International

Two police officers arrested for kidnapping a witness in the case opened to Boluarte’s brother

A group of seven people, two of them police, was arrested for the kidnapping in Lima of a key witness in the case opened for influence peddling the brother of the Peruvian president, Dina Boluarte, the special anti-corruption prosecutor and local media reported.

“This is a concern for the Public Ministry. This situation has brought with it an imminent risk for a protected witness by the Public Ministry, of the Special Team of Prosecutors against Corruption in Power (Eficcop),” Marita Barreto told the press in the Lima district of Surco, where the kidnapping that lasted for about an hour took place.

Various local media identified the kidnapped as Iván Siucho, a protected witness in the case called ´Waykis en la sombra´, in which Nicanor Boluarte, the president’s brother, is involved, as well as Mateo Castañeda, former lawyer of the president.

They are being investigated for allegedly having intervened in the appointment of prefects and sub-prefects (administrative authorities in the regions) in order to have their help to form a new political party.

Barreto explained that the kidnappers “have deceivedly entered the witness’s house and then took him in a hijacked car to threaten him and throw him on a street,” in addition to taking away his phone for several hours.

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“After the kidnapping was made public,” the kidnapped have thrown their cell phone on the street, always according to the details offered by Barreto to the press.

“The worrying thing about the situation is that the Surco Police, which has intervened after an hour and a half and who had knowledge (of the case), did not immediately inform the prosecutor on duty as indicated in the protocol,” he stressed before qualifying that fact as “a very serious omission.”

Finally, and without confirming that he is a witness to the “Waikys in the shadow” case, Barreto said that “the concern” is that the information provided by the witness is that he has received “threats and would obstruct the investigations.”

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.