International

Fresh clashes in Colombia on protest movement anniversary

AFP

Anti-government protesters and police traded blows on Monday in demonstrations across Colombia that marked two months of unrest in which more than 60 people have died.

Colombia has been rocked by protests since April, following opposition to a proposed tax hike that morphed into a mass movement against the right-wing administration of President Ivan Duque.

The demonstrators demand an end to police repression and more supportive public policies to alleviate the economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, which has plunged more than 40 percent of the country’s 50 million inhabitants into poverty.

Riot police were deployed “on 20 occasions in various cities” Monday, the general director of the Police, General Jorge Vargas, reported in an audio recording sent to the media.

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Demonstrators attacked police installations in the cities of Medellin and Pereira, with protestors demolishing a statue of the country’s namesake, Christopher Columbus, in Barranquilla in the north. Riot police responded with water cannon and tear gas.

A dozen public transportation vehicles were also “vandalized”, Vargas said.

In the capital Bogata, dozens drew silhouettes of civilians killed by the country’s military in the over fifty-year-long conflict between the state and the FARC guerrilla — violence that has resurged in recent years despite a peace agreement signed in 2016.

More than 60 people have died in the protests, according to the country’s Ombudsman.

Human Rights Watch has accused law enforcement of committing “egregious abuses”, saying police are implicated in at least 20 homicides. The United States, the European Union and the UN have condemned police abuses.

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The government claims that illegal groups involved in drug trafficking and the National Liberation Army (ELN) — Colombia’s last recognized guerrilla group — have infiltrated the protest movement in a bid to sow chaos.

A major group representing the protesters said on June 16 it would suspend demonstrations, promising to “continue our struggle in other settings such as art and concerts”.

More hardline factions in the movement have pledged to carry on.

International

Delta Airlines cancels 1,100 flights amid winter storm chaos

More than 3,000 flights were canceled on Friday, and thousands more were delayed due to a winter storm in the southern United States, according to airlines and the flight tracking website FlightAware. Delta Airlines crews expect to return to normal operations on Saturday, the company stated in a release.

“Unforeseen severe winter conditions at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (Georgia) caused the closure of all five runways for more than two hours on Friday morning,” the airline said. Delta canceled about 1,100 flights across its network on Friday due to the “freezing rain that fell throughout the day and early afternoon, leading to diversions.”

Additionally, a Delta Airlines aircraft had to abort its takeoff due to a motor issue, also at Atlanta Airport.

More than 200 passengers and crew members aboard a Boeing 757-300 bound for Minneapolis were evacuated via emergency slides, according to a statement from the airline reported by U.S. media. An investigation is underway.

Airports in Dallas Fort Worth (Texas) and Charlotte Douglas (North Carolina) were also affected by the severe weather, with over 1,200 flights canceled.

International

At least 20 injured in tram collision at Strasbourg Train Station tunnel

On Saturday afternoon, two trams collided in the tunnel leading to the Strasbourg train station in northeastern France, resulting in at least 20 injuries, according to the local prefecture. “The initial assessment indicates that 20 people are in a state of relative emergency,” said a spokesperson, noting that the circumstances of the accident had not yet been determined.

A security perimeter was established in front of the station, where several ambulances arrived, as reported by an AFP journalist.

A video taken by a witness and shared on social media shows a chaotic scene, with two heavily damaged trams in the tunnel near the station. One of the trams appears to have derailed due to the impact.

Since Strasbourg revamped its tram network in 1994, no major accidents had been reported until this incident.

International

Judge declares Donald Trump not guilty in Stormy Daniels case

Judge Juan Merchan acquitted U.S. President-elect Donald Trump in the case involving former porn actress Stormy Daniels.

“At this moment, I am issuing this verdict to cover all 34 charges,” Merchan stated. The judge also wished Trump good luck in his second term as president.

Trump will now become the first criminal president.

Merchan declined to impose any punishment. This decision strengthens Trump’s acquittal and clears the way for his return to the White House without the threat of prison or a fine.

“Never before has this court faced such a unique and remarkable set of circumstances,” Judge Merchan said.