States this Tuesday and Wednesday to discuss bilateral cooperation in the fight against drug trafficking, Colombian officials said, in a visit that comes as ties between Bogotá and Washington begin to ease after a period of diplomatic tension.
The trip is seen as a prelude to a scheduled visit by Colombian President Gustavo Petro to Washington, where he is expected to meet U.S. President Donald Trump for the first time in early February. Sánchez will remain in Washington through Wednesday, according to Colombian government sources.
During his stay, Sánchez is slated to meet with senior U.S. officials, including representatives from the Department of Defense, members of the U.S. Senate, and White House advisors, to outline a joint strategy to “defeat drug trafficking” and expand cooperation on intelligence against transnational crime.
According to a statement from the Colombian Defense Ministry, the agenda will include strengthening collaboration on technology, intelligence sharing, and efforts to disrupt criminal networks that operate across borders. Officials said the discussions will also help set the stage for Petro’s upcoming talks with Trump.
The visit follows a period of strained U.S.–Colombia relations last year, when Washington revoked Petro’s visa and withdrew Colombia’s certification as a key partner in anti-drug efforts — moves that coincided with disagreements over counter-narcotics strategy and broader diplomatic frictions. However, a recent phone call between Petro and Trump, described as cordial by officials, helped lower tensions and reopened channels for dialogue ahead of the presidential meeting.
International
Dominican court postpones hearing in deadly nightclub collapse case
A Dominican court on Monday postponed until March a preliminary hearing against the owners of a nightclub that collapsed last year, killing more than 200 people.
The roof of the Jet Set nightclub collapsed in the early hours of April 8, 2025, during a concert by popular merengue singer Rubby Pérez, who died along with 235 other people.
Jet Set owner and manager Antonio Espaillat and his sister Maribel, who served as the club’s administrator, were arrested on charges of involuntary manslaughter but were later released on bail after posting approximately $842,500.
Both appeared at the Palace of Justice, where they were met by a small protest from relatives and friends of the victims.
“Thirty years in prison is not enough” and “President, we want JUSTICE,” read signs held by demonstrators.
The preliminary hearing determines whether there is sufficient evidence to send the case to trial. The court decided to reschedule the hearing for March 16.
“We don’t want money and we’re not demanding anything else, only justice for those who died,” said Secundino Pérez, a 75-year-old shopkeeper who lost 12 friends in the Jet Set tragedy.
“Antonio and his family celebrated Christmas sitting at a table, celebrating their freedom,” said Edgar Gómez, who lost his daughter in the collapse.
The Dominican Republic’s Public Prosecutor’s Office maintains that the defendants “significantly altered” the structure of the nightclub. Prosecutors filed formal charges in November and requested that the case proceed to trial.
The charge of involuntary manslaughter carries a sentence of three months to two years in prison.
“May your conscience never let you sleep. I lost my son,” a woman shouted through tears before the hearing, while others chanted, “Murderers, murderers, murderers.”
Peruvian Court Orders Definitive Dismissal of Money Laundering Case Against Keiko Fujimori
Colombian Defense Chief Meets U.S. Officials to Advance Bilateral Narcotics Strategy
Dominican court postpones hearing in deadly nightclub collapse case
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