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Colombia’s president names ex-guerrilla as intel chief

AFP

Colombian President Gustavo Petro has named a former guerrilla comrade as the conflict-wracked South American country’s intelligence chief, according to an official decree published Monday.

Manuel Alberto Casanova, who like Petro was a member of the long-disbanded M-19 urban guerrilla movement, becomes the first civilian to hold the position as general manager of the National Intelligence Directorate (DNI).

The radical leftist M-19 was active between 1974 and 1990, when it signed a peace deal with the government and became a political party.

Casanova took on the role of head of security for the new party, the M-19 Democratic Alliance.

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An almost unknown on the political landscape, Casanova was in charge of spying and financing in the M-19 guerrilla group, local press say.

According to his LinkedIn profile, Casanova has a degree in philosophy and also studied public administration. He has worked as a consultant on social projects and most recently worked for a coffee exporting company.

The DNI reports directly to the president and oversees all intelligence operations. It was created in 2011 to replace the scandal-tainted Administrative Security Department (DAS).

“It’s worrying. (Casanova) is someone with no experience in intelligence management,” Jose Vicente Carreno, a legislator for the right-wing opposition Democratic Center party, told W Radio.

He said it would “demotivate the public security forces.”

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For the pro-government senator and human rights activist Gloria Florez, the appointment shows a clear change of direction.

“In the old DAS we were the victims of an infamous persecution, of set-ups for which several people are still in prison. What we want is to give a different direction to state intelligence,” she told W Radio.

The latest appointment follows a complete overhaul of the military and police chiefs since Petro’s election in June as his country’s first ever left-wing president, something which has caused suspicion within the ranks of the security forces.

Around 30 army generals and police chiefs have left their posts.

Petro, who has said he wants to break from the old policy of an “enemy within” that has underscored six decades of internal conflict, wants to transform the security forces.

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He has said he wants from them “the reduction of violence and criminality, and a substantial increase in respect for human rights and public liberties.”

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International

Shark attack kills 40-year-old fisherman in Great Barrier Reef waters

A shark attacked and killed a 40-year-old man who was fishing with his family in the waters of the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, authorities reported.

The predator struck on Saturday afternoon near Humpy Island, on the east coast of the country, according to emergency services.

“The man was fishing with family members when he was bitten by a shark,” said the Queensland state police in a statement.

He suffered “injuries that put his life at risk” and died an hour and a half later, the police added.

A spokesperson for the Queensland ambulance service told AFP on Sunday that the victim had suffered a “significant” neck wound.

Humpy Island is known for its camping site, with access to reefs for diving and snorkeling.

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International

Machado appeals to venezuelan military and police to join the change for freedom

The Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado expressed on Saturday that she is confident the military and police are “one step away from doing the right thing,” in light of the “will for change” expressed in the elections five months ago, referring to the contested victory of Edmundo González Urrutia, despite the fact that President Nicolás Maduro was declared the winner.

“Military citizens, police citizens, this message is for you. The time for decision has come, and it is time to tear down the last obstacle that separates us from freedom. Venezuela trusts you. I trust in the moral reserve of our men of honor and arms. See you soon in the streets,” wrote the former congresswoman on X.

In an audio posted on this social media platform, Machado addressed the members of the Bolivarian National Armed Forces (FANB) and police forces, saying the people “are united in one voice” and that “everyone, deep down, has made the right decision and is just waiting for the collective resolution to act.”

In this context, the opposition leader urged the military and police to ask themselves “if silence” does not make them “accomplices of the current tyranny,” and “if undue obedience” does not “place them at the service of a handful of criminals.”

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International

U.S. health authorities report mutation of avian flu virus in Louisiana patient

Chile detects first outbreak of avian flu in poultry; shipments closed: minister

The avian flu virus mutated inside the first seriously ill patient in the United States, according to the country’s health authorities. However, they assured that, so far, no person-to-person transmission of the virus has been identified in this patient, who is hospitalized in Louisiana.

Scientists warned that while it is concerning because mutations could make the virus potentially more transmissible between humans, they would be alarming if found in animal hosts or in the early stages of infection or symptom onset, which would facilitate the spread to close contacts.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have identified at least 65 human cases of avian flu in the United States, with more than half (36) reported in California, including the country’s first child infected with this virus.

CDC analysis of the Louisiana patient identified mutations in the hemagglutinin gene, which were not found in the samples from infected poultry at the source of the outbreak. This suggests that the changes emerged as the virus replicated in the seriously ill patient.

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