International
Gisèle Pelicot, the victim of hundreds of rapes orchestrated by her husband, testified again at the trial
Gisèle Pelicot, the victim of hundreds of rapes orchestrated by her husband when she was under the influence of drugs, will testify again in the trial opened in early September in Avignon, in the south of France, to try to clarify some of the points that have been addressed in the process.
The victim’s statement has raised media expectations for the process, which had fallen in recent days, and which should last until December 20.
Pelicot’s lawyer, Stéphane Babonneau, assured France Bleu radio that his client “has heard many things, which have sometimes hurt, hurt and scandalized her,” while pointing out that this new testimony in the middle of the trial “will allow the case to be better judged.”
Symbol against male domination
Turned into a symbol against male domination, Gisèle Pelicot has attended almost all of the trial sessions, has listened to the testimonies of the defendants and the projection of the images recorded by her husband of the alleged rapes.
The last time he took the floor was to denounce “a humiliation” in some of the testimonies and in the strategies of some of the defenses: “They came to rape me, it’s so degrading what I hear in this room.”
In the vicinity of the Court of Avignon, several banners could be seen in support of Gisèle Pelicot and the victims of sexual abuse.
“A rape is a rape,” says one of those banners, while another read “Welcome our sisters in support of Gisèle,” a reference to the group of Spanish feminists who attended the demonstration that took place last Saturday in front of the court in support of the victim.
As is tradition, upon arrival in court Gisèle Pelicot was applauded, as a sign of support for a case that has become a cause with which this woman wants “shame to change sides”, that the victims stop being questioned, as she herself denounced that she was, and that the events she suffered for almost 10 years are never repeated.
Giséle Pelicot: “I also had an exceptional man”
Gisèle Pelicot reminded the women who today supported her relatives accused that she also had “an exceptional man.”
“These mothers, sisters, women, have said that their brothers and husbands were exceptional. I also had an exceptional man, but the profile of the rapist can be in the family, in the friends,” he said on Wednesday when he intervened again as a witness in the Court of Avignon (southeast).
This woman, who has become an authentic feminist symbol in France, explained that every day she goes to trial for all the victims of rape and for those women and men who support her day after day, with applause in the courts and with messages through social networks.
“I have realized that I don’t have to be ashamed, I have nothing to reproach myself for, I have suffered 100 violations,” he said.
He also said that his request for an open trial and his consent to have videos of the rapes shown is because he wants “all rape victims to be able to say that, if Mrs. Pelicot did it, we can do it too.”
“I don’t want them to be afraid, we don’t have to be ashamed, it’s them,” he insisted.
However, she acknowledged that she is “destroyed” at the age of 72: “I am a completely destroyed woman and I don’t know how I’m going to get up. I don’t know if my life will give me to understand everything that has happened to me.”
International
White House says Cuba policy unchanged despite sanctioned fuel shipment
The White House said Monday that it has not changed its policy toward Cuba, despite allowing a sanctioned Russian oil tanker to deliver fuel to the island on humanitarian grounds.
U.S. officials emphasized that the decision was made as an exception and does not signal a broader shift in policy.
The administration added that similar decisions would be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, depending on humanitarian considerations.
The clarification comes amid ongoing restrictions related to U.S. sanctions policy, which continue to limit trade and financial flows involving Cuba.
International
Spain to grant citizenship to Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo López
The Spanish government is expected to grant citizenship this Tuesday to Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo Lópezthrough an extraordinary procedure known as “carta de naturaleza.”
The decision will be approved by royal decree, an exceptional legal mechanism used in special cases that require expedited resolution due to specific circumstances.
López has been living in Madrid since 2020, after leaving Venezuela following a prolonged political and legal conflict with the government of Nicolás Maduro.
According to government sources, López currently does not have a valid Venezuelan passport and faces difficulties in having his nationality fully recognized in his home country.
As a result, he applied for Spanish citizenship via a fast-track process at the end of 2025, after previously attempting to obtain it through regular procedures.
The Spanish government justified the move based on López’s international relevance and foreign policy considerations.
López is the leader of the Voluntad Popular party and co-founder of the World Liberty Congress, an initiative launched in 2022 alongside figures such as Garry Kasparov and Masih Alinejad.
International
ICE to remain at airports amid DHS shutdown, Homan says
The U.S. “border czar,” Tom Homan, said Sunday that agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will remain deployed at airports until operations return to “100% normal,” as the shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) continues.
“We will maintain ICE presence until airports feel they are fully back to normal operations,” Homan said during an interview on Face the Nation on CBS.
Homan justified the deployment on security grounds, noting that the measure was ordered by President Donald Trumpamid widespread absenteeism among agents of the Transportation Security Administration, who have gone without pay for over six weeks due to the DHS shutdown.
According to acting TSA administrator Ha Nguyen McNeill, at least 460 TSA agents have resigned during the shutdown, while daily absenteeism has averaged 11%, exceeding 50% at some airports.
Homan warned that if TSA staffing levels do not recover after the shutdown, ICE agents will continue filling the gap. “ICE is there to support our TSA brothers and sisters. We will remain as long as needed to ensure airport security,” he said.
The DHS shutdown reached 44 days on Sunday, making it the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. The impasse stems from disagreements between Democrats and Republicans over ICE funding.
A recent bipartisan Senate proposal to fund DHS without including ICE failed after being blocked by House Republicans, who insist on full funding for the agency.
Amid the deadlock, Trump signed an executive order directing Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin to immediately pay TSA agents to address what he called an “emergency situation” and restore order at airports, with payments expected to begin Monday.
White House says Cuba policy unchanged despite sanctioned fuel shipment
Spain to grant citizenship to Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo López
ICE to remain at airports amid DHS shutdown, Homan says
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
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Extension of the state of emergency approved in southern Chile
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