International

Petro has the former director of the DIAN as the new Minister of Commerce

The president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, inaugurated on Tuesday the former director of the Directorate of National Taxes and Customs (DIAN), Luis Carlos Reyes, as the new Minister of Commerce. Petro entrusted him with the challenge of changing oil and coal exports for those of industry and agro-industry.

“Today we have the first cabinet change in the middle of the year. Dr. Umaña played a decent role, he will continue to work with us on other aspects of the action that is economic,” Petro said in the act of possession with respect to Germán Umaña. He leaves office after having taken care, among other matters, of recovering trade relations with Venezuela.

Reyes is an economist and historian and has become popular on social networks such as ‘Mr. Taxes’ for his pragmatism in explaining tax issues in a simple way. He assumes from today as a minister with the challenge of changing the country’s export matrix.

“We are selling mainly coal and oil, if the world decarbonizes, we stop selling coal and oil, which is what is already happening in these months. Therefore, replacing those currencies becomes fundamental,” Petro explained during the possession speech.

For that, according to President Petro, we have to: “export agriculture – something we have done -, we have to export agro-industry – we have a lot to do -, and we have to export industry, which is where we have to do the most.”

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That change, which is not simple, because the “industry has red numbers” and therefore there are flaws in the “industrial policy”. It has to come, in the words of the president, from an increase in international tourism.

“The industry involves allocating public and private resources in a priority way; lowering their interest rates; achieving regions prone to industrialization; stimulating the profitability of transforming products in Colombia; increasing it; which implies lowering its financial costs and lowering their electricity costs,” Petro added, who also added the need to lower energy prices and make it clean.

“These are its objectives and its challenges, these alone, are: how to achieve a true industrialization process, in my opinion, starting with agro-industry, modernizing manufacturing, even to export,” the president told the new Minister of Commerce.

International

U.S. Senate Rejects Budget, Bringing Government Closer to Shutdown Amid DHS Dispute

The U.S. Senate voted on Thursday against a budget proposal in a move aimed at pressuring changes at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), following the killing of two civilians during a deployment of immigration agents in Minneapolis.

All Senate Democrats and seven Republican lawmakers voted against the bill, which requires 60 votes to advance, pushing the country closer to a partial government shutdown that would cut funding for several agencies, including the Pentagon and the Department of Health.

The rejection came as Senate leaders and the White House continue negotiations on a separate funding package for DHS that would allow reforms to the agency. Proposed measures include banning Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents from wearing face coverings and requiring them to use body-worn cameras during operations.

The vote took place just hours after President Donald Trump said he was “close” to reaching an agreement with Democrats and did not believe the federal government would face another shutdown, following last year’s record stoppage.

“I don’t think the Democrats want a shutdown either, so we’ll work in a bipartisan way to avoid it. Hopefully, there will be no government shutdown. We’re working on that right now,” Trump said during a Cabinet meeting at the White House.

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International

Trump Says Putin Agreed to One-Week Halt in Attacks on Ukraine Amid Extreme Cold

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he secured a commitment from Russian President Vladimir Putinto halt attacks against Ukraine for one week, citing extreme weather conditions affecting the region.

“Because of the extreme cold (…) I personally asked Putin not to attack Kyiv or other cities and towns for a week. And he agreed. He was very pleasant,” Trump said during a Cabinet meeting broadcast by the White House.

Trump acknowledged that several advisers had questioned the decision to make the call.
“A lot of people told me not to waste the call because they wouldn’t agree. And he accepted. And we’re very happy they did, because they don’t need missiles hitting their towns and cities,” the president said.

According to Trump, Ukrainian authorities reacted with surprise to the announcement but welcomed the possibility of a temporary ceasefire.
“It’s extraordinarily cold, record cold (…) They say they’ve never experienced cold like this,” he added.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky later commented on the announcement, expressing hope that the agreement would be honored.

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International

Storm Kristin Kills Five in Portugal, Leaves Nearly 500,000 Without Power

Storm Kristin, which battered Portugal with heavy rain and strong winds early Wednesday, has left at least five people dead, while nearly half a million residents remained without electricity as of Thursday, according to updated figures from authorities.

The revised death toll was confirmed to AFP by a spokesperson for the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANPEC). On Wednesday, the agency had reported four fatalities.

Meanwhile, E-Redes, the country’s electricity distribution network operator, said that around 450,000 customers were still without power, particularly in central Portugal.

Emergency services responded to approximately 1,500 incidents between midnight and 8:00 a.m. local time on Wednesday, as the storm caused widespread disruptions.

The Portuguese government described Kristin as an “extreme weather event” that inflicted significant damage across several regions of the country. At the height of the storm, as many as 850,000 households and institutions lost electricity during the early hours of Wednesday.

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Several municipalities ordered the closure of schools, many of which remained shut on Thursday due to ongoing adverse conditions.

Ricardo Costa, regional deputy commander of the Leiria Fire Brigade, said residents continue to seek assistance as rainfall persists.
“Even though the rain is not extremely intense, it is causing extensive damage to homes,” he noted.

In Figueira da Foz, a coastal city in central Portugal, strong winds toppled a giant Ferris wheel, underscoring the severity of the storm.