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Alberto Fujimori, ex-president of Peru jailed for rights abuses, dies at 86

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Alberto Fujimori, ex-president of Peru jailed for rights abuses, dies at 86

Polarising Latin American leader had been released from prison in December on humanitarian grounds.

Alberto Fujimori, the polarising former leader of Peru who was credited with stabilising the Latin American country’s economy before being jailed for human rights abuses, has died at the age of 86, his family has announced.

Fujimori’s daughter Keiko Fujimori said the former president had died following a long battle with cancer.

“We ask those who loved him to join us in praying for the eternal rest of his soul,” Keiko Fujimori said in a post on X on Wednesday. “Thank you for so much, Dad!”.

Fujimori, a former agricultural engineer and university professor, emerged from obscurity to place second in Peru’s 1990 election against establishment favourite Mario Vargas Llosa before beating his rival in a subsequent run-off vote.

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During his decade-long presidency, Fujimori won plaudits for vanquishing hyperinflation, spurring economic growth and cracking down on the Maoist Shining Path rebel group.

But the son of Japanese immigrants also attracted criticism for consolidating power through undemocratic means and undermining Peru’s institutions and rule of law.

After temporarily shutting down Congress and the courts, Fujimori fled Peru in 2000 following the emergence of footage showing his intelligence chief bribing legislators.

From exile in Japan, where Fujimori held citizenship, he famously submitted his resignation by fax machine.

In 2005, Fujimori travelled to Chile in a bid to mount a political comeback but was extradited to Peru to face trial for atrocities carried out by a military unit early in his tenure.

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In 2009, Fujimori was sentenced to 25 years in prison after being deemed responsible for the massacre of 25 people, including a child, by death squads acting in the government’s name.

Peru’s top court ordered his release in December, citing humanitarian grounds.

In July, Keiko Fujimori had announced that her father planned to seek a fourth term as president in 2026.

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Rescue Workers and Aid Arrive in Venezuela, Official Says

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More than 1,600 rescue workers have arrived and 25 flights filled with aid will land over the next day in Venezuela after earthquakes devastated the country on Wednesday, according to Venezuela’s vice minister of foreign affairs, Oliver Blanco.

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American rescue teams pull infant alive from rubble in Venezuela days after devastating twin earthquakes

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American rescue teams pull infant alive from rubble in Venezuela days after devastating twin earthquakes

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American search-and-rescue teams pulled an infant alive from beneath the rubble in Venezuela days after the country’s devastating earthquakes, the U.S. Department of State said Saturday.

The State Department shared video on social media showing U.S. personnel pulling the infant from the rubble as rescue crews continued searching for survivors more than 72 hours after two powerful earthquakes struck the South American country.

The infant was 9 months old and was rescued along with her mother, the State Department told Fox News Digital. Both suffered only minor injuries, according to the rescue team.

“This heroic rescue was carried out in Catia La Mar by the Fairfax County Urban Search and Rescue team (USA-01), which deployed to Venezuela on June 26 following activation by the State Department,” a State Department spokesperson said.

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TRUMP SAYS VENEZUELA EARTHQUAKES LEFT ‘DEVASTATING NUMBER OF DEATHS’ AS US READIES AID

American search-and-rescue teams rescued an infant trapped beneath the rubble following this week’s deadly earthquakes in Venezuela, according to the State Department. (Department of State)

The rescue comes as emergency crews race against time to locate survivors before the critical rescue window closes.

“Against impossible odds, hope endures,” the State Department posted on X.

“American search and rescue teams rescued an infant from beneath the rubble following the earthquake in Venezuela,” the post continued. “Every life saved is a victory.”

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The White House also shared the video, calling it “America at its best.”

“Thank you to the American search and rescue teams providing assistance in Venezuela,” the White House wrote.

PLAYERS, FANS FLEE STADIUM AS POWERFUL EARTHQUAKES STRIKE DURING VENEZUELA BASEBALL GAME

Rescue workers search through the rubble three days after earthquakes struck Catia la Mar, Venezuela. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)

Round-the-clock rescue efforts have continued since magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes struck Venezuela’s northern coast Wednesday.

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As of Saturday evening, officials said the death toll from the twin earthquakes had reached 1,430.

Earlier Saturday, officials reported that 243 people had been rescued.

FORMER METS PITCHER NARROWLY ESCAPES DEATH IN VENEZUELA EARTHQUAKES THANKS TO ELEVATOR MALFUNCTION

Rescue personnel with a rescue dog assist in rescue efforts after earthquakes hit the country, in La Guaira, Venezuela, Saturday. (REUTERS/Leonardo Fernandez Viloria)

According to The Associated Press, more than 68,000 people remain missing across the country.

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Aid groups consider the first 48 to 72 hours after a disaster to be the most critical window for finding survivors, though access to food and water can extend that period.

Venezuelan officials said 17 flights carrying more than 1,600 rescue personnel had arrived Saturday to assist with search-and-rescue efforts.

US RESCUE TEAMS TO DESCEND ON HARD-HIT CARIBBEAN AFTER CATASTROPHIC HURRICANE MELISSA’S IMPACT

Members of the County of Los Angeles Fire Department’s international urban search and rescue team (USA-2) prepare to leave for Venezuela, in Pacoima, Calif., on Thursday. (Blake Fagan/AFP via Getty Images)

Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) teams from Virginia, California and Florida were dispatched to Venezuela on Friday to help search collapsed buildings.

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According to the State Department, the three USAR teams include 312 personnel and 18 canine teams, including firefighters, physicians, structural engineers and canine search specialists. The teams also deployed more than 200,000 pounds of specialized rescue equipment.

The Los Angeles County team includes 73 members equipped with concrete-breaking equipment and specialized listening devices used to detect survivors trapped beneath debris.

COLORADO AVALANCHE VICTIM RESCUED IN DRAMATIC VIDEO

Responders search for victims in a demolished building in Caracas, Venezuela, after a magnitude 7.2 earthquake and a 7.5 aftershock struck the region. (Jesus Vargas/Getty Images)

Rescuers have fanned out across La Guaira, where the worst destruction occurred, and parts of Caracas, where families and volunteers have spent days pulling survivors and victims from the rubble.

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The United States has pledged $150 million in emergency assistance and support for international relief organizations responding to the disaster.

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Fox News Digital has reached out to the State Department for additional information on the rescue.

Fox News Digital’s James Cirrone, and The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

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Serbian Vučić says he will resign in weeks and calls early elections

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Serbian Vučić says he will resign in weeks and calls early elections

Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić announced on Saturday that he will resign in the coming weeks and called for early presidential and parliamentary elections.

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“I will be president for only a few weeks, and then I will resign,” Vučić told supporters at a rally in Belgrade. His second and final term was due to expire in mid-2027.

His remarks followed recent comments suggesting he could step down, amid speculation that he may seek a return as prime minister, a position he held from 2014 to 2017

It also follows a year and a half of student-led anti-corruption protests, triggered by the collapse of a railway station canopy in Novi Sad that killed 16 people. The protesters have been demanding early elections.

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During his speech, Vučić said he would support his Serbian Progressive Party in the upcoming elections, including snap parliamentary polls originally scheduled for next year.

He did not provide a specific timeline for his resignation or for the dissolution of parliament, which is required before early legislative elections can be held.

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