International
Petro believes that the regional fronts of the guerrillas should be in the negotiation with the ELN
The president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, considered this Saturday that the regional fronts of that guerrillas should participate in the peace negotiations with the National Liberation Army (ELN), such as the one that operates in the department of Nariño (southwest) and that has unleashed a crisis in the dialogues.
“Without disred of the regional dialogue to build a Nariño in peace that has already begun, my Government maintains the established national table as the stage for peace dialogues with the ELN. It is important that that table has members of the different regional fronts of the ELN to move from dialogue to definitive negotiation,” Petro said on social network X.
Last February, after extending the bilateral ceasefire for six months, during the sixth cycle of dialogues in Havana, the ELN announced that the dialogues were entering a freezing phase, something that was solved days later.
This happened because the guerrillas were opposed by the announcement of the governor of Nariño, Luis Alfonso Escobar, that regional dialogues were going to be held where a front that the ELN said had been infiltrated by state agents was allegedly also involved.
Despite the setbacks, the delegations of the Government and the ELN spoke on Friday in Caracas with representatives of the guarantor countries and companions of the peace negotiations, before the extraordinary meeting that will begin this Saturday, the press team of the armed group assured EFE.
The ELN asked this week for an “extraordinary meeting” instead of the celebration of a normal cycle due to the “critical state” of the peace process that, in the opinion of that armed group, is plunged into a “freezing.”
The Government delegation, led by Vera Grabe, traveled to Caracas on Wednesday, while the guerrilla team arrived on Thursday, led by the head of negotiations, Israel Ramírez Pineda, alias ‘Pablo Beltrán’, and also by the top commander of the ELN, Eliécer Herlinto Chamorro, alias ‘Antonio García’, who is not part of the negotiating delegation.
At the meeting, according to the Government delegation, issues on the agenda will be addressed, such as participation, ceasefire and territorial transformations, as well as substantive decisions on the future of the process.
The negotiations, which were restarted in November 2022 after four years of freezing, have gone through several ups and downs, but both sides maintain a ceasefire that will be in force until next August 3.
International
Five Bodies Found in Ecuador as Police Probe Suspected Gang Turf War
Ecuadorian authorities are investigating the deaths of five people whose bodies were found inside a rural home, in what police believe may be linked to a territorial dispute between organized criminal groups.
The victims, aged between 21 and 30, were discovered Tuesday in the town of La Troncal, in the Andean province of Cañar. Police reported that two of the bodies were bound with wire, while a burned-out vehicle was found outside the residence.
Investigators said graffiti on the walls of the house included messages such as “Lobos territory” and “Lobos active,” suggesting a possible connection to the criminal organization known as Los Lobos.
Police believe the killings were likely the result of a conflict over territorial control between rival gangs.
The discovery came on the same day authorities arrested a former mayor in the neighboring province of Azuay. Officials identified him as the alleged main financial backer of Los Lobos, one of Ecuador’s most powerful criminal organizations.
Ecuador has experienced an unprecedented surge in violence in recent years, driven by criminal groups involved in drug trafficking, illegal mining, kidnapping, and extortion.
According to Insight Crime, the country recorded 51 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants in 2025—equivalent to roughly one killing every hour—making it one of the most violent countries in Latin America.
International
Georgia Teen Sentenced to Life Without Parole for Deadly School Shooting
A Georgia teenager who killed four people in a 2024 school shooting was sentenced Tuesday to life in prison without the possibility of parole after pleading guilty to the attack.
Colt Gray, now 16, admitted to opening fire at Apalachee High School in Winder, about 70 kilometers (45 miles) northeast of Atlanta. He was 14 years old at the time of the shooting.
The attack claimed the lives of two students and two teachers, while nine other people were injured. Despite being a minor when the shooting occurred, Gray was prosecuted as an adult.
During the sentencing hearing, Judge Nicholas Trimm acknowledged the failures of the teenager’s family but said they did not excuse his actions.
“Your parents failed you. Your family failed you. But that does not absolve you,” the judge said.
Trimm also rejected any suggestion that the shooting was motivated by bullying or personal grievances.
“You were not bullied at Apalachee. This was not driven by hate. You didn’t know anyone at that school. It was simply the desire to commit a notorious act,” he told Gray.
The case also led to the prosecution of the shooter’s father, Colin Gray, who was convicted in March of voluntary manslaughter and involuntary manslaughter. The case marked one of the first instances in which a parent was held criminally responsible for a mass shooting carried out by their child.
Prosecutors said Colin Gray had given his son an AR-15-style rifle as a Christmas gift in 2023, despite being aware that the teenager had previously threatened to carry out a school shooting.
Authorities said the same rifle was used in the attack less than a year later. Months before the shooting, FBI investigators had alerted local law enforcement after receiving reports of online messages linked to the Gray family’s internet address that referenced plans for a school massacre.
The case reflects growing legal scrutiny in the United States over the responsibility of parents whose children commit acts of gun violence.
In a similar case, the parents of a Michigan teenager who killed four people at his high school in 2021 were convicted of involuntary manslaughter in 2024 and sentenced to prison terms ranging from 10 to 15 years.
According to U.S. health authorities, firearms have been the leading cause of death among children and teenagers in the United States for several years.
International
Portuguese Authorities Seize 2.6 Tons of Cocaine Worth More Than $550 Million in Drug Bust
Italian financial police reported Monday that Portuguese authorities intercepted a speedboat carrying more than 2.6 tons of cocaine, with an estimated street value exceeding $550 million.
Four people — two Spanish nationals, one Albanian citizen, and a man from Gibraltar — were arrested in connection with the operation, according to Italian authorities.
The vessel was intercepted off the coast of Lisbon by Portugal’s maritime police following an investigation led by Italian authorities.
Italian financial police estimated that the seized shipment had a street value of approximately 500 million euros ($570 million), making it one of the largest drug seizures reported in the region in recent years.
Portuguese authorities said the interception took place on Thursday, about 90 kilometers (50 nautical miles) southwest of Cape Espichel, during an operation targeting international drug trafficking routes.
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