Deforestation in Colombia falls 33% in first quarter
Colombia is one of the most biodiverse countries in the world and is home to a myriad of plant and animal species, though it loses swathes of tree cover every year to deforestation.
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Telegraph
4 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Colombia's president mocked for using aide as a laptop stand
Colombia 's president was caught on Tuesday using an aide as a laptop stand as he opened the country 's congress. The staffer was seen lying on the floor beside Gustavo Petro, with his arm in the air, holding up the laptop for the president to refer to during his speech. Filmed on a smartphone and shared on social media, the moment prompted mockery of the president online for using a 'human tripod'. In one reaction video, Right-wing podcasters fell about with laughter as they noted the irony of the Left-wing president referencing anti-slavery policies in his speech. The full official footage was posted online by the president's own office. Many in the audience appeared to have been preoccupied with their phones during the nearly two-and-a-half-hour speech. At least two audience members could be seen sitting on the floor in the middle of the auditorium. Nor did anyone in the room seem surprised when the aide proceeded to take a prone position an hour and a half into the speech, and Mr Petro appears to make no secret of the task he has handed to his staffer. The aide appeared by Mr Petro's side during a portion of the address in which he referred to a series of slides displaying various graphs regarding proposed healthcare reforms. He was seen gesturing at the laptop and leaning in to take a closer look at the data on the screen. The aide's face appeared occasionally over the top of the desk.
Reuters
20 hours ago
- Reuters
Venezuelan makeup artist returns home, describes torture during El Salvador detention
CAPACHO, Venezuela, July 23 (Reuters) - A makeup artist who became the face of more than 250 Venezuelan migrants deported by the U.S. to El Salvador's most notorious prison arrived home to his family on Wednesday after what he described as "an encounter with torture and death." Andry Hernandez, 32, and the other detainees returned to Venezuela on Friday as part of a prisoner exchange, after spending four months in El Salvador's CECOT prison, where they and the Venezuelan government allege they were beaten, shot with rubber projectiles, held in dark cells, and served rotten food. "Many of our fellows have wounds from the nightsticks; they have fractured ribs, fractured fingers and toes, marks from the handcuffs, others have marks on their chests, on their face ... from the projectiles," Hernandez told journalists at his home in Capacho, near the Colombian border. U.S. President Donald Trump invoked the 1798 Alien Enemies Act to deport the men, who his government accuses of being members of the Tren de Aragua gang, without normal immigration procedures. The deportations sparked a legal battle led by civil rights groups. Families and lawyers of many of the men have denied they have gang ties. Hernandez, detained at the U.S.-Mexico border during the Biden administration, had an active asylum case when he was deported to CECOT. His case was widely covered in the media. Advocates in the U.S. have voiced concerns that Hernandez, who is gay, faces risks in Venezuela due to LGBTQ persecution. The U.S. alleged Tren de Aragua membership based on his tattoos: crowns on his wrists that read "mom" and "dad." Hernandez denied the allegation. In a video broadcast on state television on Monday, Hernandez alleged sexual abuse by the guards at CECOT, and Venezuela's attorney general has said his office will investigate El Salvador President Nayib Bukele over alleged abuses. Bukele's office has not responded to requests for comment on the alleged torture. White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson has referred allegations of mistreatment to El Salvador's government, while the U.S. Department of Homeland Security dismissed the allegations of abuse on Tuesday, calling the men "criminal, illegal gang members." Reuters was not able to immediately confirm the abuse allegations. Hernandez's parents, Felipe Hernandez and Alexi Romero, have been anxiously awaiting his return since Tuesday, when he called to say he was on the way from Caracas, some 820 kilometers (510 miles) away. Hernandez said he was most happy to see them and his brother, but was also touched to find out that friends and family held vigils on his behalf and campaigned for his return. "It fills me with so much peace, so much comfort, so much tranquility that I was never alone, from day one. There were many people who worried for me," he said.
Reuters
21 hours ago
- Reuters
Colombia's Petro threatens to alter Glencore contract over Israel coal exports
BOGOTA, July 23 (Reuters) - Colombian President Gustavo Petro on Tuesday threatened to unilaterally alter Glencore's (GLEN.L), opens new tab concession contract if the mining giant continues to export coal to Israel, though the company said it has already ceased the shipments in compliance with a presidential decree. "I am willing to unilaterally change the concession contract," Petro said during an energy event for the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC). The president also warned that if Glencore refuses to comply with the decree to suspend the shipments, he would ask the local community near the mine to stage blockades. In response, the company said it was already in compliance with the order. "Cerrejon has acted in accordance with the decree issued by President Petro. In fact, our last shipment of coal was some two weeks before the decree came into effect," the company told Reuters. Petro suspended exports of the fuel source to Israel over its assault on the Gaza Strip. Israel's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Glencore's Cerrejon operation, located in Colombia's northeastern La Guajira province, is one of the world's largest open-pit coal export mines. It includes a 150-kilometer (93-mile) railway line and a port on the Caribbean Sea. Cerrejon's production reached 19 million metric tons in 2024. In March, the company announced it would cut its annual thermal coal production by between 5 million and 10 million tons due to low mineral prices.
