International
Ex-guerrilla leader returns to Colombia after Mexico arrest
AFP
A leader of the disbanded left-wing rebel group FARC returned to Colombia on Wednesday, just hours after he was briefly detained in Mexico under a “red notice” from Interpol.
Rodrigo Granda is the Marxist group’s head diplomat and played a crucial role in a historic 2016 peace accord signed with the government that turned the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia into a political party.
The 72-year-old former guerrilla thanked Mexico and the international community for facilitating his return to Colombia as he arrived at Bogota’s international airport, according to local media.
“We’re showing our face, here we are,” said Granda, who denied he had been arrested in Mexico.
Mexican government sources confirmed his arrest to AFP, without giving details.
On Tuesday, Colombian Defense Minister Diego Molano said on Twitter that Granda’s arrest “for kidnapping, criminal association and intentional homicide” followed a request from Paraguay.
But a lawmaker from Comunes, the political party descended from FARC, who accompanied Granda to Mexico for an event organized by a left-wing party, also denied he was arrested.
Carlos Lozada was originally one of two Comunes lawmakers to claim on Tuesday that Granda had been detained but on Wednesday he insisted his colleague was merely “isolated” and held incomunicado for seven to eight hours before “voluntarily returning” to Colombia.
“We saw that it was much better to return to Colombia given that … this red notice was circulating,” Lozada told W Radio.
Paraguay announced it had summoned the Mexican ambassador in Asuncion to explain Granda’s release.
Granda said he was authorized to leave Colombia by authorities from the Special Jurisdiction for Peace, a body investigating crimes committed during Colombia’s half century long conflict.
He claimed the international arrest warrant was a manoeuver by “high-level officials in the Colombian government” that are opposed to the conditions of the peace process.
Colombian President Ivan Duque is a vocal critic of the peace deal signed by his predecessor Juan Manuel Santos, considering it to be too lenient on former guerrillas.
It is not the first time Paraguay has requested Granda’s detention, having previously done so in 2008, accusing him of involvement in the 2005 kidnapping and murder of the daughter of Raul Cubas, a former president.
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.
International
Canada imposes sanctions on 14 venezuelan officials for human rights violations
Canada imposed sanctions on 14 high-ranking officials of the Venezuelan “regime” this Friday, including prominent members of the Military Counterintelligence Directorate (DGCIM), for their involvement in human rights violations in Venezuela.
Among those sanctioned are DGCIM prosecutors Dinorah Yoselin Bustamante Puerta and Farik Karin Salcedo Mora; the director of criminal investigations at the agency, Asdrubal José Brito Hernandez, as well as its former deputy director, Rafael Ramón Blanco Marrero.
The sanctions also target several members of the Bolivarian National Guard: its general commander, Elio Ramón Estrada Paredes; the commander of the capital region, Johan Alexander Hernández Lárez, and lieutenant colonel, Alexander Enrique Granko Arteaga.
Other individuals sanctioned include the director of the Bolivarian National Intelligence Service (SEBIN), Alexis José Rodríguez Cabello, and his deputy director, Miguel Antonio Muñoz Palacios; Brigadier General of the Bolivarian National Police, Rubén Darío Santiago Servigna, and Domingo Antonio Hernández Lárez, commander of the Bolivarian National Armed Forces.
International
María Corina Machado urges Edmundo González Urrutia not to return to Venezuela for his safety
Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado said on Friday that she asked Edmundo González Urrutia, former candidate of the Democratic Unitary Platform (PUD), not to return to Venezuela to avoid putting himself at risk.
In a video message, Machado explained that the opposition evaluated the situation and concluded that González Urrutia would be in danger if he tried to enter Venezuela as he had planned.
González Urrutia, who claims to have won the July 28 elections with the support of more than 85% of the official voting records, had announced that he would return to Venezuela on January 10 to assume the presidency.
Earlier, Nicolás Maduro, who was declared the winner of those elections, took the oath of office for a third term.
Judge declares Donald Trump not guilty in Stormy Daniels case
Canada imposes sanctions on 14 venezuelan officials for human rights violations
María Corina Machado urges Edmundo González Urrutia not to return to Venezuela for his safety
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
Defense Minister commends salvadoran soldier for Central American Cross Country victory
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