International
Second cycle of peace talks between Colombian Government and ELN closes
March 10 |
The delegations of the Government of Colombia and the National Liberation Army (ELN) closed this Friday the second cycle of dialogues for the search for peace, which took place in Mexico, during a ceremony in which the Colombian Vice President, Francia Márquez, participated.
The parties informed the public that they agreed on a new agenda for Peace in Colombia (Mexico Agreement), as well as agreements on the initial elements for the participation of society and, finally, on initial elements for the ceasefire between the Government and the ELN.
They then proceeded to the signing of the Mexico Agreement, a step which corresponded to the chief negotiators of the Government delegation, Otty Patiño, and the ELN, Pablo Beltrán.
After the signing of the agreement, Beltrán emphasized that the search for peace was fed by the will for change of the majorities and the youth, as evidenced during the national strike of 2021.
He pointed out that the dialogue agenda addressed between the parties is committed to the interests of the millions of victims of the armed conflict and the popular majorities. He urged everyone to seek a lasting peace and to participate in the national effort to have a country in which exile caused by political persecution and economic hardship ceases.
He expressed the ELN’s commitment to help overcome the armed conflict and contribute to the transformations of society, an effort in which he invited to empower women and listen to all victims to contribute to reconciliation.
For his part, Patiño pledged that the population, with its participation and initiative, will give the necessary rhythm to the peace dialogues.
He explained that for the third cycle of dialogues, the challenge will be to enter into more substantive issues, to build a pilot peace and apply it in some territory, to advance in the bilateral and national ceasefire, to achieve more inclusive participation and to strengthen the social rule of law, among other aspirations.
Regarding the third cycle, he recalled that it will take place in Havana and thanked Cuba for its unwavering support for peace in Colombia for several decades.
Vice-President Francia Márquez also welcomed Cuba’s gesture and said that the armed conflict has destroyed everyone and, in view of that certainty, there is no other way but to assume the will for change and total peace promoted by the Government of President Gustavo Petro.
He detailed that this implies dedicating to education, health, food, water and electricity services and to create infrastructures to improve life the substantial resources that were previously dedicated to war.
He stated that the Government welcomes this new dialogue agenda to solve the armed confrontation, to advance in implementing a humanitarian attention plan and to transform the structures that led the country to believe that the solution was through arms.
She recalled that the Government undertook an agenda of transformation and development that also seeks to preserve our big house and protect the country that future generations will receive.
She called on all Colombian women, who make up 52 percent of the population, to participate in the effort to advance towards total peace and thus prevent war, violence, pain and suffering from continuing in the social and political fabric of the country.
The Mexican Foreign Minister, Marcelo Ebrard, pointed out that the dialogues to find peace in Colombia point to hope and the future. He thanked his country for the opportunity to contribute to peace in a brotherly and dear people, united by a common cause.
International
Bolsonaro diagnosed with skin cancer amid coup conviction
Former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro has been diagnosed with skin cancer while serving a historic sentence for attempting a coup d’état. His medical team confirmed that the lesions have been removed and that, for now, he does not require further procedures, though he will need regular monitoring.
On Wednesday, September 17, Bolsonaro’s doctors confirmed the diagnosis. The announcement comes shortly after the former leader was convicted of orchestrating an attempted coup.
According to his physician, Claudio Birolini, Bolsonaro has “squamous cell carcinoma, which is neither the most benign nor the most aggressive form — it is intermediate.” Birolini warned, however, that this type of skin cancer “can carry more serious consequences.”
International
Milei praises Paraguay’s growth, calls Argentina’s last 20 years a ‘decline’
Argentine President Javier Milei praised Paraguay’s economic growth over the past two decades during a speech before the Paraguayan Congress on Wednesday (Sept. 17, 2025), crediting it to incentives that favored capitalism. At the same time, he contrasted that progress with what he described as Argentina’s deepening “decline” during the same period.
“If we compare the last 20 years of Paraguay with those of the Argentine Republic, we will find almost diametrically opposite results,” Milei told lawmakers during a special session of Parliament on the second and final day of his official visit to Asunción.
“While you have not stopped growing, we have deepened our decline. If we understand incentives as the engine of capitalism, Paraguay focused on preserving and strengthening them, while Argentina dedicated itself to chaining, directing, and suffocating them,” the right-wing leader stated.
International
Trump administration launches large-scale immigration operation in Chicago
The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump intensified a large-scale immigration operation in the Chicago area with the arrival of additional Border Patrol agents on Tuesday and the presence of Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem during a raid.
Noem posted a video on her X account showing the immigration operation, in which DHS reportedly removed “violent criminals” from the streets. The footage shows Noem observing the arrest of a man taken into custody at his home early Tuesday morning at an undisclosed location.
“I was in Chicago today to make it clear that we will not back down,” the secretary wrote. “Our work is just beginning,” she added.
The warning from Noem was echoed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Chief Gregory Bovino, who posted a video on X Tuesday showing multiple Border Patrol vehicles arriving in the city with the caption: “Chicago, we are here!”
Bovino, who led the immigration crackdown in Los Angeles implemented since last June, said the team will remain in Chicago to continue the mission they started in California.
Operation “Midway Blitz” is currently focused on the Chicago metropolitan area and its suburbs. Activists and residents have reported sightings of masked agents and unmarked vehicles in predominantly Latino neighborhoods.
Bolsonaro diagnosed with skin cancer amid coup conviction
Milei praises Paraguay’s growth, calls Argentina’s last 20 years a ‘decline’
Trump administration launches large-scale immigration operation in Chicago
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
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