International

Parliament approves the dismissal of Kenya’s vice president on a historic day

The Senate of Kenya (Upper Chamber of Parliament) approved this Thursday the dismissal of the vice president of the country, Rigathi Gachagua, an unprecedented act in the history of the African country.

After two days of impeachment, the senators voted in favor of the impeachment (as the impeachment process is known in English) against the vice president, who could not defend himself in person before the parliamentarians because he was admitted to a hospital in Nairobi for intense chest pains.

How was the motion for the dismissal of the vice president of Kenya?

The motion had to be supported by at least two-thirds (45) of the 67 members of the Senate who supported at least one of the eleven charges that weighed on Gachagua.

Thus, 45 senators or more voted in favor of five of the eleven charges, which included corruption, promotion of ethnic discrimination, insubordination, intimidation and humiliation towards public officials.

“As a result, his Excellency Rigathi Gachagua ceases to hold office,” said the president of the Upper House, Amason Kingi.

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But the vice president also received the express support of some senators.

“This divorce that the president is looking for, he will get it. But it will be painful, harmful, catastrophic, it will have victims,” said legislator John Methu in reference to Kenyan President William Ruto, whose relationship with Gachagua had been rarefied for months.

On the 8th, the National Assembly (Lower House) already expressed itself in favor of the process of dismissal of Gachagua, 59 years old.

The dismissal ends his political career – he has been vice president since 2022 and, from 2017 to 2022, he was a deputy of the Assembly – since he will not be able to occupy any other public office in the future and, in addition, he will lose all the benefits derived from having held the vice presidency of Kenya.

Sudden hospitalization of Gachagua

The vote culminated in a dramatic day marked by the sudden hospitalization of the dismissed vice president, who is “stable,” according to doctors, adding that he will remain under observation between 48 and 72 hours.

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“It came with chest pains and when you get to the hospital with that, our first concern is if it has something to do with the heart and our job is to make sure that you don’t have the possibility of suffering a heart attack,” Karen Hospital’s chief cardiologist Dancan Gikonyo told reporters.

The setback caused the temporary suspension of the session in the Upper House, which resumed the impeachment shortly after 17:00 local time (14:00 GMT).

The session, the second debate in the Senate after the one held this Wednesday, was resumed after a request from Gachagua’s lawyer, Paul Muite.

Muite asked for a postponement of the impeachment until next Tuesday, so that the vice president could stand in person and defend himself before the Senate, but the president of the Upper House, Amason Kingi, pointed to this Saturday as an alternative date.

However, the senators refused in a vote to postpone the process until Saturday and decided to continue this Thursday, before which Muite and his legal team withdrew in protest.

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The procedure with green light

The procedure already received the green light on October 8 with a large majority in the National Assembly (Lower House), where 281 of the 349 deputies voted to move forward, after a marathon session in which the vice president intervened.

“In the absence of an active investigation by any Kenyan investigative agency, I believe that there can be no serious reason to believe that I have committed any crime,” Gachagua said at the time, denying all the accusations against him.

The debate in the Senate could begin this Wednesday after two courts rejected urgent appeals imposed by the vice president to stop the process.

According to local media, Vice President Gachagua has filed up to 26 lawsuits challenging the legality and the process of his dismissal.

One of the main arguments against impeachment is the lack of significant public participation.

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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.