International
Ukraine is committed to cogeneration and private production to face the winter
Less than two years after a first campaign of Russian attacks on the electricity system deprived millions of Ukrainians of constant energy supply for months, Ukraine has become accustomed to blackouts again this summer and is working in a hurry to avoid a second winter in the dark by boosting cogeneration and encouraging private production.
In addition to repairing the damaged infrastructures as soon as possible, and trusting that the new air defenses received will serve to protect them from possible additional attacks, the Ukrainian authorities are installing hundreds of cogeneration plants throughout the country to decentralize production and involve gas companies in the task.
“They are parallel processes,” Yuri Boiko, advisor to the Prime Minister of Ukraine, Denís Shmigal, and member of the Supervisory Board of the national electricity company, Ukrenergo, tells EFE.
Boiko points out that, if it receives a sufficient boost, cogeneration will mitigate the effects of the electricity deficit on the population: “The more cogeneration is installed, the less charge the central energy system will have.”
The prime minister’s adviser warns, however, that the impact on the situation will depend on the number of cogeneration units that will be enabled in the coming months.
Part of these already functioning mini-power plants have been donated by Ukraine’s foreign partners.
The United States cooperation agency has delivered 91 cogeneration plants that will be installed in 32 cities throughout Ukraine and will provide a production capacity of 56.5 megawatts that will allow part of its critical infrastructures to operate.
The first 18 were installed at the beginning of this month and already generate electricity and thermal energy for Ukraine.
Unlike thermal power plants, which in Ukraine have been massively bombed by Russia to destroy 80% of the generation capacity by this method that the country had, cogeneration plants take advantage of the heat that is released when it comes to producing electricity and supply it to other infrastructures.
The cogeneration units that Ukraine is installing are of a relatively small size and can be moved relatively easily.
This allows them to be mounted next to buildings that can provide heating with the thermal energy they produce when generating electricity.
While conventional power plants are very difficult to defend from bombing, due to their large dimensions and the impossibility of changing their place, cogeneration units can be distributed throughout the territory, reducing the risk of concentrated blows to the generation capacity.
“In Ukraine, a few power plants and a dozen substations are still responsible for half of the electricity generation and transmission. Obviously, five or ten centrals are easy targets for the enemy. When we have hundreds of small power plants, it will be almost impossible to attack them with missiles,” said the head of the Parliament’s Energy Committee, Andrí Gerus, in a recent interview.
As revealed by President Volodymyr Zelensky during the conference for the reconstruction of Ukraine held in June in Berlin, where the Ukrainian electricity sector obtained numerous commitments of Western public and private aid, Kiev aspires to install 1 gigawatt of electricity production capacity by cogeneration this year.
In its eight massive attacks this year against Ukrainian power plants, Russia has destroyed about 9 gigawatts of the generation capacity that Ukraine had.
The Ukrainian gas and oil company Ukrainafta announced this month an ambitious project valued at one billion dollars to install, within three years, more than gigawatts of electricity production capacity through cogeneration from natural gas.
The company also develops wind and solar energy projects to contribute to the recovery of part of the electricity sector.
Another vector to produce more energy and relieve the burden on the power plants and substations that are being repaired is the promotion of own generation between companies, institutions and individuals.
On June 20, Zelenski ordered the authorities to install solar panels, accumulators and smart meters in all schools and hospitals.
The Ukrainian Parliament approved new tax exemptions for the purchase and imports of generators, batteries and solar panels with the idea of promoting the installation of their own generation capacities among citizens and reducing their dependence on a centralized system that remains in the crosshairs of Russian commanders.
The Ministry of Energy of Ukraine announced earlier this month the arrival in the country of about six thousand solar panels manufactured by the Italian company Enel and paid for by the European Commission that will serve to guarantee the uninterrupted supply of electricity to hospitals in five regions of the country.
International
U.S. to suspend visa processing for applicants from 75 countries
The United States announced on Wednesday that it will suspend visa processing for applicants from 75 nationalities, marking another move by President Donald Trump’s administration to curb the entry of migrants into the country.
“ The United States is freezing the processing of all visas for 75 countries, including Somalia, Russia and Iran,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt wrote on X. According to Fox News, the measure will take effect on January 21 and will remain in force indefinitely.
Based on an internal State Department memorandum obtained by Fox News Digital, consular officers have been instructed to deny visa applications under existing law while the agency conducts an in-depth review of screening and vetting procedures. The stated goal is to tighten criteria to prevent the entry of foreigners who could eventually rely on public assistance.
The list of affected countries includes several nations in Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as Afghanistan, Russia, Iran, Iraq, Egypt, Nigeria, Thailand, Somalia and Yemen, among others. Fox News reported that exemptions to the suspension will be “very limited” and will only be granted once applicants pass an assessment related to the public charge requirement.
Other countries in the Americas subject to the suspension include Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Cuba, Dominica, Grenada, Guatemala, Haiti, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
The decision is based on a strict interpretation of the so-called “public charge” clause of U.S. immigration law. A cable sent to U.S. consulates worldwide in November 2025 had already signaled the shift, instructing officials to apply tougher standards when evaluating applicants, taking into account factors such as age, health status, English proficiency, financial situation, history of public assistance, and even the potential need for long-term medical care.
International
Peruvian Court Orders Definitive Dismissal of Money Laundering Case Against Keiko Fujimori
A court of Peru’s National Superior Court of Specialized Criminal Justice ordered the definitive dismissal of the criminal proceedings for alleged money laundering and criminal organization against presidential candidate Keiko Fujimori, authorities reported on Tuesday, January 13, 2026.
The ruling was issued by the Tenth National Preparatory Investigation Court in compliance with a previous decision by the Constitutional Court (TC). The decision was confirmed by Fujimori’s attorney, Giuliana Loza, who said on social media platform X that “there was no money laundering nor criminal organization.”
According to the defense, the case was closed for lacking legal grounds and for violating due process. “The proceedings concluded because they lacked a legal basis and constituted clear prosecutorial persecution,” Loza stated.
Judge Wilson Verastegui, whose ruling was reported by local media, said the Constitutional Court determined that the facts alleged in the so-called ‘Cocktails Case’ do not constitute a criminal offense under the principle of legality. The court noted that the crime of illegal financing of political organizations was not in force at the time the alleged acts occurred.
The dismissal also applies to other leaders of the Fuerza Popular party, including Pier Figari, Ana Rosa Herz, Jaime Yoshiyama and José Chlimper, as well as the party itself.
Keiko Fujimori, daughter of former president Alberto Fujimori (1990–2000), had been under investigation for the alleged irregular financing of her 2011 and 2016 presidential campaigns, a case that exposed her to a possible 30-year prison sentence. However, one year ago the National Superior Court annulled the trial and returned the case to the intermediate stage.
Fujimori is currently pursuing her fourth presidential bid, ahead of Peru’s general elections scheduled for April.
International
Colombian Defense Chief Meets U.S. Officials to Advance Bilateral Narcotics Strategy
Colombia’s Minister of Defense, Pedro Sánchez Suárez, is in the United States this Tuesday and Wednesday to discuss bilateral cooperation in the fight against drug trafficking, Colombian officials said, in a visit that comes as ties between Bogotá and Washington begin to ease after a period of diplomatic tension.
The trip is seen as a prelude to a scheduled visit by Colombian President Gustavo Petro to Washington, where he is expected to meet U.S. President Donald Trump for the first time in early February. Sánchez will remain in Washington through Wednesday, according to Colombian government sources.
During his stay, Sánchez is slated to meet with senior U.S. officials, including representatives from the Department of Defense, members of the U.S. Senate, and White House advisors, to outline a joint strategy to “defeat drug trafficking” and expand cooperation on intelligence against transnational crime.
According to a statement from the Colombian Defense Ministry, the agenda will include strengthening collaboration on technology, intelligence sharing, and efforts to disrupt criminal networks that operate across borders. Officials said the discussions will also help set the stage for Petro’s upcoming talks with Trump.
The visit follows a period of strained U.S.–Colombia relations last year, when Washington revoked Petro’s visa and withdrew Colombia’s certification as a key partner in anti-drug efforts — moves that coincided with disagreements over counter-narcotics strategy and broader diplomatic frictions. However, a recent phone call between Petro and Trump, described as cordial by officials, helped lower tensions and reopened channels for dialogue ahead of the presidential meeting.
U.S. to suspend visa processing for applicants from 75 countries
Bukele warns crime can become a ‘parallel government’ during visit to Costa Rica
Peruvian Court Orders Definitive Dismissal of Money Laundering Case Against Keiko Fujimori
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
Defense Minister commends salvadoran soldier for Central American Cross Country victory
Extension of the state of emergency approved in southern Chile
-
International2 days agoDeadly van accident near Brazil border leaves 11 dead in Bolivia
-
Central America2 days agoTaiwan’s $10 million donation after 2001 earthquakes allegedly diverted in El Salvador
-
Central America2 days agoU.S. and El Salvador maintain close partnership, embassy says
-
International2 days agoDominican court postpones hearing in deadly nightclub collapse case
-
International2 days agoU.S. to host Danish and Greenlandic Foreign Ministers at the White House
-
International2 days agoPolice hunt gunmen after fatal shooting in Corsica
-
International2 days agoEx-President accused of bid to establish dictatorship as verdict nears in South Korea
-
International2 days agoVenezuelan opposition leader dedicates Nobel Prize to Trump
-
International5 days agoU.S. strike in Caracas killed 32 cuban security officers, experts say surprise was crucial
-
International4 days agoU.S. Issues Urgent Evacuation Call for Citizens in Venezuela
-
International18 hours agoColombian Defense Chief Meets U.S. Officials to Advance Bilateral Narcotics Strategy
-
Central America9 hours agoBukele warns crime can become a ‘parallel government’ during visit to Costa Rica
-
International18 hours agoPeruvian Court Orders Definitive Dismissal of Money Laundering Case Against Keiko Fujimori
-
International9 hours agoU.S. to suspend visa processing for applicants from 75 countries