International

Mobilizations in rejection of Dina Boluarte in Peru

Photo: EFE

December 8 |

Thousands of people gathered Thursday in the Plaza San Martin in Lima, capital of Peru, in rejection of the government of President-designate Dina Boluarte, on the first anniversary of the beginning of her mandate after the dismissal of the then president, Pedro Castillo.

The demonstrators protested against the government, corruption and the institutional crisis, one day after the release of dictator Alberto Fujimori, who had been sentenced to 25 years in prison, and the suspension of prosecutor Patricia Benavides by the National Board of Justice.

Pedro Castillo’s spokesman, Íber Maraví, reminded in declarations to the news multiplatform teleSUR that this December 7 is the first anniversary of the former president’s illegal detention, allegedly in flagrante delicto, in contravention of what was dictated by the Congress and the Andean country’s Constitution.

“That is why now the people, rejecting and repudiating the real coup d’état carried out by the ultra-right wing to anoint Mrs. Dina Boluarte as president, today the people go out to protest, to demand that once and for all, the Peruvian justice system releases the kidnapped president, Pedro Castillo, and orders his restitution to the presidency of the Republic”, he said.

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Regarding the suspension of Patricia Benavides for six months as Peruvian prosecutor, Maraví pointed out that she is an alleged leader of a criminal group inside the Public Prosecutor’s Office to vote against congressmen, the former prosecutor of the nation Zoraida Ávalos, the current ombudsman or the National Board of Justice.

“This same prosecutor who has been suspended is the one who participated in the preliminary and preventive detention of the kidnapped president, Pedro Castillo. So now we can realize that an alleged leader of a criminal organization also lent herself to the game of the coup d’état of December 7, 2023”, underlined Maraví.

Maraví specified that Dina Boluarte has to resign from her position because she is usurping a function that does not correspond to her, and warned that the country is in a crisis.

“They have just released a man who has been sentenced for homocide. A criminal, such as Mr. Fujimori. However, they have imprisoned a man who has not committed any crime,” he said.

The mobilizations are expected to continue in the coming days. Meanwhile, the families of the victims of the La Cantuta and Barrios Altos massacres, for which Alberto Fujimori is responsible, will offer a press conference tomorrow on the release of the dictator and the measures that will be taken in the following days.

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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.