International

Colombian President denounces plot to overthrow his government

Photo: RT

September 1|

The president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, denounced Thursday that “there are those who dream of overthrowing the government” and warned about the alleged plans of the opposition to overthrow it, pointing out that “big Spanish businessmen” would be behind the coup actions.

Before an audience of 272 families victims of the conflict and signatories of the Peace Accords to whom the Government delivered land in the municipality of Carmen de Bolivar, the head of state recalled several episodes of national history that led to decades of violence and branded as “brutes” those who, he said, “go to Spain to see how the government of change is overthrown”.

Petro insisted that there are sectors of the political opposition and the business sector that seek to carry out a “soft coup”. He also made a call to the popular bases that contributed to his victory in June 2022.

“The peasantry knows what it has to do, the popular youth already knows what it has to do, the working people already know what they have to do,” said

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The president exhorted the alleged conspirators to abandon their strategy recalling that “they already proved it when they bombed peasant cooperatives in the Andes, they already proved it when they assassinated Jorge Eliécer Gaitán and how much did that assassination cost?”.

In the midst of a festive atmosphere, in which property titles were handed over to hundreds of landless peasant families, the Colombian president defended his agrarian reform program and said that if the owners of unproductive large estates do not comply with the constitutional precept that land has a social function, “the State must make them comply”.

The President has referred on different occasions to a “soft coup” against him, in which businessmen, politicians and opposition media would also participate.

International

Florida judge sets 2027 trial in Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit against BBC

A federal judge in Florida has scheduled February 2027 for the trial in the lawsuit filed by U.S. President Donald Trump against the BBC, in which he is seeking $10 billion in damages for defamation.

Trump accuses the British broadcaster of airing a misleading edit of a speech he delivered on January 6, 2021, which, he says, made it appear that he explicitly urged his supporters to attack the U.S. Capitol in Washington.

The president filed the suit in December in federal court in Florida, alleging defamation and violations of a law governing business practices when the program was broadcast ahead of the 2024 election.

Trump is seeking $5 billion in damages for each of the two claims.

Lawyers for the BBC unsuccessfully asked the court to dismiss the case, arguing that Trump had not suffered a “legally recognizable harm,” since the investigative program Panorama, which included the edited footage, aired outside the United States.

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International

Head-of-state diplomacy key to guiding China–U.S. ties, Beijing says

Head-of-state diplomacy plays an irreplaceable strategic guiding role in China–United States relations, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on Thursday during a regular press briefing, when asked about high-level exchanges between the two sides.

Lin added that in a recent phone call, U.S. President Donald Trump once again expressed his intention to visit China in April, while Chinese President Xi Jinping reiterated his invitation.

Both sides remain in communication regarding the matter, the spokesperson said.

Lin noted that the essence of China–U.S. economic and trade ties lies in mutual benefit and win-win outcomes.

“Both parties should work together to implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, injecting greater certainty and stability into China–U.S. economic and trade cooperation, as well as into the global economy,” he said.

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International

Trump administration to end special immigration operation in Minnesota

The administration of Donald Trump is bringing to a close its special operation targeting illegal immigration in the northern state of Minnesota, border czar Tom Homan announced Thursday, following weeks of unrest and the fatal shootings of two activists by federal agents.

Thousands of federal officers had been deployed to Minnesota in December to carry out large-scale raids against undocumented immigrants.

The operations triggered strong reactions from residents and advocacy groups, leading to daily confrontations and the deaths of two people who were shot by federal agents.

“I proposed, and President Trump agreed, that this special operation should end in Minnesota,” Homan said during a press conference in the state capital, Minneapolis.

“A significant drawdown began this week and will continue into next week,” he added.

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Homan indicated that similar enforcement efforts could be launched in other cities.

“Next week we will redeploy the agents currently here back to their home stations or to other parts of the country where they are needed. But we will continue to enforce immigration laws,” he said.