International

Pedro Castillo faces trial for rebellion without a defense lawyer

At 9 a.m. this Tuesday, Pedro Castillo entered the courtroom of the Judiciary, located in the prison where he has been held since December 2022. He entered without a defense lawyer.

The former president did not look at the national or international press, with whom he has had no contact since he was in power. Nearly 30 accredited media outlets waited for him behind a glass at the end of the room, the same one he will have to attend throughout the trial, in which he faces charges of rebellion, among other accusations, that could result in a sentence of up to 34 years in prison if convicted. This time, the media captured his image from the courtroom in the prison, far from the Palace where he governed from July 28, 2021, to December 7, 2022, the day he was arrested.

The oral trial is being overseen by the Special Criminal Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice, presided over by Supreme Judge José Neyra Flores.

The judicial process also includes several former collaborators of Castillo, such as Betssy Chávez, former president of the Council of Ministers, and Aníbal Torres, former prime minister and former advisor to the presidency of the Council of Ministers. Both have pleaded not guilty. Castillo told the judges that he could not undergo a trial where “everything seems confined” and, for that reason, he had decided not to appoint a lawyer to represent him. The former president stated that he was “kidnapped in the Barbadillo prison” and called the process he is undergoing a “farce.”

“I have never committed the crime of rebellion,” said Castillo, adding that his message on television on December 7, 2022, when he announced the dissolution of Congress, was merely “a political speech.” After the former president’s statement, the court appointed a public defender for him.

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International

Hiroshima survivor who embraced Obama dies at 88

The emotional embrace between Barack Obama and Hiroshima survivor Mori—who was eight years old when the United States dropped the atomic bomb in 1945—resonated around the world.

According to Asahi Shimbun and other local media, Mori died on Saturday at a hospital in Hiroshima.

Mori, known for his research on the fate of American prisoners of war in Hiroshima, was thrown into a river by the force of the explosion on August 6, 1945, during the atomic bombing of the city.

In a past interview with AFP, ahead of his meeting with Obama at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial in 2016, Mori recalled the chaos and desperation that followed the blast.

He described how, after emerging from the water, he encountered injured civilians seeking help amid the devastation, an experience that stayed with him throughout his life.

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In 2016, Obama became the first sitting U.S. president to visit Hiroshima, where he paid tribute to the victims of the first atomic bomb used in warfare. During the visit, Mori was visibly moved as he met the president, sharing a brief but powerful moment that symbolized remembrance and reconciliation.

The bombing of Hiroshima resulted in the deaths of approximately 140,000 people, including those who succumbed to radiation exposure in the aftermath.

Three days later, a second atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, killing an estimated 74,000 people and contributing to the end of World War II.

International

Colombia seeks ‘total suffocation’ of armed groups with regional support

Colombia is advancing a strategy aimed at the “total suffocation” of illegal armed groups, seeking to corner them in border regions with the support of Ecuador and Venezuela, Defense Minister Pedro Sánchez said in an interview with AFP.

According to the minister, coordinated pressure from neighboring countries—backed by United States—aims to dismantle criminal networks that use cross-border routes to traffic Colombian cocaine toward North America and Europe.

For decades, armed groups involved in Colombia’s internal conflict have relied on border territories as strategic rear bases to evade military operations and maintain logistical support.

However, Sánchez said that dynamic is beginning to change.

“We expect a total suffocation between both nations so they have no spaces where they can live or feel safe […] to close off any room they might have,” he stated during the interview in Bogotá, less than five months before the end of President Gustavo Petro’s term.

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Regional developments have reinforced this strategy. Following the capture of Nicolás Maduro in a U.S. military operation, Washington has increased its influence in Caracas, where interim leader Delcy Rodríguez has implemented a renewed anti-narcotics policy.

Meanwhile, in Ecuador, President Daniel Noboa—a key U.S. ally in the region—has launched a two-week security plan under strict curfews to combat criminal gangs, with U.S. support.

Sánchez argued that these combined efforts leave illegal organizations with fewer escape routes and operational spaces, effectively placing them in a “dead end.”

International

Two killed in shooting at restaurant near Frankfurt Airport

Two people were shot dead early Tuesday at a restaurant in Raunheim, near Frankfurt Airport, according to local police.

Preliminary findings indicate that an armed individual entered the establishment at around 03:45 local time (02:45 GMT) and opened fire on the victims, who died at the scene from their injuries.

The suspect fled and remains at large, while the motive behind the shooting is still unclear, German media reported. Authorities have launched a large-scale search operation.