International
India destroys the homes of the alleged attackers in Kashmir with excavators
Indian authorities demolished the homes of two men suspected of being involved in the recent deadly attack against tourists in Indian Kashmir, amid a diplomatic escalation with Pakistan and growing concerns in this convulsive region with a history of conflict.
The demolitions were carried out a few hours before a scheduled visit to the area of the head of the Indian Army in the region, General Upendra Dwivedi, a local policeman revealed to EFE, on condition of anonymity, stating that they conform to India’s zero tolerance policy against terrorism.
The houses, located in the southern districts of Pulwama and Anantnag, specifically in Tral and Bijbehara, respectively, belonged to Asif Sheikh and Adil Thoker.
Both are alleged members of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), an insurgent organization made illegal by India.
“It is suspected that the two terrorists are behind the Pahalgam attack,” a senior police official told EFE, adding that “the demolitions were carried out as a deterrent measure.”
On April 22, in the meadow of Baisaran de Pahalgam, a popular tourist destination in Indian Kashmir, a group of men attacked a group of tourists, killing 26 of them, mostly Indians. India has attributed the attack on militants that it describes as Pakistan-sponsored terrorists.
The incident has intensified tensions in this territory claimed by India and Pakistan.
Face-to-face witnesses in Pulwama and Anantnag informed EFE that security forces, including police and paramilitaries, cordoned off the areas before proceeding to demolish the houses.
Images showing the houses destroyed before dawn have circulated widely on social networks.
India’s National Investigative Agency (NIA), the country’s main anti-terrorist agency, has launched a formal investigation into the Pahalgam attack. Sources cited in several local media claim that investigators have questioned numerous residents and tourists who were in the vicinity at the time of the murders.
General Dwivedi’s visit to Srinagar, the main city of Kashmir, occurs in a context of growing tension between India and Pakistan, with a strong exchange of statements between the two nations after the Pahalgam massacre.
The Kashmir region, a territory claimed entirely by India and Pakistan, but administered in parts by each, remains heavily militarized.
The frequent outbreaks of violence, often linked to separatist insurgencies seeking independence or greater autonomy from Indian rule, continue to disrupt life in the Himalayan territory.
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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