International
Petro says he is dealing with Maduro with a plan to “eradicate” armed groups from the border
The president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, said on Thursday that he has been in contact with Nicolás Maduro to launch an action plan that would allow the “eradication” of armed groups from the border with Venezuela, following the clashes in the Catatumbo area between the guerrillas of the National Liberation Army (ELN) and a dissident of the FARC.
“I have talked to the president in Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, to cover up the illegal passages, especially in the Catatumbo River, and it is acted with flights from side to side, we verify (sic) with the presence of 1,580 compatriots in a refugee camp on the other side,” Petro said in his social network account X.
He also said that “an action plan is being built, a set that seeks to close all space for action of the owners of drug trafficking on the border.”
The president thus responded to criticism the day before for making an official trip to Haiti while the country faces the security and humanitarian crisis caused by the clashes in the Catatumbo, which began a week ago and left between 60 and 80 dead, according to different authorities, as well as some 36,000 displaced people.
“No one disconnects at this time. I inform you that I have been connected with the current Venezuelan Government from Haiti and I have delegated my Minister of Defense to talk to his peer and establish a joint plan to eradicate armed gangs on the border,” Petro added.
Petro also said that there will be “a meeting of the two defense ministers for this purpose.”
Colombian Foreign Minister Luis Gilberto Murillo, who resigned this week and will be in office until January 31, said on Wednesday in New York that the Colombian Government has asked that of Venezuela through diplomatic channels to ensure greater control at the border to prevent the passage of ELN fighters from Catatumbo.
Murillo, who spoke before the UN Security Council at its quarterly session on the Verification Mission in Colombia, said that the two Governments “are coordinated to ensure tranquility on both sides of the border.”
To this end, he added, Colombia has “sadd to the Venezuelan State that it is definitive to avoid the passages of the members of the ELN through the border,” because it is a fact that “there were a series of illegal passages,” although all this without going to the extreme of closing the legal bridges that communicate the two countries.
Colombia and Venezuela share a border of 2,219 kilometers, of which about 375 are in the Catatumbo region, the scene of the clashes between the ELN and the 33rd Front of the FARC dissidents, for territorial control and drug trafficking businesses.
The delegation of the Government of Colombia in the dialogues with the National Liberation Army (ELN) said that the members of the guerrillas participating in the peace process are not in Cuba, after the Prosecutor’s Office reactivated the arrest warrants against 31 negotiators of the armed group.
“Our delegation affirms that to date, and according to official information, in Cuba there are no representatives or people authorized to participate in the peace process belonging to the ELN,” said this Thursday the Government delegation headed by Vera Grabe in a message on her X account.
This statement is made after the Prosecutor’s Office reactivated on Wednesday the arrest warrants against the ELN peace negotiators after Colombian President Gustavo Petro ordered the suspension of talks due to the “war crimes” that that guerrilla is committing in the Catatumbo.
International
U.S. strike in Caribbean kills three suspected drug traffickers
A U.S. strike on a suspected drug-smuggling vessel in the Caribbean killed three people on Saturday, according to Pentagon Chief Pete Hegseth, marking the latest in a series of attacks in international waters.
The United States has deployed ships to the Caribbean and sent fighter jets to Puerto Rico as part of a large military force that Washington says is aimed at curbing drug trafficking.
“This vessel, like all the others, was known to our intelligence for being involved in illicit narcotics smuggling,” Hegseth stated on X. “Three narcoterrorists were aboard the vessel during the attack, which took place in international waters,” he added.
Experts argue that the attacks, which began in early September, amount to extrajudicial executions, even if the targets are known traffickers.
Washington has yet to publicly provide evidence that the targeted individuals were actively smuggling drugs or posed a threat to the United States.
Hegseth said the U.S. would continue “hunting… and killing” suspected traffickers. He also shared video footage of the strike, showing the vessel being hit and engulfed in flames. As in previous videos, sections of the ship were blurred, making it impossible to verify the number of people on board.
The United Nations called on Friday for Washington to halt its attacks.
International
At least 23 killed in Sonora supermarket blast, including minors
At least 23 people were killed and 11 others injured in an explosion at a supermarket in Hermosillo, in the northern Mexican state of Sonora, local authorities reported on Saturday.
“So far, there are 23 confirmed deaths and 11 injured, including minors,” said Sonora Governor Alfonso Durazo in a video message. He added that the injured are receiving treatment in various hospitals across the city.
“I have ordered a thorough and transparent investigation to determine the causes of the incident and assign responsibility where appropriate,” Durazo said.
The explosion occurred at a Waldo’s store in downtown Hermosillo. Local authorities confirmed that the incident was not an attack nor related to any violent act against civilians.
Meanwhile, Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum expressed her condolences on X, offering sympathy to the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives.
International
Floods in Central Vietnam leave 28 dead, thousands displaced
The death toll from heavy rains and flooding in central Vietnam has risen to 28, with six people reported missing and 43 injured, local newspaper VnExpress reported Friday night.
More than 22,100 homes remain flooded, primarily in the cities of Hue and Da Nang. Floods and landslides have destroyed or swept away 91 houses and damaged another 181, the report added.
Around 245,000 households are still without electricity, particularly in Da Nang, where over 225,000 homes are affected.
Additionally, 80 stretches of national highways are blocked or disrupted due to landslides. Authorities expect the flooding to continue for another day or two in the region.
U.S. strike in Caribbean kills three suspected drug traffickers
At least 23 killed in Sonora supermarket blast, including minors
Floods in Central Vietnam leave 28 dead, thousands displaced
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
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