International
López Obrador promises not to act against the person who threw a bottle of water at him
The president of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, promised on Monday not to act against the person who threw him a bottle of water and whom he dodged during a demonstration against judicial reform while he visited Veracruz, state of the Gulf of Mexico, on Sunday.
“Another thing that bothers them a lot is that there is no repression, for example, the one who threw the bottle yesterday, he can be calm, nothing happens, it doesn’t happen to the elderly and I also ask that we act with great respect,” said the president in his morning conference.
The ruler of Mexico referred to the incident on Sunday, when a person threw the plastic bottle at him while he inaugurated the Benito Juárez House Museum in the Port of Veracruz in the middle of a clash between workers of the Judiciary and supporters of the National Regeneration Movement (Morena).
Judicial employees, who have been unemployed since August 21 for opposing the reform of the Judiciary promulgated on September 15 to elect judges and the Supreme Court by popular vote, shouted “dictator, dictator!” To the president.
Both the demonstrators and the defenders of Morena threw plastic bottles and eggs at each other, so it is not yet clear who is responsible for throwing the object that almost hit López Obrador and the governor of Veracruz, Cuitláhuac García.
“It doesn’t go beyond that, yesterday they threw a bottle of water at me, and I started playing baseball, it was ‘fielder’, imagine if I don’t know (dodge), if I could even have grabbed it, but it didn’t happen to adults,” the president now commented.
López Obrador asked officials to “act very prudently and not fall into any provocation” in the face of the demonstrations, which could be sharpened before the inauguration ceremony of the elected president, Claudia Sheinbaum, on October 1.
“There they are, these days more, provoking both the extremes of conservatism and the supposed radical left, but no, no, no. We have to end without massacres, without disappearing anyone, without torture, without persecuting any journalist, without censorship,” he said.
The National Association of Circuit Magistrates and District Judges (Jufed) is against the reform, which from 2025 will establish popular elections of all judges and the Supreme Court, because they argue that it would affect the judicial career and allow the intrusion of the Executive and interest groups.
“I understand that they are angry, they are upset, for this very reason they would like nothing to change, conservatism comes precisely from preserving, from maintaining the status quo, but that is no longer possible, so there they are going to pass the anger,” opined López Obrador.
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
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