International
Dina Boluarte’s former party presents a motion for dismissal against her
The Peruvian Marxist party Perú Libre presented this Saturday a motion of vacancy (dismissal) against President Dina Boluarte, a former member of the organization, after the raiding of her home and the Government Palace as part of a fiscal investigation for an alleged crime of illicit enrichment.
Congresswoman Margot Palacios announced on social network X that the bench presented the dismissal document to the senior officer of the Congress of the Republic and that they have obtained the signatures of 26 parliamentarians of the 130 that make up the chamber.
“We have just presented the motion of vacancy against Dina Boluarte, for permanent moral incapacity due to the issue of Rolex and jeweler, in exercise of the parliamentary function of political control,” Palacios said.
Most of the congressmen are from that party and others from the left, such as Democratic Change – Together for Peru, Roberto Sánchez Palomino, and the Magisterial Block – of Free Peru -, Pasión Dávila.
Raúl Doroteo, from the right-wing Partido Acción Popular, also signed.
He adds that “the serious case” of luxury watches and jewelry that Boluarte has allegedly not declared before the National Election Jury (JNE) supposes “the violation of the ethical and moral principles of someone who holds the highest judiciary in the country” and that his conduct “violates fundamental ethical principles such as probity and transparency.”
And that, to date, neither the president nor the Government “have clarified the origin of up to three Rolex watches that the press has been able to capture in the arm of the president in different official activities.”
“As can be seen, the behavior of Mrs. Dina E. Boluarte Zegarra is a very serious event, and reason enough to declare his vacancy. Consequently, they constitute an infringement of articles 38, 102 and 118, paragraph 1, of the Political Constitution of Peru,” the motion states.
At midnight on Friday, a fiscal and police team entered the home of Boluarte and the Government Palace as part of an investigation opened on March 18 against the president for the alleged commission of the crime of illicit enrichment, not having declared such luxury watches.
At a press conference, Dina Boluarte, described this Saturday as arbitrary, abusive and disproportionate the raid that the Prosecutor’s Office made on her house and the Government Palace as part of an investigation for corruption, which she said she will only speak in the Prosecutor’s Office, and blamed the media for making a campaign of harassment against her.
“It has never existed as has been said, neither refusal nor rebellion on my part against the tax investigation, on the contrary, I have come to this instance by making myself available, so the measure of the morning is arbitrary, disproportionate and abusive,” Boluarte said in a statement without questions.
Accompanied by the cabinet of ministers, the president said that she is “respectful of the fiscal investigation,” but that she rejects the way in which it is done, “in a discriminatory and unconstitutional way.”
In this sense, he criticized the fact that they broke the lock of his house, in the Lima district of Surquillo, since his family did not have time to open the door and said that this measure affects the rights of his family and also the governance of the country.
“Since when does a sector of the press worry about what the president uses or does not use? I want to believe that it is not because of a sexist issue or discrimination,” he said before adding that he has been taken “directly to the preliminary investigation when former presidents were subject to prior proceedings.”
About the origin of the luxury watches that he has worn on several public occasions and that so far has not explained its origin, he reiterated that, on the recommendation of his defense, he will not refer to the case in public until he goes to the Prosecutor’s Office.
“On the recommendation of my lawyer, I am not going to testify on the subject of watches until I testify before the Prosecutor’s Office to clarify the facts,” he said.
International
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem’s Purse Stolen in D.C. Restaurant Heist
The purse of Kristi Noem, Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, was stolen on Sunday night at a restaurant in Washington, D.C., Fox News Digital confirmed through several agency sources.
The handbag, taken by a white male wearing a mask, reportedly contained $3,000 in cash along with personal documents, including her passport, keys, driver’s license, and DHS badge, according to an agency spokesperson.
“Her entire family was in town, including her children and grandchildren. She was celebrating her retirement by treating them to dinner, activities, and Easter gifts,” the spokesperson added.
Crime continues to be a significant issue in the U.S. capital, particularly theft. However, violent crime reached its lowest level in 30 years last year, according to the Office of the Attorney General at the time.
International
Pope Francis: The Quiet Architect Behind the U.S.-Cuba Thaw
When then-U.S. President Barack Obama and Cuban President Raúl Castro announced the reestablishment of diplomatic relations in December 2014—after decades of hostility—there was a third figure present in both speeches: Pope Francis.
This thaw in U.S.-Cuba relations—later reversed by Donald Trump—was the result of behind-the-scenes negotiations personally encouraged by Pope Francis, who passed away on Monday at the age of 88, just over a year after becoming head of the Catholic Church.
Upon learning the news of the breakthrough, the pontiff humbly stated, “This was made possible thanks to the ambassadors and to diplomacy,” which he called “a noble, very noble job.”
In 2015, months after the announcement, Raúl Castro visited the Vatican and met with the pope. Over time, Castro developed a fondness for Francis that he never had for his predecessors, Benedict XVI and John Paul II. “If the Pope continues talking like this, sooner or later I’ll start praying again and return to the Catholic Church—and I’m not joking,” said the younger Castro, who, like his brother Fidel (1926–2016), had been educated by Jesuits—the same order to which Pope Francis belonged.
Pope Francis visited Cuba later that year. Just days before his arrival, the Cuban government announced the pardon of 3,522 common prisoners as an act of clemency.
While in Havana, the pope met with Fidel Castro, who gave him a first edition of the book Fidel and Religion by Brazilian friar and liberation theologian Frei Betto.
Criticism from the Opposition
Francis’s diplomatic approach also drew criticism from parts of the Cuban opposition. In a 2022 interview with Univision, the pope revealed he had “a human relationship” with Raúl Castro.
International
Dominican Republic Declares Three Days of Mourning for Pope Francis
Dominican Republic President Luis Abinader has declared three days of national mourning starting Tuesday following the death of Pope Francis, who passed away on Monday at the age of 88 in his residence at the Casa Santa Marta.
In an official decree, Abinader highlighted the pope’s legacy “as a global leader who promoted significant reforms within the Catholic Church and was known for his humility, openness to dialogue, and commitment to peace among nations.”
During the mourning period, the national flag will be flown at half-staff at military facilities and public buildings.
According to a statement from the Office of the Presidency, although Pope Francis never visited the Dominican Republic during his papacy, he maintained a close relationship with the country. He expressed solidarity and empathy during difficult times, including offering prayers for the victims of the recent tragedy at a Santo Domingo nightclub on April 8, which claimed 232 lives and left more than 180 injured.
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem’s Purse Stolen in D.C. Restaurant Heist
Pope Francis: The Quiet Architect Behind the U.S.-Cuba Thaw
Dominican Republic Declares Three Days of Mourning for Pope Francis
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