International

Colombian president appoints new minister of Labor amid government crisis

Colombian President Gustavo Petro appointed a new Minister of Labor on Wednesday, following the resignation of the former head of the ministry amid the ongoing internal government crisis, which has seen the departure of seven ministers and high-ranking officials.

The appointed minister is Antonio Sanguino, a sociologist and former senator from the centrist Green Party, who will face the main challenge of advancing the labor reform through Congress. This reform is one of Petro’s key political initiatives, as he promised to support the most vulnerable after being elected as the country’s first left-wing president.

“Antonio takes on the responsibility of implementing the pension reform and advancing the labor reform for the dignity of Colombian workers,” Petro stated on X, previously known as Twitter.

With this appointment, Petro begins to restructure the cabinet, which was left weakened by a series of irrevocable resignations from five ministers and one senior official, following internal tensions that became public over a week ago during an unprecedented live broadcast of a private ministerial meeting, where Petro demanded accountability and received criticism in return.

International

Venezuelan official urges migrant youths to come back and build the “future we deserve”

The President of Venezuela’s National Assembly (AN, Parliament), the chavista Jorge Rodríguez, invited all migrant youths to return to the country and, as he said, help build the “prosperous homeland” during a speech on Wednesday before hundreds of supporters who were commemorating Youth Day.

“We extend a hand to all the young people, anywhere in the world, and we tell them, come back sisters, come back brothers, this is your land, this is your homeland, we welcome you with open arms,” said Rodríguez in a speech outside the Legislative Palace in Caracas, where the demonstration concluded.

Rodríguez urged young people to return with their knowledge and strength to help build the “prosperous homeland” and the future they deserve.

“Here we want you, here we love you (…) come on, we are waiting for you to build together the homeland we deserve, the future we deserve,” he said, recalling that 190 migrants deported from the United States arrived in Venezuela on Monday, who, as he stated, came from “sadness, persecution, and shame.”

International

Mexico’s president rejects DEA interference after Terry Dale’s nomination

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum stated on Wednesday that she “will not allow interference” from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) following the nomination of Terry Dale as the new director of the agency, with whom she has had prior interactions in Mexico.

“We will not allow interference or violations of sovereignty. What exists is coordination and collaboration with U.S. government agencies, the State Department, and all U.S. government Secretariats, with the White House and President Donald Trump himself,” she expressed.

The Mexican president responded in her morning conference to questions about the nomination of Dale, announced by Trump on Tuesday. Trump has labeled Mexico’s drug cartels as terrorists and warned of possible bombings on Mexican territory and covert operations with U.S. troops.

Dale worked for 21 years with the DEA, with missions in Colombia, Afghanistan, and Mexico, and now, as Secretary of Security for Virginia, he leads 11 state security agencies with over 19,000 employees, as outlined by the Republican leader on Truth Social.

International

Mexico leads Latin America in journalist deaths in 2024, says CPJ report

In 2024, Mexico was the Latin American country with the highest number of journalist deaths (5), continuing its position as one of the ten most dangerous countries for journalists, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), based in New York, in its latest report.

The number of violent deaths among media professionals increased from two in 2023 to five in 2024, following a period of “relative calm” between gangs and political groups before the June 2024 elections.

Among the victims was Mauricio Cruz Solís, who was shot by unidentified assailants in the city of Uruapán (in the state of Michoacán) shortly after interviewing the mayor.

Despite the figures, Mexico remains “systematically” among the ten countries with the worst record of impunity in cases of journalist deaths, and, on average, in 80% of cases, those responsible are not held accountable for their actions, according to Cristina Zahar Eggers, coordinator of the CPJ’s Latin America program, speaking to EFE. Moreover, authorities often fail to thoroughly investigate the crimes or suspects, and do not look into details regarding the journalists’ deaths.

Eggers explained that the country is particularly dangerous for journalists due to drug cartels and the presence of criminal groups, who often fight among themselves, and when journalists report on these conflicts, they are frequently killed.