International
The Government of Colombia denies having given money to the ELN through corrupt contracts
The Colombian Government rejected on Wednesday the accusations of the former director of the National Unit for Disaster Risk Management (UNGRD) Olmedo López, who assured in statements to Justice that the guerrilla National Liberation Army (ELN) received money from the State through contracts of this entity, immersed in a corruption scandal.
This was stated by the delegation of the Government that negotiates peace with the ELN in a statement in which he pointed out that “as we have reiterated in all circumstances, the demand on the ELN to suspend the practice of kidnapping for economic reasons that the National Government has formulated has never been subject to any offer of consideration or economic benefits.”
The negotiators emphasize that “all the actions in progress of the peace process with the ELN have strictly adhered to the principle of legality that means respect for the Constitution and the laws in force.”
In a statement he gave last month to investigators of the Supreme Court of Justice, revealed last Tuesday by Noticias Caracol, López, who is being investigated for several cases of corruption during his management in the UNGRD, said: “This is a network that includes from ministers to contractors, but in the middle there are other officials (…) and it touches an actor who has a very strong military capacity.”
“The name that says that role that I showed the Prosecutor’s Office and that reads in the summary of my statement (…) is the ELN and its great influence in the department of Arauca (border with Venezuela),” López added.
The former director of the UNGRD recalled that last December, in the fifth cycle of the peace negotiation held in Mexico City, the Government and the ELN agreed that this armed group would cease kidnappings for economic purposes.
However, last May, when the corruption scandal had already broken out and López was no longer director of the Unit, the guerrillas “ended” the suspension of kidnappings for economic purposes, considering that the Executive has failed to comply with the creation of a “multi-donor fund for the peace process.”
In that direction, López assured the investigators: “they issued a statement a few months ago: ‘we return to the kidnappings because they have not guaranteed the maintenance of the men’ (…) and how were they going to guarantee it? With contracts.”
After this, the former official pointed out that a UNGRD contract was delivered to the representative of the Chamber Karen Manrique, of the department of Arauca, an area “of a high guerrilla influence of the ELN.”
In their statement, the Government’s peace negotiators recalled that all the issues that are negotiated with the ELN are framed in the legality and that, in addition, there is “permanent observation of the international community” as are the guarantor and accompanying countries, the UN and the Catholic Church.
“The contents of each of the sessions of the Dialogue Table, the working commissions and the meetings of the heads of the delegations, are duly recorded in the working minutes signed by both delegations and the representatives of the international community,” the document emphasizes.
For his part, the Colombian president, Gustavo Petro, said on social networks that in the peace negotiations with the ELN “they have only achieved a first point of political commitment, any funding with the ELN, as happened with the FARC, would take place in the final phase with the definitive demobilization of violence and would never be given through public procurement.”
The president assured that “Olmedo’s falsehood is that he desperately needs to denounce to lower his sentence, without returning the stolen money.”
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.
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.
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.
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.
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