International
At least five peace signatories and social leaders are killed in fighting in Colombia
At least five peace signatories were killed this Thursday in the midst of the fighting between the guerrillas of the National Liberation Army (ELN) and a dissident of the former FARC in the turbulent Colombian region of Catatumbo (northeast), the UN denounced.
“I express my strongest condemnation for the murder of 5 peace signatories and leaders in Catatumbo. It is urgent to protect the civilian population and communities. I call on armed groups to cease violent actions. The true will for dialogue involves respecting the lives of those who opted for peace,” said the special representative of the UN Secretary General in Colombia, Carlos Ruiz Massieu, in his X account.
The fighting, apparently due to territorial disputes, takes place in several rural areas of the department of Norte de Santander, including the hamlet of El Aserrío, which is part of the municipality of Teorama, and in Filo Gringo, located in Tibú, two of the municipalities that are part of the Catatumbo, according to different authorities.
Rodrigo Londoño, head of the Commons party, which emerged from the demobilization of the FARC in 2016, said that the five murdered are signatories of peace and demanded “guarantees” from Colombian President Gustavo Petro, in the face of what he called “an ongoing genocide.”
“Serious situation in the Catatumbo region. I demand that the armed groups stop the confrontation. History will not forgive the atrocities they commit against the civilian population and the signatories of peace. The Catatumbo and all of Colombia deserve to live in peace,” said Londoño, who was the last commander of the FARC.
According to the Institute of Studies for Development and Peace (Indepaz), two of the fatalities were identified as Albeiro Díaz Franco and Yurgen Martínez, who were murdered in a rural area of Teorama, where they were carrying out their reincorporation process.
Another of the dead ex-combatants is Jhan Carlos Carvajalino, who “was forcibly removed from his place of residence by armed men” and then murdered in Convención, a municipality neighboring Teorama.
Faced with what happened, the Army indicated that “it is in the area, fulfilling its mission of providing security and preserving the life and integrity of the communities that live in the municipalities of the Catatumbo region.”
President Petro, for his part, refueled a statement from the Association of Mothers of Catatumbo for Peace, which denounces what happened today in the region and asked the Government to intervene, and commented: “They have bloodied the Catatumbo. We hear the voice of the mothers.”
El Catatumbo, a poor and jungle region that borders Venezuela, is formed by the municipalities of Ábrego, Convención, El Carmen, El Tarra, Hacarí, La Playa, San Calixto, Sardinata, Teorama and Tibú, in which the ELN, FARC dissidents, a stronghold of the People’s Liberation Army (EPL) and other gangs that dispute control of coca crops and drug trafficking corridors operate.
The Ombudsman’s Office expressed its “deep concern about the beginning of armed confrontations between the Central General Staff and the ELN in the Catatumbo region,” where “this armed conflict has generated a serious violation of human rights in the municipalities of this area of the country”.
International
Rubio rules out 2028 presidential bid if Vance runs
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he would not seek the presidency in 2028 if current Vice President JD Vancedecides to run as the Republican nominee to succeed President Donald Trump.
“If JD Vance runs for president, he will be our candidate, and I will be one of the first people to support him,” Rubio said in an interview with Vanity Fair, in which he appeared alongside other senior members of the presidential cabinet.
Rubio, 54, and Vance, 41, are widely viewed as two of the leading Republican figures who could headline the party’s ticket in the 2028 election. Under the U.S. Constitution, Trump is barred from seeking another term after completing two presidential mandates.
In a lighthearted moment during the interview, Vance jokingly offered photographers $1,000 if they managed to make him look better than Rubio in the photos. Both leaders have received public backing from Trump, who last October floated the idea of a joint ticket featuring Rubio and Vance, without clarifying who would lead it.
“I think that if they ever teamed up, they would be unstoppable. I don’t think anyone would run against us,” Trump said at the time.
White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, who also took part in the interview, confirmed that Trump does not intend to violate the 22nd Amendment, which prohibits a third presidential term, though she acknowledged that the president is “having fun” with speculation about a possible return to office.
Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants, served as a Republican senator from 2010 to 2025. He sought the party’s presidential nomination in 2016 but was defeated by Trump after a bruising primary contest. His name was floated as a potential vice presidential pick in 2024, but Vance ultimately secured the spot. After taking office, Trump appointed Rubio as secretary of state, making him the first Latino to hold the position.
International
Authorities search for armed and dangerous suspect in fatal Brown University attack
According to the statement, investigators are “seeking the public’s help to identify and speak with an individual” who was seen “near” the suspect at the time of the attack.
The Providence Police Department in Rhode Island released three photos of the person of interest, whose face has been blurred. In the images, the individual is wearing navy blue clothing, what appears to be a green hood, and carrying a light-colored backpack.
Earlier, authorities had released several photos and videos of a suspect described as “approximately 5 feet 8 inches tall, with a stocky build,” dressed in dark clothing, with their face covered by a surgical mask and wearing a beanie. The suspect’s identity remains unknown.
Authorities are offering a $50,000 reward for any information leading to the identification, arrest, and conviction of the person responsible for the killings, who is considered armed and dangerous.
The gunman opened fire on Saturday at Brown University’s engineering and physics building, where exams were being held, killing students Ella Cook and Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov. The names of the nine people injured have not been released.
International
Police investigate deaths of Rob Reiner and wife as apparent homicide
The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) is investigating the deaths of Hollywood actor and filmmaker Rob Reinerand his wife as an “apparent homicide,” amid a wave of tributes to the director of classics such as When Harry Met Sally.
According to U.S. media reports on Sunday, Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner were found dead at their Los Angeles mansion with what appeared to be stab wounds.
Several political figures shared messages of condolence following the reported deaths of the director of A Few Good Menand his wife.
While the LAPD did not officially confirm the identities of the victims, it stated that homicide detectives were dispatched to the Reiner residence.
“At this time, no additional details are available and the investigation into an apparent homicide is ongoing,” the Los Angeles Police Department said in a statement posted on social media.
LAPD Deputy Chief Alan Hamilton told reporters that no arrests have been made and that no individuals are currently being questioned as suspects.
“I’m not going to confirm whether anyone is being questioned at this moment or not. We are going to try to speak with as many family members as we can,” Hamilton said.
CNN reported that a family spokesperson confirmed the deaths of Reiner and his wife.
California Governor Gavin Newsom, former U.S. President Barack Obama, and former Vice President Kamala Harrisissued statements expressing their condolences.
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