International

Peru court orders demolition of ‘Wall of Shame’ dividing rich and poor

| By AFP |

Peru’s Constitutional Court has ordered the demolition of a wall that separates a rich neighborhood of Lima from a poor one, ruling it “discriminatory.”

A case for the removal of the 10-kilometer (6.2-mile) wall — over two meters (6.5 feet) high in some parts and topped with barbed wire — was brought by a private citizen in 2018.

It has been nicknamed the “Wall of Shame.”

A first section of the wall was erected in the 1980s under the pretext of protecting the affluent neighborhood of La Molina from the Shining Path guerrilla group, considered a terrorist organization in Peru.

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With the group defeated, the wall was extended, however, in the 2000s, this time ostensibly to prevent illegal land occupation.

In Peru, migration from Andean areas to the capital during the 1980s and 1990s led to massive settlement of hills on the outskirts of Lima.

Thousands fled Shining Path violence, others came looking for work.

“We have made a unanimous decision, that the wall that separates La Molina and Villa Maria del Triunfo (an impoverished neighborhood) has to be torn down,” Judge Gustavo Gutierrez told RPP radio on Thursday.

“It’s a discriminatory wall… It can’t be that we divide Peruvians by social classes. That is unacceptable, it is no longer happening anywhere in the world,” the judge said.

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The court set a deadline of 180 days for the wall’s demolition.

International

Florida judge sets 2027 trial in Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit against BBC

A federal judge in Florida has scheduled February 2027 for the trial in the lawsuit filed by U.S. President Donald Trump against the BBC, in which he is seeking $10 billion in damages for defamation.

Trump accuses the British broadcaster of airing a misleading edit of a speech he delivered on January 6, 2021, which, he says, made it appear that he explicitly urged his supporters to attack the U.S. Capitol in Washington.

The president filed the suit in December in federal court in Florida, alleging defamation and violations of a law governing business practices when the program was broadcast ahead of the 2024 election.

Trump is seeking $5 billion in damages for each of the two claims.

Lawyers for the BBC unsuccessfully asked the court to dismiss the case, arguing that Trump had not suffered a “legally recognizable harm,” since the investigative program Panorama, which included the edited footage, aired outside the United States.

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International

Head-of-state diplomacy key to guiding China–U.S. ties, Beijing says

Head-of-state diplomacy plays an irreplaceable strategic guiding role in China–United States relations, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on Thursday during a regular press briefing, when asked about high-level exchanges between the two sides.

Lin added that in a recent phone call, U.S. President Donald Trump once again expressed his intention to visit China in April, while Chinese President Xi Jinping reiterated his invitation.

Both sides remain in communication regarding the matter, the spokesperson said.

Lin noted that the essence of China–U.S. economic and trade ties lies in mutual benefit and win-win outcomes.

“Both parties should work together to implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, injecting greater certainty and stability into China–U.S. economic and trade cooperation, as well as into the global economy,” he said.

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International

Trump administration to end special immigration operation in Minnesota

The administration of Donald Trump is bringing to a close its special operation targeting illegal immigration in the northern state of Minnesota, border czar Tom Homan announced Thursday, following weeks of unrest and the fatal shootings of two activists by federal agents.

Thousands of federal officers had been deployed to Minnesota in December to carry out large-scale raids against undocumented immigrants.

The operations triggered strong reactions from residents and advocacy groups, leading to daily confrontations and the deaths of two people who were shot by federal agents.

“I proposed, and President Trump agreed, that this special operation should end in Minnesota,” Homan said during a press conference in the state capital, Minneapolis.

“A significant drawdown began this week and will continue into next week,” he added.

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Homan indicated that similar enforcement efforts could be launched in other cities.

“Next week we will redeploy the agents currently here back to their home stations or to other parts of the country where they are needed. But we will continue to enforce immigration laws,” he said.