International

Kamala Harris defends her economic plan on television and reveals that she owns a gun

The US vice president and Democratic candidate for the White House, Kamala Harris, addressed in an interview on the program ’60 minutes’ of CBS News the right of Americans to possession of weapons, by saying that she owns a Glock pistol, and explaining her economic plan.

“I have a Glock and I’ve had it for quite some time,” Harris told journalist Bill Whitaker during an interview in an election special of the well-known program.

When asked if he had fired the gun, Harris sketched his characteristic smile and nodded. “Yes… In a shooting range. Yes, of course.”

Former President Donald Trump (2017-2021) has suggested that if Harris reaches the presidency he would try to limit the right to possession of weapons contemplated in the Second Amendment of the Constitution, something that the Democratic candidate has denied.

“I have the best plan”: Harris

Harris took advantage of the interview on the well-known program to talk about his proposals, especially those that point to the economy, one of the most important issues of voters in the United States, and to promote that his proposal is the best.

“Now we have an economy that is thriving according to all macroeconomic indicators,” he highlighted the achievements of the Government of President Joe Biden and promised to continue with the low unemployment figures.

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Harris was asked how she will face the $3,000 trillion deficit facing the country, to which she replied that she will increase taxes on high-income people and hopes that Congressional leaders are willing to support her.

“There are many leaders in Congress who understand and know that Trump’s tax cuts exploded our federal deficit,” warned the vice president, who indicated that she is “a capitalist,” who knows the limitations of the Government.

Response to wars

The Democrat answered questions about the conflict in Israel and Gaza, just as the first anniversary of the Hamas attack, and assured that there is a need to end this war. However, he avoided answering several questions about whether Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is “disobeying” the United States.

He warned that he would not meet bilaterally with Russian President Vladimir Putin to negotiate a solution that would end the war in Ukraine. “Ukraine must have a say in the future of Ukraine,” he said.

He also asked him to deepen immigration and the Biden Government’s response to contain the high number of irregular immigrants. “It’s a long-standing problem. And the solutions are at your fingertips. And since day one, we have literally been offering solutions,” he said.

Harris took advantage of the interview to attack Trump for canceling an interview with this program last week and preferring his rallies, where “he only talks about himself” and is dedicated to throwing grievances, he said.

The Democratic aspirant remains in the lead in voting intentions. According to the average of polls prepared by the FiveThirtyEight website, it is ahead of Trump by 2.5 percentage points at the federal level, although in key states that difference is not so significant.

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International

Peruvian presidential candidate Napoleón Becerra dies in campaign road accident

Presidential candidate Napoleón Becerra, representing the Partido de los Trabajadores y Emprendedores (PTE) in Peru, died in a traffic accident while traveling to a campaign event, local authorities confirmed Sunday.

Becerra, who also served as president of the centrist political party, ranked among the lowest in opinion polls in a crowded field of more than 30 candidates competing in the presidential election scheduled for April 12.

Recent surveys place Rafael López Aliaga at the top of voter preferences.

The accident occurred near the town of Ayacucho, in southern Peru, when the vehicle carrying the candidate overturned for reasons that remain under investigation.

“The candidate Becerra has died,” Balvin Huamani, mayor of the district of Pilpichaca, told RPP radio.

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According to Huamani, he personally transported the 61-year-old candidate to a local health center, where doctors confirmed his death.

The Jurado Nacional de Elecciones (JNE) expressed condolences over Becerra’s passing and wished a speedy recovery to the three people who were traveling with him and were injured in the crash.

International

Noboa intensifies anti-cartel crackdown as violence persists in Ecuador

A close ally of Washington, Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa has pursued a hardline security strategy against cocaine cartels for more than two years, yet homicide, disappearance and extortion rates remain high across the country.

Between Sunday night and the morning of March 31, Ecuador’s armed forces will launch a “very strong offensive” with “advisory support” from the United States, Interior Minister John Reimberg announced Tuesday.

The government has kept details of the operation confidential and has not confirmed whether U.S. troops will be deployed on Ecuadorian soil, as has occurred at times during Noboa’s administration.

As part of the security measures, residents in the coastal provinces of Guayas, Los Ríos, Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas, and El Oro will be subject to a nightly curfew from 11:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. local time for the next two weeks.

“We are in a war,” Reimberg said, urging citizens to remain indoors. “Do not take risks. Stay home and allow the security forces and our allies to do the work that must be done.”

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Although Ecuador does not produce cocaine, it has become a major departure point for drugs heading to the United States. Meanwhile, the violence associated with trafficking has increasingly affected the local population.

Bordering the world’s largest cocaine producers, Colombia and Peru, Ecuador has gone from being considered a relatively peaceful country to recording one of the highest homicide rates in Latin America—52 killings per 100,000 inhabitants—according to the **Observatory of Organized Crime.

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.