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☆ US slams Colombia president's remarks on Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Colombian President Gustavo Petro speaks during an event with peace negotiators of Colombia's government and the National Liberation Army (ELN) rebels, in Bogota, Colombia August 3, 2023. REUTERS/Vannessa Jimenez/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBOGOTA, Oct 12 (Reuters) - The United States on Thursday criticised remarks made by Colombian President Gustavo Petro in which he compared Israeli government comments to those made by Nazis, and called on him to condemn Hamas. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant drew international condemnation by announcing on Monday a "total blockade" to stop food and fuel reaching Gaza, home to 2.3 million people. Public broadcaster Kan said the Israeli death toll from the attack had risen to more than 1,300. Lipstadt, a historian, successfully defeated a libel case brought by British author David Irving after she labeled him a Holocaust denier.

Persons: Gustavo Petro, Vannessa Jimenez, Petro, Yoav Gallant, Gallant, Israel, Deborah Lipstadt, Kan, David Irving, Oliver Griffin, Mark Porter Organizations: National Liberation Army, REUTERS, Rights, Colombian, Hamas, Israeli, Democratic, U.S ., Public, Nazi, Thomson Locations: Bogota, Colombia, Rights BOGOTA, United States, Gaza, Warsaw, British

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Colombian President Gustavo Petro’s commitment to transform long-marginalized rural and conflict areas and new peace efforts were the highlights of his first year in office, the U.N. special envoy for the South American country said. More than 14,000 FARC fighters gave up their weapons under that agreement, but violence between some rebel groups has grown in parts of Colombia. Leyva said the council resolution states that the justice component should apply to all who participated directly or indirectly in the conflict. Wood reiterated the U.S. commitment to working with Colombia to implement the 2016 peace agreement. Ambassador Barbara Woodward also welcomed the government’s recent progress on rural reform and restitution of land to Indigenous communities.

Persons: Gustavo Petro’s, Carlos Ruiz Massieu, ”, Colombia’s, Alvaro Leyva, —, Petro, ” Leyva, Leyva, Robert Wood, ” Wood, Wood, Britain’s U.N, Barbara Woodward, Ruiz ’ Organizations: UNITED NATIONS, South, . Security, Revolutionary Armed Forces, Council, National Development, Security, National Liberation Army, EMC, Colombian, Colombia ” Locations: Colombia, U.S, “, Colombian

☆ Former Colombia President Uribe says witness tampering case to go to trial
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Colombia's former president Alvaro Uribe speaks to the media after his meeting with President-elect Gustavo Petro in Bogota, Colombia June 29, 2022. REUTERS/Luisa Gonzalez/ File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBOGOTA, Oct 6 (Reuters) - Colombia's former President Alvaro Uribe said his long-running witness tampering case will go to trial, citing a news magazine ahead of an expected formal decision from a Bogota court on Friday. Uribe and several allies have been investigated over allegations of witness tampering carried out in an attempt to discredit accusations he had ties to right-wing paramilitaries. I have ardently defended my reputation but I don't know anything about bribing witnesses or misleading the court," Uribe told journalists on Thursday night. But in 2018 the Supreme Court said Cepeda had collected information from former fighters as part of his work and had not paid or pressured former paramilitaries.

Persons: Alvaro Uribe, Gustavo Petro, Luisa Gonzalez, Uribe, Uribe's, Ivan Cepeda, Cepeda, Oliver Griffin, Nick Macfie 私 Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Supreme Court Locations: Bogota, Colombia, Rights BOGOTA

☆ Colombia court rejects shelving of case against ex-president Uribe
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Colombia's former president Alvaro Uribe speaks to the media after his meeting with President-elect Gustavo Petro in Bogota, Colombia June 29, 2022. REUTERS/Luisa Gonzalez/ File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBOGOTA, Oct 6 (Reuters) - The Superior Court of Bogota on Friday rejected a prosecutor's request to shelve a witness tampering and fraud case against divisive former President Alvaro Uribe, extending a long-running legal battle. Uribe and several allies have been investigated over allegations of witness tampering carried out in an attempt to discredit accusations he had ties to right-wing paramilitaries. Reporting by Julia Symmes CobbOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Alvaro Uribe, Gustavo Petro, Luisa Gonzalez, shelve, Uribe, Julia Symmes Cobb Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Thomson Locations: Bogota, Colombia, Rights BOGOTA

☆ Son of Colombia's president to face trial over money laundering -attorney general's office
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Defendant and son of Colombian president Gustavo Petro, Nicolas Petro attends a hearing in Bogota, Colombia August 3, 2023 in this screengrab taken from a handout video. Colombian Prosecutor's Office/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBOGOTA, Sept 25 (Reuters) - Nicolas Petro, the son of Colombia's President Gustavo Petro, will face trial for alleged crimes of illicit enrichment and money laundering while serving as a politician in the province of Atlantico, the attorney general's office said on Monday. A written indictment against Petro was filed in the Criminal Courts of the Specialized Circuit of Barranquilla, the attorney general's office said in a statement. According to the charges, Nicolas Petro received money from accused drug traffickers in exchange for including them in the president's peace plans. The president has denied awareness of any illegal activities and said he will continue with his administration's policy plans.

Persons: Gustavo Petro, Nicolas Petro, Petro, Daysuris del Carmen Vasquez, Oliver Griffin, Luis Jaime Acosta, Michael Perry Organizations: Colombian Prosecutor's, REUTERS, Rights, Thomson Locations: Bogota, Colombia, Rights BOGOTA, Atlantico, Barranquilla, Barraquilla

☆ Colombia Poverty Fell in 2022, Extreme Poverty Rose Slightly -Gov't
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-23 | by ( Sept. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

BOGOTA (Reuters) - Poverty levels in Colombia declined slightly in 2022, according to a report from the government's DANE statistics agency, although the proportion of people living in extreme poverty rose slightly. The share of Colombians living in poverty fell to 36.6% in 2022 - equivalent to 18.3 million people in the country of 50 million - down from 39.7% in 2021, the agency said in a report on Friday. However, while poverty declined overall, the share of the population living in extreme poverty rose slightly to 13.8% last year, from 13.7% in 2021, DANE said, adding that 6.9 million people were living in extreme poverty in Colombia in 2022. President Gustavo Petro, Colombia's first leftist leader, took power in August last year after winning an election with promises to fight poverty and inequality and to increase access to healthcare, among other pledges. According to the report, DANE defines poverty as those surviving on some $3.30 a day, while those in extreme poverty live on around $1.65 a day or less.

Persons: DANE, Gustavo Petro, Colombia's, Oliver Griffin, Alistair Bell Locations: BOGOTA, Colombia

☆ Exclusive: At least 40% of Colombia's ELN rebels seen rejecting peace deal, security sources say
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( Luis Jaime Acosta | Thomson Reuters | Luis Jaime Has Worked At Reuters For More Than Years. While He Chiefly Covers Colombia'S Armed Conflict | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Pablo Beltran, head of leftist guerrilla group National Liberation Army (ELN), speaks with members of the media in Caracas, Venezuela January 21, 2023. It would also appear to undermine repeated reassurances by ELN leaders that the group is united behind talks. The three security sources said some 2,300 of the ELN's total 5,850 members were seen as likely to reject the deal. The ELN talks, which restarted in November 2022, are the most advanced of Petro's peace efforts, which also include conversations with crime gangs like the Clan del Golfo. "We don't deny the risks that could come from a dialogue that doesn't acknowledge that reality," Rueda said, but added that orders from national ELN leaders are respected by fighters.

Persons: Pablo Beltran, Leonardo Fernandez Viloria, Gustavo Petro, holdouts, they're, Antonio Garcia, Danilo Rueda, Rueda, Ariel Avila, Avila, Luis Jaime Acosta, Julia Symmes Cobb, Daniel Wallis Organizations: National Liberation Army, REUTERS, Rights, Colombia's National Liberation Army, Revolutionary Armed Forces, Northeastern Fronts, Reuters, Green Alliance, Thomson Locations: Caracas, Venezuela, Rights BOGOTA, Colombia, Eastern

MEXICO CITY (AP) — The Colombian government manipulated a video to alter the applause received by President Gustavo Petro during his speech at the United Nations General Assembly in New York. The recording released by the presidential office incorporated applause for U.S. President Joe Biden, who spoke moments before Petro, making it appear the applause was directed at the Colombian leader. Although Petro did receive applause, the final clip of the video posted Thursday on the government’s YouTube channel does not correspond to what was broadcast in the U.N. video. At 1:52:39 of the official U.N. broadcast, the same applause that the Colombian government video shows going to Petro is heard but it is at the end of Biden's his address. In the edited video released by the Colombian government, all those seats look to be occupied.

Persons: Gustavo Petro, Joe Biden, Petro, Richard Drew, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Biden, Volodymyr Zelenskyy Organizations: MEXICO CITY, United Nations General Assembly, Associated Press, Colombian, AP, YouTube, General Locations: MEXICO, New York, Colombian

☆ Colombia gov't, largest FARC dissident group to begin peace talks
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Then Colombian presidential candidate Gustavo Petro, speaks during an interview with Reuters in Bogota, Colombia, April 10, 2018. REUTERS/Jaime Saldarriaga/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBOGOTA, Sept 19 (Reuters) - Colombia's government and the Estado Mayor Central (EMC), the largest FARC dissident group, on Tuesday said in a joint statement they would begin peace talks on Oct. 8 and start a 10-month bilateral, national ceasefire on the same day. The EMC was founded by dissident former members of the now-demobilized Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rebels, who reject a 2016 peace deal signed by that group. Colombia's government in May suspended a national ceasefire with the EMC in some areas of the Andean country following the murder of four Indigenous teenagers. The government is also in peace talks with the National Liberation Army (ELN) rebels and the two sides have also agreed a bilateral ceasefire.

Persons: Gustavo Petro, Jaime Saldarriaga, Gustavo Petro's, Oliver Griffin, Sandra Maler Organizations: Reuters, REUTERS, Rights, Estado Mayor Central, FARC, EMC, Revolutionary Armed Forces, Segunda Marquetalia, National Liberation Army, Thomson Locations: Bogota, Colombia, Rights BOGOTA

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — It's Day 2 of the U.N. General Assembly high-level meeting that brings world leaders together at U.N. headquarters in New York. Political Cartoons View All 1169 Images— Speech count: 37, including opening speeches from the secretary-general and General Assembly presidentWHAT TO EXPECT AT THE UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY ON DAY 2— The U.N. Security Council will also meet. On the agenda: “maintenance of peace and security in Ukraine.” That country's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, is expected to attend. Climate Ambition Summit, where only leaders from nations that bring ideas for new and meaningful action will be allowed to speak. ___For more coverage of this year's U.N. General Assembly, visit https://apnews.com/hub/united-nations-general-assembly

Persons: —, António Guterres, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Joe Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, QUOTABLE, ”, Gustavo Petro Organizations: UNITED NATIONS, General Assembly, UN GENERAL, General, . Security, Ambition, Israeli Locations: U.N, New York, Manhattan, Libya, Nagorno, Karabakh, Ukraine

☆ More than 50 Colombian state, private entities hit by cyberattack -Petro
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Sept 18 (Reuters) - More than 50 Colombian state entities and private companies were hit by a cyber attack last week, Colombian President Gustavo Petro told journalists in New York. Internet service provider IFX Networks last week reported it was the victim of a ransomware attack, which saw dozens of Colombian organizations affected. Without naming the company, Petro said the wider impact of the attack showed IFX Networks did not have the right "cybersecurity measures" in place and put the company in breach of its contracts. Earlier on Monday, Colombia's Minister for Information, Technology and Communications Mauricio Lizcano said on messaging platform X that he had ordered administrative actions to be launched against IFX Networks. "We are coordinating ... a civil lawsuit and possibly a criminal case (against the company)," Lizcano said.

Persons: Gustavo Petro, Petro, Communications Mauricio Lizcano, Lizcano, Oliver Griffin, Timothy Gardner Organizations: IFX Networks, Colombia's, Information, Technology, Communications, Thomson Locations: Colombian, New York

☆ Colombian artist Fernando Botero dies at 91
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( Stefano Pozzebon | Eyad Kourdi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Renowned Colombian artist Fernando Botero, celebrated for his iconic style featuring rotund figures used to convey political critique and satire, has died at the age of 91. The news of his death was confirmed by his daughter, Lina Botero, in an announcement made to various Colombian media outlets on Friday. PL Gould/Getty Images A Botero sculpture in Plaza Botero in Medellin, Colombia pictured on April 15, 2022. The exhibition, titled "Celebration," featured some 80 works by the Colombian artist spanning 60 years of his practise. Vincent West/Reuters "La Gorda Gertrudis," a Botero sculpture depicting a reclining nude woman, on display in Cartagena, Colombia.

Persons: Fernando Botero, Lina Botero, Mona Lisa, PL, Juan Barreto, Vincent West, Gilles Barbier, Luis Eduardo Noriega A, Shutterstock, Shannon Stapleton, Piero della Francesca, della Francesca, Duke, Urbino, Federico da Montefeltro, Battista Sforza, Hwee Young, Nicolas Maeterlinck, Barbara Sax, Juan Mabromata, Gustavo Petro, Damian Dovarganes, Daniel Quintero, Stefano Pozzebon Organizations: CNN —, PL Gould, Getty, Museo, Bellas Artes, Reuters, Museum of Antioquia, National Museum of, Buenos Aires Fine Arts Museum, Twitter, Bowers Museum Locations: Colombian, Botero, Medellin, Colombia, AFP, Bilbao, Spain, Cartagena , Colombia, New York, China, National Museum of China, Beijing, Mons, France, Berlin, Buenos Aires, Argentina, Medellín, Abu Ghraib, Iraq, Santa Ana , California, Bogota, Eyad

☆ Cocaine is about surpass oil as Colombia's top export as revenues near $20 billion
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( Matthew Fox | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Cocaine is set to become Colombia's top export this year, edging out oil products, according to a note from Bloomberg Economics. Revenue derived from Colombia's cocaine business is nearing $20 billion, ahead of the country's $19.1 billion in 2022 oil exports. Cocaine production in Colombia is at its highest level since 1991 amid lenient policies from Colombian President Gustavo Petro. Fast forward to 2022, and Colombia's cocaine industry generated an estimated $18.2 billion in export revenues, just behind oil export revenue of $19.1 billion. With the country's oil exports dropping 30% in the first half of this year, and its cocaine industry still growing steadily, Bloomberg estimates that 2023 will be the year when Colombia's cocaine revenues outpace revenues from oil.

Persons: Gustavo Petro, Felpi Hernandez, That's, Hernandez Organizations: Bloomberg Economics, Get, Service, Bloomberg Locations: Colombia, Colombian, Wall, Silicon

Colombian painter and sculptor Fernando Botero sits underneath one of his sculptures during a stroll with Medellin's Mayor Federico Gutierrez (not pictured) in Medellin, Colombia January 27, 2017. REUTERS/Fredy Builes/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsBOGOTA, Sept 15 (Reuters) - Colombian artist Fernando Botero, whose sculptures and paintings of playful, rotund subjects in sometimes harrowing situations made him one of the world's richest artists, has died at 91. "Fernando Botero has died, the painter of our traditions and defects, the painter of our virtues. Although widely known for his large subjects, Botero insisted his pieces were not focused on body type. As an artist, Botero sought to make his work accessible, donating over 200 works to create the Botero Museum in Bogota, which is free and receives half a million visitors a year.

Persons: Fernando Botero, Federico Gutierrez, Fredy, Picasso, Botero, lounging, Abu, Gustavo Petro, Spain's, Manuel Marulanda, Mona Lisa, Fernando Botero Angulo, Dali, Monet, Sophia Vari, Colombia's, Julia Symmes Cobb, Diane Craft, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Medellin's, REUTERS, Rights, Spain's El Mundo, Revolutionary Armed Forces, The New York Times, Museum, Colombia's El Tiempo, Thomson Locations: Medellin, Colombia, Rights BOGOTA, Colombian, U.S, Bogota

REUTERS/Emilie Madi/ Acquire Licensing RightsBOGOTA, Sept 12 (Reuters) - Colombia was the deadliest country for environmentalists in 2022, with at least 60 environmental and land rights defenders killed there, British advocacy group Global Witness said in a report on Tuesday. Global Witness found at least 177 environmentalists were killed globally last year. The findings returned Colombia to the top of the list of deadliest countries for environmentalists after killings declined in 2021 compared to 2019 and 2020. Brazil and Mexico were the second and third most deadly countries for environmentalists in 2022, the report found, with at least 34 and 31 killings respectively. The only two countries not from Latin America to be included in the 10 most dangerous for environmentalists were the Philippines and Indonesia, Global Witness said.

Persons: Susana Muhamad, Emilie Madi, Laura Furones, Gustavo Petro, Muhamad, Oliver Griffin, Grant McCool Organizations: Reuters, REUTERS, Rights, Global, Environmental, Constitutional, Thomson Locations: Red, el, Sheikh, Egypt, Rights BOGOTA, Colombia, America, Costa Rica, Brazil, Mexico, Philippines, Indonesia

☆ Colombia Was Deadliest Country for Environmentalists in 2022 -Advocacy Group
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( Sept. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Oliver GriffinBOGOTA (Reuters) - Colombia was the deadliest country for environmentalists in 2022, with at least 60 environmental and land rights defenders killed there, British advocacy group Global Witness said in a report on Tuesday. Global Witness found at least 177 environmentalists were killed globally last year. The findings returned Colombia to the top of the list of deadliest countries for environmentalists after killings declined in 2021 compared to 2019 and 2020. "The ratification of the Escazu agreement by the Constitutional Court is fundamental," Muhamad said. The only two countries not from Latin America to be included in the 10 most dangerous for environmentalists were the Philippines and Indonesia, Global Witness said.

Persons: Oliver Griffin BOGOTA, Laura Furones, Gustavo Petro, Susana Muhamad, Muhamad, Oliver Griffin, Grant McCool Organizations: Global, Environmental, Constitutional Locations: Colombia, America, Costa Rica, Brazil, Mexico, Philippines, Indonesia

REUTERS/Luisa Gonzalez/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsCompanies Ecopetrol SA FollowBOGOTA, Sept 11 (Reuters) - Colombia's government is considering revising rules to make majority state-run energy company Ecopetrol (ECO.CN) an obligatory partner in every offshore wind project, three people familiar with the matter told Reuters. If approved, the revision would make it "mandatory for Ecopetrol to take part in each offshore project," another source told Reuters. Having Ecopetrol partner up with other companies on offshore wind farms would "minimize the risks of new projects" one of the sources said, adding that the size of any given Ecopetrol stake would be "very, very small," without hinting at possible percentages. Ecopetrol's involvement in offshore wind projects would help shore up energy self sufficiency, another of the sources said. Plans to hold the bidding round to assign maritime blocks for offshore wind farms are running behind.

Persons: Luisa Gonzalez, Gustavo Petro, Colombia's, Energy Irene Velez, Andres Camacho, Oliver Griffin, Timothy Gardner Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, The, of Mines, Energy, Thomson Locations: Bogota, Colombia, BOGOTA, Colombia's

☆ A divided Chile marks 50 years since Pinochet's bloody military coup
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-11 | by ( Natalia A. Ramos Miranda | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/5] A woman dressed in black holds a candle as she walks around La Moneda presidential palace during an event ahead of the 50th anniversary of the 1973 Chilean military coup, in Santiago, Chile, September 10, 2023. Victims of military rule and their families have ramped up a push for justice and accountability, but politically the far-right has gained ground amid growing fears over rising crime. "Some people don't know anything about what happened and aren't interested, others are tired that...even after 50 years, many people still don't know what happened to their disappeared relatives," said Elvira Cádiz, who was six years old in 1973. According to various Chilean human rights commissions, there are 40,175 victims classified as politically executed, disappeared, imprisoned and tortured during military rule. "We don't know if we will achieve complete justice, but what we do have to do is get to the truth, find out where they are."

Persons: Carlos Barria, Augusto Pinochet, Salvador Allende, Gabriel Boric, aren't, Elvira Cádiz, Boric, he's, Allende's, Pinochet, José Antonio Kast, Cristián Valdivieso, Allende, Pinochet's, Gaby Rivera, Luis Rivera, Argentina's Alberto Fernández, Colombia's Gustavo Petro, Mexico's Andrés Manuel López Obrador, Carlos Gonzalez, Natalia Ramos, Adam Jourdan, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Hawker Hunter, Reuters, Thomson Locations: La, Santiago , Chile, Chile, South America, Estación Central, Santiago, Allende

☆ Colombia Potential Cocaine Output Rose 24% in 2022 - UN
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-11 | by ( Sept. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

Also at a more than 20-year high was potential cocaine output, which rose 24% to 1,738 metric tonnes. Coca is the chief ingredient in cocaine, whose production has fueled the Andean country's six-decade armed conflict, which has killed at least 450,000 people. Petro's government wants to help rural communities voluntarily substitute some 100,000 hectares of coca crops over the next four years, an official told Reuters recently. The government wants to reduce cultivation areas to 150,000 hectares and production capacity to 900 metric tonnes by 2026, Osuna said. Some 13% of Colombia's annual deforestation is linked to illicit crops, Environment Minister Susana Muhamad told a drugs conference last week.

Persons: Candice Welsch, Welsch, Gustavo Petro, Colombia's, Nestor Osuna, Osuna, Susana Muhamad, oversupply, Luis Jaime Acosta, Oliver Griffin, Julia Symmes Cobb, Richard Chang Organizations: United Nations Office, Drugs, Reuters, UN, Food Locations: BOGOTA, Colombia, Putumayo province, Ecuador

☆ Colombian President proposes Latin American alliance to transform 'war on drugs'
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] President of Colombia Gustavo Petro speaks during the closing of the Latin American and Caribbean Conference on Drugs "For life, peace and development", during the visit of the Mexican president, in Cali, Colombia September 9, 2023. Petro, the first leftist president in Colombia's history, closed the Latin American and Caribbean Conference on Drugs, which was held in the city of Cali, by saying that 50 years of a failed war on drugs had resulted in immeasurable bloodshed and pain in Latin America. Colombia, like other Latin American countries, faces persistent violence resulting from drug trafficking and the presence of cartels with growing firepower and economic might, according to security sources and analysts. They also agreed on the need to break the harmful links between drug and firearms trafficking, transnational organized crime, illegal logging, human trafficking, migrant smuggling, money laundering and corruption. The Mexican president said Latin American countries need to support the United States in its fight against fentanyl out of a "moral obligation" and "humanism."

Persons: Colombia Gustavo Petro, Gustavo Petro, Petro, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, Lopez Obrador, Luis Jaime Acosta, Raul Cortes, Jackie Botts, Chizu Organizations: Caribbean Conference, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, Drugs, Thomson Locations: Colombia, Cali, Colombian, Rights BOGOTA, America, Mexican, United States, Bogota, Mexico City

☆ Colombian President Proposes Latin American Alliance to Transform 'War on Drugs'
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-09 | by ( Sept. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

Petro, the first leftist president in Colombia's history, closed the Latin American and Caribbean Conference on Drugs, which was held in the city of Cali, by saying that 50 years of a failed war on drugs had resulted in immeasurable bloodshed and pain in Latin America. "It is time to rebuild hope and not repeat the bloody and ferocious wars, the ill-named 'war on drugs', viewing drugs as a military problem and not as a health problem for society," Petro said. Colombia, like other Latin American countries, faces persistent violence resulting from drug trafficking and the presence of cartels with growing firepower and economic might, according to security sources and analysts. They also agreed on the need to break the harmful links between drug and firearms trafficking, transnational organized crime, illegal logging, human trafficking, migrant smuggling, money laundering and corruption. The Mexican president said Latin American countries need to support the United States in its fight against fentanyl out of a "moral obligation" and "humanism."

Persons: Gustavo Petro, Petro, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, Lopez Obrador, Luis Jaime Acosta, Raul Cortes, Jackie Botts, Chizu Nomiyama Organizations: Caribbean Conference, Drugs Locations: BOGOTA, Cali, America, Colombian, Colombia, Mexican, United States, Bogota, Mexico City

☆ Opinion: Young Colombians had high hopes for their first leftist president. It didn’t last
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( Opinion Kristina Foltz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Before Petro, Colombia had been governed for decades by liberal and conservative parties forming part of the broader Colombian political right. A demonstrator holds a tainted image of Colombian President Gustavo Petro (left) during an anti-government protest in the capital on August 16. Luisa Gonzalez/ReutersBut what about young Colombians, who, like me, are worried about the direction Petro is taking the country? Ivan says he was drawn to Petro because, “he always had a message about generating free quality education for young people. His successor, President Nicolas Maduro, continued Chavismo policies that have destroyed the Venezuelan economy.

Persons: Kristina Foltz, Read, — Gustavo Petro —, I’m, — Nicolas Petro —, Nicolas ’, Petro, Gustavo Petro, Luisa Gonzalez, Ivan Oros, “, ”, Ivan, —, Ivan’s, Juan Manuel Santos, Ivan Duque’s ‘, he’s, Nicolas —, Ariel Ricardo Armel, Juan Valdez, ” Ariel, Hugo Chavez, Nicolas Maduro, Ariel, Armando Duarte Galan, governability, it’s Organizations: Rotary Ambassador, CNN, Petro, Reuters, La Primavera, Revolutionary Armed Forces, Colombian, University of Pamplona, Social Communications, Colombian Organization, Students, El, SISBEN, WHO, US, Twitter, Facebook, Plaza Bolivar Locations: Bogotá, Colombian, Latin America, Colombia, Venezuela, Venezuelan

The Liberian MSC UNITED VIII container ship transits in the expanded canal through Cocoli Locks at the Panama Canal, on the outskirts of Panama City, Panama March 10, 2023. The Panama Canal Authority last week opened two additional slots per day for vessels without booking to transit to help clear bottlenecks on both sides of the interoceanic corridor. As of Tuesday, 125 booked and non-booked vessels were waiting to pass, down from more than 160 ships two weeks ago, according to official numbers. However, the average wait time for vessels to pass has risen to between 10 and 11 days this month, from 6-7 days last month. The waiting surpasses 17 days for cargo vessels and liquefied petroleum gas carriers, and is almost 13 days for tankers.

Persons: Aris Martinez, Gustavo Petro, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, Abe Eshkenazi, Elida Moreno, Marianna Parraga, Marguerita Choy Organizations: Liberian MSC UNITED, REUTERS, PANAMA CITY, Panama Canal Authority, Reuters, Tuesday, Panama, U.S, U.S ., Association for Supply Chain Management, Thomson Locations: Cocoli, Panama, Panama City, PANAMA, Asia, South America, Europe, China, U.S . West Coast, Chicago, Houston

☆ Ecuador election: political violence and insecurity loom large as Ecuadorians get ready to vote
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-15 | by ( Rafael Romo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

It has also brought international attention to the powerful criminal organizations driving the violence that has plagued Ecuador. “By the very fact that we’re not controlling our borders, we’re getting an influx of money that is literally corrupting the country,” Topic added. Topic told CNN that while he admires Bukele, he would be more careful when it comes to respecting human rights. Andrea González Náder – who was Villavicencio’s running mate – told CNN that the fight against criminal gangs and corruption was Villavicencio’s main objective when he was alive. Those aims have not changed, she told CNN from a secret location in Ecuador, which police asked CNN not to reveal for her protection.

Persons: Ecuador CNN — Gissella Cecibel Molina doesn’t, Fernando Villavicencio, Fernando, ” Molina, ‘ Fernando Villavicencio, ’, ”, Molina, “, Villavicencio, Juan Zapata, Fernando Villavicencio's assasination, Karen Toro, Pedro Briones, Agustin Intriago, Walker Vera, Pity Guzman, Rodrigo Buendia, Bukele, doesn’t, Andrea González Náder –, –, Martin Bernetti, Luisa González, Rafael Correa, “ I’ve, Gustavo Petro Organizations: Ecuador CNN, National Assembly, CNN, “, Reuters, Manta, Ecuadorian National Police, United Nations Office, Drug, Getty, French Foreign Legion, Electoral Council, Citizen Revolution Movement, European, Colombian, Zetas Locations: Quito, Ecuador, Ecuador’s, “, Esmeraldas province, Muisne, South America, United States, Europe, Colombia, Mexico, Balkans, AFP, Ecuadorian, European Union

☆ Focus: Colombia's potential renewables boom short circuits on Indigenous resistance
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-15 | by ( Nelson Bocanegra | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Solar photovoltaic array is seen at a solar power field of the company Celsia, in Yumbo, Colombia, February 6, 2019. Joanna Barney, a researcher at non-governmental organization Indepaz said she was aware of the deaths associated with conflicts over renewables projects. Renewables - even if ostensibly more environmentally-friendly - are facing hurdles similar to those confronted by oil and mining companies, long Colombia's top sources of income. Wind and solar provide less than 1% - about 300 megawatts - of Colombia's current energy generation. "The projects aren't operating and it doesn't seem like they will start in the next two years," said Alejandro Lucio of Optima Consultores, which advises renewables companies.

Persons: Julia Symmes Cobb, Gustavo Petro, Italy's, Petro, Jose Silva, Silva, Enel, Colombia Erik Hoeg, Hoeg, Joanna Barney, Indepaz, Alexandra Hernandez, Alejandro Lucio, Optima, Nelson Bocanegra, Christian Plumb Organizations: REUTERS, University of La, EDP Renewables, Brookfield Asset Management, AES, El, Nacion, Reuters, Renewables, Colombian Renewable Energy Association, Thomson Locations: Yumbo, Colombia, BOGOTA, Colombia's La Guajira, Guajira, University of La Guajira, Energi, Brookfield, La Guajira, Colombia's, Europe, Chile, Mexico

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