International
The debate is growing about whether student protests in the US are anti-Semitic or anti-war
Protests over the war in Gaza in dozens of universities in the United States continue this Tuesday to show their rejection of US policy towards Israel, while the rhetorical controversy grows over whether such demonstrations promote anti-Semitism or are simply anti-war and include Jewish students.
The president of the House of Representatives, Republican Mike Johnson, called on Tuesday “anti-American” that the current US president, Joe Biden, “is incapable or does not want to” condemn what is happening in some American universities and pointed to a lack of leadership at a “critical moment.”
“It’s not about freedom of expression,” the Republican added at a press conference about the pro-Palestinian protests, and opined that the country “desperately” needs a clear moral authority in the face of what it considers an increase in anti-Semitism.
Conservative Senator Tom Cotton has gone so far as to call the protesters “pro-terrorist tword” and has asked for more tough hand against the students from the police.
The governor of Texas, Republican Greg Abbot, considered last week that students participating in the pro-Palestinian peaceful protests in that southern state should go to jail for promoting hatred and anti-Semitism.
The White House has also stressed on several occasions that President Biden supports the right to “peaceful protest,” but that he is against “any violent rhetoric, threats of hatred (…) and anti-Semitism,” something that some students have denounced, but it is not being widespread and from the beginning it has allowed the participation of Jewish students opposed to the war.
Apart from criticizing US support for Israel during the Gaza War, another common denominator among these demonstrations is the demand of students to their educational centers to cease their investments in the Israeli private sector and promote greater transparency about those relations and their possible involvement with the military industry.
Progressive Jewish senator and former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders rejected the parallel drawn by the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, between the protests of these days and those that occurred during Nazi Germany against the Jews.
“Anti-Semitism is a vile and despicable form of intolerance, but please do not insult the intelligence of Americans, trying to distract us from the immoral and illegal war policies of their extremist and racist government,” Sanders said in an interview.
“The vast majority of people who protest (…) are tired and disgusted by this war,” said the senator.
Omer Bartov, a Jewish professor and expert on the Holocaust and Genocide at Brown University, has warned that the accusations of anti-Semitism against university protests in the United States, in which he has participated by leading assemblies and debates at the University of Pennsylvania, are dangerous because they are used as a weapon.
“There is politics and there are prejudices. And if we do not make a distinction between the two, then what we are really doing is imposing a silence on the policies of the Israeli government that have now culminated in the total destruction of Gaza,” Bartov said in a radio interview on Tuesday.
The College Democrats of America, the student organization of the Democratic Party, supported in a statement the protests on U.S. campuses for “seeing this war as what it is: destructive, genocidal and unjust,” while condemning police actions to evict the camps.
International
German Authorities Investigate More Than 100 New Cases Against Convicted Nurse
German authorities announced Monday that they are investigating more than 100 additional cases involving a nurse who was sentenced to life in prison in November for the murder of 10 patients.
The man, who was 44 at the time of his conviction, worked in palliative care at a hospital in Würselen, near Aachen. He was also found guilty of 27 attempted murders.
Aachen prosecutors are now examining 121 new cases, a spokesperson for the office said.
Prosecutors leading the investigation are preparing a new indictment that could be filed next year. Nearly 40 bodies have so far been exhumed as part of the investigation, which covers alleged incidents dating back to September 2022.
Meanwhile, prosecutors in the city of Cologne are investigating 18 additional cases. According to a spokesperson, the oldest case dates back to 2010.
Before working at the Würselen hospital, the nurse is believed to have worked at a clinic in eastern Cologne, according to local media reports.
At the time of his November conviction, the court ruled that the severity of his crimes was particularly serious, a finding that would make it difficult for him to obtain early release after 15 years in prison.
Between December 2023 and May 2024, the nurse administered overdoses of sedatives or painkillers to terminally ill patients, most of them elderly, according to the indictment in the original case.
His alleged motive was to sedate patients who required care so that he could minimize his workload during night shifts, prosecutors said.
According to the indictment, the nurse worked «without enthusiasm» and «without motivation». When faced with patients requiring extensive care, he allegedly became «irritated» and showed a lack of empathy.
The case has revived painful memories in Germany of Niels Högel, a former nurse and serial killer who was sentenced to life imprisonment in June 2019 for the murders of at least 85 patients.
International
Venezuela Raises Earthquake Death Toll to 6,301
The death toll from the earthquakes that struck Venezuela on June 24 has risen to 6,301, while relatives continue searching for missing people among the rubble of collapsed buildings, parliamentary leader Jorge Rodríguez said Monday.
So far, the Venezuelan government has not released an official figure for the number of people missing after the magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes, which caused around 190 buildings to collapse, most of them in the coastal state of La Guaira, about 25 miles (40 kilometers) from Caracas.
The latest figure represents an increase from the 6,125 deaths reported by Venezuelan authorities on August 3.
According to statements made to local media by La Guaira Governor José Alejandro Terán, around 1,400 people were still missing just over a week ago.
Thousands of homes remain at risk
In addition to buildings that completely collapsed, authorities have classified another 9,567 structures as being at «high risk». Meanwhile, 12,411 homes remain under a «restricted» classification.
As a result, many families who lived in these properties have been relocated to temporary shelters or have sought accommodation with relatives and friends.
Nearly 24,000 people left homeless by the disaster are currently living in camps in Caracas and La Guaira, a popular tourist destination whose economy has been severely affected by the earthquakes.
The situation sparked renewed concern among Venezuelans on Monday after a magnitude 7.4 earthquake, with its epicenter in Colombia, was felt across several regions of Venezuela.
The earthquake in Colombia left at least 111 people dead and dozens injured, according to preliminary figures released by authorities in that country.
International
CEAPI Backs Colombia’s New Government and Calls for Greater Public-Private Cooperation
The Ibero-American Business Alliance Council (CEAPI), led by its president, Núria Vilanova, participated in the inauguration ceremony of Abelardo de la Espriella as Colombia’s new president. The events were held on August 7 in Cali and brought together heads of state and institutional representatives from numerous countries.
CEAPI maintains a strong relationship with Colombia as part of its mission to serve as a meeting point between Ibero-American business leaders and the region’s main institutions and governments. The organization has more than 25 members in Colombia, including Jaime Gilinski, Luis Carlos Sarmiento, Omar González and Diego Urrea. In addition, Colombia hosted the seventh CEAPI Ibero-American Congress, held in Cartagena de Indias in 2024.
During his inauguration speech, President De la Espriella identified confidence and economic stability as key pillars of his administration and emphasized the role of private enterprise in Colombia’s future.
He also reaffirmed his intention to govern for all Colombians and strengthen institutional dialogue, while referring to Spain’s democratic transition and the leadership of former Prime Minister Adolfo Suárez.
Vilanova said she has seen this commitment firsthand during meetings with members of the new government, who have expressed their willingness to work closely with business leaders and the private sector to promote economic growth.
According to CEAPI, the government is considering measures aimed at strengthening legal certainty and business confidence, encouraging investment and promoting formal employment.
For Vilanova, Colombia’s new political and economic stage represents an opportunity to demonstrate that «when the public and private sectors are aligned, they can achieve more».
«Colombia has everything it needs to make it happen. And Ibero-American business leaders are ready to support it», she said, adding that CEAPI is already working with the government to organize a future investment delegation to the country.
The organization said the planned visit would seek to strengthen business ties and identify new investment opportunities in Colombia, reinforcing the role of the private sector in the country’s economic development.
German Authorities Investigate More Than 100 New Cases Against Convicted Nurse
Venezuela Raises Earthquake Death Toll to 6,301
CEAPI Backs Colombia’s New Government and Calls for Greater Public-Private Cooperation
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