International

The Colombian Government will go on the offensive against the ELN for the violence in the Catatumbo

The Minister of the Interior of Colombia, Juan Fernando Cristo, said on Wednesday that the Government will go on the offensive against the National Liberation Army (ELN) for the violence exercised since last week in the Catatumbo region that has left between 60 and 80 dead and more than 38,000 displaced.

“The Government has decided to use all constitutional and legal instruments to reject that intention of the ELN (to control the Colombian-Venezuelan border), to go on the offensive and to restore normality for the inhabitants of Catatumbo,” Cristo said in a statement to the press.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro announced on Monday that he will declare a state of internal commotion for the offensive undertaken by the guerrillas, a measure that will come into force tonight, according to Cristo.

“It is totally inexcusable, unacceptable, the crimes committed by the ELN, are acts of barbarism, it is a premeditated, organized massacre, the one that the ELN has done in the Catatumbo while they were preparing for a new conversation with the Government,” said Cristo.

Petro also suspended on Friday the peace talks with that guerrilla, with whom the Government delegation was supposed to meet this month to try to unlock negotiations that have stalled since May last year.

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However, Cristo said that with this offensive, the ELN aims to “appropriate the income of coca, drug trafficking” and to “exercise territorial control over the Colombian-Venezuelan border area in that part of the Catatumbo.”

The ELN offensive against a FARC dissident has left between 60 and 80 dead (according to reports from the Ombudsman’s Office and the Government of Norte de Santander), although Legal Medicine has so far received only 41 bodies due to the difficulty in accessing the areas where the fighting took place.

Likewise, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) figures 38,419 displaced and 12,176 confined.

With the declaration of internal shock, the Government considers that it will have “all the necessary legal instruments to face this crisis and to restore normality.”

“From the issuance of the decree tonight, the Government will be authorized for 90 days to issue measures that allow us to restore that normality,” Cristo said.

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It seeks to strengthen “military capabilities, increase the foot of strength, restrict communications and intercept communications.”

“We need to advance in the control of coca, advance with a crash plan in programs to replace illicit crops, because if we do not transform that economy (…) we will continue in the same,” he said.

Likewise, it has a humanitarian dimension to “attend as it properly deserves, with all dignity, to the displaced people caused by the ELN, who are today in Tibú, Ocaña and the city of Cúcuta.”

Finally, the interior commotion seeks to carry out a “social and economic transformation of the territory”.

“We are going to use the inner commotion to advance in a defined way in the replacement of illicit crops, but also in the fulfillment of a dream of the catatumberos, which are investments,” Cristo concluded.

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International

Lula invites Mexico, Colombia, and Uruguay to BRICS Summit in Brazil

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has invited Mexico, Colombia, and Uruguay to participate in the next BRICS summit, which will take place in Brazil this July.

“I am inviting all these countries here—Uruguay, Colombia, and Mexico—to take part in BRICS in Brazil. Even if they are not official members, it is important for them to participate because this is a time for global discussion,” Lula stated.

Strengthening Multilateralism and Free Trade

While attending the presidential handover ceremony in Uruguay, Lula emphasized the importance of including these countries in the conversation, given that BRICS represents nearly half of the world’s population and global GDP.

“It is crucial that at this BRICS summit, we truly strengthen two fundamental pillars: multilateralism and free trade. Without trade freedom, there is no multilateralism, and there is no democracy,” he declared.

Lula also proposed drafting a serious document to present at the summit in Rio de Janeiro in July, reaffirming the commitment to respecting multilateralism and promoting free trade.

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International

Navy warship saves lithuanian adventurer caught in Pacific Storm

An Australian warship rescued a Lithuanian rower on Monday after he encountered a tropical cyclone while attempting to cross the Pacific Ocean from California.

Aurimas Mockus was brought aboard the Royal Australian Navy landing ship HMAS Choules, where he underwent a medical checkup, Vice Admiral Justin Jones said in a statement.

“Due to the highly unfavorable maritime conditions, Mr. Mockus’ vessel could not be recovered, except for two oars and some personal belongings,” stated the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA), which coordinated the rescue.

Three Days Adrift in the Coral Sea

The 44-year-old adventurer spent three days adrift in the Coral Sea, approximately 740 kilometers (460 miles) east of Mackay, a coastal city in Queensland. He had rowed non-stop from San Diego in a closed vessel, aiming to reach Brisbane.

Mockus began his 12,000-kilometer (7,500-mile) journey in October and was only days away from Brisbane when he encountered the storm, which is expected to make landfall in Australia soon.

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Brisbane is located 800 kilometers (500 miles) south of Mackay in a straight line.

Mockus activated an emergency beacon on Friday after rowing into stormy seas and 80 km/h (50 mph) winds generated by Tropical Cyclone Alfred, according to the rescue authority.

A rescue aircraft established radio contact with Mockus on Saturday, where he reported feeling “fatigued,” the authority said.

International

UK investigates TikTok over teen data use in content recommendations

The UK’s data protection office announced on Monday that it is investigating how TikTok uses teenagers’ personal information to generate content recommendations on the social media platform.

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) expressed growing concerns about how social media platforms use data generated by children’s online activity to fuel their recommendation algorithms. This raises the potential risk of exposing young users to inappropriate or harmful content.

The regulator stated that it aims to assess the strength of TikTok’s safety procedures regarding the personal data of users aged 13 to 17.

“It’s about what they are collecting and how their systems work,” said Information Commissioner John Edwards. “I expect to find that there are many benign and positive uses of children’s data in their recommendation systems.”