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Tag: peru

  • South America’s Affordable, Walkable City To Retire In Peru Has Stunning Architecture And Views

    Peru isn’t only a country with unmatched beauty where retirement is “shockingly affordable” — it’s also home to some of the most stunning South American islands to visit. So it should come as no surprise that sun-loving retirees are flocking to the country’s once-overlooked gems in search of a better quality of life. Most are looking for a place that promises all the conveniences of a big city while also feeling warm and authentic. While Lima may be chaotic and overwhelming for some, Peru’s second-largest city stands out as the place that offers the best of both worlds. We’re talking, of course, about Arequipa. Home to over 983,000 people, this isn’t your average sleepy retirement destination. Still, the low cost of living, walkable layout, and safe atmosphere create the perfect conditions even for those with the highest standards when it comes to picking their next place to call “home.”

    Getting here is easy. Sure, Arequipa is located pretty far away from Lima (over 628 miles), but Alfredo Rodríguez Ballón International Airport, with frequent direct flights from the capital, is right in the city. From here, you can take a direct bus to the center for $4 or grab a taxi for $7 to $9. Again, this is a very walkable city, so most people won’t need their own car to get around. You might want to find a way to see all the stunning sights, though, but don’t worry – taxis are pretty cheap. Arequipa’s climate is as close to idyllic as you can get, too. Temperatures stay at a comfortable 48 to 73 degrees Fahrenheit range, and precipitation is very rare, especially from May to November. If there were ever a place to get your steps in, this is the one.

    Read more: 25 Gorgeous Islands For Vacationing That Won’t Break The Bank

    What makes Arequipa one of Peru’s best-value retirement destinations

    Plaza de Armas, Arequipa, Peru – Mltz/Shutterstock

    Given that Peru is one of the five most affordable destinations for retirees in South America, according to experts, it’s not easy for a city to stand out for its great-value experiences, yet Arequipa does so seamlessly. A modern one-bedroom apartment near the center usually rents between $245 and $600 per month, with some places (maybe a bit farther away) going for as low as $194 with utilities included. Basic utilities rarely exceed $30, and phone plans typically stay under $15. Groceries are pretty reasonably priced, too, so most people can live comfortably on $700-$900 a month, and couples can get a lot of bang for their buck at $1,200-$1,600.

    Arequipa also feels calm, safe, and peaceful, especially compared to Lima. And with its walkable plazas, large pedestrian-friendly areas, and 300 days of sunshine a year, the city encourages you to go out more and move your body. It is worth noting that English isn’t widely spoken (aside from most hospitality workers), so it may be worth investing in language lessons to blend in with locals. Alternatively, you can connect with other expats here, all of whom are eager to enjoy a slower pace of life and the strong café culture. Try checking Facebook groups; there’s a good chance you’ll find someone like-minded.

    If you’re looking to make longer-term arrangements in Arequipa, consider Peru’s rentista visa (passive income visa). The qualifying conditions are pretty straightforward, with the main one being that you have to receive a retirement pension or permanent income from your country.

    Arequipa’s architecture, volcano views, and unmissable attractions

    Basilica Cathedral and the Misti and Chachani volcanoes, Arequipa, Peru

    Basilica Cathedral and the Misti and Chachani volcanoes, Arequipa, Peru – AsiaTravel/Shutterstock

    You’ll never struggle with not wanting to go out and explore in Arequipa — not when you’re within walking distance of Centro Histórico and its heart, Plaza de Armas. The city’s historic center is a UNESCO World Heritage Site where architecture lovers can admire traditional building techniques that utilize white and pink volcanic rock. These are displayed through the archways, walls, vaults, and courtyards. Plaza de Armas, in particular, is completely made of white stone, and surrounding it, you’ll find arcades with balconies and colonnades in carved wood. The city’s architecture is forever intertwined with its history, so take your time exploring it one building and cobblestone at a time.

    Santa Catalina Monastery is a must-see. The 16th-century gem that once served as a cloistered religious community and now gives you the perfect glimpse into colonial-era life in Arequipa is open to the public every day from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and for just a little over $13, you can explore the stunning monastery that feels like a city within a city. The colors are striking, the grounds are well-maintained, and despite its size and prominence, it never feels crowded or overwhelming. The Basilica Cathedral of Arequipa is another local favorite. It’s a massive Catholic cathedral known for its religious importance and stunning artwork. There’s even a museum you can take a guided tour of; just keep in mind that photos and videos aren’t allowed.

    For the most unforgettable views, though, make your way to Yanahuara Viewpoint (a short taxi ride away from the city center). From the sillar arches here, you can see the city and its surreal-looking nearby volcanoes, particularly Misti, Chachani, and Pichu Pichu. The entrance is wheelchair-accessible.

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    Read the original article on Islands.

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  • Get the Facts: Is Venezuela a primary drug trafficker to the United States?

    Get the Facts: Is Venezuela a primary drug trafficker to the United States?

    OK, thank you very much. This is big stuff. And we appreciate you being here. Late last night. And early today. At my direction, the United States armed forces. Conducted an extraordinary military operation in the capital of Venezuela. Overwhelming American military power, air, land and sea was used to launch *** spectacular assault. And it was an assault like people have not seen since. World War II. It was *** force against *** heavily fortified military fortress in the heart of Caracas. To bring outlaw dictator Nicolas Maduro to justice. This was one of the most stunning. Effective and powerful displays of American military might and competence. In American history. And if you think about it, we’ve done some, Other good ones like the, Attack on Soleimani. The attack on al-Baghdadi. And the Obliteration and decimation of the Iran nuclear sites. Just recently. In an operation known as Midnight Hammer. All perfectly executed and done. No nation in the world could achieve what America achieved yesterday or frankly in just *** short period of time. All Venezuelan military capacities were rendered powerless as the men and women of our military working with US law enforcement successfully captured Maduro in the dead of night. It was. Dark, the, uh, lights of Caracas were largely turned off. Due to *** certain expertise that we have. It was dark and it was deadly. But captured along with his wife. Celia Flores. Both of whom now face American justice. Maduro and Flores have been indicted in the Southern District of New York. Jay Clayton for their campaign of deadly narco-terrorism against the United States and its citizens. I want to thank the men and women of our military who achieved such an extraordinary success overnight. With breathtaking speed, power, precision, and competence. You rarely see anything like it. You’ve seen some raids in this country that didn’t go so well. They were an embarrassment. If you look back to Afghanistan or if you look back to The Jimmy Carter days, they were different days. We’re *** respected country again like maybe like never before. These highly trained warriors operating in collaboration with US law enforcement caught them in *** very ready position. They were waiting for us. They knew we had many ships out. In the sea we just sort of waiting. They knew we were coming, so they were in *** ready, what’s called *** ready position. But they were completely overwhelmed and very quickly incapacitated. If you would have seen what I saw last night, you would have been very impressed. I’m not sure that you’ll ever get to see it, but it was an incredible thing to see. Not *** single American service member was killed and not *** single piece of American equipment was lost. We had many helicopters, many planes, many. Many people involved in that fight. But think of that not one piece of military equipment was lost, not one service member was more importantly killed. The United States military is the strongest and most fearsome military on the planet by far, with capabilities and skills, our enemies can. Scarcely begin to imagine we have the best equipment anywhere in the world. There’s no equipment like what we have, and you see that even if you just look at the boats, you know, we’ve knocked out 97% of the drugs coming in by sea. 90%. Each boat kills 25 on average 25,000 people. We knocked out 97%. And those drugs mostly come from *** place called Venezuela. We’re going to run the country until such time as we can do *** safe, proper, and judicious transition, so. We don’t want to be involved with having somebody else get in, and we have the same situation that we had for the last long period of years, so we are going to run the country until such time as we can do *** safe, proper, and judicious transition, and it has to be judicious. Because that’s what we’re all about. We want peace, liberty and justice for the great people of Venezuela. And that includes many from Venezuela that are now living in the United States and want to go back to their country, it’s their homeland. We can’t take *** chance that somebody else takes over Venezuela that doesn’t have the good of the Venezuelan people in mind. Had decades of that. We’re not going to let that happen. We’re there now, and what people don’t understand, but they understand as I say this, we’re there now, but we’re. Going to stay until such time as the proper transition can take place, so we’re going to stay until such time as we’re going to run it essentially until such time as *** proper transition can take place. As everyone knows, the oil business in Venezuela has been *** bust, *** total bust for *** long period of time. They were pumping almost nothing by comparison to what they could. have been pumping and what could have taken place. We’re going to have our very large United States oil companies, the biggest anywhere in the world, go in, spend billions of dollars, fix the badly broken infrastructure, the oil infrastructure. And start making money for the country. And we are Ready to stage *** second and much larger attack if We need to do so, so we were prepared to do *** second wave. If We needed to do so. We actually assumed that *** second wave would be necessary, but now it’s probably not. The first wave, if you’d like to call it that, the first attack was so successful we probably don’t have to do *** second, but we’re prepared to do *** second wave, *** much bigger wave actually. This was pinpoint, but we have *** much bigger wave that. Probably won’t have to do this partnership of Venezuela with the United States of America, *** country that everybody wants to be involved with because of what we were able to do and accomplish, will make the people of Venezuela rich, independent, and safe, and it will also make the many, many people from Venezuela that are living in the United States extremely happy. They suffered. They suffered. So much was taken from them. They’re not going to suffer anymore. The illegitimate dictator Maduro was the kingpin of *** vast criminal network responsible for trafficking colossal amounts of deadly and illicit drugs into the United States. As alleged in the indictment, he personally oversaw the vicious cartel known as Cartel de las Solis. Which flooded our nation with lethal poison responsible for the deaths of countless Americans, the many, many Americans, hundreds of thousands over the years of Americans died because of him. Maduro and his wife will soon face the full might of American justice and stand trial on American soil. Right now they’re on *** ship they’ll be heading to ultimately New York and then *** decision will be made, I assume between New York and. Miami or Florida. But we have People where the overwhelming evidence of their crimes will be presented in *** court of law, and I’ve seen it. I’ve seen what we have. It’s It’s both horrible and breathtaking that something like this could have been allowed to take place. For many years after his term as president of Venezuela expired, Maduro remained in power and waged *** ceaseless campaign of violence, terror, and subversion against the United States of America, threatening not only our people but the stability of the entire region. And you also, in addition to trafficking gigantic amounts of illegal drugs. That inflicted untold suffering and human destruction all over the country, all over, in particular the United States. Maduro sent savage and murderous gangs, including the bloodthirsty prison gang Tren de Arragua, to terrorize American communities nationwide, and he did indeed. They were in Colorado. They took over apartment complexes. They cut the fingers of people if they call police. They were brutal. But they’re not so brutal now? And I just have to Congratulate our military, Pete and everybody in our National Guard. Because the job that they’ve done, whether it’s in Washington DC where we have *** totally safe city where it was one of the most unsafe cities anywhere in the world, frankly, and now we have no crime in Washington DC. We haven’t had *** killing. We had the terrorist attack *** few weeks ago. Uh, *** little bit of *** different kind of ***, *** threat, but we haven’t had *** killing in *** long period of time, 67 months, we used to have 2, on average 2 *** week in Washington, our capital. We don’t have that anymore. The restaurants are opening. Everyone’s happy. They’re going, they’re walking their daughters, they’re walking their children, their wives, they walk to restaurants. Restaurants are opening all over Washington DC. So I want to thank the National Guard. I want to thank our military, and I want to thank law enforcement. It’s been amazing. And they should do it with more cities. We’re doing it, as you know, and uh we’re doing it in Memphis, Tennessee right now, and crime is down. We’ve just sort of started *** few weeks ago, but crime is down now 77%. And uh the governor of Louisiana called, great person. And he wanted us to help him, as you know, in *** certain very nice part of Louisiana, and we have done that and it’s *** rough, it was *** rough, rough section and we have climbed down. I, I understand it’s down to almost nothing already after 2.5 weeks. New Orleans, it’s down to almost nothing, and we’ve only been there for 2.5 weeks. Can’t imagine why governors wouldn’t want us to help. We also helped, as you know, in Chicago, and crime went down *** little bit there. We did *** very small help because we had no, no. We had no working ability with the governor. The governor was *** disaster and the mayor was *** disaster, but it knocked down crime. But we’re pulling out of there when they need us, we’ll know. You’ll know. You’ll be writing about it. And likewise Los Angeles, where we saved Los Angeles early on where the. Head of the police department made *** statement that if the federal government didn’t come in we would have lost Los Angeles. That’s after long after the fires. That’s when they had the riots in Los Angeles. We did *** great job. We got no credit for it whatsoever, but that’s OK. It doesn’t matter. We don’t need the credit. But we’ll be pulling out when they need us. They’ll call or we’ll go back if we have to. We’ll go back, but we did *** great job in various cities. But the thing, the place that we’re very proud of is Washington DC because it’s our nation’s capital. We took it from being *** crime ridden mess to being one of the safest cities in the country. But the gangs that they sent raped, tortured, and murdered American women and children. They were in all of the cities I mentioned, Trendaragua. And they were sent by Maduro to terrorize our people and now Maduro will never again be able to threaten an American citizen or anybody from Venezuela. There will no longer be threats. For years I’ve highlighted the stories of those innocent Americans whose lives. We’re so heartlessly robbed by this Venezuelan terrorist organization, really one of the worst, one of the worst, they say the worst. Americans like 12 year old Jocelyn Nungary from Houston. Beautiful Jocelyn. Nungarary, what happened to her? They, uh, as you know, they kidnapped, assaulted and murdered by Trende Aragua. Animals they murdered Jocelyn. And Left her dead under the bridge. There was *** bridge. *** bridge that will never be the same to so many people after seeing what happened. As I’ve said many times, the Maduro regime emptied out their prisons, sent their worst and most violent monsters into the United States to steal American lives, and they came from mental institutions and insane asylums. They came from prisons and jails. The reason I say both, they sound similar actually. Prisons, *** little bit more. *** little bit more hostile, *** little bit tougher. *** mental institution isn’t as tough as an insane asylum, but we got them both. They sent from their mental institutions. They sent from their jails, prisons. They were drug dealers. They were drug kingpins. They sent everybody bad into the United States. But no longer, and we have now *** border where nobody gets through. In addition, Venezuela. Unilaterally seized and sold American oil, American assets, and American platforms, costing us billions and billions of dollars. They did this *** while ago, but we never had *** president that did anything about it. They took all of our property. It was our property. We built it. And we never had *** president that decided to do anything about it. Instead they fought wars that were 10,000 miles away. We built Venezuela oil industry with American talent, drive and skill, and the socialist regime stole it from us during those previous administrations, and they stole it through force. This constituted one of the largest thefts of American property in the history of our country, considered the largest theft of property in the history of our country. Massive oil infrastructure was taken like we were babies, and we didn’t do anything about it. I would have done something about it. America will never allow foreign powers to rob our people or drive us back into. And out of our own hemisphere, that’s what they did. Furthermore, under the now deposed dictator Maduro, Venezuela was increasingly hosting foreign adversaries in our region. And acquiring menacing offensive weapons that could threaten US interests and lives, and they used those weapons last night. They used those weapons last night, potentially in league with the cartels operating along our border. All of these actions were in gross violation of the core principles of American foreign policy dating back more than two centuries. And uh not anymore all the way back it dated to the Monroe Doctrines. And the Monroe Doctrine is *** big deal, but we’ve superseded it by *** lot. By *** real lot. They now call it the Don Ro document. I don’t know. It’s, uh, Monroe Doctrine, we sort of forgot about it. It was very important, but we forgot about it. We don’t forget about it anymore. Under our new national security strategy, American dominance in the Western Hemisphere will never be questioned again. Won’t happen. So just in concluding, for decades other administrations have neglected or even Contributed to these growing security threats in the Western Hemisphere. Under the Trump administration, we are reasserting American power in *** very powerful way. In our home region. And our home region is very different than it was just *** short while ago. The future will be, and we did this in my first term. We had great dominance in my first term, and We have far greater dominance right now. Everyone’s coming back to us. The future will be determined by the ability to protect commerce and territory and resources that are core to national security. These are core to our national security. Just like tariffs are, they’ve made our country rich and they’ve made our national security strong, stronger than ever before. But these are the iron laws that have always determined global power. And we’re going to keep it that way. We will secure our borders. We will stop the terrorists. We will crash the cartels, and we will defend our citizens against all threats, foreign and domestic. Other presidents may have lacked the courage or whatever to defend America, but I will never allow terrorists and criminals to operate with impunity against the United States. This extremely successful operation should serve as *** warning to anyone who would threaten American sovereignty or endanger American lives. Very importantly, the embargo on all Venezuelan oil remains in full effect. The American. Armada remains poised in position, and the United States retains all military options until the United States demands have been fully met and fully satisfied. All political and military figures in Venezuela should understand. What happened to Maduro can happen to them, and it will happen to them. If they aren’t just fair, even to their people, the dictator and terrorist Maduro. is finally gone in Venezuela. People are free. They’re free again. It’s been *** long time for them, but they’re free. America is *** safer nation. This morning It’s *** prouder nation this morning because it didn’t allow. This horrible person and this country that was Doing very bad things to us, it didn’t allow it to happen, and the Western Hemisphere is right now *** much safer place to be. So I want to thank everybody for being here. I want to thank General Raisin Kane. He’s *** fantastic man. I’ve worked with *** lot of generals. I worked with some I didn’t like. I worked with some I didn’t respect. I worked with some that just weren’t good. But this guy is fantastic. I watched last night one of the most precise. Attacks on sovereignty. I mean it was an attack for justice and I’m very proud of him and I’m very proud of our Secretary of War Pete Hegseth who I’m going to ask to say *** few words. Thank you very much.


    Data Visualization Journalist

    The Trump administration has set its sights on Venezuela in its latest campaign against illegal drugs, but data shows that the country is responsible for just a sliver of drug trafficking directly to the United States. The Get the Facts Data Team analyzed data on cocaine and fentanyl trafficking. While Venezuela is a player in cocaine manufacturing and trafficking, drug seizure data shows that it’s not as prominent a supplier of cocaine to the U.S. as other South American and Latin American countries. There is also no evidence that any significant level of illegal fentanyl — the primary killer in U.S. overdose deaths — is produced in South America, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).UNODC analyzes global drug trafficking based on reporting from its member states, open sources and drug seizure information.Most illegal fentanyl enters the U.S. from Mexico, per UNODC and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. Illicit fentanyl can also be diverted, or stolen, from legal sources as medical professionals use the drug.Yet President Donald Trump has linked his administration’s attacks on drug vessels in Latin America to the fentanyl crisis, among other drugs.After the Sept. 19 attack on a boat in the Caribbean that killed three people, Trump posted on Truth Social, claiming that the boat was carrying drugs and headed for America. “STOP SELLING FENTANYL, NARCOTICS, AND ILLEGAL DRUGS IN AMERICA,” his post said. The next day, in a speech, Trump said that thousands are dying because of “boatloads” of fentanyl and drugs. He’s also repeatedly said that each boat strike would save 25,000 lives.As of Friday, the number of known boat strikes was 35, and the number of people killed stands at least 115, according to the Trump administration.Previously, Trump said that the U.S. is engaged in an “armed conflict” with drug cartels and has justified the boat strikes as necessary to stem the flow of drugs into the U.S. Hearst Television’s partner PolitiFact labeled that 25,000 number mathematically dubious.Maduro’s capture on Jan. 3On Saturday, the Trump administration struck Venezuela in a new, stunning way, capturing its leader, Nicolas Maduro, and his wife. Both are being taken to the United States to face charges related to drug trafficking.The strike followed a monthslong Trump administration pressure campaign on the Venezuelan leader, including a major buildup of American forces in the waters off South America and attacks on boats in the eastern Pacific and Caribbean accused of carrying drugs. Last week, the CIA was behind a drone strike at a docking area believed to have been used by Venezuelan drug cartels — the first known direct operation on Venezuelan soil since the U.S. began strikes in September.Venezuela’s role in cocaine traffickingVenezuela is not among the primary direct traffickers of cocaine to the U.S. Like fentanyl, most cocaine enters the U.S. from Mexico and typically gets to Mexico via maritime transportation on both the Pacific and Caribbean sides, according to UNODC research officer Antoine Vella. Some also arrives in Mexico via land transportation.While the Trump administration’s early September attacks targeted Venezuelan boats, there is no known direct cocaine trade route from Venezuela to the U.S. via sea. The only known direct Venezuela to U.S. trafficking route is via air, according to drug seizure data from UNODC. Cocaine could still arrive from Venezuela to the U.S. through intermediary countries.Colombia, Ecuador and Panama are among the main direct traffickers of cocaine to the U.S. via boat. From harvest to productionCoca, the plant that cocaine is made from, is grown primarily in Colombia, Peru and Bolivia. Once coca is harvested, the cocaine in the leaf needs to be extracted. That processing occurs at illegal manufacturing facilities around the globe.The three coca-growing countries also have the most illegal processing facilities. Colombia had by far the most of any country at about 26,400 detected and dismantled from 2019 to 2023, according to UNODC data. It’s followed by about 3,200 processing facilities in Bolivia and 2,400 in Peru. Venezuela, which neighbors Colombia, had about 260 illegal processing facilities detected and dismantled from 2019 to 2023, according to UNODC data. It’s ranked fifth among countries with the most processing facilities.”Every country that borders Colombia has an issue with cocaine in terms of cocaine trafficking,” Vella said. PHNjcmlwdCB0eXBlPSJ0ZXh0L2phdmFzY3JpcHQiPiFmdW5jdGlvbigpeyJ1c2Ugc3RyaWN0Ijt3aW5kb3cuYWRkRXZlbnRMaXN0ZW5lcigibWVzc2FnZSIsKGZ1bmN0aW9uKGUpe2lmKHZvaWQgMCE9PWUuZGF0YVsiZGF0YXdyYXBwZXItaGVpZ2h0Il0pe3ZhciB0PWRvY3VtZW50LnF1ZXJ5U2VsZWN0b3JBbGwoImlmcmFtZSIpO2Zvcih2YXIgYSBpbiBlLmRhdGFbImRhdGF3cmFwcGVyLWhlaWdodCJdKWZvcih2YXIgcj0wO3I8dC5sZW5ndGg7cisrKXtpZih0W3JdLmNvbnRlbnRXaW5kb3c9PT1lLnNvdXJjZSl0W3JdLnN0eWxlLmhlaWdodD1lLmRhdGFbImRhdGF3cmFwcGVyLWhlaWdodCJdW2FdKyJweCJ9fX0pKX0oKTs8L3NjcmlwdD4=

    The Trump administration has set its sights on Venezuela in its latest campaign against illegal drugs, but data shows that the country is responsible for just a sliver of drug trafficking directly to the United States.

    The Get the Facts Data Team analyzed data on cocaine and fentanyl trafficking. While Venezuela is a player in cocaine manufacturing and trafficking, drug seizure data shows that it’s not as prominent a supplier of cocaine to the U.S. as other South American and Latin American countries.

    There is also no evidence that any significant level of illegal fentanyl — the primary killer in U.S. overdose deaths — is produced in South America, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

    UNODC analyzes global drug trafficking based on reporting from its member states, open sources and drug seizure information.

    Most illegal fentanyl enters the U.S. from Mexico, per UNODC and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. Illicit fentanyl can also be diverted, or stolen, from legal sources as medical professionals use the drug.

    Yet President Donald Trump has linked his administration’s attacks on drug vessels in Latin America to the fentanyl crisis, among other drugs.

    After the Sept. 19 attack on a boat in the Caribbean that killed three people, Trump posted on Truth Social, claiming that the boat was carrying drugs and headed for America. “STOP SELLING FENTANYL, NARCOTICS, AND ILLEGAL DRUGS IN AMERICA,” his post said.

    The next day, in a speech, Trump said that thousands are dying because of “boatloads” of fentanyl and drugs. He’s also repeatedly said that each boat strike would save 25,000 lives.

    As of Friday, the number of known boat strikes was 35, and the number of people killed stands at least 115, according to the Trump administration.

    Previously, Trump said that the U.S. is engaged in an “armed conflict” with drug cartels and has justified the boat strikes as necessary to stem the flow of drugs into the U.S. Hearst Television’s partner PolitiFact labeled that 25,000 number mathematically dubious.

    Maduro’s capture on Jan. 3

    On Saturday, the Trump administration struck Venezuela in a new, stunning way, capturing its leader, Nicolas Maduro, and his wife. Both are being taken to the United States to face charges related to drug trafficking.

    The strike followed a monthslong Trump administration pressure campaign on the Venezuelan leader, including a major buildup of American forces in the waters off South America and attacks on boats in the eastern Pacific and Caribbean accused of carrying drugs. Last week, the CIA was behind a drone strike at a docking area believed to have been used by Venezuelan drug cartels — the first known direct operation on Venezuelan soil since the U.S. began strikes in September.

    Venezuela’s role in cocaine trafficking

    Venezuela is not among the primary direct traffickers of cocaine to the U.S.

    Like fentanyl, most cocaine enters the U.S. from Mexico and typically gets to Mexico via maritime transportation on both the Pacific and Caribbean sides, according to UNODC research officer Antoine Vella. Some also arrives in Mexico via land transportation.

    While the Trump administration’s early September attacks targeted Venezuelan boats, there is no known direct cocaine trade route from Venezuela to the U.S. via sea. The only known direct Venezuela to U.S. trafficking route is via air, according to drug seizure data from UNODC. Cocaine could still arrive from Venezuela to the U.S. through intermediary countries.

    Colombia, Ecuador and Panama are among the main direct traffickers of cocaine to the U.S. via boat.

    From harvest to production

    Coca, the plant that cocaine is made from, is grown primarily in Colombia, Peru and Bolivia.

    Once coca is harvested, the cocaine in the leaf needs to be extracted. That processing occurs at illegal manufacturing facilities around the globe.

    The three coca-growing countries also have the most illegal processing facilities. Colombia had by far the most of any country at about 26,400 detected and dismantled from 2019 to 2023, according to UNODC data. It’s followed by about 3,200 processing facilities in Bolivia and 2,400 in Peru.

    Venezuela, which neighbors Colombia, had about 260 illegal processing facilities detected and dismantled from 2019 to 2023, according to UNODC data. It’s ranked fifth among countries with the most processing facilities.

    “Every country that borders Colombia has an issue with cocaine in terms of cocaine trafficking,” Vella said.

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  • Head-on train collision near Peru’s Machu Picchu kills at least 1, injures 40

    A head-on collision between two trains on the line that services Peru’s Machu Picchu killed one person and injured at least 40 others, authorities said.

    The deceased was the conductor of one of the two trains, according to the prosecutor’s office in Cusco, the city closest to the famous Inca citadel.

    The U.S. Embassy in Peru said in a statement that there were U.S. citizens among the injured. It did not indicate how many Americans were hurt or the extent of their injuries.

    One of the two trains involved in a head-on collision near Machu Picchu in Peru, on Dec. 30, 2025. At least one person was killed and dozens more injured. 

    Carolina Paucar /AFP via Getty Images


    Videos sent by passengers to the RPP television channel showed injured victims lying next to the tracks with two damaged locomotives standing idle nearby.

    A dozen ambulances and medical personnel were rushed to the site in a remote Andean area without direct road access.

    A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1983, the ancient, fortified complex receives some 4,500 visitors on average each day, many of them foreigners, according to the tourism ministry.

    Most tourists take a train and a bus to reach the historic site high in the Andes mountains.

    Rail agency Ferrocarril Transandino said a train operated by PeruRail collided with another belonging to Inca Rail around lunchtime on the single track that links the town of Ollantaytambo with Machu Picchu. The cause of the accident was not yet known.

    Machu Picchu was built in the 15th century at an altitude of about 8,200 feet on orders from the Inca ruler Pachacutec. It is considered a marvel of architecture and engineering.

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  • Minnesota man, 36, killed in lightning strike in Peru; family navigating loss

    Video from Peru shows first responders racing to rescue a Minnesota man after he was killed in a lightning strike. Now, his family is trying to figure out how to get his body home.

    “You will be missed greatly by your family and son, especially,” said Brett Skoog, Yuri Botelho’s brother-in-law.

    Brett Skoog said if he could tell his brother-in-law one last thing, he’d say, “We know you’re in a better place.”

    On Thanksgiving Eve, Botehlo was biking in the mountains of Peru with his friend James and a guide when tragedy hit out of nowhere. A sudden lightning strike killed Yuri and left his friend critically hurt.

    “Kelsey was tracking his watch, saw it wasn’t moving,” said Brett Skoog.

    Botelho, 36, was on an annual Thanksgiving trip with his beloved wife of three years, Kelsey, and their 15-month-old son, Tyson.

    “We’ll make sure we do our part in making sure Tyson knows how much he was loved,” said Mandy Skoog, Botelho’s sister-in-law.

    Botelho, a jujitsu-loving Brazilian native, posted about how proud he was to become an American citizen in May on Instagram.

    An Instagram post created by Yuri Botelho on May 2, 2025. It said, in part, “Officially American Citizen … after a lot of effort, hard work, paperwork, sweat, blood, tears, taxes, fees, doubts and anxiety we made it.”

    Skoog Family


    He had recently relocated to Minnesota with his wife and son to be near her family and worked for the city of St. Louis Park.

    “If you met Yuri once, you’ll never forget him,” said Mandy Skoog. 

    When WCCO asked her, “Why?” She responded, “He is just the happiest person I have ever met.”

    As of Friday night, his wife and baby boy are in South America, fighting logistics to get his body back home.

    copy-of-copy-of-copy-of-yt-thumb-example-11.jpg

    Yuri Botehlo, 36, with his wife, Kelsey, and their 15-month-old son, Tyson. 

    Skoog Family


    “You almost feel helpless, which is why I’m very thankful my brother and Kelsey’s friend pretty much hopped on a plane as soon as they could,” said Brett Skoog.

    Mandy Skoog added, “She’s fighting as a spouse trying to get Yuri home and fighting for her son, making sure he has everything he needs. Man, we were lucky to have him”.

    The City of St. Louis Park said the following in response to the incident:

    “We at the City of St. Louis Park are aware of the very tragic news about Yuri Botelho. This is a tremendous loss for his family, his friends and for all of us as his colleagues. Yuri had only been with the city for a short time but was already a trusted and valued employee and friend. Our thoughts are with his family and friends.”

    Financial support and prayers are what the family says they need most. An online fundraiser has raised nearly $30,000.

    Frankie McLister

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  • Peru’s President to Declare Border State of Emergency to Prevent Entry of Undocumented Migrants

    LIMA (Reuters) -Peru will declare a state of emergency along its border with Chile, President José Jerí said on Friday, as migrants seek to cross into the country following a Chilean presidential frontrunner’s vow to expel undocumented migrants.

    The state of emergency “will generate tranquility before the risk of migrants entering without authorization,” said Jerí on X.

    At least 100 foreigners, mostly Venezuelans, are at the border seeking to cross into Peru, Peruvian police General Arturo Valverde told local television station Canal N on Friday. He said surveillance at the border has increased in anticipation of the declaration.

    On November 20, far-right Chilean presidential candidate José Antonio Kast, the favorite to win the runoff election next month against leftist Jeannette Jara, warned that illegal migrants must leave in the coming months or they will be detained and expelled when he comes to power.

    “If you don’t leave voluntarily, we will detain you, retain you, expel you, and you’ll leave with what you have on,” he said in a video message at the border.

    (Report by Marco Aquino, additional report by Fabián Cambero from Santiago. Writing by Leila Miller. Editing by Rod Nickel)

    Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.

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  • Peru Orders Arrest of Ex-Prime Minister Under Mexico Asylum in Lima

    LIMA (Reuters) -A Peruvian Supreme Court judge on Friday ordered the arrest and five-month preventive detention of former Peruvian Prime Minister Betssy Chavez, who is currently under asylum at the Mexican embassy in Peru’s capital Lima.

    Chavez briefly served as prime minister during the administration of ousted and jailed former President Pedro Castillo. She is being prosecuted for the alleged crime of conspiracy against the state and participation in Castillo’s attempt to shut down Congress at the end of 2022. 

    Prosecutors are seeking a 25-year prison sentence for Chavez, who denies having known of Castillo’s plan.

    The arrest order, issued on November 18 by Supreme Court judge Juan Carlos Checkley and published on Friday, was sent to the national police and Interpol, according to a court resolution seen by Reuters.

    Mexico granted Chavez asylum in early November, prompting Peru to sever diplomatic relations with Mexico. Peru’s Foreign Ministry has said it will consult with the Organization of American States before deciding whether to grant safe conduct to the former prime minister. 

    Castillo, who is in preventive detention and on trial for rebellion, defended Chavez during a court hearing on Friday and rejected the accusations against him.

    “I am not here to ask for acquittal. I am not here to ask for clemency or sympathy. I am here to demand justice,” he said during the trial, which began in March and is now in its final stages.

    Chavez, also a former legislator, had been in prison since June 2023 and was released in September to stand trial while free.

    (Reporting by Marco Aquino; Editing by Bill Berkrot)

    Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.

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  • Peru bans Mexico’s President Sheinbaum as diplomatic dispute grows

    Peru has declared Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum a “persona non grata” who is unable to enter the country, days after severing ties with Mexico amid an escalating diplomatic dispute.

    Peru’s Congress voted 63 to 34 on Thursday in favour of symbolically barring Sheinbaum from the country after her government granted asylum to former Peruvian Prime Minister Betssy Chavez, after she fled to the Mexican embassy in Peru’s capital Lima.

    The designation of “persona non grata” is typically reserved for foreign diplomats and compels them to leave a host country, and is seen as a rebuke to their government.

    President of Peru’s Congress Fernando Rospigliosi said the move was a show of support for the government and its decision to break off relations with Mexico, according to Mexico’s El Pais newspaper.

    During a debate on Thursday, Ernesto Bustamante, an MP who sits on Peru’s Congressional Foreign Relations Committee, also accused Sheinbaum of having ties to drug traffickers.

    “We cannot allow someone like that, who is in cahoots with drug traffickers and who distracts her people from the real problems they should be addressing, to get involved in Peruvian affairs,” Bustamante said, according to El Pais.

    Chavez, who is on trial for her participation in an alleged 2022 coup attempt, earlier this week fled to the Mexican embassy in Lima, where she was granted political asylum.

    Peru’s Foreign Minister Hugo de Zela called the decision by Mexico City an “unfriendly act” that “interfered in the internal affairs of Peru”.

    Mexico’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has maintained that it was acting in accordance with international law, and the move in “no way constitutes an intervention in Peru’s internal affairs”.

    Lima has yet to offer safe passage for Chavez to leave the embassy and travel to Mexico.

    Chavez, a former culture minister, briefly served as prime minister to President Pedro Castillo from late November to December 2022.

    Charges against the former minister stem from an attempt by President Castillo in December 2022 to dissolve the Peruvian Congress before he was quickly impeached and arrested.

    Chavez, who faces up to 25 years in prison if found guilty, has denied involvement in the scheme. She was detained from June 2023 until September of this year, and then released on bail while facing trial.

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  • Peru cuts ties with Mexico over asylum for ex-prime minister

    Peru has decided to break off diplomatic relations with Mexico after accusing it of granting asylum to a former Peruvian prime minister who is on trial over an alleged coup attempt in 2022.

    The announcement on Monday came hours after former Prime Minister Betssy Chavez, who served under former President Pedro Castillo, fled to the Mexican Embassy in Peru.

    “Today we learned with surprise and deep regret that Betssy Chavez, the alleged co-author of the coup attempt by former President Pedro Castillo, is being granted asylum at the Mexican Embassy residence in Peru,” Minister of Foreign Affairs Hugo de Zela told a news conference.

    “Given this unfriendly act, and considering the repeated instances in which the current and former presidents of that country have interfered in Peru’s internal affairs, the Peruvian government has decided to sever diplomatic relations with Mexico today,” he added.

    There was no immediate comment from Mexico.

    Chavez’s lawyer, Raul Noblecilla, told local radio station RPP that he had not heard from his client in several days and was unaware of whether she had requested asylum.

    Chavez had served as Minister of Culture before Castillo – a former rural schoolteacher and trade unionist, dubbed Peru’s “first poor president” – appointed her as prime minister in November 2022.

    Castillo was impeached by lawmakers the following month after he attempted to dissolve Congress amid a months-long standoff.

    Relations between Lima and Mexico deteriorated sharply over Castillo’s ouster.

    The impeached president was on his way to the Mexican Embassy in Lima to request asylum together with his family when he was arrested and charged with rebellion and abuse of authority.

    Chavez was charged alongside him.

    Peru expelled Mexico’s ambassador after Mexico granted asylum to Castillo’s wife and children.

    Castillo’s successor, then-President Dina Boluarte, also temporarily recalled Peru’s ambassador to Mexico City in February 2023, accusing then-left-wing president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador of meddling in her country’s affairs for expressing support for Castillo.

    The former president and Chavez went on trial in March of this year.

    While Castillo has been in preventive custody since his impeachment, Chavez was released on bail in September.

    Prosecutors had sought a 25-year term for Chavez for allegedly participating in Castillo’s plan to dissolve Congress.

    They have sought a 34-year sentence for Castillo.

    The pair has denied the charges.

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  • Peru Breaks off Diplomatic Relations With Mexico Over Ex-Prime Minister’s Asylum Request

    LIMA (Reuters) -Peru has decided to break off diplomatic relations with Mexico, the Andean nation’s foreign minister said on Monday, after starting the process to grant asylum to Peru’s former prime minister.

    Foreign Minister Hugo de Zela told journalists that Mexico had committed the “unfriendly act” of opening an asylum process to former Prime Minister Betssy Chavez, who served under President Pedro Castillo.

    Castillo was removed from office and arrested in late 2022 after attempting to dissolve Congress.

    (Reporting by Marco Aquino; Editing by Sarah Morland)

    Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.

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  • Peru’s Keiko Fujimori Announces Fourth Bid for Presidency

    LIMA (Reuters) -Keiko Fujimori, the daughter of Peru’s late former President Alberto Fujimori, said on Thursday she will run for president in Peru’s April election, days after the country’s constitutional court dismissed a money-laundering case against her.

    Keiko Fujimori ran in Peru’s three most recent presidential elections, finishing in each as the runner-up.

    (Reporting by Marco Aquino; Writing by Brendan O’Boyle; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)

    Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.

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  • Half of uncontacted Indigenous tribes “could be wiped out” in 10 years, report says. Here’s what to know.

    From the depths of Brazil’s Amazon to Indonesia’s rainforests, some of the world’s most isolated peoples are being squeezed by roads, miners and drug traffickers — a crisis unfolding far from public view or effective state protection.

    A new report by Survival International, a London-based Indigenous rights organization, attempts one of the broadest tallies yet, identifying at least 196 uncontacted Indigenous groups in 10 countries, primarily in the South American nations sharing the Amazon rainforest. Released Sunday, the report estimates that nearly 65% face threats from logging, about 40% from mining and around 20% from agribusiness.

    “These are what I would call silent genocides – there are no TV crews, no journalists. But they are happening, and they’re happening now,” said Fiona Watson, Survival’s research and advocacy director, who has worked on Indigenous rights for more than three decades.

    The issue often receives little priority from governments, which critics say see uncontacted peoples as politically marginal because they don’t vote and their territories are often coveted for logging, mining and oil extraction. Public debate is also shaped by stereotypes – some romanticize them as “lost tribes,” while others view them as barriers to development.

    Survival’s research concludes that half of these groups “could be wiped out within 10 years if governments and companies do not act.”

    Who the uncontacted peoples are

    Uncontacted peoples are not “lost tribes” frozen in time, Watson said. They are contemporary societies that deliberately avoid outsiders after generations of violence, slavery and disease.

    “They don’t need anything from us,” Watson said. “They’re happy in the forest. They have incredible knowledge and they help keep these very valuable forests standing – essential to all humanity in the fight against climate change.”

    Survival’s research shows that more than 95% of the world’s uncontacted peoples live in the Amazon, with smaller populations in South and Southeast Asia and the Pacific. These communities live by hunting, fishing and small-scale cultivation, maintaining languages and traditions that predate modern nation-states.

    Why contact can be deadly

    Groups living in voluntary isolation have “minimal to no contact with those outside of their own group,” said Dr. Subhra Bhattacharjee, director general of the Forest Stewardship Council and an Indigenous rights expert based in Bonn, Germany. “A simple cold that you and I recover from in a week … they could die of that cold.”

    Beyond disease, contact can destroy livelihoods and belief systems. International law requires free, prior and informed consent – known as FPIC – before any activity on Indigenous lands.

    “But when you have groups living in voluntary isolation, who you cannot get close to without risking their lives, you cannot get FPIC,” Bhattacharjee said. “No FPIC means no consent.”

    Her organization follows a strict policy: “No contact, no-go zones,” she said, arguing that if consent cannot be obtained safely, contact should not occur at all.

    The Associated Press reported last year on loggers who were killed by bow and arrow after entering Mashco Piro territory in Peru’s Amazon, with Indigenous leaders warning that such clashes are inevitable when frontier zones go unpoliced.

    Members of the Mashco Piro Indigenous community, a reclusive tribe and one of the world’s most withdrawn, gather on the banks of the Las Piedras river where they have been sighted coming out of the rainforest more frequently in search of food and moving away from the growing presence of loggers, in Monte Salvado, in the Madre de Dios province, Peru, June 27, 2024. 

    Survival International/Handout via REUTERS


    There have been several other previous reports of conflicts. In one incident in 2022, two loggers were shot with arrows while fishing, one fatally, in an encounter with tribal members.

    In 2018, American John Allen Chau was killed after kayaking to a remote Indian island populated by an isolated tribe known for shooting at outsiders with bows and arrows.

    How the threats have evolved

    Watson, who has worked across the Amazon for 35 years, said early threats stemmed from colonization and state-backed infrastructure. During Brazil’s military dictatorship between 1964 and 1985, highways were bulldozed through the rainforest “without due regard” for the people living there.

    “The roads acted as a magnet for settlers,” she said, describing how loggers and cattle ranchers followed, bringing gunmen and disease that wiped out entire communities.

    A group known as FENAMAD, which defends the rights of Peru’s Indigenous peoples, says tensions between loggers and Indigenous tribes are on the rise and more government protective action is needed.

    A railway line now planned in Brazil could potentially affect three uncontacted peoples, she said, but the rise of organized crime poses an even greater risk.

    Across Peru, Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela and Ecuador, drug traffickers and illegal gold miners have moved deep into Indigenous territories. “Any chance encounter runs the risk of transmitting the flu, which can easily wipe out an uncontacted people within a year of contact,” she said. “And bows and arrows are no match for guns.”

    Evangelical missionary incursions have also caused outbreaks. Watson recalled how, under former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, an evangelical pastor was placed in charge of the government’s unit for uncontacted peoples and gained access to their coordinates. “Their mission was to force contact – to ‘save souls,’” she said. “That is incredibly dangerous.”

    Ways to protect uncontacted peoples

    Protecting uncontacted peoples, experts say, will require both stronger laws and a shift in how the world views them – not as relics of the past, but as citizens of the planet whose survival affects everyone’s future.

    Advocates have several recommendations.

    First, governments must formally recognize and enforce Indigenous territories, making them off-limits to extractive industries.

    Mapping is crucial, Bhattacharjee said, because identifying the approximate territories of uncontacted peoples allows governments to protect those areas from loggers or miners. But, she added, it must be done with extreme caution and from a distance to avoid contact that could endanger the groups’ health or autonomy.

    Second, corporations and consumers must help stop the flow of money driving destruction. Survival’s report calls for companies to trace their supply chains to ensure that commodities such as gold, timber and soy are not sourced from Indigenous lands.

    “Public opinion and pressure are essential,” Watson said. “It’s largely through citizens and the media that so much has already been achieved to recognize uncontacted peoples and their rights.”

    Finally, advocates say the world must recognize why their protection matters. Beyond human rights, these communities play an outsized role in stabilizing the global climate.

    “With the world under pressure from climate change, we will sink or swim together,” Bhattacharjee said.

    Governments’ uneven response

    International treaties such as the International Labor Organization’s Convention 169 and the U.N. Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples affirm the right to self-determination and to remain uncontacted if they choose. But enforcement varies widely.

    In Peru, Congress recently rejected a proposal to create the Yavari-Mirim Indigenous Reserve, a move Indigenous federations said leaves isolated groups exposed to loggers and traffickers.

    In Brazil, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has sought to rebuild protections weakened under Bolsonaro, boosting budgets and patrols. In 2018, footage showed an indigenous man believed to be the last remaining member of an isolated tribe in the Brazilian Amazon. 

    And in Ecuador, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights ruled this year that the government failed to protect the Tagaeri and Taromenane peoples who live in voluntary isolation in Yasuni National Park.

    Watson warned that political forces tied to agribusiness and evangelical blocs are now working to roll back earlier gains.

    “Achievements of the last 20 or 30 years are in danger of being dismantled,” she said.

    In July 2024, photos emerged of the uncontacted tribe searching for food on a beach in the Peruvian Amazon. Survival International said at the time the photos and videos posted showed about 53 male Mashco Piro. The group estimated as many as 100 to 150 tribal members would have been in the area with women and children nearby.

    Members of the reclusive Mashco Piro tribe are seen near Monte Salvado

    Members of the Mashco Piro Indigenous community, a reclusive tribe and one of the world’s most withdrawn, gather on the banks of the Las Piedras river where they have been sighted coming out of the rainforest more frequently in search of food and moving away from the growing presence of loggers, in Monte Salvado, in the Madre de Dios province, Peru, June 27, 2024. 

    Survival International/Handout via REUTERS


    “This is irrefutable evidence that many Mashco Piro live in this area, which the government has not only failed to protect but actually sold off to logging companies,” Alfredo Vargas Pio, president of local Indigenous organization FENAMAD, said in a statement at the time.

    A 2023 report by the United Nations’ special reporter on the rights of Indigenous peoples said Peru’s government had recognized in 2016 that the Mashco Piro and other isolated tribes were using territories that had been opened to logging. The report expressed concern for the overlap, and that the territory of Indigenous peoples hadn’t been marked out “despite reasonable evidence of their presence since 1999.”

    What the new report calls for

    Survival International’s report urges a global no-contact policy: legal recognition of uncontacted territories, suspension of mining, oil and agribusiness projects in or near those lands and prosecution of crimes against Indigenous groups.

    Watson said logging remains the biggest single threat, but mining is close behind. She pointed to the uncontacted Hongana Manyawa on Indonesia’s Halmahera Island, where nickel for electric-vehicle batteries is being mined.

    “People think electric cars are a green alternative,” she said, “but mining companies are operating on the land of uncontacted peoples and posing enormous threats.”

    In South America, illegal gold miners in the Yanomami territory of Brazil and Venezuela continue to use mercury to extract gold – contamination that has poisoned rivers and fish.

    “The impact is devastating – socially and physically,” Watson said.

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  • The Inca Built This Three-Walled Building to Shape Sound, Study Suggests

    In the remote town of Huaytará, Peru, the building that houses the Church of San Juan Bautista is more than what it seems. It was built upon a three-walled Incan structure called a carpa uasi that exchanged stability for something unexpected.

    While the Incan Empire is best known for the iconic 15th-century citadel of Machu Picchu, a team of researchers is investigating the acoustic properties of the carpa uasi, another one-of-a-kind Incan construction that likely dates back to the same century. Their work emphasizes the importance of studying more than what meets the eye—literally—when tracing the footsteps of bygone civilizations.

    A three-walled building

    “We’re exploring the possibility that the carpa uasi may have amplified low-frequency sounds, such as drumming, with minimal reverberation,” Stella Nair, associate professor of Indigenous arts of the Americas at the University of California, Los Angeles, said in a university statement. “With this research, for the first time, we’ll be able to tell what the Incas valued sonically in this building.”

    The Inca were a pre-Hispanic civilization whose empire flourished in the 15th and early 16th centuries. When the Spanish conquistadors arrived, the Inca Empire stretched along South America’s western coast, from modern-day Ecuador to modern-day Chile.

    The building in question had only three walls, potentially enabling sound, like drums, to be directed toward the opening and then beyond. Carpa uasi, meaning “tent house,” references that unique structure, and the Inca may have built it specifically to amplify sound and music

    “Many people look at Inca architecture and are impressed with the stonework, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg,” Nair explained. “They were also concerned with the ephemeral, temporary and impermanent, and sound was one of those things. Sound was deeply valued and an incredibly important part of Andean and Inca architecture — so much so that the builders allowed some instability in this structure just because of its acoustic potential.”

    The importance of sound

    Researchers have long known about the building, but Nair and her colleagues might be the first to recognize its potential for magnifying sound. It is the only known surviving carpa uasi and has endured the last 600 years thanks to the stabilizing force of the church built on top of it. Now, the team is working on a model to explain how sound would have spread through the carpa uasi and outside it.

    “Sound studies are really critical, because we tend to emphasize the visual in how we understand the world around us, including our past,” Nair concluded. “But that’s not how we experience life—all of our senses are critical. So how we understand ourselves and our history changes if you put sound back into the conversation.”

    Margherita Bassi

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  • Peru’s ‘Porky’, Mayor of Lima, Quits to Run for President

    LIMA (Reuters) -The mayor of Peru’s capital, Rafael Lopez Aliaga, said he will resign from his post on Monday to become the first candidate in April’s presidential election, as the country navigates a fresh political crisis following an abrupt change of government.

    The conservative politician and businessman said in a television interview on Sunday night that he would submit his resignation as mayor of Lima, as he seeks to make a second consecutive run for the presidency.

    “I will resign tomorrow at 3:30 p.m. (2030 GMT), because Peru cannot remain in this state of indifference,” Lopez Aliaga told Panamericana Television. 

    Lopez Aliaga is the only candidate polling in double digits at this early stage of the 2026 race, with 10% support according to the latest Ipsos survey.

    Over a third of Peruvian voters, 39%, remained undecided.

    Known as “Porky” by residents who see a resemblance to a cartoon character called Porky Pig, Lopez Aliaga has embraced his nickname, using a pig as his personal mascot and frequently deploying the animal at public events.

    All Peruvian officials must resign six months before elections if they wish to run for office. General elections have been scheduled for April 12 next year.

    Lopez Aliaga’s Popular Renewal was among the right-wing parties that historically supported former President Dina Boluarte, but last Thursday it backed a fresh push to remove her from office. Hours later, Congress lawmakers removed her in a unanimous vote.

    She was replaced by Congress president Jose Jeri, who stood next in the line of succession as she did not have a vice president.

    The electoral jury has so far approved 39 parties and alliances from across the political spectrum to put candidates forward, setting the scene for another polarized electoral campaign in the region.

    An upcoming election in neighboring Chile is meanwhile set to pitch a progressive leftist against a far-right hardliner on migration and security issues in a presidential vote next month.

    The removal of Boluarte, one of the world’s least popular leaders who left office with approval ratings between 2% and 4%, has resulted in Peru averaging one and a half presidents per year since 2018.

    Three former presidents are currently behind bars.

    (Reporting by Marco Aquino; Writing by Sarah Morland; Editing by William Maclean)

    Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.

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  • Peru’s new interim leader oversees prison raids in bid to get tough on surging crime

    LIMA, Peru (AP) — In one of his first acts as interim president of Peru, José Jerí on Saturday led a series of raids on prisons holding gang leaders nationwide, the presidency said, a day after the ouster of his deeply unpopular predecessor over her failure to curb rising crime.

    Flanked by elite officers and wearing a crisp white shirt with the sleeves rolled up, the 38-year-old Jerí signaled a tough-on-crime message as he strode into the maximum-security Ancón I prison in Peru’s capital of Lima on Saturday to oversee cell-to-cell searches for contraband. The prison sweep turned up smuggled cellphones, drugs and sharp objects used as weapons, authorities said.

    Jerí’s visit to Ancón I coincided with raids at three other prisons across Peru, the president’s office reported, including Lima’s overcrowded Lurigancho prison, Challapalca maximum-security prison in the high Andes and El Milagro prison in the country’s north.

    The pre-dawn prison crackdown follows the lightning impeachment of former President Dina Boluarte, just hours after a shooting at a concert in Lima on Friday inflamed public outrage over a wave of gang violence washing over the South American nation. Boluarte’s tenure was also plagued by frequent protests and corruption scandals.

    As president of Congress, Jerí was next in line to assume power after lawmakers removed Boluarte. The conservative lawyer is expected to hold the top job until July 2026, after the country chooses a new president in general elections scheduled for April 12.

    He quickly declared his priority was tackling Peru’s rampant lawlessness.

    “The evil that afflicts us at this moment is public insecurity,” Jerí told lawmakers after his swearing-in Friday. “The main enemy is out on the streets. Criminal gangs, criminal organizations, they are our enemies today.”

    Killings in Peru have surged recently, from 2,082 homicides recorded last year — half of them contract killings — up from just 676 in 2017, the previous record high.

    Extortion cases have skyrocketed from 16,333 in 2022 to 22,348 last year as criminal gangs increasingly extract “protection” fees from a growing number of businesses, from music bands to transport firms.

    Peru’s insecurity crisis has been exacerbated by political turmoil gripping the country since 2018. In the past seven years, the nation has seen seven presidents. Three were impeached — including Boluarte — and two others resigned to avoid removal.

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  • Who Is Jose Jeri, the Young President Who Inherits a Troubled Peru?

    By Marco Aquino and Lucinda Elliott

    LIMA (Reuters) -Peru’s new president Jose Jeri, who vaulted into power late on Thursday after the sudden impeachment of his predecessor, is one of the youngest heads of state globally – and one who has already had a bumpy ride on his way to the top.

    The 38-year-old conservative lawmaker from the Somos Peru party was sworn in on Friday, replacing unpopular Dina Boluarte, and tasked with tackling deep public frustration over corruption, economic insecurity, and rising crime.

    With no vice president in office, Jeri, who became congressional president in July, was next in line. He now leads a transition government set to run through July 2026, becoming Peru’s seventh president in nine years.

    In his first address to Congress, Jeri struck a hardline tone on public safety. “The main enemy is out there on the streets: criminal gangs,” he said, pledging to “declare war on crime.”

    Jeri was born to a middle-class family in the Peruvian capital Lima. He graduated from the state-run Federico Villarreal National University in 2014 and later earned a law degree from a private university in Lima.

    Jeri joined Somos Peru in 2013 while studying law and twice ran unsuccessfully for municipal office in Lima. 

    In 2021, he ran for and failed to win a congressional seat but as a substitute legislator ended up taking the seat of Martin Vizcarra, from the same party, who was disqualified from taking public office.

    Jeri became head of Congress in July 2025.

    In January, he was accused of sexual assault by a woman who attended a party in December 2024. The case was shelved in August by the attorney general, citing a lack of evidence. Jeri denies any wrongdoing.

    Local media outlets, citing sources with direct knowledge of the matter, have accused him of asking companies for payments in return for favors. Jeri denies the allegations and has expressed his willingness to cooperate with any investigation.

    Representatives from Congress and the presidency were not immediately available for comment.

    “He’s surrounded by controversies,” said Jo-Marie Burt, a visiting professor at Princeton University’s Latin America program.

    Jeri’s limited experience could also leave him vulnerable to pressure from more seasoned politicians, say analysts like Nicholas Watson, managing director at political risk consultancy Teneo. 

    “There are legitimate fears that Jeri could be open to manipulation from powerful parties in Congress,” he said.

    “But first, he needs to survive any protests that occur in the next few days.”

    Demonstrations against Boluarte’s government erupted in late September following an unpopular pension reform, compounding long-standing anger toward the president and Congress. Boluarte left office with approval ratings between 2% and 4%.

    An imminent test for Jeri could come on October 15, when anti-government groups were planning further large-scale protests against Boluarte. It was unclear on Friday whether the protests would still go ahead.

    The precedent is sobering: Manuel Merino, another congressional president elevated after an impeachment in 2020, lasted only five days.

    “Political waters have become choppier,” said Watson. Peru’s horizon “looks even less clear,” he said. 

    (Reporting by Marco Aquino. Writing by Lucinda Elliott; Editing by Christian Plumb and Rosalba O’Brien)

    Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.

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  • Peru’s deeply unpopular president impeached over crime wave

    Lima, Peru —  Peru’s Congress voted unanimously early Friday to remove deeply unpopular President Dina Boluarte from office as a crime wave grips the South American nation.

    Lawmakers had set up a debate and impeachment trial late Thursday in the 130-member unicameral Congress after voting to accept four requests for a vote to remove the 63-year-old Boluarte from office over what they said was her government’s inability to stem crime.

    They requested that Boluarte come before them shortly before midnight to defend herself, but when she did not appear they immediately voted to oust her. In short order, 124 lawmakers voted just past midnight to impeach Boluarte. There were no votes against the effort.

    The shocking turn of events came just hours after a shooting at a concert in the capital inflamed anger over crime roiling the country.

    Unlike eight previous attempts to remove her, almost all legislative factions expressed support for the latest requests.

    Boluarte took office in December 2022 after Parliament used the same mechanism to impeach her predecessor.

    The president of the Congress, José Jerí, a 38-year-old lawyer, was sworn in early Friday as the interim president to serve out Boluarte’s term. Elections are scheduled for next April and Boluarte’s term was to end July 28, 2026.

    After Friday’s vote, Boluarte spoke on national television, recounting her administration’s achievements. “I have not thought of myself, but rather of Peruvians,” she said.

    Minutes into her speech, the broadcast was interrupted to show Jerí’s swearing in.

    Jerí said he would defend Peru’s sovereignty and hand over power to the winner of the April election.

    Peru’s first female president was its sixth leader in just under a decade. A normal presidential term is five years.

    Boluarte assumed power in Peru in 2022 to complete the term of then-President Pedro Castillo, who was removed from office just two years into his five-year term after attempting to dissolve the legislature to avoid his own removal. She had served as Castillo’s vice president before becoming president.

    There were more than 500 protests demanding her resignation in the first three months of her presidency.

    Demonstrators take part in a protest against Peruvian President Dina Boluarte after the congress approved four motions of impeachment against her in Lima on Oct. 10, 2025.

    JORGE CERDAN / AFP via Getty Images


    Plagued by scandals, her administration’s inability to address Peru’s incessant crime proved to be her undoing.

    Boluarte had approval ratings between 2% and 4% amid accusations she’d illicitly profited from her office and was behind lethal crackdowns on protests in favor of her predecessor, the Reuters news agency reports. She denies any wrongdoing.

    She’s been the subject of multiple investigations, French news agency AFP points out, including one of her alleged failure to declare gifts of luxury jewels and watches, a scandal dubbed “Rolexgate.” She also gave herself a large pay increase in July.

    On Wednesday, she partially blamed the crime situation on immigrants living in the country illegally.

    “This crime has been brewing for decades and has been strengthened by illegal immigration, which past administrations haven’t defeated,” she said during a military ceremony. “Instead, they’ve opened the doors of our borders and allowed criminals to enter everywhere … without any restrictions.”

    FILE PHOTO: Peru's President Dina Boluarte addresses the United Nations General Assembly

    Peru’s President Dina Boluarte addresses the 80th United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York on Sept. 23, 2025.

    Mike Segar / REUTERS


    Official figures show that 6,041 people were killed between January and mid-August, the highest number during the same period since 2017. Meanwhile, extortion complaints totaled 15,989 between January and July, a 28% increase compared to the same period in 2024.

    The country’s latest presidential crisis erupted after a man opened fire and wounded five people Wednesday during a concert by Peru’s most popular cumbia groups, Agua Marina.

    Prime Minister Eduardo Arana on Thursday defended Boluarte during a crime-focused hearing before Parliament, but it wasn’t enough to dissuade lawmakers from pursuing the motions to get the president out of office.

    “Parliament’s concerns are not resolved by addressing a request for impeachment, much less by approving it,” Arana told lawmakers. “We are not clinging to our positions. We are here, and we knew from the beginning that our first day here could also be our last day in office.”

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  • Peru’s Boluarte Rose From Vice President to Embattled Leader

    BOGOTA (Reuters) -Peruvian President Dina Boluarte’s tenure was marked by turmoil from the moment she assumed power, but the unpopular leader was able to hang on for years until she was removed from office y Congress in the early hours of Friday.

    Boluarte, a 63-year-old mother of two from a village in the mountainous region of Apurimac, was elected as vice-president in 2021. She became Peru’s first female head of state when former President Pedro Castillo was ousted and arrested after trying to dissolve Congress in late 2022.

    Castillo was a cowboy-hat wearing leader popular with Peru’s indigenous and rural populations and his arrest was met with widespread protests around the country. The government responded to the unrest with a heavy-handed approach that led to the death of dozens of protesters in regions outside the capital.

    Boluarte, who has indigenous roots, defended the use of force and has since faced investigations into the deaths of protesters but was later shielded by Peru’s constitutional court.

    She also faced a number of corruption scandals, including her brother given pre-trial detention over corruption charges and an investigation into her use of luxury watches and jewelry.

    Boluarte has also been criticized for the country’s rising crime rates, which have sparked a number of protests in the capital and around the country. Boluarte had an approval rating of just 2%-3%, making her one of the most unpopular leaders in the world.

    In September, Gen Z activists took to the streets to protest against Boluarte, leading to clashes between demonstrators in police.

    Despite everything, Boluarte had managed to hold on to power until Thursday night, when Congress called an emergency session to discuss four different motions to impeach her.

    Congress voted to move forward with the debate and Boluarte, whose term was originally meant to last until July 2026, was then removed from office in a vote just after midnight.

    (Reporting by Alexander Villegas; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)

    Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.

    Reuters

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  • Peru Congress’ Push to Impeach President Passes First Hurdle

    LIMA (Reuters) -Peru’s Congress voted on Thursday in favor of moving forward with a proposal to impeach President Dina Boluarte, in a late-night vote called hours after lawmakers from across the political spectrum presented motions for her removal.

    The vote makes this the first of a series of impeachment motions to be admitted for debate in the conservative-dominated Congress, which has historically supported the deeply unpopular president.

    (Reporting by Marco Aquino in Lima and Sarah Morland in Mexico City; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)

    Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.

    Reuters

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  • Inside Pope Leo’s adopted home in Peru

    Before becoming pontiff, Pope Leo spent over two decades as a missionary and a bishop in Peru. The city where he led the church has now become a destination for the faithful. Lilia Luciano reports.

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  • What Pope Leo XIV’s selection to lead the Catholic Church has meant for one Peruvian city

    Chiclayo, Peru — It is a long way from the South Side of Chicago to the heart of Chiclayo in Northern Peru.
     
    But it was a simple phrase, spoken on a balcony in the Vatican by the first American pope, that has turned Chiclayo into a sensation.

    “A greeting to everyone, and in particular to my beloved Diocese of Chiclayo, in Peru, where a faithful people has accompanied its bishop, shared its faith and given so much, so much, to continue being a faithful church of Jesus Christ.,” Pope Leo XIV said from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica on May 8 after being chosen by the cardinal electors in the papal enclave to succeed Pope Francis.

    Leo, a Chicago native who turned 70 on Sunday, is also a citizen of Peru, where he served for more than two decades, first as a missionary. He then ran an Augustinian seminary in Trujillo, and in 2014, he was appointed apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Chiclayo. In 2015, he became a bishop in Chiclayo, and he was made a cardinal there in 2023.

    Rev. Fidel Purisaca Vigil, a spokesperson for the Diocese of Chiclayo, recalls the local reaction to Leo’s statement on the balcony.  

    “Some cried, we laughed and remembered all of those gracious moments he spent with us here in Chiclayo,” Purisaca told CBS News.

    On that day in early May, when then-Cardinal Robert Prevost ascended to the throne of St. Peter, Chiclayo was lifted as well, becoming an instant tourist attraction.

    City officials said the election of Leo touched off a pilgrimage here by Catholics from all over the world.
     
    It has also been a blessing for the economy. The tourism brought on by it could give Chiclayo an estimated annual boost of $40 million, city officials say. 
     
    Restaurants, hotels and tour companies are scrambling to meet the demand.

    “Really, we’re going to have a lot of work with everybody, with hotels, tour operators, restaurants, with the tour guides,” Maria Isabel Espinal, who runs a local tourism agency, told CBS News.

    Like the Stations of the Cross, tourists retrace Leo’s steps here, walking from church to church along his unique path to the papacy.

    They even stop at his favorite lunch spot, served by none other than Leo’s favorite waiter, Carlos.

    “This is where the Pope would sit,” Carlos showed CBS News, who added that he prays every day for his old friend, the new Pope. 

    Lilia Luciano

    Lilia Luciano is an award-winning journalist and CBS News 24/7 anchor and correspondent based in New York City. Luciano is the recipient of multiple journalism awards, including a Walter Cronkite Award, a regional Edward R. Murrow Award and five regional Emmys.

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