International
Cuba will denounce the impact of the US embargo before the UN General Assembly
The Cuban Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bruno Rodríguez, will attend the high-level debates of the 79th General Assembly of the United Nations where he will “denounce” the impact of the economic embargo imposed by the United States, the Cuban Foreign Ministry reported on Friday.
Rodríguez said in X that he will denounce “the impact of the US blockade (economic embargo) against Cuba and we will promote multilateralism, peace and sustainable development for all.”
The agenda of the Cuban foreign minister at the UN also includes his participation in the Summit of the Future and a meeting with Cubans – related to the Government – living in the United States, according to the Foreign Ministry.
The Cuban head of Foreign Affairs is accompanied by Vice Chancellors Anayansi Rodríguez and Carlos Fernández de Cossío and the general director of Consular Affairs and Cuban Residents Abroad, Ana Teresita González, among other officials.
More than a hundred heads of state and government will attend the annual meeting of the organization that will take place on September 22 and 23 and will analyze issues related to the 2030 Agenda and other issues in New York – headquarters of the international organization.
The General Assembly, established in 1945 under the Charter of the United Nations, is the main organ of deliberation, policy adoption and representation of the United Nations, according to the UN website.
The annual report on the blockade (embargo), presented last week, is the documentary basis of the resolution that Havana has presented each year for more than three decades against these sanctions before the United Nations General Assembly, and which has a majority support of its members.
According to the official estimate, the impact between March 2023 and February of this year was higher by 189.8 million dollars than in the previous twelve months.
The total after more than 60 years of sanctions amounts to more than 164,141 million dollars at current prices, says Havana.
The island government argues that, without US sanctions, the island would have achieved a growth in its gross domestic product (GDP) “at current prices” of 8% in 2023, in contrast to the 1.9% drop with which it closed last year, according to official figures.
Cuba has been immersed in a serious economic crisis for more than four years and its government mainly accuses US sanctions of this situation.
The aggravation of the structural imbalances of the Cuban economy are also significantly influenced by the consequences of the pandemic and certain economic and monetary policy decisions of the Cuban Government, they have acknowledged.
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.
International
Dominican court postpones hearing in deadly nightclub collapse case
A Dominican court on Monday postponed until March a preliminary hearing against the owners of a nightclub that collapsed last year, killing more than 200 people.
The roof of the Jet Set nightclub collapsed in the early hours of April 8, 2025, during a concert by popular merengue singer Rubby Pérez, who died along with 235 other people.
Jet Set owner and manager Antonio Espaillat and his sister Maribel, who served as the club’s administrator, were arrested on charges of involuntary manslaughter but were later released on bail after posting approximately $842,500.
Both appeared at the Palace of Justice, where they were met by a small protest from relatives and friends of the victims.
“Thirty years in prison is not enough” and “President, we want JUSTICE,” read signs held by demonstrators.
The preliminary hearing determines whether there is sufficient evidence to send the case to trial. The court decided to reschedule the hearing for March 16.
“We don’t want money and we’re not demanding anything else, only justice for those who died,” said Secundino Pérez, a 75-year-old shopkeeper who lost 12 friends in the Jet Set tragedy.
“Antonio and his family celebrated Christmas sitting at a table, celebrating their freedom,” said Edgar Gómez, who lost his daughter in the collapse.
The Dominican Republic’s Public Prosecutor’s Office maintains that the defendants “significantly altered” the structure of the nightclub. Prosecutors filed formal charges in November and requested that the case proceed to trial.
The charge of involuntary manslaughter carries a sentence of three months to two years in prison.
“May your conscience never let you sleep. I lost my son,” a woman shouted through tears before the hearing, while others chanted, “Murderers, murderers, murderers.”
Peruvian Court Orders Definitive Dismissal of Money Laundering Case Against Keiko Fujimori
Colombian Defense Chief Meets U.S. Officials to Advance Bilateral Narcotics Strategy
Dominican court postpones hearing in deadly nightclub collapse case
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
-
International1 day agoDeadly van accident near Brazil border leaves 11 dead in Bolivia
-
International1 day agoDominican court postpones hearing in deadly nightclub collapse case
-
Central America1 day agoTaiwan’s $10 million donation after 2001 earthquakes allegedly diverted in El Salvador
-
Central America1 day agoU.S. and El Salvador maintain close partnership, embassy says
-
International1 day agoPolice hunt gunmen after fatal shooting in Corsica
-
International1 day agoU.S. to host Danish and Greenlandic Foreign Ministers at the White House
-
International1 day agoEx-President accused of bid to establish dictatorship as verdict nears in South Korea
-
International1 day agoVenezuelan opposition leader dedicates Nobel Prize to Trump
-
International4 days agoU.S. strike in Caracas killed 32 cuban security officers, experts say surprise was crucial
-
International3 days agoU.S. Issues Urgent Evacuation Call for Citizens in Venezuela
-
International8 hours agoColombian Defense Chief Meets U.S. Officials to Advance Bilateral Narcotics Strategy
-
International8 hours agoPeruvian Court Orders Definitive Dismissal of Money Laundering Case Against Keiko Fujimori