International
The Kurdish PKK guerrilla announces its dissolution and the end of the armed struggle after 40 years
The Kurdish guerrilla of the PKK announced on Monday its dissolution and the end of its “armed fight” that began against the Turkish state 40 years ago and that has left about 45,000 dead, thus responding to the call made at the end of February from prison by the founder and leader of the organization Abdullah Öcalan.
“The 12º Congress of the PKK has decided to dissolve the organizational structure of the PKK and put an end to the method of armed struggle, whose implementation process will be directed and carried out by the APO leader (Öcalan), thus ending the activities carried out under the name of the PKK,” the guerrilla said in a statement released by the Turkish media.
Öcalan, who has been serving a life sentence for 25 years, asked the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), considered a terrorist by Turkey, the United States and the European Union, on February 27 to abandon his weapons.
The PKK held a congress between May 5 and 7 to discuss Öcalan’s request.
“The 12º Extraordinary Congress of the PKK evaluated that the struggle of the PKK has broken the policy of denial and annihilation imposed on our people, has brought the Kurdish question to the point of being resolved through democratic politics and has thus fulfilled its historical mission” justified today this proscribed organization its decision to lay up arms.
On the 8th, the Turkish president, the Islamist Recep Tayyip Erdogan, announced at a meeting of his party, the AKP, that the disarmament of the PKK would be announced soon.
Initially, the PKK, which operates mainly from its bases in northern Iraq, had demanded that Öcalan himself lead in freedom an eventual peace process with the Turkish state.
Already in 2013, Öcalan had announced the end of the PKK’s independence aspirations, the intention to integrate the Kurds into a democratic Turkey and the abandonment of weapons, but the process was aborted in 2015 and the fighting and attacks intensified.
The Turkish government has described it as an advance to end the “scourge of terrorism” that the Kurdish guerrilla of the PKK has announced that it will dissolve.
The president of the semi-autonomous region of Iraqi Kurdistan, Nechirvan Barzani, celebrated this dissolution and considered it a step to promote “coexistence and stability” in Turkey and the rest of the Middle East.
International
Erin brings strong winds and storm surge despite weakening offshore
Hurricane Erin weakened to a Category 2 storm on Tuesday but continues to pose a threat to parts of the U.S. East Coast with potentially dangerous flooding, according to meteorologists.
Although the hurricane’s eye is expected to remain offshore, experts are concerned about Erin’s size, as strong winds extend hundreds of kilometers beyond the storm’s center.
In its 18:00 GMT bulletin, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) lifted tropical storm warnings for the Bahamasand Turks and Caicos Islands, but kept them in effect for parts of North Carolina.
Erin was located several hundred kilometers southeast of North Carolina and was moving northwestward.
“This means there is a risk of potentially life-threatening flooding of 60 to 120 centimeters above ground level,” said NHC Director Michael Brennan.
He also warned of the possibility of destructive waves, combined with storm surge, that could cause severe damage to beaches and coastal areas, making roads impassable.
International
Three U.S. Warships deploy near Venezuela to combat drug trafficking
Three U.S. naval vessels are moving toward the coasts of Venezuela, according to international media reports on Tuesday, after White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt confirmed that President Donald Trump is ready to combat and curb international drug trafficking.
Reports indicate that the ships will reach Venezuelan waters within the next 36 hours as part of a recent U.S. deployment aimed at countering international narcotics operations.
The announcement coincides with Leavitt’s statement that Trump is prepared to “use the full extent of his power” to halt drug flows into the United States. The naval deployment involves approximately 4,000 military personnel.
“The President has been clear and consistent. He is ready to use every element of U.S. power to prevent drugs from flooding our country and to bring those responsible to justice. The Maduro regime is not the legitimate government of Venezuela—it is a narco-terror cartel,” the spokesperson said during a press conference.
International
Cuban authorities free salvadoran convicted in 1997 hotel bombing
Salvadoran national Otto René Rodríguez Llerena was released after serving a 30-year prison sentence for his involvement in a terrorist attack at a hotel in Cuba in 1997, the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported.
During his trial, Rodríguez Llerena admitted to placing an explosive device at the Meliá Cohiba Hotel under the orders of anti-Castro exile leaders. He was arrested the following year when he returned to Havana with another load of explosives that failed to detonate.
“The Cuban government reiterates its commitment to combating terrorism, respecting human rights, and the need for the international community to hold accountable those who promote such acts,” the statement read.
He was released on August 15 and is the second Salvadoran to complete his sentence. In December of last year, another Salvadoran, Ernesto Cruz León, was released after planting bombs at tourist centers, one of which killed an Italian tourist identified as Fabio Di Celmo.
A third Salvadoran, Francisco Chávez Abarca, also received a 30-year sentence from Cuban courts in 2010 after being extradited from Venezuela through Interpol for actions against Cuba.
Rodríguez Llerena had requested conditional release in 2016, arguing that his actions had not caused any direct fatalities, but no further information was released about his situation until now.
Analyst warns of cracks in Nicaragua’s inner circle as Ortega prepares succession
Erin brings strong winds and storm surge despite weakening offshore
Three U.S. Warships deploy near Venezuela to combat drug trafficking
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
Defense Minister commends salvadoran soldier for Central American Cross Country victory
Extension of the state of emergency approved in southern Chile
-
Central America5 days agoHonduran prosecutors charge three with terrorism and assassination plot against Manuel Zelaya
-
Central America3 days agoGuatemalan police regain control of prisons after gang riots leave one guard dead
-
International3 days agoErin weakens to Category 3 after rapid intensification to Category 5
-
International5 days agoTrump and Putin end Alaska summit without Ukraine peace agreement
-
International2 days agoNYPD declares suspicious Times Square package safe after investigation
-
International4 days agoEx-Pemex director linked to Odebrecht scandal detained in Texas, faces trial in Mexico
-
International1 day agoPeruvian woman arrested in Bali for smuggling cocaine in sex toy
-
International1 day agoCuban authorities free salvadoran convicted in 1997 hotel bombing
-
International4 days agoResidente to perform free concert at Mexico City’s Zócalo on september 6
-
International1 day agoTrump says Russia open to security guarantees for Ukraine amid peace talks
-
International2 days agoTexas opens major migrant detention center amid civil rights protests
-
International2 days agoThree arrested in Dubai hours after $25 million pink diamond theft
-
Sin categoría2 days ago
Zelensky meets Trump with European leaders amid peace deal tensions
-
International1 day agoFinnish MP Eemeli Peltonen dies at 30 in Parliament building
-
International5 hours ago
Erin brings strong winds and storm surge despite weakening offshore
-
Central America1 hour agoAnalyst warns of cracks in Nicaragua’s inner circle as Ortega prepares succession
-
International5 hours agoThree U.S. Warships deploy near Venezuela to combat drug trafficking