International
Future Colombian Minister of the Interior: We will explore the future possibility of the Constituent Assembly
The future Minister of the Interior of Colombia, Juan Fernando Cristo, assured on the date, when his appointment was announced, that he will assume the portfolio with the purpose of seeking a national agreement that allows to explore “the possibility” of convening a National Constituent Assembly, an idea of President Gustavo Petro.
Christ, who was Minister of the Interior during the mandate of Juan Manuel Santos (2010-2018), assured in a statement that one of his fundamental purposes will be “the search for a true national agreement that allows the possibility of convening a National Constituent Assembly under the parameters of the Constitution of ’91 to be explored in the future.”
Thus, next week he will begin to talk to all sectors, such as allies, opposition, high courts, unions, guilds and employers.
The purpose is “to see if we finally achieve a national agreement that eventually can or not – and that will arise from the conversations – end in the Constituent Assembly that would not be convened or elected, it would be a process that begins now and that if we reach a national political agreement it would be elected in the next Government, not in this Government.”
Petro has been outlining in public events the idea of a Constituent Assembly that allows the inclusion of the social reforms proposed by his Government and that are bogged down in Congress.
However, in the latest statements, instead of talking about convening a National Constituent Assembly, he has mentioned that it must be the people themselves who ask for it, as a primary constituent.
Christ himself, a traditional liberal politician who was a senator for 16 years (1998-2014), Minister of the Interior between 2014 and 2017 and delegate of the Government in the peace negotiations with the FARC, had shown himself in statements on his social networks against the Constituent Assembly saying that it is “unfeasible.”
But now it is open to this possibility if there is a national consensus for it and in a future legislature, which would mean that it would not be Petro who would carry it forward.
Christ, who will replace Luis Fernando Velasco, another liberal, led as a minister the Constitutional Reform of Balance of Powers that eliminated presidential re-election and, as a senator, was the author of the Law on Victims and Restitution of Lands. In addition, he led the agenda for implementing the peace agreement with the extinct FARC.
Among its purposes precisely, in addition to seeking the national agreement, will be the implementation of the peace agreement signed in 2016, in addition to “deepening the territorial autonomy of Colombia” and of course promoting the Government’s legislative agenda.
“In the coming days we will meet with all the ministers, those who are coming and the incoming ones, and with the president of the Republic to define the priorities of that legislative agenda, within which there will undoubtedly be the labor reform, the health reform and a new effort to bring forward the statutory law of Education,” said the new Minister of the Interior.
Christ is the last addition to Petro’s cabinet for the second half of his mandate.
Petro also announced in recent days changes in the ministries of Justice, where Néstor Osuna will be replaced by criminal lawyer Ángela María Buitrago; in Agriculture, where Jhenifer Mojica will be replaced by Martha Carvajalino, and in Transport, from which William Camargo leaves and María Constanza García arrives.
International
Mexican government prioritizes 191 communities after deadly floods
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum confirmed on Wednesday that the death toll from recent rains and floods across several central states has risen to 66, while the federal government has activated air bridges and prioritized assistance in 191 isolated communities.
“Unfortunately, 66 people have died, and 75 remain missing,” the president said during her morning press conference. She added that the official death toll will be updated later in a new report.
As of Tuesday, authorities had reported 64 fatalities. Sheinbaum also announced the creation of a public information center to centralize official data on the deceased, missing persons, damaged homes, and cut-off communities.
According to the president, the number of missing persons has decreased thanks to coordination with state authorities.
“Through calls to phone line 079, 103 people who had been reported missing have now been located,” she explained.
Priority Municipalities
The president noted that the federal government has classified 191 communities as ‘priority’, a designation based mainly on the percentage of homes affected.
International
New road and bridge explosions raise alarm amid indigenous protests in Ecuador
Ecuadorian authorities are investigating two explosions that occurred early Wednesday, one on a road in the southern part of the country and another under a bridge in Guayas province. These incidents follow the car bomb explosion in the coastal city of Guayaquil, also in Guayas, which occurred the day before and left one person dead and 30 injured.
Press reports indicate that one person was injured and several vehicles were damaged in the explosion on the Cuenca-Girón-Pasaje road in the south.
“Besides yesterday’s explosion in Guayaquil, we have received reports of explosives placed on bridges along the Guayaquil-Machala and Machala-Cuenca routes to disrupt traffic,” said Roberto Luque, Minister of Infrastructure and Transport (MIT).
On his X social media account, Luque reported that authorities have been deployed to the sites to assess the damage and determine the current condition of the structures.
“What they haven’t achieved with their call for a strike, some are trying to achieve through terrorism,” he stated, referring to the 24 days of protests organized by the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities (Conaie) against rising diesel prices and other demands.
The protests, called at a national level, have Imbabura province as their epicenter. Roadblocks have also been reported in the northern part of Pichincha province, whose capital is Quito, while activities in the rest of the country continue normally.
International
Armed forces target illegal mines in Northern Ecuador with bombing raids
Ecuador’s Armed Forces carried out an operation on Monday — including airstrikes — against illegal mining in the town of Buenos Aires, in the country’s north, Defense Minister Gian Carlo Loffredo reported.
The mountainous, gold-rich area has been a hotspot for illegal mining since 2017, located in the Andean province of Imbabura.
In 2019, former president Lenín Moreno deployed around 2,400 soldiers to the region in an attempt to curb the illegal activity. “The operation began with mortar fire, followed by gunfire and bombing runs by Supertucano aircraft,” Loffredo said in a video released by the Defense Ministry.
He added that the operation would continue on Tuesday with patrols across the area to locate possible members of “irregular armed groups that may have crossed from the Colombian border.”
The Armed Forces stated on X that the intervention focused on the “complete elimination of multiple illegal mining tunnels” in the areas known as Mina Nueva and Mina Vieja.
The operation coincided with the deployment of a military and police convoy into Imbabura, which has been the epicenter of protests against President Daniel Noboa since September 22, following his decision to scrap the diesel subsidy.
Mexican government prioritizes 191 communities after deadly floods
New road and bridge explosions raise alarm amid indigenous protests in Ecuador
Armed forces target illegal mines in Northern Ecuador with bombing raids
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
Defense Minister commends salvadoran soldier for Central American Cross Country victory
Extension of the state of emergency approved in southern Chile
-
Central America2 days agoGuatemala arrests first escaped gang member after Barrio 18 prison break
-
International2 days agoMexico reports 64 dead, 65 missing after devastating central region floods
-
International2 days agoVenezuela calls for continued global pressure to secure ‘just peace’ for Palestine
-
International2 days agoPope Leo XIV to skip COP30 in Brazil but plans future visit, Lula confirms
-
International4 days agoPeruvian president Jerí leads prison raids to tackle organized crime
-
International4 days agoVenezuela launches ‘Independence 200’ defense plan amid U.S. naval presence
-
Central America3 days agoFraijanes II prison in Guatemala reports gradual escape of 18th Street gang inmates
-
International1 day agoSheinbaum: Urgent to restore access to towns cut off by heavy rains
-
International3 days agoHeavy rains leave dozens dead in Hidalgo, Puebla, and Veracruz
-
International1 day agoArmed forces target illegal mines in Northern Ecuador with bombing raids
-
International1 day agoVenezuelan media faces fresh restrictions after reporting on opposition leader’s Nobel win
-
International1 day agoCaracas shuts embassy in Oslo without explanation following Machado’s Nobel win
-
International3 hours agoMexican government prioritizes 191 communities after deadly floods
-
International3 hours agoNew road and bridge explosions raise alarm amid indigenous protests in Ecuador