International

Santos sends a letter to the UN to stop the Colombian government’s intentions about the constituent

Former Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos sent a letter to the UN Secretary General, António Guterres, in which he assures that the peace agreement signed in 2016 with the then FARC guerrillas does not contemplate a Constituent Assembly, as the current Government defends.

“No one apart from the Final Agreement proposes or insinuates that the rules established in the current Constitution may be unknown in the future,” Santos (2010-2018) said in the letter dated May 31.

Ten days ago, in a public event in Popayán, capital of the department of Cauca (southwest), the Colombian president, Gustavo Petro, said that the peace agreement with the FARC has the strength to convene a Constituent Assembly that would allow him to make the social reforms that Congress has not approved.

Petro also said on May 14 that he will denounce to the UN that the Colombian State, which he represents, does not comply with the peace agreement with the FARC and predicted that this may lead to “bloodsheds.”

In his letter to Guterres, Santos reminds him that on March 29, 2017, he sent the full text of the peace agreement to the UN in which he referred “expressly to the principle of good faith, of enormous importance in the interpretation and application” of the agreement.

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“I emphasize this because Colombian officials and former officials have attributed to some paragraphs of the agreement a meaning that is contrary to its object, scope and purpose, which is possibly incompatible with the principle of good faith,” adds the former president.

According to Santos, the peace agreement, “far from providing for extra-institutional mechanisms or seeking to circumvent the procedures established in the Constitution of Colombia,” was ratified by the Senate and the House of Representatives on November 29 and 30, 2016, respectively.

“The Constitutional Court reviewed the compatibility with the Constitution not only of the laws that developed the agreement, but also of the constitutional reforms, in accordance with the constitutional rules and doctrines commonly accepted in that matter in Colombia, a country that prides itself on a more than a century-old tradition of respect for the principle of constitutional supremacy,” Santos adds in the letter.

After pointing out that “the letter and spirit of the agreement have been attempted to be unknown,” Santos recalls that the former president of the Spanish Government Felipe González and the former Uruguayan president Pepe Mujica, who exercised the function of “notable verifiers” of the peace agreement, “are totally in agreement with the spirit and content of this communication.”

Therefore, it concludes with the request to Guterres to communicate the content of the letter to the UN Security Council and to insist, “once again and hopefully more forcefully, on the need to implement the peace agreement.”

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International

Spain’s irregular migrant population rises to 840,000, study finds

The number of migrants living in Spain without legal residency status continues to rise and has reached 840,000 people, with 91% originating from the Americas, particularly Colombia, Peru and Honduras, according to a report by the Spanish think tank Funcas (Foundation of the Savings Banks).

An estimated 17.2% of the non-EU foreign population living in Spain is in an irregular administrative situation. The estimate is based on the gap between the number of foreign residents effectively living in Spain, according to the National Statistics Institute (INE), and those who hold a residence permit, benefit from international protection, or are in the process of obtaining it.

The data, as of January 1, 2025, point to a notable and sustained increase in irregular migration since 2017, when the estimated figure stood at around 107,000 people, representing 4.2% of the non-EU population residing in Spain.

By origin, migrants from the American continent stand out, totaling around 760,000 people, or 91% of all irregular migrants. Colombians account for nearly 290,000, followed by Peruvians with almost 110,000, and Hondurans with about 90,000. Migrants from Africa (50,000), Asia (15,000) and Europe (14,000) trail far behind.

The figures predate Spain’s latest immigration regulation reform, which came into force in May 2025 and introduces measures to ease access to legal status through residency ties. According to Funcas, the reform would, in principle, tend to reduce the number of migrants in an irregular situation.

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International

Historic snowstorm paralyzes Toronto after 60 centimeters of snow

Toronto, Canada’s largest city and the fourth most populous in North America, was largely paralyzed on Monday after a historic snowstorm dumped up to 60 centimeters of snow and sent temperatures plunging to -15 degrees Celsius, authorities said.

Late Sunday, as the scale of the snowfall became clear, city officials declared a climate emergency, triggering extraordinary measures including parking bans on several major streets to facilitate snow removal operations.

Toronto’s public transit authority reported that while some buses remain immobilized, subway and streetcar services are operating with relative normality, though localized disruptions may occur.

A similar situation is affecting the city’s commuter rail network, which remains operational but is experiencing significant delays on its main routes due to the severe weather conditions.

International

Venezuela frees at least 80 political prisoners, NGO says

At least 80 political prisoners were released on Sunday across Venezuela, human rights group Foro Penal reported, as the broader process of detainee releases continues at a slow pace under the interim government.

Foro Penal’s director, Alfredo Romero, wrote on social media platform X that verified releases took place nationwide and that the figure could rise as more confirmations are completed.

Attorney Gonzalo Himiob, also from Foro Penal, said the excarcelations occurred during the early hours of the day and emphasized that the number is not yet final pending further verification.

The releases are part of a series of steps announced by Venezuela’s interim leader, Delcy Rodríguez, who took power after the capture of former President Nicolás Maduro in a U.S. military operation on Jan. 3, 2026. Rodríguez has pledged a significant number of liberations but has been criticized by opposition groups and rights organizations for the slow and nontransparent nature of the process.

So far, the Venezuelan government reports that 626 detainees have been freed since December, though independent counts by human rights groups suggest the number of actual political prisoner releases is lower and that many remain behind bars.

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Families of those still detained have maintained vigils outside prisons, hopeful for further releases even as broader concerns about political imprisonment and due process persist.