International

Russia breaks a new launch record of Iranian ‘Shahed’ drones against Ukraine

Throughout September, Russia launched 1,339 Iranian Shahed kamikaze drones against Ukraine, which represents a new record in the number of these unmanned aerial devices used against enemy territory since the beginning of the war, according to the publication of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, ArmyInform.

The previous record in the use of Shahed was reached in August of this year, when Russian forces launched about 800 drones of this type against Ukraine, according to the account of the social network X @ShahedTracker, which reports on the use of these Iranian devices.

The third month with the highest use of Shahed was September 2023, when the Russians fired 521 of these drones at Ukraine.

Russia doubles production

The most obvious factor that explains this increase in the use of Iranian suicide drones must be looked for in the expansion of Russia’s own production of this technology.

According to the military expert and editor-in-chief of the Ukrainian publication specialized in military affairs Defense Express, Oleg Katkov, Russia has already managed to produce in its factory in Tatarstan, a year in advance of the developed plan, the 6,000 units of these originally Iranian drones that it planned to manufacture until September 2025.

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“Based on this, the enemy can launch up to 50 drones of this type daily, or even more,” Katkov told the Ukrainian media RBK.

According to the figures published by ArmyInform, Russia is already close to these numbers and used in September, when for the first month since the beginning of the war it did not stop launching a single day of Shahed against Ukraine, an average of 44 drones daily.

About one hundred percent interception

Ukraine intercepts practically all the Iranian drones that Russia launches against its territory. According to @ShahedTracker, Ukrainian air defenses managed to knock down or divert from their target with radio-electronic interference 94% of the devices that arrived in their airspace in August and September of this year.

Despite the high percentage of interceptions, the Shaheds continue to be a serious headache for the Ukrainian Army, which dedicates an increasing number of personnel and resources every night to prevent these drones that Russia launches in swarms from reaching their objectives, among which are usually electrical infrastructures.

When Russia launches them simultaneously with missiles, the mission of these Shahed swarms is to overwhelm Ukrainian air defenses so that they cannot respond to all the projectiles.

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More drones lost due to interference

To avoid using anti-aircraft missiles that are much more expensive than drones for each of the downs, Ukrainian forces created mobile patrols equipped with lighter weapons that shoot the Shaheds to make them fall before reaching their targets.

Aware of the effectiveness of this method, the Russians now fly these drones at a higher height, so that conventional weapons cannot reach them until they begin their descent towards the target.

Ukraine has developed its own drones

According to the expert in radio-electronic warfare means Serguí Flesh, the Shahed have gone from flying at about 2 kilometers high to doing it at between 4 and 5 kilometers.

In response, the expert says on his Telegram channel, the Ukrainian Army has perfected the use of electronic interference means and makes an increasing percentage of Russian drones lose signal, allowing it to neutralize the Shaheds that fly higher without spending their most sophisticated ammunition to shoot them down.

In addition to defending itself, Ukraine has developed its own drones similar to the Shahed, with which it attacks almost daily military targets and refineries within the Russian Federation.

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International

Peruvian presidential candidate proposes death penalty amid crime surge

Peru is facing an unprecedented surge in crime ahead of its presidential election scheduled for April 12, with violence fueled by extortion networks and a wave of contract killings linked to organized crime.

Police data show that 2,200 homicides tied to organized crime were recorded in 2025, while extortion complaints increased by 19%, underscoring the growing security crisis in the South American nation.

Amid this backdrop, presidential candidate Álvarez has proposed reinstating the death penalty if elected, arguing that extreme measures are needed to curb the violence.

To implement the proposal, Álvarez said Peru would withdraw from the American Convention on Human Rights—also known as the Pact of San José—which the country signed in 1978. The agreement prevents member states that have abolished capital punishment from reinstating it.

Currently, Peruvian law only allows the death penalty in cases of treason during wartime.

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“We have to leave the Pact of San José and apply the death penalty in Peru because those miserable criminals don’t deserve to live,” Álvarez told AFP during a campaign stop at a market in Callao, the port city neighboring Lima.

“An iron fist against those criminals,” he added, proposing to declare hitmen as military targets.

During the campaign event, Álvarez walked through stalls selling vegetables, groceries, and fish, greeting vendors while musicians played cumbia music nearby.

The 62-year-old candidate, who spent more than four decades working in television as a comedian, is a newcomer to politics and is running for president under the País para Todos party.

Polls place him fifth in voter preference with nearly 4% support in a fragmented race featuring 36 candidates.

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“I am an artist who has taken a step into politics to bring peace to my country,” Álvarez told reporters while surrounded by supporters.

International

FBI: Man who attacked Michigan synagogue died from self-inflicted gunshot

The man who died during Thursday’s attack on a synagogue in the United States suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, according to the FBI.

FBI agent Jennifer Runyan told reporters that the suspect, identified as 41-year-old Lebanese citizen Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, shot himself at some point during the confrontation.

“At some point during the shooting, Ghazali suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head,” Runyan said during a press conference.

A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security confirmed the suspect’s identity.

Authorities said Ghazali drove a truck into the Temple Israel synagogue in West Bloomfield, located in the state of Michigan, on Thursday.

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According to Michael Bouchard, sheriff of Oakland County, synagogue security personnel noticed the vehicle and confronted the suspect with gunfire.

Investigators said it would be premature to speculate about the motive for the attack, although reports indicate Ghazali recently lost relatives during Israeli strikes in Lebanon earlier this month.

“It would be irresponsible for me to speculate about his motive,” Runyan said.

Ghazali arrived in Detroit in 2011 on a spouse visa for U.S. citizens and obtained American citizenship in 2016, according to reporting by The New York Times.

He was the father of two teenagers, divorced from his wife in 2024, and had recently been working as a waiter.

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The newspaper also reported that Ghazali attended a memorial service in the nearby city of Dearborn for relatives killed in the recent conflict, alongside other grieving family members from the Lebanese town of Machghara.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation said the incident is being investigated as an act of violence targeting the Jewish community.

A source from Michigan’s Lebanese-American community told CBS News that several of Ghazali’s relatives had been killed roughly ten days before the attack, leaving him deeply devastated.

International

Mexican Navy Ships Deliver Third Shipment of Humanitarian Aid to Cuba

Two logistics support vessels from the Mexican Navy — the ARM Papaloapan and the ARM Huasteco — docked again on Friday in the bay of Havana carrying a third shipment of humanitarian aid for Cuba.

The vessels had previously arrived on the Caribbean island on February 28 with a second cargo that included 1,200 tons of food, sent to help alleviate the country’s ongoing crisis, which has worsened following the U.S. oil restrictions affecting fuel supplies to the island.

Cuba’s deputy foreign minister Josefina Vidal confirmed the new shipment in a social media post.

“Two ships carrying a third shipment of aid from the Government and the people of Mexico for the Cuban people are now arriving at the port of Havana. Thank you Mexico for your solidarity with Cuba,” she wrote.

Previous aid shipments

During the second shipment, the Papaloapan transported 1,078 tons of beans and powdered milk, while the Huastecocarried 92 tons of beans and 23 tons of assorted food products collected by social organizations with support from the government of Mexico City.

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In recent months, Mexico has become the largest provider of humanitarian aid to Cuba, sending around 2,000 tons of supplies, mostly staple foods and hygiene products, in the two shipments prior to Friday’s delivery.

The first shipment alone included 814 tons of food.

Cuba praises Mexico’s support

Hours before the ships arrived, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel highlighted Mexico’s support during a televised appearance, describing the country as “a friendly and brotherly nation that has shown tremendous solidarity,”particularly praising Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum.

Díaz-Canel also addressed reports suggesting that Mexican donations were being resold in state-run stores, dismissing them as a “disinformation campaign” promoted by right-wing groups.