International

Peruvians call for popular mobilization against Boluarte’s government

Photo: Escuela Saúl Cantoral

July 3 |

Peruvian social organizations concluded this Sunday in Lima the First National Meeting of Regions and Organized People, space in which they agreed to carry out new days of struggle between July 19 and 28 against the government of the appointed president, Digna Boluarte.

According to reports disseminated through social networks, delegates from all Peruvian regions participated in the meeting, including Puno, Cusco, Apurimac, Arequipa, Ucayali, Pasco and Junin, among others that stood out in the mobilizations carried out since last December 7, which also demanded the release of former President Pedro Castillo.

The participants stressed the urgency of recovering the sovereignty of the people and demanded the exit of Boluarte, the closing of the Congress, a Constituent Assembly, the freedom of the detainees and justice for the civilians murdered by the Army and the Police during the mobilizations.

The new cycle of protests will be called National Day of Permanent Popular Mobilization and will have its epicenter in Lima, where representatives of regional, union and agrarian organizations, among others, will converge.

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It is foreseen that the commands of struggle organized in each province will send delegations of demonstrators to the Peruvian capital, where food, tents, blankets, medicines and other supplies are already being stockpiled.

In the mobilizations, which will coincide with Peruvian Independence Day (July 28), they will also demand that the US troops, whose entry was approved by Congress and the Executive, leave the country.

Previously it was denounced that the arrival in Peru of the first contingents of these troops coinciding with the reactivation of the popular protests is no coincidence.

After the parliamentary coup d’état against Castillo, last December 7, Peru became the scene of massive protests against the Executive of Boluarte, who is held responsible for the deaths of 70 civilians during those mobilizations.

The date of July 19 was not chosen by chance: on that day, in 1977, the Peruvian people staged a strike that put an end to the military government of Francisco Morales Bermudez, who came to power after a coup d’état against Juan Velasco Alvarado.

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Central America

Guatemala’s Attorney General Consuelo Porras Loses Bid for Constitutional Court Seat

Guatemala’s attorney general, Consuelo Porras, who has been sanctioned by the United States over corruption allegations, lost a key vote on Monday in which a public university selected two of the 10 magistrates for the country’s highest constitutional court. However, she could still seek a seat through another nominating body.

The election of five full magistrates and five alternates to the Corte de Constitucionalidad (CC) is taking place gradually over more than two months and is considered crucial in the ongoing struggle for control of Guatemala’s judiciary, which critics say has long been influenced by a political and economic elite accused of corruption.

According to results announced at a press conference, the governing council of the Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala (USAC) rejected Porras, who had applied as either a full or alternate magistrate, and instead chose two candidates aligned with the university rector. The vote was held at a hotel in Antigua, about 35 kilometers from the capital.

Despite the setback, Porras — whose term as attorney general ends on May 16 — could still be nominated to the Constitutional Court by the Corte Suprema de Justicia, which appoints two magistrates. The remaining six are selected by the president, the bar association and Congress.

“It’s always a possibility,” the 72-year-old lawyer said days earlier when asked by reporters whether she would seek nomination through another institution if she lost the USAC vote.

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Porras has been sanctioned by Washington and the European Union for allegedly attempting two years ago to block the inauguration of President Bernardo Arévalo and for pursuing legal actions against anti-corruption prosecutors, judges, journalists and social leaders since taking office in 2018.

The USAC vote was controversial because most members of the university’s governing council are serving beyond the expiration of their terms. Students, academics and social activists staged protests against Porras’ candidacy.

International

Florida judge sets 2027 trial in Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit against BBC

A federal judge in Florida has scheduled February 2027 for the trial in the lawsuit filed by U.S. President Donald Trump against the BBC, in which he is seeking $10 billion in damages for defamation.

Trump accuses the British broadcaster of airing a misleading edit of a speech he delivered on January 6, 2021, which, he says, made it appear that he explicitly urged his supporters to attack the U.S. Capitol in Washington.

The president filed the suit in December in federal court in Florida, alleging defamation and violations of a law governing business practices when the program was broadcast ahead of the 2024 election.

Trump is seeking $5 billion in damages for each of the two claims.

Lawyers for the BBC unsuccessfully asked the court to dismiss the case, arguing that Trump had not suffered a “legally recognizable harm,” since the investigative program Panorama, which included the edited footage, aired outside the United States.

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International

Head-of-state diplomacy key to guiding China–U.S. ties, Beijing says

Head-of-state diplomacy plays an irreplaceable strategic guiding role in China–United States relations, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on Thursday during a regular press briefing, when asked about high-level exchanges between the two sides.

Lin added that in a recent phone call, U.S. President Donald Trump once again expressed his intention to visit China in April, while Chinese President Xi Jinping reiterated his invitation.

Both sides remain in communication regarding the matter, the spokesperson said.

Lin noted that the essence of China–U.S. economic and trade ties lies in mutual benefit and win-win outcomes.

“Both parties should work together to implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, injecting greater certainty and stability into China–U.S. economic and trade cooperation, as well as into the global economy,” he said.