International

Pyongyang highlights the “strategic strength” of relations with Moscow upon the arrival of Putin

The North Korean media highlighted this Wednesday the “strategic strength” that relations between Moscow and Pyongyang have reached and its importance in creating “a multipolar world”, on the occasion of the arrival on the eve of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who will be in Pyongyang until today.

The presidential plane in which Putin was traveling landed around 02:45 local time on Wednesday (17:45 GMT on Tuesday) at Sunan International Airport, where Putin was personally received by Kim, whom he had met last September in Russian territory.

Kim welcomed Putin near the foot of the plane’s ladder, and both staged their closeness with a hug and smiles, and gave for a few minutes after the Russian leader received a floral offering and reviewing the guard of honor of the North Korean forces, according to some images from the state agency KCNA.

In addition, Kim “expressed his joy and joy at meeting him again in Pyongyang 270 days after the meeting at the Vostochni Cosmodrome in September last year,” according to the KCNA.

Putin, for his part, announced his “deep gratitude” to Kim for receiving him at the airport and offering him a warm welcome, according to the same media.

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The visit takes place “at a crucial moment” when relations “have emerged as a solid strategic strength to preserve international justice, peace and security and as an engine to accelerate the construction of a multipolar world,” said a note from the media.

The new meeting between the two leaders “straves once again the durability and invincibility of friendship and unity” between Moscow and Pyongyang, the North Korean state agency added.

Putin stayed at the luxurious Guest Palace of Kumsusan, built in 2019 and housed by the Chinese leader, Xi Jinping, when he visited North Korea five years ago.

Kim and Putin are expected to preside over some kind of parade in Pyongyang this Wednesday, since satellite images show the assembly of temporary structures in Kim Il-sung Square, the epicenter of events of this type in the North Korean capital.

Putin’s visit to North Korea will allow the consolidation of “a crucial phase of broad development in the traditional relations of friendship and cooperation” between both parties, with a view to “a forward-looking strategic collaboration,” the KCNA stressed.

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International

Peruvian presidential candidate Napoleón Becerra dies in campaign road accident

Presidential candidate Napoleón Becerra, representing the Partido de los Trabajadores y Emprendedores (PTE) in Peru, died in a traffic accident while traveling to a campaign event, local authorities confirmed Sunday.

Becerra, who also served as president of the centrist political party, ranked among the lowest in opinion polls in a crowded field of more than 30 candidates competing in the presidential election scheduled for April 12.

Recent surveys place Rafael López Aliaga at the top of voter preferences.

The accident occurred near the town of Ayacucho, in southern Peru, when the vehicle carrying the candidate overturned for reasons that remain under investigation.

“The candidate Becerra has died,” Balvin Huamani, mayor of the district of Pilpichaca, told RPP radio.

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According to Huamani, he personally transported the 61-year-old candidate to a local health center, where doctors confirmed his death.

The Jurado Nacional de Elecciones (JNE) expressed condolences over Becerra’s passing and wished a speedy recovery to the three people who were traveling with him and were injured in the crash.

International

Noboa intensifies anti-cartel crackdown as violence persists in Ecuador

A close ally of Washington, Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa has pursued a hardline security strategy against cocaine cartels for more than two years, yet homicide, disappearance and extortion rates remain high across the country.

Between Sunday night and the morning of March 31, Ecuador’s armed forces will launch a “very strong offensive” with “advisory support” from the United States, Interior Minister John Reimberg announced Tuesday.

The government has kept details of the operation confidential and has not confirmed whether U.S. troops will be deployed on Ecuadorian soil, as has occurred at times during Noboa’s administration.

As part of the security measures, residents in the coastal provinces of Guayas, Los Ríos, Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas, and El Oro will be subject to a nightly curfew from 11:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. local time for the next two weeks.

“We are in a war,” Reimberg said, urging citizens to remain indoors. “Do not take risks. Stay home and allow the security forces and our allies to do the work that must be done.”

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Although Ecuador does not produce cocaine, it has become a major departure point for drugs heading to the United States. Meanwhile, the violence associated with trafficking has increasingly affected the local population.

Bordering the world’s largest cocaine producers, Colombia and Peru, Ecuador has gone from being considered a relatively peaceful country to recording one of the highest homicide rates in Latin America—52 killings per 100,000 inhabitants—according to the **Observatory of Organized Crime.

International

Peruvian presidential candidate proposes death penalty amid crime surge

Peru is facing an unprecedented surge in crime ahead of its presidential election scheduled for April 12, with violence fueled by extortion networks and a wave of contract killings linked to organized crime.

Police data show that 2,200 homicides tied to organized crime were recorded in 2025, while extortion complaints increased by 19%, underscoring the growing security crisis in the South American nation.

Amid this backdrop, presidential candidate Álvarez has proposed reinstating the death penalty if elected, arguing that extreme measures are needed to curb the violence.

To implement the proposal, Álvarez said Peru would withdraw from the American Convention on Human Rights—also known as the Pact of San José—which the country signed in 1978. The agreement prevents member states that have abolished capital punishment from reinstating it.

Currently, Peruvian law only allows the death penalty in cases of treason during wartime.

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“We have to leave the Pact of San José and apply the death penalty in Peru because those miserable criminals don’t deserve to live,” Álvarez told AFP during a campaign stop at a market in Callao, the port city neighboring Lima.

“An iron fist against those criminals,” he added, proposing to declare hitmen as military targets.

During the campaign event, Álvarez walked through stalls selling vegetables, groceries, and fish, greeting vendors while musicians played cumbia music nearby.

The 62-year-old candidate, who spent more than four decades working in television as a comedian, is a newcomer to politics and is running for president under the País para Todos party.

Polls place him fifth in voter preference with nearly 4% support in a fragmented race featuring 36 candidates.