International

Donald Trump will have the last word in the electoral debate with Joe Biden

The former president of the United States and Republican pre-candidate Donald Trump will have the last word in next week’s electoral debate in Atlanta (Georgia), with the current president, Democrat Joe Biden, the CNN network, organizer of the event, announced on Thursday.

After the launch of a coin on the air, Biden’s campaign won the right to choose the position of the podium in the debate or the order of the final statements, and opted for the first option.

The Democrats asked Biden to debate from the right side of the television screen, while his rival Trump’s podium will be on the left side.

Then, Trump’s campaign asked the former president to pronounce the final statement of the debate, which means that Biden will be the first to finish his speech.

The debate, which will be broadcast on June 27 on CNN, will be the first of the two face-to-face televised broadcasts between Biden and Trump before the November 5 elections.

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The debate will be in Atlanta, will last 90 minutes and will be moderated by CNN journalists Jake Tapper and Dana Bash.
There will be two commercial breaks during which campaign staff will not be able to interact with their candidate.

Biden and Trump’s teams have also accepted that the microphones are closed throughout the face-to-face except for the candidate to whom they are entitled to speak.

Nor will the contenders be allowed on the stage to accessories or previously written notes, although they will receive a pen, a notebook and a bottle of water.

Biden will spend the next few days at the residence of Camp David (Maryland), on the outskirts of Washington, to practice and be ready.

For his part, Trump has been preparing for a few weeks in meetings with some senators and other politicians that sound like the Republican’s vice-presidents.

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It will be the first time that an active president and a former president face each other in an electoral debate.

It is also not common for the debate to be held in June, before the national conventions of both parties that make the candidacies official, but this year’s primaries were resolved in the spring.

The ABC network will organize the second and final presidential debate in September. The televised presidential debates have been part of the tradition of the United States in all electoral cycles since 1976.

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.”

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.

International

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.