International
ELN says that resuming kidnappings for economic purposes is not an ultimatum to the Government
The guerrilla of the National Liberation Army (ELN) does not believe that resuming kidnappings for economic purposes, as announced on May 6 after agreeing to its suspension in February, is an “ultimatum” to the Government but a “record” of its “will to continue looking at a search for a way out of this matter.”
This was stated in an interview with EFE by the chief guerrilla negotiator, Israel Ramírez Pineda, known as ‘Pablo Beltrán’, who assured that the announcement to end the suspension of that crime was nothing more than expected, since his commitment was to suspend it for three months until they found another solution.
This is because in Havana, when the extension of the ceasefire was negotiated, which was where this commitment of the ELN to suspend “withholdings for economic purposes” was incorporated, this was done as a sign of the goodwill of the guerrillas, he explains.
“The ELN can increasingly commit to incorporating more prohibited actions on cessation, but the ELN also needs support to sustain the cessation,” he says. That is, they expected a guerrilla financing solution to be negotiated, which has a source of income in kidnappings.
“That is the political will, but in the discussion we did not manage to reach an agreement on that, that is, when we renewed this cessation there was no agreement to include in the extension the cessation of withholdings,” said Beltrán, although even so, he adds, the ELN included its commitment “on a voluntary basis to make a unilateral cessation of three months, while we find solutions.”
However, those three months have passed since the meeting in Havana and “the Bureau (of dialogues) entered a very difficult crisis and those solutions that we left to make were not worked on. Then the three months passed, but we were not able to advance the solutions. There was a gap.”
“Then we were forced to say until May 3 was the unilateral cessation (of withholdings for economic purposes) and we hope that we will resume the discussions again, to see if we reach an agreement in that sense. So, it is not an ultimatum but a record that we have the will to continue looking at a search for a way out of this issue that is expected to be included in the prohibited actions,” Beltrán emphasizes.
The two parties have signed the first point of the six on the negotiating agenda in Caracas, but the crises and open disputes have meant that a new cycle of dialogues has not been made since the end of January.
Now they will have to be found again to, among other matters, see if the ceasefire is extended once again, which began on August 3 and will fulfill, for the first time in the history of the guerrillas, a year without breaches.
It is in that new negotiation where the ELN hopes that, if there is compliance by the Government, more prohibited actions, such as kidnappings, will be added.
Despite the fact that International Humanitarian Law (IHL) considers the taking of hostages (the capture of a civilian outside the conflict) as a war crime, for the ELN the “retention” of civilians for economic purposes is not because it is a “temporary detention.”
“That type of withholding, above all, we focus on characters who have been enriched with the corruption of the treasury. That is a policy, that is, to expropriate corrupt (…) So it is not only to expropriate for expropriate, no, it is to the corrupt,” explains Beltrán.
Thus, the guerrillas point out that “they charge tributes” and that when they do not comply, it is when “a temporary arrest is made.”
“I don’t want to compare, but there are many countries in the world that if you don’t pay taxes, they stop you. Well, that’s it, it’s a temporary detention and for us it’s not hostage-taking,” says the head of the ELN delegation at the dialogue table.
International
Scottie Pippen’s dream predictions about Bitcoin gain attention as market faces volatility
Financial analyst Jim Bianco commented on Monday about Scottie Pippen’s dream encounters with Satoshi Nakamoto, noting that the NBA legend’s predictions about Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) have been surprisingly accurate.
What Happened Bianco, president and founder of Bianco Research, stated in a post on X that Pippen’s predictions have gained followers due to their accuracy, despite the strange methods he claims to use, such as receiving messages from Bitcoin’s anonymous creator in his dreams.
Bianco also analyzed Pippen’s latest forecast, in which the basketball star said, “I just took a nap, and Satoshi whispered to me: ‘Bitcoin will get closer to the Black Mamba numbers before it returns to Chamberlain.’”
According to Bianco, the post referenced NBA legends Kobe Bryant and Wilt Chamberlain, who scored 81 and 100 points in a single game, respectively. Simply put, Pippen expected Bitcoin to drop to $81,000 before recovering to $100,000.
Why It Matters The world’s leading cryptocurrency has fallen below the key support level of $93,000 and is at risk of falling further. Since the Christmas rally, Bitcoin has dropped by up to 6.5%.
Earlier, Pippen grabbed attention by predicting Bitcoin would hit $84,000 on U.S. presidential election day. While the digital asset didn’t meet these predictions, it reached $84,000 a week later.
International
Ecuador Imposes 60-Day State of Emergency in Most Violent Provinces as Drug Gangs Clash
Ecuador, engaged in a war against drug trafficking gangs, has declared a new state of emergency in Quito and seven of its 24 provinces, which are considered the most violent, according to a presidential decree released on Friday.
The 60-day measure suspends the rights to the inviolability of the home and correspondence in the coastal provinces of Guayas, Los Ríos, Manabí, Santa Elena, and El Oro, as well as the Amazonian provinces of Orellana and Sucumbíos. This state of emergency has been in effect since Thursday and was implemented due to the severe internal turmoil and internal armed conflict declared last year because of drug-related violence.
The decree includes Quito (in the province of Pichincha) and the towns of La Troncal (Cañar) and the mining town of Camilo Ponce Enríquez (Azuay), as well as the prison system, now under military control.
The government of Daniel Noboa, which began in November 2023, has consistently used this measure in response to an escalating wave of drug gangs fighting for control of the streets and prisons.
“This declaration is based on… the increase in violence rates, the commission of crimes, and the prolonged intensity of the presence of organized armed groups,” states the decree released on the presidential website.
International
Elon Musk’s comments on UK abuse scandal spark government response
A prominent British politician addressed Elon Musk’s recent criticism on Friday regarding the government’s handling of a historic child abuse scandal.
In recent days, Musk shared and reacted to posts on his social media platform X, condemning the UK government’s decision to reject a public inquiry into the child abuse scandal in Oldham, a town in northern England.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting dismissed Musk’s comments as “wrong and certainly misinformed” but extended an invitation to the tech mogul to collaborate with the government in combating child sexual exploitation.
The UK government argued that Oldham should follow the example of other cities by commissioning its own investigation into historical abuse. A 2022 report on safeguarding measures in Oldham between 2011 and 2014 highlighted failures by local agencies to protect children but found no evidence of a cover-up. The report noted “legitimate concerns” about far-right groups exploiting the high-profile convictions of predominantly Pakistani offenders across the country.
Musk has also criticized UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, accusing him of failing to bring justice to what many describe as “grooming gangs” during his tenure as Director of Public Prosecutions from 2008 to 2013. On Friday, Musk referred to the scandals as a “massive crime against humanity.”
Speaking to ITV News, Streeting emphasized the government’s commitment to tackling child sexual exploitation. He welcomed Musk’s potential involvement, stating, “Some of the criticisms Elon Musk has made, I think, are wrong and certainly misinformed. But we are ready to work with him. With his social network, he has a significant role to play in helping the UK and other countries address this serious issue. If he wants to roll up his sleeves and work with us, we’d gladly welcome him.”
Musk’s apparent interest in UK politics has grown since the Labour Party’s landslide victory in the July 2024 elections, ending 14 years of Conservative rule.
Scottie Pippen’s dream predictions about Bitcoin gain attention as market faces volatility
Ecuador Imposes 60-Day State of Emergency in Most Violent Provinces as Drug Gangs Clash
Elon Musk’s comments on UK abuse scandal spark government response
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
Ecuador prison riot leaves at least 43 dead
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