International
Colombian government and ELN agree to create humanitarian zones
September 4 |
The Government of Colombia and the National Liberation Army (ELN) confirmed on Monday the creation of the so-called “humanitarian zones”, at the end of the fourth cycle of peace talks, which was held in Caracas, the Venezuelan capital.
The news was announced by Senator Iván Cepeda, one of the negotiators of the Colombian government, who specified that “humanitarian zones will be created in which there will be an intervention, not only of a humanitarian nature, but also through development projects that will embody many of the peace agreements that the (negotiating) table is reaching”.
In a ceremony held in Caracas, a joint declaration was released, in which the parties indicated that they will produce “humanitarian actions”, without specifying which ones, “that promote the bilateral, national and temporary ceasefire, promote the participation of the communities, peoples and other social, economic and political forces in these territories”.
Likewise, this new agreement includes humanitarian actions, with which the Government of Gustavo Petro and the ELN seek to “carry out social development projects (…) for implementation in the coming months”.
The areas chosen were Bajo Calima and San Juan, localities in the department of Valle del Cauca, as well as Sur de Bolívar (Bolívar) and Bajo Cauca (Antioquia), territory in which violent actions were registered in the last weeks, despite the bilateral ceasefire agreed, which came into force last August 3 and will be extended until February 2024.
However, the parties will be able to define new “humanitarian zones”, if necessary, after analyzing the circumstances in these territories.
At the ceremony, the main ELN negotiator, commander Pablo Beltrán, referred that “the ceasefire has been under fire” and charged against the attacks to the process, of whom he said are “against Peace”.
He also pointed out that the negotiators have “placed emphasis on dealing with the critical zones, which are areas where there have been severe attacks”.
For his part, the head of the Colombian government delegation, Otty Patiño, pointed out that “in these nine months we have achieved a cease-fire, citizen participation to build a national agreement with thousands of voices”.
Patiño pointed out that “we have initiated a process of participation that aims to be the meeting between a civil ELN and Colombian society. It is a scenario in which differences are conveyed in a frank, intelligent and non-aggressive manner that will help in the construction of a great National Agreement”.
In another intervention, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Iván Gil valued that “peace in Colombia is an urgent and necessary matter that cannot be postponed” and ratified that Caracas “is willing to host the necessary meetings”.
The main objective of this cycle, which began on August 14, was to address issues such as the bilateral cease-fire and the participation of civil society in the dialogues. The negotiators thanked the Venezuelan government for the facilities provided for this process.
International
Trump Orders Construction of New ‘Golden Fleet’ to Revitalize U.S. Naval Superiority
President Donald Trump issued an executive order this Monday for the immediate construction of two new warships that will bear his name. These vessels will be the pioneers of what he described as the “Golden Fleet,” a future generation of “Trump-class” battleships that he claimed would be “100 times more powerful” than those currently in service.
The announcement took place at his private residence in Mar-a-Lago, Florida. The President indicated that following the initial two ships, the administration aims to commission up to 25 additional vessels. He is scheduled to meet with Florida-based contractors next week to expedite production, criticizing existing defense firms for failing to deliver results efficiently.
This naval expansion is a cornerstone of Trump’s goal to revitalized the American shipbuilding industry and address the strategic gap between the U.S. and competitors like China.
The move comes amid heightened geopolitical tension. Just last week, Trump ordered the seizure of all sanctioned tankers involved with Venezuela’s “ghost fleet” to cripple the country’s crude oil industry. Since December 10, the U.S. military—deployed in the Caribbean under the guise of counter-narcotics operations—has already detained two tankers linked to Venezuelan oil transport.
International
U.S. Judge Blocks ICE from Re-detaining Salvadoran Erroneously Deported Under Trump Administration
A U.S. federal judge ruled this Monday, December 22, that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is prohibited from re-detaining Salvadoran national Kilmar Ábrego García, who was erroneously deported to El Salvador earlier this year during the administration of President Donald Trump.
During a hearing in Maryland, U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis ruled that Ábrego García must remain free on bail through the Christmas holidays, concluding that his initial detention lacked a legal basis. The ruling follows a request from his legal team for a temporary restraining order to prevent ICE from carrying out a new arrest.
Earlier this month, on December 11, Judge Xinis ordered his release from a Pennsylvania migrant detention center after determining that the government had detained him without a formal deportation order. In 2019, an immigration judge had already ruled that Ábrego could not be returned to El Salvador because his life was in danger.
Despite that protection, Ábrego García was deported in March 2025 following a raid by the Trump administration. Officials argued at the time that he was a gang member, and he was sent directly to the Center for the Confinement of Terrorism (CECOT) in El Salvador. In June, he was returned to the United States to face a new trial for alleged human smuggling—a charge he denies.
On Monday, Judge Xinis also temporarily invalidated a new deportation order issued by an immigration judge following Ábrego’s recent release, granting him legal protection through the coming weeks. His trial is scheduled to begin in Tennessee in January 2026.
International
Fire at substation triggers major blackout in San Francisco
The U.S. city of San Francisco was plunged into darkness Saturday night after a power outage left about 130,000 customers without electricity, although the utility company said service was restored to most users within hours.
Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E) said in a statement posted on X that nearly 90,000 homes had their power restored by 9:00 p.m. local time (05:00 GMT on Sunday), while the remaining 40,000 customers were expected to have service restored overnight.
Large areas of the city, a major technology hub with a population of around 800,000, were affected by the blackout, which disrupted public transportation and left traffic lights out of service during the busy weekend before Christmas, a crucial period for retail businesses.
“I know it’s been a difficult day,” San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie said in a video posted on social media from the city’s emergency operations center. “There has been progress, but for those still without power, we want to make sure they are safe and checking in on their neighbors,” he added.
Lurie said police officers and firefighters advised residents to stay home as much as possible. He also noted that officers and traffic inspectors were deployed to manage intersections where traffic lights were not functioning.
The mayor confirmed that the outage was caused by a fire at an electrical substation. Parts of the city were also covered in fog, further complicating conditions during the incident.
As a result of the blackout, many businesses were forced to close despite it being the weekend before Christmas. The sudden drop in shopper traffic ahead of the holiday is “devastating” for retailers, the manager of home goods store Black & Gold told the San Francisco Chronicle.
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