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New York puts 282 detainees in pro-Palestinian university protests with “external agitators”

The mayor of New York, Eric Adams, put this Wednesday in 282 detainees in pro-Palestinian university protests within that city during yesterday’s day and assured that among the demonstrators there were “external agitators.”

“Right now we have 282 arrests: 173 come from CUNY (the city’s public university) and 109 from Columbia,” Adams said on Wednesday at a joint press conference with Edward Cabán, commissioner of the New York Police Department.

However, the councilor did not offer “for the moment” the data on the number of individuals outside the campus after the eviction operation carried out last night mainly at Columbia University, the epicenter of pro-Palestinian protests in U.S. higher education institutions.

The New York Police broke into the emblematic Hamilton Hall building (Columbia University), which had been vandalized and occupied hours earlier, in an eviction operation that, as Adams detailed today, included drones and a crane to enter the second floor of a construction that already had great symbolic value in the protests over the Vietnam War in 1968.

“(The take of the Hamilton Hall) was directed by individuals who are not affiliated with the university. There were people on campus who shouldn’t have been there. We saw a change in the tactics that were being used (…) This was led by external agitators,” said the New York city alk.

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According to Adams’ account, they understood that there were “external actors kidnapping the protests” and trying to “influence” the students so that the situation escalated after verifying that they were betting on “not-peaceful” methods such as “barricades, destruction of properties and dismantling of security cameras.”

“We regret that the protesters have chosen to aggravate the situation through their actions. After the University learned during the night that the Hamilton Hall was occupied, destroyed and blocked, we had no other option,” Columbia University had indicated before the operation, adding that, after the takeover, the resolution of the situation was in the hands of the police.

The students, whose camps deployed on campus were also evicted, did not offer resistance on Tuesday night and arrested them one by one to then transfer them to police stations on several buses.

“From anti-Semitism to Islamophobia (…) there is no place for hatred in this city (…) we always protect the right to protest but we must balance it with maintaining the security of students, the school and our city,” concluded Adams, who also pointed out that they will continue to work with the police and the university to prevent new settlements from occurring.

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International

German president warns Iran war could spread and disrupt Strait of Hormuz

The president of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, warned Monday that the war involving Iran could expand and further disrupt shipping through the strategic Strait of Hormuz. He urged a swift end to hostilities between Iran, United States and Israel.

Speaking in Panama City during a joint appearance with Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino, Steinmeier said available information suggests Iran has significant capacity to disrupt maritime traffic through the key oil route.

“Iran has considerable potential to interfere with shipping through the Strait of Hormuz,” Steinmeier said through an interpreter. “We should therefore reach an end to the hostilities as soon as possible and call on all parties involved to make that happen.”

The remarks came during Steinmeier’s visit to Panama, the first by a German president to the Central American nation.

The German leader described the possibility of the conflict spreading as “very dangerous,” saying recent developments indicate that such a scenario cannot be ruled out.

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Over the weekend, U.S. President Donald Trump urged allied nations to help ensure safe passage for ships through the Strait of Hormuz after Iran moved to block the waterway in response to U.S. strikes. However, several allies—particularly in Europe—have shown little support for the proposal.

“Some are very enthusiastic, others are not, and some are countries we have helped for many years,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “We have protected them from terrible external threats, and they’re not that enthusiastic. And the level of enthusiasm is important to me.”

Meanwhile, Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s top diplomat, said the Strait of Hormuz falls “outside NATO’s scope” and stressed that “the war involving Iran is not Europe’s war.”

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International

Mexico security chief meets DEA director in Washington to boost anti-drug cooperation

Mexico’s Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection, Omar García Harfuch, met in Washington with the head of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Terrance Cole, to discuss cooperation in the fight against drug trafficking and illegal arms flows.

The Mexican official said Monday on social media that he attended the meeting in representation of the Mexican government’s Security Cabinet.

“In Washington, D.C., I represented the Security Cabinet to hold talks with DEA Director Terrance Cole on the importance of strengthening bilateral cooperation to combat drug trafficking, curb the flow of weapons into our country, and reduce violence in Mexico through significant arrests,” García Harfuch wrote.

He added that, following instructions from Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, the government will continue strengthening international cooperation on security matters.

For his part, Cole said the meeting focused on cross-border collaboration to tackle drug trafficking and to build safer communities on both sides of the border.

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The meeting comes as Mexico and the United States begin a new round of dialogue on economic and security issues.

Earlier Monday, President Claudia Sheinbaum said she will look for the “best moment” to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump, adding that maintaining a good relationship with Washington is a priority for her administration.

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Venezuela’s foreign minister accuses UN rights chief of “immoral bias”

Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yván Gil criticized the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, accusing him of having an “immoral bias” and acting as an “echo chamber for falsehoods” regarding the situation in Venezuela.

Gil’s remarks came after Türk stated that his office had not received an official list from Venezuelan authorities detailing the release of political prisoners, nor authorization to carry out visits related to the issue.

“The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights insists on a narrative biased against our country, repeating unfounded accusations while deliberately omitting the impact of unilateral coercive measures on the rights of the Venezuelan people,” Gil said in a message posted on his Telegram channel.

Without directly addressing the question of prisoner releases, the Venezuelan foreign minister also accused Türk of aligning with what he described as the “agenda of extremism in Venezuela.”

Gil added that, despite serious human rights violations occurring in other parts of the world, the UN official has chosen to maintain what he described as an “immoral bias” against Venezuela.

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The criticism is part of a broader dispute between the Venezuelan government and the UN human rights office over reports and investigations concerning the human rights situation in the country.

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