International

Fiona batters Turks and Caicos as Category 3 hurricane

AFP

Hurricane Fiona battered the Turks and Caicos islands as a powerful Category 3 storm on Tuesday after leaving a trail of destruction in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.

The top US disaster management official was headed to Puerto Rico meanwhile to assess the damage in the US territory still struggling to recover from Hurricane Maria five years ago.

Fiona has left at least two people dead as it churned across the Caribbean — a man whose home was swept away in the French overseas department of Guadeloupe and another in the Dominican Republic who died while cutting down a tree.

The Turks and Caicos, a British territory of some 38,000 people, was being lashed by heavy rains and strong winds as Fiona crept northwards on a path that could see the storm approaching Bermuda late Thursday.

“Hurricane Fiona has proven to be an unpredictable storm,” Anya Williams, the deputy governor of the Turks and Caicos, said in a broadcast.

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Williams said no casualties or serious injuries had been reported in the Turks and Caicos overnight but she urged residents to continue to shelter in place.

Blackouts were reported on Grand Turk and several other islands in the archipelago and 165 people were admitted to shelters, she said, adding that Britain’s Royal Navy and the US Coast Guard are standing by provide assistance.

The US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said Fiona was packing maximum winds nearing 115 miles (185 kilometers) per hour, making it a major hurricane, and it is expected to become even stronger.

Dominican Republic President Luis Abinader has declared three eastern provinces to be disaster zones: La Altagracia — home to the popular resort of Punta Cana — El Seibo and Hato Mayor.

Several roads were flooded or cut off by falling trees or electric poles around Punta Cana where the power was knocked out.

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Footage from local media showed residents of the east coast town of Higuey waist-deep in water trying to salvage personal belongings.

“It came through at high speed,” Vicente Lopez told AFP, bemoaning the destroyed businesses in the area.

‘I have food and water’

US President Joe Biden has declared a state of emergency in Puerto Rico — where the storm hit a day earlier — and dispatched the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency to the island.

“We’re sending hundreds of additional staff in the next few days to place staff in each of the impacted communities,” FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell said.

Puerto Rico Governor Pedro Pierluisi said the storm had caused catastrophic damage on the island of three million people since Sunday, with some areas receiving more than 30 inches (76 centimeters) of rain.

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Michelle Carlo, medical advisor for Direct Relief in Puerto Rico, told CBS News that “a lot of people in Puerto Rico are suffering right now.”

“About 80 percent of Puerto Ricans are still without power and about 65 percent are without water service,” Carlo said.

Across Puerto Rico, Fiona caused landslides, blocked roads and toppled trees, power lines and bridges, Pierluisi said.

A man was killed as an indirect result of the power blackout — burned to death while trying to fill his generator, according to authorities.

On Monday afternoon, Nelly Marrero made her way back to her home in Toa Baja, in the north of Puerto Rico, to clear out the mud that surged inside after she evacuated.

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“Thanks to God, I have food and water,” Marrero — who lost everything when Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico — told AFP by telephone.

The hurricane has left around 800,000 people without drinking water as a result of power outages and flooded rivers, officials said.

After years of financial woes and recession, Puerto Rico in 2017 declared the largest bankruptcy ever by a local US administration.

Later that year, the double hit from hurricanes Irma and Maria added to the misery, devastating the electrical grid on the island — which has suffered from major infrastructure problems for years.

The grid was privatized in June 2021 in an effort to resolve the problem of blackouts, but the issue has persisted, and the entire island lost power earlier this year.

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International

Colombia to Send High-Level Delegation to Ecuador to Ease Trade Tensions

Colombia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed on Friday that, at the instruction of President Gustavo Petro, a high-level delegation will travel to Ecuador in an effort to normalize bilateral relations, which have deteriorated following the imposition of reciprocal tariffs.

“In line with Colombia’s policy of good neighborliness and the spirit of cooperation and integration that guides its foreign policy,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement, adding that the delegation will be led by Foreign Minister Rosa Villavicencio and Defense Minister Pedro Sánchez.

“Following instructions from the Presidency of the Republic, and as has been publicly reiterated, the Colombian delegation expects to reaffirm Colombia’s offer of support to the Republic of Ecuador to strengthen control over phenomena stemming from transnational organized crime,” the statement said.

The Foreign Ministry noted that the delegation will attend the meeting with a full willingness to engage in dialogue and to seek concrete solutions to the unilateral measures that have affected the longstanding relationship between the two neighboring countries.

Trade tensions between Ecuador and Colombia escalated on January 21, when Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboaimposed a 30% tariff on Colombian products, citing a lack of cooperation in anti-drug efforts. Colombia responded with similar measures and the suspension of energy exports, while Ecuador increased transportation costs for Colombian crude oil.

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Business associations in both countries have warned that the dispute is harming both economies and have called on the governments to resolve their differences through dialogue.

International

Super Bowl Halftime Show Puts Bad Bunny—and Immigration Politics—Back in the Spotlight

The long-standing argument that sports and politics should not mix may be put to the test on Sunday during the Super Bowl halftime show, which will be headlined by Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny, a choice that has sparked backlash from segments of the U.S. right wing.

Just one week after his headline-making appearance at the Grammy Awards—where he sharply criticized the United States’ anti-immigration policies—Bad Bunny will once again take center stage on the global spotlight with his performance at the NFL final in Santa Clara, California.

Beyond the expectations surrounding the show itself, speculation has grown over whether the artist could again use the platform to protest policies associated with the administration of former President Donald Trump, in front of an audience expected to exceed 120 million viewers in the United States alone.

In fact, one of the most popular Super Bowl prop bets this year revolves around whether the Puerto Rican singer will deliver a direct message against ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement), similar to the one he delivered at the Grammys last Sunday.

While few expect Bad Bunny to repeat such a pointed statement, the mere speculation highlights the delicate balance the NFL must manage during the most-watched broadcast of the year.

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The world’s most powerful sports league has drawn criticism from the MAGA movement since announcing in September that Bad Bunny would headline a halftime show largely performed in Spanish.

Trump himself declined to attend the matchup between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks, despite having made history last year as the first sitting U.S. president to attend a Super Bowl. He described the musical lineup—which also includes outspoken critics such as Green Day—as “a terrible choice” that would “sow hatred.” In response, his supporters have organized an alternative event dubbed the “All-American Halftime Show,” featuring like-minded artists such as Kid Rock.

International

Venezuela Debates Broad Amnesty Law Covering 27 Years of Chavismo

Venezuela’s Parliament began debating on Thursday a sweeping amnesty bill that would cover the 27 years of Chavismo in power, while explicitly excluding serious human rights violations and crimes against humanity.

The proposed legislation, titled the “Amnesty Law for Democratic Coexistence,” was introduced by interim President Delcy Rodríguez, who assumed power following the capture of Nicolás Maduro during a U.S. military operation.

The legislative session was convened for Thursday afternoon, with lawmakers holding an initial discussion focused on the general principles of the bill. This phase precedes a consultation process with civil society, after which the proposal will move to a final debate examining each article individually.

According to a draft of the bill obtained by AFP, the amnesty would apply to individuals accused of crimes such as “treason,” “terrorism,” and “incitement to hatred,” charges that were frequently brought against political prisoners over the past decades. The scope also includes offenses ranging from acts of rebellion to punishments imposed for social media posts or messages sent through private messaging services.

The bill’s explanatory text emphasizes reconciliation, stating that it seeks to move away from “vengeance, retaliation, and hatred” in favor of “opening a path toward reconciliation.”

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However, the proposal explicitly excludes from its benefits crimes such as “serious human rights violations, crimes against humanity, war crimes, intentional homicide, corruption, and drug trafficking.”

These exclusions, the text notes, are based on strict compliance with the Venezuelan Constitution, which already prohibits granting amnesties or pardons for such offenses.