International
Mexico lawmakers vote to extend Supreme Court president term despite backlash
AFP/Editor
Mexican lawmakers on Friday approved a controversial reform extending the term of the Supreme Court president, despite criticism from the opposition and even within President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador’s own party.
The bill enabling Arturo Zaldivar, who is considered close to Lopez Obrador, to serve until 2024 was approved by the lower house of Congress, the Chamber of Deputies, by 262 votes to 182.
The change was approved by the upper house, the Senate, earlier this month.
Both chambers are dominated by Lopez Obrador’s Morena party and its allies.
Usually Mexico’s Supreme Court judges are required to choose a president from among themselves every four years, with no possibility of re-election.
Lopez Obrador said last week that he supported the bill because there are “vices and nepotism” in the judiciary and Zaldivar is a “man of integrity.”
But the move has drawn criticism from legal experts, the opposition and some members of the left-wing populist’s party.
Zaldivar “cannot remain silent in the face of a pathetic violation of the constitution that goes down in history bearing his name,” veteran Morena lawmaker Porfirio Munoz Ledo said on Twitter.
The reform “disgraces all the members of the court by rating them as incompetent,” he added.
Zaldivar said in a statement that the Supreme Court would consider any petition it receives challenging the constitutionality of the reform.
In a radio interview, he later said he was confident that his colleagues on the Supreme Court “will resolve the issue responsibly” and decide if it is constitutional.
International
Netanyahu orders shortened preparation for Gaza city operation against Hamas
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday ordered a “shortening” of the preparation period before troops enter Gaza City, where around one million Palestinians are taking refuge.
“In anticipation of the approval of plans for the operation in Gaza City, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered the timelines to be shortened for taking the last terrorist strongholds and defeating Hamas,” the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement.
The brief text, which may serve as a pressure tactic on both Hamas and the displaced Palestinian population, does not specify any dates.
The Israeli military has also not provided details beyond reiterating that “preliminary operations” have already begun in some neighborhoods of Gaza’s capital.
Military spokesperson Effie Defrin said in an online briefing that “the army now controls the gates of Gaza City” and that forces are stationed in the southern Zeitoun neighborhood and the northern Jabalia area.
“Additional forces will join the fighting in the near future,” Defrin added.
According to Gazan sources, attacks and bombings have increased in these two locations, along with the demolition of homes. The military has also called up 60,000 reservists, according to a Defense Ministry statement.
International
UN official urges international action against U.S. sanctions on ICC judges
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said on Thursday that the U.S. imposition of new sanctions on judges and deputy prosecutors of the International Criminal Court (ICC) should prompt the international community to take measures to protect them.
“The relentless escalation of U.S. reprisals against international institutions and their personnel must stop,” Türk said in a statement issued from his office in Geneva.
The ICC itself condemned Trump’s actions against two prosecutors and two judges investigating Israel for crimes in Gaza, asserting that it will not be intimidated by pressure or threats.
The UN High Commissioner called for the removal of sanctions against this group of magistrates, as well as those previously imposed on four other judges and a prosecutor from the same institution, and on the UN Human Rights Council-appointed rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese.
Practically, Türk noted that other governments could protect them by urging companies operating under their jurisdiction not to enforce these sanctions.
“States must step forward to defend the institutions they created to uphold human rights and the rule of law. Those who work to document, investigate, and prosecute serious violations of international law should not work in fear,” he emphasized.
International
Trump threatens to cut California school funding over trans policies
U.S. President Donald Trump threatened on Thursday to cut funding to schools in California that do not comply with his policies regarding the transgender community, which have sought to restrict rights since his return to the White House.
“Any school district in California that does not follow our policies on transgender individuals will not receive funding,” he wrote in a brief post on his Truth Social account.
One such grant has already been canceled by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
A representative from the Administration for Children and Families, part of HHS, told Fox News that the grant for California’s sex education program was withdrawn due to the state’s refusal to remove what the federal office called “radical gender ideology” from its curriculum.
“California’s refusal to comply with federal law and remove the abhorrent gender ideology from federally funded sex education materials is unacceptable,” said Andrew Gradison, acting secretary of the office.
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