International
The Pentagon says that Gaza’s humanitarian dock will operate again this week but “temporarily”
The U.S. Department of Defense reported on Tuesday that the humanitarian dock located off the coast of the Gaza Strip will be operational “again this week,” but stressed that it is a “temporary measure” and that there are “better ways” to bring aid to the Palestinian enclave.
“We hope it will be operational again this week (…) We have always said that the dock is a temporary measure. I have no date to announce in terms of when it will cease its operations,” said the press secretary of the U.S. Department of Defense, Patrick Ryder, at a press conference.
The dock, which has been used since May 17 to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza by order of US President Joe Biden, was withdrawn on Friday and towed to Ashdod (Israel) to avoid possible damage caused by the strong waves.
“We are looking forward to it being operational again soon to deliver the aid,” Ryder replied when asked if the dock, whose installation cost 230 million dollars, could be dismantled as early as next month.
The installation consists of two structures: a floating dock to which the ships loaded with humanitarian assistance are moored and a roadway through which the trucks that carry the supplies to the ground travel.
The Pentagon already announced on May 28 that it had to temporarily remove part of the pier since the road that joined it with the beach was damaged by a storm and needed repair.
The rough sea also caused two U.S. Army ships to be stranded.
On the other hand, the representative of the Pentagon added today that, “as far as (aid) launches from the air are concerned,” they have “the capacity and the intention” to continue carrying them out.
More than 3,500 metric tons (3,858 tons) were delivered through the maritime corridor for delivery by humanitarian organizations, according to the U.S. Central Command. (Centcom).
Since then, Centcom has also participated in almost 40 missions of this type in Gaza to deliver, among other things, more than 1,050 metric tons of bulk food, water and prepared meals.
The last humanitarian air launch of this type took place on June 9, when a U.S. C-130 threw more than 10 metric tons of “ready-to-eat meals” (padded food) in northern Gaza.
The UN has repeatedly stressed that neither the artificial dock nor these actions are sufficient in the face of Gaza’s needs.
International
Trump: U.S. has hit three venezuelan narco boats in Caribbean
U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday that American forces have struck three suspected Venezuelan drug-trafficking vessels in the Caribbean so far, not two as previously reported.
“We took down boats. It was actually three boats, not two, but you only saw two,” Trump told reporters at the White House before departing for a state visit to the United Kingdom.
The president was asked about remarks by Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, who accused Washington of plotting to invade his country.
“Stop sending members of the Tren de Aragua to the United States. Stop sending drugs to the United States,” Trump responded.
The Republican leader mentioned this third vessel a day after announcing that U.S. forces had struck a speedboat in which, according to him, three “terrorists” were killed. Later, from the Oval Office, he claimed the boat had been carrying cocaine and fentanyl.
The attacks come amid escalating tensions between Washington and Caracas, as the U.S. military maintains a Caribbean deployment under the banner of counter-narcotics operations.
The Trump administration accuses Maduro of heading the so-called Cartel of the Suns, which the Venezuelan government denies. Washington has also offered a $50 million reward for information leading to Maduro’s capture.
On Monday, Maduro said communications with the U.S. were “broken” in the face of what he called an “aggression” and declared that Venezuela is now “better prepared” in case of an “armed struggle.”
International
Ecuador’s Noboa declares State of Emergency in seven provinces amid fuel price protests
Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa declared a state of emergency on Tuesday in seven provinces due to what he described as “serious internal unrest,” as road blockades and demonstrations erupted in response to the elimination of the diesel subsidy and growing concerns over insecurity.
The 60-day measure applies to the provinces of Carchi, Imbabura, Pichincha, Azuay, Bolívar, Cotopaxi, and Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas.
Since Monday, partial protests have been reported in Pichincha, Carchi, Azuay, and Imbabura. On Tuesday, road blockades extended to northern Pichincha and routes in Carchi, near the Colombian border. In response, the Executive headquarters was temporarily relocated to Cotopaxi and the Vice Presidency to Imbabura.
The presidential decree states that the measure comes amid “strikes that have disrupted public order and provoked acts of violence, endangering the safety of citizens and their rights to free movement, work, and economic activity.”
According to the decree, the goal is to “prevent the radicalization of disruptive actions” in the affected provinces and to limit the impact on the population. It further emphasizes that the situation requires an “exceptional intervention by state institutions to safeguard security, guarantee citizens’ rights, maintain public order, and preserve social peace.”
Social organizations and labor groups, including the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (Conaie), have strongly rejected the diesel price increase following the subsidy’s elimination.
The decree justifies the two-month duration as necessary “to ensure a strengthened state presence in the affected territories, restore order, and prevent further acts of violence against people, public, and private property.”
International
Colombia’s special peace tribunal hands down first sentence against former FARC leaders
Seven former rebel leaders, including their last known commander Rodrigo Londoño, alias “Timochenko,” have been handed the maximum penalty established in the 2016 peace agreement.
Under the ruling, they will face mobility restrictions and be required to carry out activities aimed at restoring the dignity of victims, such as helping locate missing persons and participating in landmine clearance in territories where they once operated. These alternative sentences to prison were part of the historic deal signed in 2016 between the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) —once the most powerful guerrilla group in Latin America— and then-President Juan Manuel Santos, Nobel Peace Prize laureate.
The Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP) found the ex-commanders guilty of being responsible for the kidnapping of 21,396 people before laying down their arms and transitioning into a political party. “Investigations showed that kidnapping became a systematic practice. These crimes not only broke the law but also left open wounds that persist in families, communities, and the daily life of the country,” a magistrate told reporters in Bogotá, in the absence of the former commanders, who had accepted responsibility for their crimes back in 2022.
It took the tribunal more than seven years to deliver its first ruling, amid criticism from opponents of the peace deal who argue it is too lenient on the rebels. The former commanders still face charges for other crimes against humanity, including the recruitment of minors.
During their decades-long conflict, the FARC held hostage soldiers, police officers, businesspeople, and political leaders, including French-Colombian Ingrid Betancourt. Images of emaciated captives chained in jungle camps shocked the world and became symbols of the conflict.
Trump: U.S. has hit three venezuelan narco boats in Caribbean
Ecuador’s Noboa declares State of Emergency in seven provinces amid fuel price protests
Trump files $15 billion defamation suit against The New York Times
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