International
Colombia police sexually abused at least 28 during protests: Amnesty

| By AFP |
At least 28 people were sexually abused by police during Colombia’s mass anti-government protests last year, Amnesty International said Thursday.
Having received hundreds of reports of gender-based violence during that upheaval, the international rights NGO documented 28 cases in seven cities, including the South American country’s capital Bogota.
The cases detailed in Amnesty’s 68-page report, entitled “The police does not care for me: Sexual violence and other gender-based violence in the 2021 National Strike,” occurred between April 28 and June 30, 2021.
During that time, hundreds of thousands of people enduring economic strife caused by the pandemic took to the streets to protest against a proposed tax hike by then-President Ivan Duque (2018-2022), which he ultimately withdrew.
Police brutally cracked down on the unprecedented youth-led social uprising, with the UN reporting at least 46 deaths and accusing security personnel of serious human rights violations.
Erika Guevara, Amnesty’s director for the Americas, said at a Bogota event presenting the report that “state violence faced by the population… was part of a generalized pattern against the protesters.”
The Amnesty report details multiple instances of police, after deploying tear gas and other dispersal measures on peaceful gatherings, taking women aside and assaulting them.
The report also describes police insinuating to detained male protesters that they would be punished through sexual violence, before placing them in rooms where they were sexually assaulted.
“The common factor in all cases is the intention behind this use of violence: the perpetrators sought to punish the victims for contravening social gender norms and going out onto the streets to claim their rights,” the report says.
Deploring the lack of convictions for the sexual violence, Amnesty secretary general Agnes Callamard said: “The violence of the street translated into the violence in the judicial system translated into the violence of the system altogether.”
International
Canada faces another record-breaking wildfire season amid climate crisis

Wildfires in Canada have already burned more than 5.5 million hectares so far this year—an area roughly the size of Croatia—authorities reported on Friday, as the country endures one of its most destructive wildfire seasons.
In 2023, Canada experienced the worst wildfire season in its history, with 17.4 million hectares scorched, a staggering figure that captured global attention and underscored the growing threat of wildfires fueled by human-driven climate change.
As of 2025, Canada has recorded around 3,000 wildfires, with 561 still active as of Friday, according to official data.
“This is one of the largest total burned areas for this time of year, second only to the record-breaking 2023 wildfire season,” said Michael Norton, an official from Canada’s Ministry of Natural Resources, during a press briefing.
Based on data compiled since 1983, Canada’s second most destructive wildfire season was in 1995, when 7.08 million hectares were burned—a benchmark that could be surpassed this year.
International
Trump orders release of grand jury testimonies in Epstein case

U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that he has instructed Attorney General Pam Bondi to release all grand jury testimonies related to the formal indictment of financier Jeffrey Epstein on charges of child sex trafficking.
“Given the ridiculous amount of publicity surrounding Jeffrey Epstein, I have asked Attorney General Pam Bondi to release all relevant grand jury testimonies, subject to court approval. This SCAM, perpetuated by the Democrats, must end—right now!” the president wrote on his social network, Truth Social.
Trump’s directive to Bondi comes as the Epstein scandal has resurfaced in the United States, following a recent investigation by the FBI and the Department of Justice (DOJ), which concluded that the financier did not possess a “client list” of prominent figures he was allegedly blackmailing.
The FBI and DOJ also reaffirmed that Epstein died by suicide, rejecting conspiracy theories suggesting he was murdered to protect high-profile acquaintances. Authorities stated they do not intend to release further findings on the case.
International
Dina Boluarte avoids prosecution again as lawmakers dismiss sixth complaint

A congressional committee in Peru dismissed yet another constitutional complaint against President Dina Boluarte on Friday, blocking a potential investigation into her alleged responsibility for the deaths that occurred during the 2022 protests following her rise to power after the ousting of former president Pedro Castillo.
This marks the sixth time that Congress — with the support of allied parties — has halted legal efforts to hold Boluarte accountable. In June, lawmakers shelved three similar complaints filed by members of the small opposition bloc. Two other complaints had already been dismissed in 2023 and 2024.
Almost immediately after taking office in December 2022 — following Castillo’s removal after he attempted to dissolve Congress to avoid impeachment — Boluarte faced a wave of protests in southern Peru. These demonstrations resulted in the deaths of 50 civilians. According to autopsy reports, over half of the victims were killed by gunfire.
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