International

Luisa González criticizes Daniel Noboa for hiding after narrow first-round defeat

Luisa González, the presidential candidate from the correísmo movement, compared her electoral confrontation with current Ecuadorian president and re-election candidate Daniel Noboa to “a battle of David against Goliath.” She stated that Noboa “feels like a loser, which is why he hides” after she nearly surpassed him in votes in the first round.

In an interview with EFE, the first she gave to an international media outlet after becoming the main protagonist of Sunday’s electoral night, González expressed her joy over the best result for correísmo in a first round without former President Rafael Correa (2007-2017) as a candidate, calling it “a great victory.”

With 96.31% of votes counted, González (Revolución Ciudadana) received 43.96% of valid votes, compared to 44.15% for Noboa (ADN), leading both candidates to a second round, as occurred in 2023, when the businessman won to complete the term of President Guillermo Lasso.

After the results were revealed, Noboa did not appear publicly on Sunday, and on Monday, he issued a written statement declaring himself the winner of the first round. González found this statement “very amusing,” as she claims to have received two percentage points more than Noboa.

“The one who feels like a winner goes out, faces the media, and says ‘I won,’ just like I’m doing. He feels like a loser, which is why he hides from the media, from his supporters, and from the country,” stated González, a 47-year-old lawyer and single mother of two who aims to become the first woman to win Ecuador’s presidential elections.

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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.