International
Peace talks begin in the Colombian port of Buenaventura
July 19 |
As part of the total peace agenda promoted by President Gustavo Petro, the Colombian government began dialogues on Tuesday with two criminal groups that dispute the control of illicit businesses in the port of Buenaventura.
The dialogue table was installed in the Casa de Encuentros Heriberto Correa Yepes in the presence of the high commissioner for peace, Danilo Rueda; the president of the Senate, Alexander López, and the archbishop of the city, Monsignor Rubén Darío Jaramillo, in addition to international organizations, businessmen and members of civil society.
“We believe that they are on the right path to be able to achieve these transformations without violence in Buenaventura,” said the high commissioner for peace during the event.
Representatives of the criminal groups the Shottas and the Espartanos, met publicly for the first time on the occasion of the installation of the so-called “urban peace table”.
The spokesmen for the criminal gangs said they were willing to take the message of peace to the gang members.
We came “for those boys and girls, so that they don’t go later to take up arms,” said Jose Jimmy Garcia, a community leader representing the Shottas.
The spokesman for the Espartanos, Félix Orlando Luna, followed the same line: “The people want peace (…) between all of us we can build peace and move forward,” he said.
The Shottas and the Espartanos were born in 2020 and have since been responsible for shootouts and murders amid their dispute for control of illegal businesses such as drug trafficking and extortion.
The high commissioner for peace, Danilo Rueda, recalled that the Colombian government maintains a policy to address the causes of violence in a systemic, comprehensive and effective manner.
According to Rueda, since September 2022, when the truce that brought the city of Buenaventura to 100 days without homicides began, 14 discreet and private meetings have been held with both organizations in different areas of the city.
Recent clashes between criminal organizations have caused displacement on the outskirts of the Colombian port city.
In the midst of the policy of total peace, the Colombian government maintains dialogues with the illegal structures of Medellin and holds political negotiations with the National Liberation Army (ELN).
International
Police investigate deaths of Rob Reiner and wife as apparent homicide
The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) is investigating the deaths of Hollywood actor and filmmaker Rob Reinerand his wife as an “apparent homicide,” amid a wave of tributes to the director of classics such as When Harry Met Sally.
According to U.S. media reports on Sunday, Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner were found dead at their Los Angeles mansion with what appeared to be stab wounds.
Several political figures shared messages of condolence following the reported deaths of the director of A Few Good Menand his wife.
While the LAPD did not officially confirm the identities of the victims, it stated that homicide detectives were dispatched to the Reiner residence.
“At this time, no additional details are available and the investigation into an apparent homicide is ongoing,” the Los Angeles Police Department said in a statement posted on social media.
LAPD Deputy Chief Alan Hamilton told reporters that no arrests have been made and that no individuals are currently being questioned as suspects.
“I’m not going to confirm whether anyone is being questioned at this moment or not. We are going to try to speak with as many family members as we can,” Hamilton said.
CNN reported that a family spokesperson confirmed the deaths of Reiner and his wife.
California Governor Gavin Newsom, former U.S. President Barack Obama, and former Vice President Kamala Harrisissued statements expressing their condolences.
International
U.S. and Mexico Reach Deal to Address Water Deficit Under 1944 Treaty
The United States and Mexico have reached an agreement to comply with current water obligations affecting U.S. farmers and ranchers and for Mexico to cover its water deficit to Texas under the 1944 Water Treaty, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said in a statement.
The department уточified that the agreement applies to both the current cycle and the water deficit from the previous cycle.
On Monday, U.S. President Donald Trump accused Mexico of failing to comply with the water-sharing treaty between the two countries, which requires the United States to deliver 1.85 billion cubic meters of water from the Colorado River, while Mexico must supply 432 million cubic meters from the Rio Grande.
Mexico is behind on its commitments. According to Washington, the country has accumulated a deficit of more than one billion cubic meters of water over the past five years.
“This violation is severely harming our beautiful crops and our livestock in Texas,” Trump wrote on Monday.
The Department of Agriculture said on Friday that Mexico had agreed to supply 250 million cubic meters of water starting next week and to work toward closing the shortfall.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, quoted in the statement, said Mexico delivered more water in a single year than it had over the previous four years combined.
Trump has said that if Mexico continues to fall short of its obligations, the United States reserves the right to impose 5% tariffs on imported Mexican products.
Mexico’s Deputy Foreign Minister for North America, Roberto Velasco, said that a severe drought in 2022 and 2023prevented the country from meeting its commitments.
International
Several people shot in attack on Brown University campus
Several people were shot on Saturday in an attack on the campus of Brown University, in the northeastern United States, local police reported.
“Shelter in place and avoid the area until further notice,” the Providence Police Department urged in a post on X. Brown University is located in Providence, the capital of the state of Rhode Island.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on his social media platform Truth Social that he had been briefed on the situation and that the FBI was on the scene.
At 5:52 p.m. local time (11:52 p.m. GMT), Brown University said the situation was still “ongoing” and instructed students to remain sheltered until further notice.
After initially stating that the suspect had been taken into custody, Trump later posted a second message clarifying that local police had walked back that information. “The suspect has NOT been apprehended,” the U.S. president said.
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