International

Southport killer, who killed three girls, sentenced to 52 years in prison

18-year-old Axel Rudakubana, guilty of the murder of three girls in the English town of Southport (northern England) on July 29, 2024, was sentenced this Thursday to a minimum prison time of 52 years, according to a Liverpool court.

Judge Julian Goose imposed a life sentence on Rudakubana, but since he was a minor at the time of committing the crime, and British law does not allow life imprisonment for minors, a minimum of 51 years and 190 days in prison was determined, discounting the time he has already been under bars since his arrest.

“(Axel Rudakubana) will spend most of his life in prison. I think it is quite likely that he will never be released and that he will be in prison all his life,” Goose added in the reading of the sentence, where he commented that, if he had been 18 years old, he would have sentenced him to life imprisonment without a minimum period.

Rudakubana, who did not express remorse after killing the minors, had pleaded guilty on Monday to the charges of stabbing murder of 6-year-old Bebe King; Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, and Alice da Silva Aguiar, 9; and of trying to murder eight other minors and two adults during a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport.

In total, Rudakubana was convicted of a total of 16 charges, including the production of ricin, a biological toxin and the possession of an Al Qaeda training manual, although he admitted that there was no evidence to consider the attack a terrorist cause, but he did commit “equivalent” actions.

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“I am sure that Rudakabana had a fixed and determined intention to carry out these crimes, and that if he had been able to, he would have killed each and every one of the minors, all 26 of them, as well as all the adults who had stook in his way,” said the British magistrate.

Shortly after the punishment against infanticide became known, the Prosecutor’s Office announced that it is considering the possibility of filing an appeal with the Court of Appeal if it concludes that the sentence has been “excessively lenient.”

During the incident, Rudakubana stabbed at least 122 times the youngest of the victims, 6 years old, and tried to “decapitate her,” according to the pathologist who examined the body.

The Rudakubana case has also highlighted the errors in the British anti-terrorist prevention system, after it was revealed this week that the young man had been referred to the youth program ‘Prevent’ from the age of 14 until three times.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in a statement after the conviction was announced that the Southport massacre is “one of the most heartbreaking moments” in the history of the United Kingdom.

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“What happened in Southport was an atrocity and, as the judge has stated, this vile criminal will probably never be released. After one of the most heartbreaking moments in the history of our country, we owe those innocent girls and all those affected the change they deserve,” he said.

He alluded in this way to the “fundamental change” in the protection of minors that he asked for on Tuesday after Rudakubana pleaded guilty, when he dropped that the legal definition of terrorism should be changed to include actions such as that of Southport.

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.