International
Colombia probes murder of two young Venezuelan migrants
AFP
Colombian authorities are investigating the murder of two young Venezuelan migrants in the northeast of the country, sources said on Monday.
Authorities said the two youngsters, one of whom was allegedly only 12 years old, were murdered by an “illegal armed group”.
Videos and photos shared on social media appeared to show them on Saturday trying to steal clothing from a shop in Tibu, on the border with Venezuela — an area rife with criminal gangs.
“They were taken away… by an illegal armed group that took them to an unknown destination where they were murdered,” Jaime Marthey, the ombudsman in the Norte de Santander department, told Blu Radio.
Images seemingly from after they were caught, show the youngsters with their wrists bound with tape, surrounded by people giving them a warning: “We don’t want to see you lying by the side of a road tomorrow. We’re handing you over to authorities.”
The younger of the two was pictured carrying a red school backpack.
Other images show their bodies covered in blood by the side of a rural path after they were apparently shot in the stomach.
A piece of cardboard with the words “thieves” had been placed on the younger Venezuelan.
Tibu is the site of Colombia’s largest plantation of coca leaves, the main ingredient used in the fabrication of cocaine.
Various armed groups in the country are battling for control of the lucrative drug trafficking market.
Shopkeepers claim they called the police but no one came to take custody of the two youngsters.
Police colonel Carlos Martinez promised there would be an “internal investigation” and claimed the youngsters were killed by dissidents from the left-wing rebel Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).
Martinez claimed the shopkeepers had beaten the Venezuelans, something the local shopkeepers’ federation denied, saying they tried to protect the youngsters and stop them from being taken away by unidentified men.
Venezuela’s attorney general Tarek Saab sent a letter to his Colombian counterpart, Francisco Barbosa, to request “clarification” of the situation and “any responsibilities that may arise.”
Earlier, Saab said on Twitter that “the full identification of the bodies has not been achieved and they have not been claimed by any family members.”
Colombia’s representation to the UN Commission on Human Rights posted a statement on Twitter denouncing the “murder of a 12-year-old child,” and calling on authorities to investigate.
International
Meta Says Russia Seeks to Ban WhatsApp for Defending Secure Communication
U.S. tech giant Meta, the parent company of WhatsApp, said that Russia is seeking to ban the messaging app because it “challenges government attempts to violate people’s right to secure communication.”
Russian authorities have encouraged citizens to switch to state-backed applications, and in August they already blocked WhatsApp’s calling feature.
On Friday, the communications regulator Roskomnadzor claimed that the platform was being used to “organize and carry out terrorist acts in the country, recruit perpetrators, and facilitate fraud and other crimes.”
“If the messaging service does not comply with Russian law, it will be completely blocked,” the regulator warned.
WhatsApp remains one of Russia’s most widely used messaging services, alongside Telegram.
Moscow is pressuring both platforms to grant authorities access to user data upon request for investigations into fraud and activities the government labels as “terrorist.”
Human rights advocates fear the demand could be used to target critics of the Kremlin, President Vladimir Putin, or the war in Ukraine.
International
Archbishop Wenski criticizes Trump’s deportation policies, calls for stronger push for reform
The Archbishop of Miami, Thomas Wenski, has called for increased pressure on the U.S. Congress to advance comprehensive immigration reform and criticized President Donald Trump’s mass deportation policies, arguing that they “do nothing to help.”
“We need to apply more pressure on Congress so lawmakers can make the necessary changes. It is also important for the Administration to listen to our voice. We do not want to be anyone’s enemy—we are Americans,” Wenski said in an interview with EFE.
The religious leader, who heads one of the dioceses with the largest Latino and Haitian populations in the United States, issued a call to defend the rights of migrants. He also emphasized that the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has maintained a strong and public stance in favor of migrants for decades.
International
Trump relaunches diplomatic push to finalize U.S.-Backed peace plan for Ukraine War
U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that his diplomatic team will resume meetings with delegations from Russia and Ukraine in an effort to pressure both sides to accept the peace plan proposed by Washington to end the war in Ukraine.
As part of this new round of talks, U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff will travel to Moscow to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Meanwhile, Army Secretary Dan Driscoll will hold discussions with Ukrainian representatives to narrow differences on the remaining points of the agreement.
Trump also confirmed his intention to meet personally with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and with Putin, though he emphasized that such meetings will only take place “when the agreement is fully finalized or in its final stage.”
The president claimed that his administration has made “tremendous progress” toward resolving the conflict and reiterated that the war “never would have started” if he had been in the White House at the onset of the crisis.
The U.S.-backed peace plan consists of 28 points and has been revised following feedback from both sides. According to Trump, only “a few points of disagreement” remain under active discussion.
One of the most controversial aspects of the proposal is the suggestion that Ukraine cede parts of the Donbas region to Russia and limit the size of its armed forces. Kyiv is working closely with Washington to soften these clauses in search of an arrangement that does not compromise its sovereignty or security.
With this diplomatic push, Trump aims to solidify his role as the main mediator in the conflict and steer the war toward a political resolution after years of devastation, humanitarian crisis, and rising global geopolitical tensions.
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