International

Colombian forces seize six tons of cocaine from ELN rebel jungle labs

AFP

Colombia’s military seized six tons of cocaine from a jungle laboratory run by ELN guerillas in the southwest of the country, Defense Minister Diego Molano said Tuesday.

“I want to announce to the country the most important blow to the ELN drug trafficking this year, with the seizure of six tons of cocaine hydrochloride,” he said in a video released to the media.

Operation Jared, in which three “large laboratories” were destroyed by the armed forces and law enforcement agencies, was carried out in the municipality of Samaniego, in department of Narino, near the border with Ecuador.

“The cocaine, equipment and other elements found would have been worth more than $9 million. The narcotic was ready to be packed and transported to the Colombian Pacific coast (…) to be sent to Mexico and the United States” said attorney general Francisco Barbosa.

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Molano announced this week that he would redouble efforts against “terrorism” by armed groups after an attack on President Ivan Duque’s helicopter Friday in Cucuta, near the border with Venezuela.

The government blamed the ELN for the attack, as well as for a car bomb that exploded at a military facility in the same city 10 days earlier.

The ELN is the largest holdout rebel group in the country, having carried on fighting when the main guerrilla faction, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, signed a peace deal with the government to end half a century of conflict.

International

Florida judge sets 2027 trial in Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit against BBC

A federal judge in Florida has scheduled February 2027 for the trial in the lawsuit filed by U.S. President Donald Trump against the BBC, in which he is seeking $10 billion in damages for defamation.

Trump accuses the British broadcaster of airing a misleading edit of a speech he delivered on January 6, 2021, which, he says, made it appear that he explicitly urged his supporters to attack the U.S. Capitol in Washington.

The president filed the suit in December in federal court in Florida, alleging defamation and violations of a law governing business practices when the program was broadcast ahead of the 2024 election.

Trump is seeking $5 billion in damages for each of the two claims.

Lawyers for the BBC unsuccessfully asked the court to dismiss the case, arguing that Trump had not suffered a “legally recognizable harm,” since the investigative program Panorama, which included the edited footage, aired outside the United States.

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International

Head-of-state diplomacy key to guiding China–U.S. ties, Beijing says

Head-of-state diplomacy plays an irreplaceable strategic guiding role in China–United States relations, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on Thursday during a regular press briefing, when asked about high-level exchanges between the two sides.

Lin added that in a recent phone call, U.S. President Donald Trump once again expressed his intention to visit China in April, while Chinese President Xi Jinping reiterated his invitation.

Both sides remain in communication regarding the matter, the spokesperson said.

Lin noted that the essence of China–U.S. economic and trade ties lies in mutual benefit and win-win outcomes.

“Both parties should work together to implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, injecting greater certainty and stability into China–U.S. economic and trade cooperation, as well as into the global economy,” he said.

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International

Trump administration to end special immigration operation in Minnesota

The administration of Donald Trump is bringing to a close its special operation targeting illegal immigration in the northern state of Minnesota, border czar Tom Homan announced Thursday, following weeks of unrest and the fatal shootings of two activists by federal agents.

Thousands of federal officers had been deployed to Minnesota in December to carry out large-scale raids against undocumented immigrants.

The operations triggered strong reactions from residents and advocacy groups, leading to daily confrontations and the deaths of two people who were shot by federal agents.

“I proposed, and President Trump agreed, that this special operation should end in Minnesota,” Homan said during a press conference in the state capital, Minneapolis.

“A significant drawdown began this week and will continue into next week,” he added.

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Homan indicated that similar enforcement efforts could be launched in other cities.

“Next week we will redeploy the agents currently here back to their home stations or to other parts of the country where they are needed. But we will continue to enforce immigration laws,” he said.