International

Sheinbaum says that the indigenous peoples will be subject to law in the Mexican Chiapas

The ruling presidential candidate Claudia Sheinbaum ratified that a central axis of her government project will be the reform of article 2 of the Mexican Constitution. With this, the native peoples will be subject to law, they will be recognized the autonomy of and their forms of organization.

Before more than 7,000 people, he assured that in his administration he will change the face of the state of Chiapas, “through projects that allow care for the environment, the jungles and recognizing the indigenous peoples on the decision of their territories, their natural resources, as well as the culture and their forms of organization.”

He recalled that President Andrés Manuel López Obrador on February 21, on International Mother Language Day, sent the reform initiative to guarantee the rights of the country’s communities and indigenous and Afro-Mexican peoples.

The axis of this amendment, one of the package of proposals made by the Executive Branch on February 5, is “the recognition of indigenous and Afro-Mexican peoples and communities as subjects of public law. As well as the establishment of a legal personality and own patrimony from free self-determination.”

Chiapas is one of the most culturally diverse states in Mexico, largely due to the presence of different indigenous groups in the integration of their societies.

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This year, the indigenous peoples have warned of a climate of ‘civil war’ in Chiapas due to the armed conflicts, violence and insecurity that have triggered homicides, disappearances and forced displacements. In particular in indigenous and related communities to the Zapatista Army of National Liberation (EZLN).

Sheinbaum, standard-bearer of the coalition that make up the National Regeneration Movement (Morena), Labor (PT) and Green Ecologist of Mexico (PVEM) parties, was accompanied by the candidate for the governorship of Chiapas, Eduardo Ramírez.

Among his promises of government, Sheinbaum said that for Chiapas “a special program will be opened to look for “fair prices for coffee and corn and it will be a state of development with a humanist look to attend to the migration that comes from the south.”

Sheinbaum endorsed that support for the elderly and young people will continue, so that they have better employment opportunities, health care and access to medicines, so he asked not to believe the lies of his adversaries.

“On June 2, I am sure that love will triumph against hatred, the truth against slander, democracy will triumph against fraud, the indigenous peoples will triumph, humanism will triumph against discrimination, the people of Chiapas will triumph and the people of Mexico will triumph,” he said.

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Before hundreds of women and men from the 124 municipalities of the region, Sheinbaum said that in these elections “we are defining the future of the homeland, the future of the people of Mexico, and I am sure that we will do a great job.”

Finally, he recalled that an economic pole will be installed on the southern border of Mexico that will help boost the economy of the region and create new opportunities through the investment of the business sector.

International

Peruvian presidential candidate proposes death penalty amid crime surge

Peru is facing an unprecedented surge in crime ahead of its presidential election scheduled for April 12, with violence fueled by extortion networks and a wave of contract killings linked to organized crime.

Police data show that 2,200 homicides tied to organized crime were recorded in 2025, while extortion complaints increased by 19%, underscoring the growing security crisis in the South American nation.

Amid this backdrop, presidential candidate Álvarez has proposed reinstating the death penalty if elected, arguing that extreme measures are needed to curb the violence.

To implement the proposal, Álvarez said Peru would withdraw from the American Convention on Human Rights—also known as the Pact of San José—which the country signed in 1978. The agreement prevents member states that have abolished capital punishment from reinstating it.

Currently, Peruvian law only allows the death penalty in cases of treason during wartime.

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“We have to leave the Pact of San José and apply the death penalty in Peru because those miserable criminals don’t deserve to live,” Álvarez told AFP during a campaign stop at a market in Callao, the port city neighboring Lima.

“An iron fist against those criminals,” he added, proposing to declare hitmen as military targets.

During the campaign event, Álvarez walked through stalls selling vegetables, groceries, and fish, greeting vendors while musicians played cumbia music nearby.

The 62-year-old candidate, who spent more than four decades working in television as a comedian, is a newcomer to politics and is running for president under the País para Todos party.

Polls place him fifth in voter preference with nearly 4% support in a fragmented race featuring 36 candidates.

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“I am an artist who has taken a step into politics to bring peace to my country,” Álvarez told reporters while surrounded by supporters.

International

FBI: Man who attacked Michigan synagogue died from self-inflicted gunshot

The man who died during Thursday’s attack on a synagogue in the United States suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, according to the FBI.

FBI agent Jennifer Runyan told reporters that the suspect, identified as 41-year-old Lebanese citizen Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, shot himself at some point during the confrontation.

“At some point during the shooting, Ghazali suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head,” Runyan said during a press conference.

A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security confirmed the suspect’s identity.

Authorities said Ghazali drove a truck into the Temple Israel synagogue in West Bloomfield, located in the state of Michigan, on Thursday.

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According to Michael Bouchard, sheriff of Oakland County, synagogue security personnel noticed the vehicle and confronted the suspect with gunfire.

Investigators said it would be premature to speculate about the motive for the attack, although reports indicate Ghazali recently lost relatives during Israeli strikes in Lebanon earlier this month.

“It would be irresponsible for me to speculate about his motive,” Runyan said.

Ghazali arrived in Detroit in 2011 on a spouse visa for U.S. citizens and obtained American citizenship in 2016, according to reporting by The New York Times.

He was the father of two teenagers, divorced from his wife in 2024, and had recently been working as a waiter.

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The newspaper also reported that Ghazali attended a memorial service in the nearby city of Dearborn for relatives killed in the recent conflict, alongside other grieving family members from the Lebanese town of Machghara.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation said the incident is being investigated as an act of violence targeting the Jewish community.

A source from Michigan’s Lebanese-American community told CBS News that several of Ghazali’s relatives had been killed roughly ten days before the attack, leaving him deeply devastated.

International

Mexican Navy Ships Deliver Third Shipment of Humanitarian Aid to Cuba

Two logistics support vessels from the Mexican Navy — the ARM Papaloapan and the ARM Huasteco — docked again on Friday in the bay of Havana carrying a third shipment of humanitarian aid for Cuba.

The vessels had previously arrived on the Caribbean island on February 28 with a second cargo that included 1,200 tons of food, sent to help alleviate the country’s ongoing crisis, which has worsened following the U.S. oil restrictions affecting fuel supplies to the island.

Cuba’s deputy foreign minister Josefina Vidal confirmed the new shipment in a social media post.

“Two ships carrying a third shipment of aid from the Government and the people of Mexico for the Cuban people are now arriving at the port of Havana. Thank you Mexico for your solidarity with Cuba,” she wrote.

Previous aid shipments

During the second shipment, the Papaloapan transported 1,078 tons of beans and powdered milk, while the Huastecocarried 92 tons of beans and 23 tons of assorted food products collected by social organizations with support from the government of Mexico City.

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In recent months, Mexico has become the largest provider of humanitarian aid to Cuba, sending around 2,000 tons of supplies, mostly staple foods and hygiene products, in the two shipments prior to Friday’s delivery.

The first shipment alone included 814 tons of food.

Cuba praises Mexico’s support

Hours before the ships arrived, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel highlighted Mexico’s support during a televised appearance, describing the country as “a friendly and brotherly nation that has shown tremendous solidarity,”particularly praising Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum.

Díaz-Canel also addressed reports suggesting that Mexican donations were being resold in state-run stores, dismissing them as a “disinformation campaign” promoted by right-wing groups.