International

Colombian government and FARC dissidents begin new dialogue seeking to extend the ceasefire

The Government of Colombia and three blocs of the divided Central General Staff (EMC), the largest dissidence of the former FARC, began this Friday in Bogotá the VI cycle of peace talks with several items on the agenda, including the possibility of extending the ceasefire of the bilateral fire that ends on October 15.

Just one year after the official installation of the peace negotiations, and after several crises after the split of the well-known Central General Staff (EMC), the main dissident of the FARC, the delegations sat down with the premise of moving forward and that “this cycle can be a real leap forward,” in the words of the Chief Negotiator of the Government, Camilo González Posso.

“A year and three days ago we began this titanic task (…) where the starting point was given to this process, that’s where we managed to reach an agreement. Since then we have encountered thousands of obstacles, with vicissitudes,” accepted the delegate of dissent, Andrey Avendaño, who added that they are “very expectant of what may arise in this cycle.”

The sixth cycle of peace talks

In this sixth cycle of talks, which will last until October 19 and where it seeks to extend a bilateral cessation with the so-called Central General Staff (EMC), to which the blocks of Jorge Suárez Briceño, Magdalena Medio and the Raúl Reyes Front belong, the “environmental issue” will also be on the table, which both delegations consider “of vital importance”.

González Posso added that his expectations in this meeting are “to go out with very specific decisions, to develop an exact work schedule for the next period.”

20250901_vacunacion_vsr-728x90

20250901_minsal_tetra_-728x90

20250701_vacunacion-influenza-728x90

20250701_vacunacion_vph-728x90

20250701_dengue_728x90

20250715_donacion_sangre_central_728x90

20250501_mh_noexigencia_dui_728x90

20231124_etesal_728x90_1

20230601_agenda_primera_infancia_728X90

domfuturo_netview-728x90

20240604_dom_728x90

CEL

The last cycle in this process was held in July, also in Bogotá, and it was in April when the EMC split, leaving out of the negotiations the dissidents commanded by ‘Iván Mordisco’, who operate mainly in the southwest of the country and have starred in an escalation of violence since then.

“We have been six months since the reconfiguration of the table, in April we opened a new period and in these six months we have advanced a lot to approve the participation agreement, we have advanced in prefiguring immediate steps in terms of territorial transformations,” said González Posso, optimistic in the process.

“Acceleration of results”

The installation of this cycle of dialogues in Bogotá was accompanied by the Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development, Susana Muhamad, who told the delegations that “it is a process that needs to enter an acceleration of results” because the Government enters the second half of its mandate and this means that the time of “consolidation of work” must come.

“The National Government is ready,” the minister added, referring to territorial transformations and the defense of nature, “but we cannot do that without peace,” she warned.

For his part, the commissioned peace counselor, Otty Patiño, considered that “we need persistence, confidence that it is possible and knowing that building peace is not a path full of roses, but of difficulties,” while he was optimistic that an agreement will be reached to extend the ceasefire.

At the moment, it is still being discussed whether the extension of the cessation of hostilities will be for three or six months, although both parties seem to be leaning towards the second option.

In this line, Patiño detailed that the president, Gustavo Petro, has ordered to change the logic of the ceasefire: “The fundamental plan is, first, the policy of territorial transformation, and as an element that can support it, the ceasefire.”

20250901_vacunacion_vsr-728x90

20250901_minsal_tetra_-728x90

20250701_vacunacion-influenza-728x90

20250701_vacunacion_vph-728x90

20250701_dengue_728x90

20250715_donacion_sangre_central_728x90

20250501_mh_noexigencia_dui_728x90

20231124_etesal_728x90_1

20230601_agenda_primera_infancia_728X90

domfuturo_netview-728x90

20240604_dom_728x90

CEL

International

Bolsonaro diagnosed with skin cancer amid coup conviction

Former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro has been diagnosed with skin cancer while serving a historic sentence for attempting a coup d’état. His medical team confirmed that the lesions have been removed and that, for now, he does not require further procedures, though he will need regular monitoring.

On Wednesday, September 17, Bolsonaro’s doctors confirmed the diagnosis. The announcement comes shortly after the former leader was convicted of orchestrating an attempted coup.

According to his physician, Claudio Birolini, Bolsonaro has “squamous cell carcinoma, which is neither the most benign nor the most aggressive form — it is intermediate.” Birolini warned, however, that this type of skin cancer “can carry more serious consequences.”

International

Milei praises Paraguay’s growth, calls Argentina’s last 20 years a ‘decline’

Argentine President Javier Milei praised Paraguay’s economic growth over the past two decades during a speech before the Paraguayan Congress on Wednesday (Sept. 17, 2025), crediting it to incentives that favored capitalism. At the same time, he contrasted that progress with what he described as Argentina’s deepening “decline” during the same period.

“If we compare the last 20 years of Paraguay with those of the Argentine Republic, we will find almost diametrically opposite results,” Milei told lawmakers during a special session of Parliament on the second and final day of his official visit to Asunción.

“While you have not stopped growing, we have deepened our decline. If we understand incentives as the engine of capitalism, Paraguay focused on preserving and strengthening them, while Argentina dedicated itself to chaining, directing, and suffocating them,” the right-wing leader stated.

International

Trump administration launches large-scale immigration operation in Chicago

The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump intensified a large-scale immigration operation in the Chicago area with the arrival of additional Border Patrol agents on Tuesday and the presence of Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem during a raid.

Noem posted a video on her X account showing the immigration operation, in which DHS reportedly removed “violent criminals” from the streets. The footage shows Noem observing the arrest of a man taken into custody at his home early Tuesday morning at an undisclosed location.

“I was in Chicago today to make it clear that we will not back down,” the secretary wrote. “Our work is just beginning,” she added.

The warning from Noem was echoed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Chief Gregory Bovino, who posted a video on X Tuesday showing multiple Border Patrol vehicles arriving in the city with the caption: “Chicago, we are here!”

Bovino, who led the immigration crackdown in Los Angeles implemented since last June, said the team will remain in Chicago to continue the mission they started in California.

20250901_vacunacion_vsr-728x90

20250901_minsal_tetra_-728x90

20250701_vacunacion-influenza-728x90

20250701_vacunacion_vph-728x90

20250701_dengue_728x90

20250715_donacion_sangre_central_728x90

20250501_mh_noexigencia_dui_728x90

20231124_etesal_728x90_1

20230601_agenda_primera_infancia_728X90

domfuturo_netview-728x90

20240604_dom_728x90

CEL

Operation “Midway Blitz” is currently focused on the Chicago metropolitan area and its suburbs. Activists and residents have reported sightings of masked agents and unmarked vehicles in predominantly Latino neighborhoods.