International

Citizen Revolution leader shot to death in Ecuador

Photo: @PaolaCabezasC

August 15|

Leaders and defenders of the Citizen Revolution denounced Monday the murder in the Ecuadorian province of Esmeraldas of the political leader belonging to that group, Pedro Briones, a few days after the murder of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio.

According to information shared from social networks by his fellow militants, Pedro Briones was a leader of the party of former president Rafael Correa in Esmeraldas, in the northern coast of the country, and was shot to death.

For his part, Rafael Correa also confirmed the news from his Twitter account. “Another of our comrades was murdered in Esmeraldas, enough is enough,” he said, while sharing the message of the former candidate for the Esmeraldas prefecture, Janeth Bustos.

Regarding the political situation in the country, the presidential candidate, Luisa Gonzalez said that “Ecuador is living its bloodiest period. This is due to the total abandonment of an inept government and a State taken over by the mafias. My solidarity embrace to the family of comrade Pedro Briones, fallen in the hands of violence. Change is urgent!”.

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Likewise Rafael Correa in an interview to an Ecuadorian media this August 14 indicated that the assassination of presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio responds to a plot in which the National Police is involved.

“In the specific case of Villavicencio’s assassination, I have no doubt that it is a plot in which the Police is involved. I know about this, I have had security. It is not possible that they embark a person in a car without a driver. The person, the VIP (Very Important Person), the protected person, boards last, maybe second to last. The person who accompanies him or her as co-pilot boards last. And always the protected person behind the co-pilot. Here he is embarked alone and without a driver. It means that the assassination was prepared and the security knew it, the police knew it”, said Rafael Correa.

International

White House says Cuba policy unchanged despite sanctioned fuel shipment

The White House said Monday that it has not changed its policy toward Cuba, despite allowing a sanctioned Russian oil tanker to deliver fuel to the island on humanitarian grounds.

U.S. officials emphasized that the decision was made as an exception and does not signal a broader shift in policy.

The administration added that similar decisions would be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, depending on humanitarian considerations.

The clarification comes amid ongoing restrictions related to U.S. sanctions policy, which continue to limit trade and financial flows involving Cuba.

International

Spain to grant citizenship to Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo López

The Spanish government is expected to grant citizenship this Tuesday to Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo Lópezthrough an extraordinary procedure known as “carta de naturaleza.”

The decision will be approved by royal decree, an exceptional legal mechanism used in special cases that require expedited resolution due to specific circumstances.

López has been living in Madrid since 2020, after leaving Venezuela following a prolonged political and legal conflict with the government of Nicolás Maduro.

According to government sources, López currently does not have a valid Venezuelan passport and faces difficulties in having his nationality fully recognized in his home country.

As a result, he applied for Spanish citizenship via a fast-track process at the end of 2025, after previously attempting to obtain it through regular procedures.

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The Spanish government justified the move based on López’s international relevance and foreign policy considerations.

López is the leader of the Voluntad Popular party and co-founder of the World Liberty Congress, an initiative launched in 2022 alongside figures such as Garry Kasparov and Masih Alinejad.

International

ICE to remain at airports amid DHS shutdown, Homan says

The U.S. “border czar,” Tom Homan, said Sunday that agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will remain deployed at airports until operations return to “100% normal,” as the shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) continues.

“We will maintain ICE presence until airports feel they are fully back to normal operations,” Homan said during an interview on Face the Nation on CBS.

Homan justified the deployment on security grounds, noting that the measure was ordered by President Donald Trumpamid widespread absenteeism among agents of the Transportation Security Administration, who have gone without pay for over six weeks due to the DHS shutdown.

According to acting TSA administrator Ha Nguyen McNeill, at least 460 TSA agents have resigned during the shutdown, while daily absenteeism has averaged 11%, exceeding 50% at some airports.

Homan warned that if TSA staffing levels do not recover after the shutdown, ICE agents will continue filling the gap. “ICE is there to support our TSA brothers and sisters. We will remain as long as needed to ensure airport security,” he said.

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The DHS shutdown reached 44 days on Sunday, making it the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. The impasse stems from disagreements between Democrats and Republicans over ICE funding.

A recent bipartisan Senate proposal to fund DHS without including ICE failed after being blocked by House Republicans, who insist on full funding for the agency.

Amid the deadlock, Trump signed an executive order directing Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin to immediately pay TSA agents to address what he called an “emergency situation” and restore order at airports, with payments expected to begin Monday.