International

The president of Peru calls on opponents to establish “a pact for governance”

The president of Peru, Dina Boluarte, invoked her political opponents this Sunday to establish “a pact for the governance” of her country that allows, as she said, to fulfill “the historical responsibility” of meeting the needs of the 33 million Peruvians.

“Away from the voices that divide, that expect us to give up, that we go back on this road for the struggle for the progress of the homeland, he invoked a pact for Peru, a pact for governability, for democracy,” Boluarte said during a ceremony held at the Government Palace of Lima.

The president made this approach two days after the plenary of Congress refused to admit to processing three motions for vacancy (dismissal) that had been presented against her by opposition legislators, mostly from left-wing political groups.

Boluarte added that “a divided, intolerant country, even if it is a minority group that moves these aspects that I indicate, affects unity.”

“The country demands the unity of its authorities to move forward,” he emphasized.

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The head of state also remarked that “all” politicians have “a historical responsibility with the more than 33 million Peruvians.”

“Therefore, work in unity, as I always say, in a single patriotic heart, will make our homeland bigger, and that within it Peruvians have greater rights,” he concluded.

Last Friday, the Prime Minister of Peru, Gustavo Adrianzén, said that the Executive “will not allow governance to be broken in his country,” referring to the three motions of dismissal presented against Boluarte.

“We tell that small group of benches and parliamentarians that they are not going to make it, that we are not going to allow someone to want to break the governance of the country to lead us to instability and chaos,” he said.

The three motions, which were rejected by a simple majority, called for the dismissal of Boluarte for an alleged moral inability to exercise the head of state and demanded that he offer explanations for the latest complaints that have been made against him, which are also investigated by the Prosecutor’s Office.

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Among the arguments was an alleged “abandonment from office,” which a journalistic complaint pointed out by Boluarte for 12 days between the end of June and the beginning of July 2023 to undergo alleged aesthetic procedures.

Also, his alleged involvement in the investigation against one of his brothers, Nicanor Boluarte, by deactivating a police team that supported a prosecutor’s group that specifically prosecutes the crimes of corruption committed by senior public officials a day before his preliminary arrest.

In this case, the Public Ministry opened a preliminary investigation of the president for the alleged commission of the crime against the administration of justice, in the form of personal cover-up.

International

U.S. allows Venezuela to fund Maduro and Cilia Flores’ legal defense

Until now, the U.S. administration had blocked the Venezuelan government from covering the legal fees of Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, who is also jailed and facing drug trafficking charges, due to international sanctions imposed on Venezuela.

The couple’s legal team had relied on that argument in an attempt to have the indictment dismissed, claiming that preventing a defendant from accessing counsel of their choice violates rights guaranteed under the Sixth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

However, the U.S. Treasury Department will now allow “defense attorneys to receive payments from the Government of Venezuela under certain conditions,” New York prosecutor Jay Clayton wrote in a letter dated Friday to Judge Alvin Hellerstein, who is overseeing the case.

According to the letter, the funds must have become available after March 5, 2026, and cannot come from Venezuelan oil sales regulated in the United States.

Since Maduro’s removal from power in early January, former Vice President Delcy Rodríguez has served as Venezuela’s interim leader.

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The United States effectively controls Venezuelan crude exports, with revenues deposited into special accounts supervised by Washington.

Court documents filed on Friday show that the defense acknowledged the sanctions exemption and, for now, withdrew its motion seeking dismissal of the charges.

International

U.S. Sanctions Network Linked to Fentanyl Trafficking Across India, Guatemala and Mexico

The United States Department of State announced sanctions on Thursday against 23 individuals and companies allegedly linked to an international fentanyl production and smuggling network operating in India, Guatemala and Mexico.

According to the State Department, the network supplied precursor chemicals to the Sinaloa Cartel, which the United States has designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization.

Washington declared fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid, a weapon of mass destruction last year due to its role in the ongoing overdose crisis in the United States.

“By targeting the entire supply chain — from chemical suppliers in Asia to logistical intermediaries in Central America and cartel-linked networks in Mexico — the Trump Administration is dismantling networks that destabilize governance across our hemisphere and threaten U.S. security,” the State Department said.

In a separate statement, the Office of Foreign Assets Control detailed sanctions against three Indian chemical and pharmaceutical companies: Sutaria, Agrat and SR Chemicals, along with a sales executive accused of supplying precursor chemicals to contacts in Guatemala and Mexico.

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In Guatemala, authorities sanctioned J and C Import and Central Logística de Servicios, as well as intermediary Jaime Augusto Barrientos.

The OFAC also designated several intermediaries and import companies operating in the Mexican state of Sinaloa.

As part of the investigation, U.S. authorities identified Ramiro Baltazar Félix as a member of Los Mayos, a faction of the Sinaloa Cartel, and Alejandro Reynoso, accused of operating clandestine drug laboratories in Guadalajara.

International

Pope Leo XIV Says Countries Have Border Rights but Migrants Deserve Respect

Pope Leo XIV said Thursday that migrants must be treated with dignity as he addressed the global migration crisis during a press conference aboard the plane returning from his tour of Africa.

The pontiff answered questions from journalists regarding his upcoming trip to Spain, which will include a visit to the Canary Islands, a region heavily affected by migration flows and growing political polarization surrounding the issue.

“Obviously, migration is a very complex issue and affects many countries — not only Spain, not only Europe, but also the United States. It is a global phenomenon,” the pope said.

Pope Leo XIV also questioned the role of developed nations in addressing the crisis.

“My response begins with a question: What is the Global North doing to help the Global South and those countries where young people no longer see a future and dream of going north, even when the North sometimes has no answers to offer?” he asked.

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While acknowledging that “a state has the right to establish rules for its borders,” the pope insisted that the debate must go beyond border control and address the structural causes that force people to leave their home countries.