International

Parents of students protest in front of military headquarters in Mexico

Photo: EFE

September 22 |

Fathers, mothers and relatives of the missing normalista teachers in Ayotzinapa in September 2014 along with students from a rural school in the state of Guerrero, set up a protest camp on Thursday in front of Military Camp 1, in Mexico City, capital of the country.

Sources close to the protesters revealed that the concentration could remain in place until next Monday, when a meeting is scheduled at the Ministry of the Interior (Interior Ministry), or until Tuesday, the day that commemorates nine years since the disappearance of the 43 students.

The plaintiffs set up a tent where they will be camping in front of this complex as an expression of their demand to the Army of the North American country to deliver the necessary information to find the whereabouts of the more than 40 missing students.

Mario González, father of César Manuel González, one of the 43 missing students, stated: “We are at the Campo Militar 1 battalion, where the information of all the battalions of the country is located.”

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“They are nothing more than criminals, cowards with weapons”, sentenced the father, in clear reference not only to the events of September 26, 2014, but to the whole installation of elements to protect the Army facilities where they arrived that includes barbed wire, barricades and hundreds of armed soldiers.

This 2023 will commemorate the ninth anniversary of the event that generated one of the most emblematic cases in the judicial history of Mexico, treasured as a great pending issue by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who promised to resolve it before the end of his term (October 2024).

Last Wednesday, the relatives met with the President and when leaving the meeting they explained their demand that the Army should finish providing the necessary documentation on the case in order to find the whereabouts of the students once and for all.

The relatives were disappointed by the president’s refusal, who assured that all the information had already been handed over, although they claim the existence of these missing documents in what was handed over by the Army to the Interdisciplinary Group of Independent Experts (GIEI) created by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR).

The GIEI recently withdrew from the country because it was unable to make progress in the investigations due to the obstacles imposed by the lack of collaboration of the Armed Forces in the investigation. The Truth Commission classified the event as a “State crime” due to the participation of authorities at all levels, including the Armed Forces.

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The government of López Obrador has repeatedly denied the accusation made by supporters of former President Enrique Peña Nieto (2012-2018) and has defended the so-called “historical truth”, which maintains that corrupt police detained the students and handed them over to the Guerreros Unidos cartel, which murdered and incinerated them in the Cocula landfill.

International

U.S. Senate Rejects Budget, Bringing Government Closer to Shutdown Amid DHS Dispute

The U.S. Senate voted on Thursday against a budget proposal in a move aimed at pressuring changes at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), following the killing of two civilians during a deployment of immigration agents in Minneapolis.

All Senate Democrats and seven Republican lawmakers voted against the bill, which requires 60 votes to advance, pushing the country closer to a partial government shutdown that would cut funding for several agencies, including the Pentagon and the Department of Health.

The rejection came as Senate leaders and the White House continue negotiations on a separate funding package for DHS that would allow reforms to the agency. Proposed measures include banning Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents from wearing face coverings and requiring them to use body-worn cameras during operations.

The vote took place just hours after President Donald Trump said he was “close” to reaching an agreement with Democrats and did not believe the federal government would face another shutdown, following last year’s record stoppage.

“I don’t think the Democrats want a shutdown either, so we’ll work in a bipartisan way to avoid it. Hopefully, there will be no government shutdown. We’re working on that right now,” Trump said during a Cabinet meeting at the White House.

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International

Trump Says Putin Agreed to One-Week Halt in Attacks on Ukraine Amid Extreme Cold

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he secured a commitment from Russian President Vladimir Putinto halt attacks against Ukraine for one week, citing extreme weather conditions affecting the region.

“Because of the extreme cold (…) I personally asked Putin not to attack Kyiv or other cities and towns for a week. And he agreed. He was very pleasant,” Trump said during a Cabinet meeting broadcast by the White House.

Trump acknowledged that several advisers had questioned the decision to make the call.
“A lot of people told me not to waste the call because they wouldn’t agree. And he accepted. And we’re very happy they did, because they don’t need missiles hitting their towns and cities,” the president said.

According to Trump, Ukrainian authorities reacted with surprise to the announcement but welcomed the possibility of a temporary ceasefire.
“It’s extraordinarily cold, record cold (…) They say they’ve never experienced cold like this,” he added.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky later commented on the announcement, expressing hope that the agreement would be honored.

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International

Storm Kristin Kills Five in Portugal, Leaves Nearly 500,000 Without Power

Storm Kristin, which battered Portugal with heavy rain and strong winds early Wednesday, has left at least five people dead, while nearly half a million residents remained without electricity as of Thursday, according to updated figures from authorities.

The revised death toll was confirmed to AFP by a spokesperson for the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANPEC). On Wednesday, the agency had reported four fatalities.

Meanwhile, E-Redes, the country’s electricity distribution network operator, said that around 450,000 customers were still without power, particularly in central Portugal.

Emergency services responded to approximately 1,500 incidents between midnight and 8:00 a.m. local time on Wednesday, as the storm caused widespread disruptions.

The Portuguese government described Kristin as an “extreme weather event” that inflicted significant damage across several regions of the country. At the height of the storm, as many as 850,000 households and institutions lost electricity during the early hours of Wednesday.

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Several municipalities ordered the closure of schools, many of which remained shut on Thursday due to ongoing adverse conditions.

Ricardo Costa, regional deputy commander of the Leiria Fire Brigade, said residents continue to seek assistance as rainfall persists.
“Even though the rain is not extremely intense, it is causing extensive damage to homes,” he noted.

In Figueira da Foz, a coastal city in central Portugal, strong winds toppled a giant Ferris wheel, underscoring the severity of the storm.