International
Fifth cycle of peace talks between the Colombian Government and the ELN come to an end
December 18 |
The fifth cycle of peace talks between the Government of Colombia and the National Liberation Army (ELN) concluded this Sunday in Mexico City with six agreements that reinforce the willingness of the two parties to move forward in the negotiations, which began last year.
Of the agreements, the first is a reaffirmation of the agreement reached here in Mexico last March. Two, the suspension of withholdings for economic purposes as part of the extension of the ceasefire that ends in January and will now be extended.
Three, the creation of conditions for the extension of the ceasefire, a verification mechanism and measures against the actions of paramilitary forces and armed groups. Four, the creation of economic and financial conditions to materialize the Mexico agreement.
Five, the resumption of the process of participation of society to be designed in April of next year. Six, the creation of eight critical zones of humanitarian action. It was announced that the sixth cycle of dialogues will be held in Cuba on January 22.
The head of the government delegation, Vera Grabe, also announced that other agreements are the extension of the ceasefire, the creation of an observatory to work on the issue of paramilitarism, the consolidation of 8 peace zones, humanitarian actions for ELN political prisoners and the provision of information on people in captivity.
For his part, the head of the ELN delegation, alias Pablo Beltrán, affirmed that the guerrillas and the Colombian government are pursuing the same goal: peace.
“We are partners, we are responsible for building that mandate,” he stressed at the same event.
For this reason, he affirmed that the Peace Dialogues are a contribution to change the culture of confrontation and to seek conciliation in the South American country.
However, he pointed out that it is difficult to advance in the construction of peace when there are media wars and progress is forgotten, focusing only on conflicts and tensions.
“We delegations express our recognition and gratitude to the people and government of the United Mexican States, for their support to this process and for having hosted the V Cycle of Dialogues for Peace,” both delegations indicated after the closing ceremony of the event.
They also thanked Cuba for its support to this process and announced that the country will host the VI Cycle starting on January 22, 2024 and that it will facilitate the Inter-Cycle Contact Point of the Dialogue Table.
The text of the agreements was read in a ceremony attended by senior Colombian government officials, leaders of the ELN mission, guests from the group of guarantor countries, representatives of the United Nations and the Colombian Catholic Church, among others.
The guarantor countries are represented by Brazil, Cuba, Chile, Mexico, Norway and Venezuela, the permanent accompaniers are the Colombian Episcopal Conference and the UN Secretary General, in addition to the Group of Accompanying, Support and Cooperation Countries (GPAAC), made up of Germany, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.
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.
International
Three salvadorans in Florida sentenced in $146 million construction tax fraud scheme
Three Salvadoran residents living in Orlando, Florida, were sentenced for conspiracy to commit tax fraud and wire fraud involving a scheme exceeding $146 million in the construction industry, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida. The sentence was handed down by federal judge Timothy J. Corrigan on Tuesday, July 29.
Eduardo Aníbal Escobar (45) was sentenced to 4 years and 9 months in prison, Carlos Alberto Rodríguez (36) to 3 years and 4 months, and Adelmy Tejada (57) to 18 months in prison, followed by 6 months of house arrest. All three pled guilty on April 3, 2025.
In addition to the prison terms, the court ordered restitution payments totaling $36,957,616 to the IRS for unpaid payroll taxes, and $397,895 to two insurers for workers’ compensation claims related to the scheme.
Escobar and Rodríguez are permanent legal residents originally from El Salvador, while Tejada is a naturalized U.S. citizen of Salvadoran origin.
International
Kremlin hails preparedness after Kamchatka quakes leave no casualties
The Kremlin expressed relief that the earthquakes that struck Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula today —the first being the strongest since 1952— resulted in no casualties, and emphasized that the region is well prepared to face such natural disasters.
“Thank God, there were no victims,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov during his daily press briefing.
The presidential representative stated that “all alert systems were activated in time, and evacuations were organized for residents in areas requiring it in response to tsunami threats.”
“Overall, the seismic resilience of the buildings proved effective (…) Therefore, we can say that the technological preparedness demonstrated a high level,” Peskov added.
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