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Colombia’s President slams ‘addiction to irrational power’ in fiery first UNGA speech

https://www.cnn.com/2022/09/20/americas/unga-colombia-petro-speech-intl-latam/index.html

United Nations Headquarters
CNN
—

In his first address to the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, recently elected Colombian president Gustavo Petro delivered a fiery speech that recalled some of his campaign themes, slamming the war on drugs as a failure and accusing the global north of turning a blind eye to the destruction of the Amazon.

Abandoning the careful wording that characterizes so much diplomacy at the UN, Petro contrasted the dangers of drug addiction to what he described as humanity’s even more damaging “addiction to irrational power, profit and money.”

“What is more poisonous for humanity, cocaine, coal or oil?” he asked.

“The opinion of power has ordered that cocaine is poison and must be persecuted, while it only causes minimal deaths from overdoses … but instead, coal and oil must be protected, even when it can extinguish all humanity,” he said.

Following UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres’s warning that “our planet burns,” Petro also called the global discourse around saving the environment “hypocritical,” saying recommendations and warnings from scientists about the destruction of the Amazon rainforest have long been ignored.

“The climate disaster that will kill hundreds of millions of people is not being caused by the planet, it is being caused by capital. By the logic of consuming more and more, producing more and more, and for some earning more and more,” he also said.

Colombia is the world’s biggest producer of cocaine, and over the past 50 years public authorities have pushed a prohibitionist agenda, banning the trade and consumption of drugs in order to hit the criminals that profit from drug trafficking in their pockets. So far however, the stream of illicit substances has not ceased.

In his speech, Petro, who was inaugurated last month, called on all of Latin America to stop the war on drugs.

“Reducing drug use does not require wars,” he said. “It needs all of us to build a better society.”

Petro has said in the past that he wants Colombia to export foods rather than cocaine and incentivize other kinds of production through agricultural subsidies instead of weapons. His administration also recently presented a bill to legalize recreational marijuana in the country, with Colombian Sen. Gustavo Bolivar – a close ally to Petro – telling CNN in August that he believed regulation could one day extend to cocaine too.

His appeals on Tuesday for a regional approach to to drugs did not fall on deaf ears. During a press briefing after the day’s speeches, Bolivian President Luis Arce said on Tuesday that his administration had been in discussion with Petro around the themes of the speech.

“He shared the ideas with us that he spoke about today. We would like to hear a very specific proposal about this,” Arce said.

Though noting that Bolivia and Colombia face very different situations in terms of drug trafficking, Arce added that he did think Colombia, Peru and Bolivia – the three largest producers of cocaine in the world – should align their “criteria” in combating the issue.

Since Petro took office, the three countries are all run by left-leaning leaders.

Bolivia already has a thriving legal market of coca byproducts, mostly dry leaves that are chewed by the indigenous population and the governments of Bolivia and Colombia have previously pushed for a regional re-thinking of drug policies in multilateral meetings.

From CNN’s Caitlin Hu in New York and Hira Humayan in Atlanta. Previous reporting by CNN’s Stefano Pozzebon in Bogota.

Local News

Video: Deer crashes through window and roams Alabama elementary school classroom

On video, a deer was captured crashing through a classroom window at an elementary school in Alabama and then wandering around among the desks. According to Evergreen Elementary School, the incident occurred on February 11, and the “unexpected intrusion” was not hurt. The school posted on Facebook that they had an “unexpected intruder” this weekend. It was undoubtedly interested in seeing all the great things happening in their school. ALASKA WOMAN IS KOMBLED BY HUGE MOOSE AFTER SLEEPING UP ON HIM. The facility claims that the deer left after “a couple of hours.” BUDWEISER CYDESDALES GET TANGLED UP DURING TEXAS STOKES AND RODEO SHOW “It struggled for a few minutes learning to walk on our waxed flooring,” Evergreen Elementary School stated. CLICK HERE TO GET FOX NEWS APP Video footage shows the deer sliding around on the ground as it moves around the desks of children inside the classroom.

Local News

Texas school administrator seems to have thrown a 14-year-old boy in the wall

A mother who was concerned released surveillance video that shows a school administrator throwing a boy, 14 years old, into a wall at Round Rock High School. The incident occurred at GOALS Learning Center on April 29, a school for students with a primary disorder of emotional disturbance. Tatiana Alfano, the mother, said that she received an email and a call from the school stating that her son was defiant and had struck his head when he fell. Quintin Proctor, Quintin’s son, insisted that Quintin was actually thrown into a wall by the school administrator. His mother was shocked to receive surveillance video from the school two week later.
Just before he tried to leave, the student was standing in a corridor.
(Round Rock Independent Schools District via Fox 7 Austin) The video shows Proctor in a hallway along with two female teachers as well as the male administrator. Fox 7 Austin reported that Proctor had been brought to the “cool down area” after yelling at his teachers. Proctor tried to follow the two teachers as they left. The administrator grabbed Proctor and threw him against the wall. WILD BRAWL BREAKS OUT at the END OF ARIZONA HOST SCHOOL BASKETBALL GAMES: ‘IT WAS UGLY.’Proctor jumped up several times and raised his arm as if he was going for a punch. But he never did. The teachers later took him down a different corridor. Proctor said that he didn’t know what to think when he hit the wall. Fox 7 Austin echoed this statement.
Quintin Proctor claims he was shoved by an administrator against a wall.
(Round Rock Independent Schools District via Fox 7 Austin). A spokesperson for Round Rock Independent Schools District stated that the administrator was no longer on campus at GOALS Learning Center. Jenny LaCoste Caputo, the spokesperson for Round Rock Independent School District, stated that the incident was thoroughly investigated by the district. She also reported it to all appropriate state agencies. “The staff member is currently employed at the district, but is not on a campus. He is assigned to special projects in Central Administration.
The 14-year old hit his head against the wall.
(Round Rock Independent Schools District via Fox 7 Austin). His mom said that she shared the surveillance video because she has heard similar stories from other families. “What happened to Quintin isn’t unusual or exceptional or rare. It’s just that we have footage of it because these events are usually happening behind closed doors. So now it’s grown and it’s larger,” Alfano explained to Fox 7 Austin. “We must do right by all the kids. This shouldn’t be happening.”

Local News

Ex-Honduran congressman who lives in NY is sentenced to 30 years in international drug conspiracy

A federal judge in New York sentenced Fredy Renan Najera Montoya, a former Honduran congressman, to 30 years imprisonment for his involvement in a large-scale drug trade operation. Prosecutors claimed that Najera Montoya had imported more than 30 tonnes of cocaine into the United States. He had also pleaded guilty previously to conspiracy to import cocaine and a weapons offense. The sentence was handed down by U.S District Judge Paul Gardephe. Najera, 46, was also ordered to forfeit $39 Million and pay a $10,000,000 fine.
Fredy Renan Najera (46), was ordered to forfeit $39 Million and pay $10 Million in fines for his involvement in a drug trafficking ring.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Manhattan, Najera distributed more than 30 tons cocaine from the Honduran region he represented between 2008 and 2015. According to the U.S. attorney’s office in Manhattan, Najera helped distribute more than 30 tons of cocaine from the region of Honduras that he represented in his government role between 2008 and 2015.

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High ranking US officials meet with Taliban for the first time since July, when al Qaeda’s leader was killed by the US

Two officials familiar with the talks stated that top officials from the Biden administration met with the Taliban in person on Saturday, the first meeting since al Qaeda leader Ayman al Zawahiri was shot to death in Kabul in late Jul.

The administration sent the CIA’s deputy Director and the top State Department official responsible in Afghanistan to Doha, Qatar, for talks with the Taliban delegation. This included their head of intelligence Abdul Haq Wasiq.

Zawahiri was killed during a strike by the US. The US then accused the Taliban of a “clear violation” of the Doha Agreement, “brokered in part by the Trump administration. This agreement stated that the Taliban would not harbor terrorists if the US forces withdraw from Afghanistan, which they did in august 2021.

After a US drone shot down fatal Hellfire missiles at Zawahiri in Afghanistan, American officials accused the Taliban leaders of the Haqqani network knowing Zawahiri was missing. The Taliban reacted angrily to the incident.

The US has maintained its engagement with the Taliban since then, including negotiating Mark Frerichs’ release. However, senior officials hadn’t met face-toface since Zawahiri’s death on July 31.

The presence of CIA Deputy Director David Cohen, and the Taliban’s Wasiq, at Saturday’s meeting indicates a focus on counterterrorism. Last month, the White House called cooperation with Taliban on counterterrorism “a work-in-progress.”

Cohen was accompanied by Tom West, the Special Representative for Afghanistan at the State Department. West has been a leader in engagement with the Taliban ever since the US withdrawal last January.

Frerichs was freed almost three weeks ago, after spending more than two years in captivity. With the help of Qatar, Frerichs was also released. According to administration officials, they claimed that they spent months negotiating with Taliban leaders for Frerichs’ release and warned them about Frerichs’ death after the strike. They stated that the best way to restore trust would be to release him.

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, at least one other American, Ivor Shearer (a filmmaker) is currently being held in Taliban custody. He was arrested alongside Faizullah Faizbakhsh, his Afghan producer. They were filming in the same area Zawahiri was murdered. Shearer was reportedly summoned by the Taliban several times for questioning prior to his detention.

The State Department and the CIA declined to comment.

The Taliban maintains ties to al Qaeda but they are now facing an insurgency by the Islamic State offshoot known ISIS-K. This group has repeatedly targeted Afghanistan’s Hazara ethnic minority. A suicide attack at an education center in Kabul’s predominantly Hazara neighborhood resulted in the deaths of at least 25 people, mostly young women. No one claimed immediate responsibility.

Beth Sanner, a former Deputy director of National Intelligence, who led Afghanistan analysis at CIA, says that “the Taliban are struggling to stop ISIS-K attacks,” Sanner is also a CNN contributor.

Sanner stated that Cohen is likely to send a clear message that we will continue to strike as we did against Zawahiri if we discover that al Qaeda members are supporting operations that threaten the US and its allies. “ISIS-K is now a threat to the Taliban and to sectarian security. However, there is some concern that ISIS -K could eventually turn its sights to external plotting if they are unable to contain them.”

The Biden administration announced last month that it had established a $3.5 billion “Afghan Fund” to freeze Afghan money in order to promote economic stability. Two officials said to CNN that the US doesn’t believe there is an institution that can guarantee the funds will be used to benefit Afghans.

Instead, it will be managed by an outside organization, independent from the Taliban and the central bank.

In their discussions with the Taliban, administration officials have repeatedly brought up the issue of women and girls. Last month, the United Nations’ rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan called the “staggering” decline of Afghan women and girls in society “staggering.”

Bennett stated that “in no other country has women and girls so quickly disappeared from all spheres in public life.” “Despite this, women’s rights and accountability for human rights are being maintained by girls and women.”

This report was contributed by Jennifer Hansler and Kylie Atwood, CNN.

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