International
At least three dead in the fishing vessel sunk in the Falkland Islands with Galician crew members
At least three crew members have died in the accident of the fishing boat ‘Argos Georgia’, which sank in the Malvinas Islands on Monday, according to the Government Delegation in Galicia.
According to information transferred by the maritime authorities of the Falklands to the Spanish ones, the fishing boat ‘Puerto Toro’ has recovered two corpses and the ‘Robin M. Lee’, based in Cangas (Pontevedra), has rescued a survivor and a lifeless body.
Currently, operations are being carried out to recover the survivors of another life raft.
The bad weather conditions in the area have prevented the takeoff of helicopters for the rescue, a decision that is reviewed every hour in case there is a possibility of the aircraft operating, and have also hindered the tasks of the fishing vessels that have come to the aid of the crew of the ‘Argos Georgia’.
In the area, in addition to the two fishing boats, a patrol boat and a plane are deployed.
The ship, as it has transpired, would carry Russian, Indonesian, Uruguayan and Peruvian crew members.
The Maritime Authority of the Falkland Islands received information on Monday afternoon that the fishing boat, with 27 people on board, requested assistance about 200 miles east of Stanley.
Ten Spaniards were on board the fishing boat Argos Georgia which, with 27 crew members, including the captain, has sunk in the early hours of the Falkland Islands, the Government delegate in Galicia, Pedro Blanco, has confirmed.
As he told reporters on a visit to Redondela (Pontevedra), he specified that among the ten Spaniards are the captain of the ship, the fishing skipper, the cook, the two machine operators and two oceanographic observers.
Blanco has specified that by the surnames “it seems that there are Galicians” on board, although he is pending to determine how many.
Knowing the facts, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs established “permanent contact” with its consulates in Buenos Aires (Argentina) and London (United Kingdom) to follow the rescue operation of the crew of the sunken fishing vessel. This was confirmed by Minister José Manuel Albares at a press conference.
In addition to the ten Spanish crew members, 8 Russians, 2 Uruguayans, 2 Peruvians and 5 Indonesians were traveling on the ship, according to local media.
The Falkland Islands Maritime Authority received information on Monday that the fishing vessel Argos Georgia requested assistance when it was about 200 miles east of Stanley, the capital of the archipelago.
According to the Malvinas authority, after the ship’s alert and despite the difficult maritime conditions, a rescue operation was carried out with aerial and surface means, including the BFSAI A-400, BFSAI search and rescue helicopters, FPV Lilibet, as well as two fishing boats.
Among those trawlers who have come to the rescue, in fact, there is one from Cangas (Pontevedra), although belonging to a mixed society, according to sources from the Government Subdelegation in Pontevedra.
Blanco added in his appearance that the crew members made use of the lifeboats.
According to this statement from the Falkland authorities, communications were quickly established between the Government of the Islands, the Government of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, the headquarters of the British Forces in the South Atlantic Islands, the United Kingdom Maritime and Coast Guard Agency, the fishing vessel company and other vessels.
The Argos Georgia, built in 2018, belongs to the British-Norwegian shipowner Argos Froyanes, with more than 30 years of experience in the fishing sector.
After the first operation, the Government of the Falkland Islands announced that it will resume the rescue of the 27 crew members of the sunken ship when the weather improves.
According to a statement, the BFSAI A-400M Atlas helicopter was the first to come to the scene and was able to “monitor and report” the position of the lifeboats.
Meanwhile, the fishing vessel FPV Lilibet and two other boats arrived “at the highest speed” at the location last night to begin the “rescue operations.”
Similarly, operating in adverse conditions, a search and rescue helicopter (SAR) of the British military contingent in the Falkland Islands tried to recover the personnel from the scene during the night of Monday “without success”, due to “extreme weather conditions and limited time.”
The helicopter returned to Stanley airport to refuel before a second attempt, “but the weather got even worse” and the rescue operations were then suspended, according to the note.
The weather conditions on Tuesday imply that the area is still “out of the limits” of helicopter operations, but “the situation is being reviewed regularly with a view to resuming operations as soon as possible.”
International
OAS Election Mission to Monitor Claims of Political Interference by Colombia’s President
The Electoral Observation Mission of the Organization of American States (OAS) has pledged to follow up on allegations regarding the alleged involvement of Colombian President Gustavo Petro in political campaigning ahead of Sunday’s presidential election.
The announcement was made by presidential candidate Claudia López after a meeting with the head of the OAS Electoral Observation Mission, former Dominican Republic President Leonel Fernández.
According to a statement released by López’s campaign, the OAS mission listened to the concerns raised by the candidate and committed to monitoring the complaints she has submitted to both national and international organizations.
The mission also reiterated its commitment to overseeing the electoral process to help ensure that the will of Colombian voters is respected throughout the election.
“We have turned to international forums and technical observation missions to warn that Colombian democracy cannot be left at the mercy of fear or undue pressure,” López, the former mayor of Bogotá, said following the meeting.
López has repeatedly expressed concerns about what she describes as political interference in the electoral process and has called on national and international institutions to closely monitor the conduct of the campaign.
The OAS observation mission is one of several international bodies deployed to Colombia to monitor the presidential election, which is taking place amid heightened political tensions and intense competition among candidates from across the ideological spectrum.
The election is expected to be closely watched both domestically and internationally as Colombians choose whether to continue with the country’s first left-wing administration or shift toward a new political direction.
International
Colombia Votes in Pivotal Election as Left Seeks to Retain Power
Colombians headed to the polls on Sunday in a crucial presidential election that will determine whether the country continues under its first left-wing government in modern history or shifts back toward the political right.
The election campaign has been marked by deep political divisions, with armed violence and economic concerns emerging as the dominant issues for voters.
A total of 11 candidates remain in the race following the withdrawal of three presidential tickets. The central question is which candidate will advance to a likely runoff election alongside ruling-party senator Iván Cepeda, who has led opinion polls for months with his platform of “democratic revolution” but is not expected to secure enough votes to win outright in the first round.
On the right, Senator Paloma Valencia of the Democratic Center party, the political movement founded by former President Álvaro Uribe, has lost momentum as support has grown for far-right attorney Abelardo de la Espriella. Known as “The Tiger,” De la Espriella has campaigned on a tough-on-crime agenda targeting criminal organizations and guerrilla groups, drawing comparisons to the security policies of Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele.
Political analyst Sandra Borda, a professor at the University of the Andes, argues that Colombia is experiencing not simply greater polarization but a broader political landscape.
“The 2016 peace agreement with the FARC opened significant space for the left. Inevitably, it also created opportunities for the right,” Borda told CNN. The political scientist, who ran for the Senate in 2022 with the New Liberalism movement, believes the current election presents a more challenging environment for the left than four years ago.
According to Borda, left-wing candidates can no longer campaign solely as agents of change who have never had the opportunity to govern or who remained untouched by traditional politics.
“They can no longer make that argument. They have already governed and are no longer immune from criticism associated with political power,” she said.
The election is being closely watched across Latin America as voters weigh the record of the outgoing administration against promises of change from candidates across the political spectrum.
International
ICE agent arrested in Texas over shooting of Venezuelan migrant in Minnesota
U.S. authorities arrested an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent on Friday in Texas after he was accused of shooting a Venezuelan migrant in Minnesota earlier this year and later providing false information about the incident.
The suspect, identified as Christian Castro, faces four counts of second-degree assault, along with an additional charge related to filing a false official report. He was taken into custody after investigators from the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension located him, according to a statement from the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office.
The case stems from a January operation carried out by ICE during which Castro shot Julio César Sosa, a Venezuelan migrant, in the leg. Prosecutors allege that the agent later submitted a misleading account of the incident, claiming that Sosa and another migrant had attacked officers with a shovel and a broomstick.
However, investigators say that video evidence and further findings contradicted that version of events, leading to the dismissal of charges initially brought against the migrants by federal prosecutors.
ICE’s acting director, Todd Lyons, acknowledged in February that agents involved in the incident had given “false sworn testimony” about what occurred.
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty described Friday’s arrest as a “critical step forward” in the judicial process and reaffirmed that the investigation remains ongoing.
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