International
Colombia and FARC dissidents agree on ceasefire protocol
February 9th |
The Colombian government announced on Wednesday that it had achieved a protocol that will make it possible to verify the ceasefire agreed with a faction of the dissidents of the extinct Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC-EP), which did not adhere to the peace agreement signed by the guerrillas and the state in 2016.
The protocol was an essential missing element in the bilateral ceasefire with the self-styled FARC-EP Central General Staff dissidents, which went into effect from January 1 until June 30, 2023, according to the Colombian government.
The government also agreed to a bilateral ceasefire with the Segunda Marquetalia – another faction of FARC dissidents -, the Autodefensas de la Sierra Nevada and the Clan del Golfo cartel, however, the protocols that will apply to these armed groups have not been disclosed.
In a communiqué, the government detailed that the protocol with the FARC-EP Central General Staff “prohibits the transit or permanence” of the illegal armed group in the head towns of the municipalities, rural areas and primary roads to avoid “any affectation to the life and physical integrity of the civilian population”.
In the urban areas of several municipalities of the country, the presence of groups of armed men dressed in camouflaged suits has been registered in the last year, walking through the streets intimidating the population and without being immediately stopped by the public forces. The last of these happened a week ago in Yarumal, in the northwest of the country, where armed men entered a school and interacted with the children.
The ceasefire verification and monitoring mechanism will include delegates from the Ministry of Defense, the Office of the High Commissioner for Peace and an international component, which was not detailed by the government. It will also be accompanied by members of civil society, the Catholic Church and other religious communities.
This mechanism, the government explained, will issue technical concepts and elaborate recommendations to prevent and address possible incidents or non-compliance.
“The Public Force will continue to exercise its national security and defense obligations,” the official communiqué stressed.
The bilateral ceasefires are part of a strategy of President Gustavo Petro – the first leftist in the country and a guerrilla militant in his youth – to achieve “total peace”, which in practice consists of rapprochements and peace talks with multiple armed groups operating in the country and maintaining confrontations.
The state Ombudsman’s Office documented in a recent report that between January 1 and 20 several illegal groups carried out armed actions in the framework of the ceasefire, including harassment against police stations and the kidnapping of several soldiers, who were later released.
Petro said on Wednesday from Yarumal, at the end of a security council, that ceasefires in Colombia could not consist only in the suspension of hostilities between two armies, given that although statistics have shown in recent weeks a decrease in the number of wounded and dead, other crimes such as extortion, drug trafficking and smuggling may be on the rise.
For the president, the ceasefire must include an end to hostility against the civilian population so that there are no massacres, murders of human rights defenders, displacements, confinements or anti-personnel mines.
International
Study finds COVID-19 vaccines prevented 2.5 million deaths worldwide
COVID-19 vaccines prevented an estimated 2,533,000 deaths worldwide between 2020 and 2024, according to an international study led by Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Italy and Stanford University in the United States, published in the journal JAMA Health Forum. Researchers calculated that one death was prevented for every 5,400 doses administered.
The analysis also found that the vaccines saved 14.8 million years of life, equivalent to one year of life gained for every 900 doses given.
The study, coordinated by Professor Stefania Boccia, revealed that 82% of the lives saved were people vaccinated before becoming infected with the virus, and 57% of deaths avoided occurred during the Omicron wave. In addition, 90% of the beneficiaries were adults over 60 years old.
“This is the most comprehensive analysis to date, based on global data and fewer assumptions about the evolution of the pandemic,” explained Boccia and researcher Angelo Maria Pezzullo.
International
Trump administration blasts judge’s ruling reinstating TPS for Honduras, Nepal, and Nicaragua
The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump criticized a federal judge’s ruling on Friday that reinstated Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Honduras, Nepal, and Nicaragua, stressing that the immigration program was never intended to serve as a “de facto asylum system.”
On Thursday, Judge Trina Thompson extended protections for about 7,000 Nepalese immigrants, whose TPS was set to expire on August 5. The ruling also impacts roughly 51,000 Hondurans and nearly 3,000 Nicaraguans, whose TPS protections were scheduled to end on September 8.
Immigrants covered by TPS had sued the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), alleging that the program’s termination was driven by “racial animus” and stripped them of protection from deportation.
DHS Deputy Undersecretary Tricia McLaughlin issued a statement saying the decision to end TPS was part of a mandate to “restore the integrity” of the immigration system and return the program to its original purpose.
“TPS was never conceived as a de facto asylum system; however, that is how previous administrations have used it for decades,” McLaughlin emphasized.
She also criticized Judge Thompson, calling the ruling “another example” of judges “stirring up claims of racism to distract from the facts.”
McLaughlin added that DHS would appeal the decision and take the legal battle to higher courts.
The Trump administration has also terminated TPS protections for approximately 160,000 Ukrainians, 350,000 Venezuelans, and at least half a million Haitians, among other immigrant groups.
International
Trump to build $200M ballroom at the White House by 2028
The U.S. government under President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that it will begin construction in September on a new 8,000-square-meter ballroom at the White House.
The announcement was made by Karoline Leavitt, the administration’s press secretary, during a briefing in which she explained that the expansion responds to the need for a larger venue to host “major events.”
“Other presidents have long wished for a space capable of accommodating large gatherings within the White House complex… President Trump has committed to solving this issue,” Leavitt told reporters.
The project is estimated to cost $200 million, fully funded through donations from Trump himself and other “patriots,” according to a government statement. Construction is scheduled to begin in September and is expected to be completed before Trump’s term ends in 2028.
The Clark Construction Group, a Virginia-based company known for projects such as the Capital One Arena and L’Enfant Plaza in Washington, D.C., has been selected to lead the project.
The new ballroom will be built on the East Wing of the White House, expanding the iconic residence with a space designed for state dinners, official ceremonies, and large-scale events.
Study finds COVID-19 vaccines prevented 2.5 million deaths worldwide
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