International
NATO celebrates its 75th anniversary in the city and the scenario that saw it born
“If there is something certain today, if there is something inevitable in the future, it is the will of the peoples of the world for freedom and for peace,” the then president of the United States Harry S. Truman (1945-1953) from the now named Andrew W. Auditorium. Mellon of Washington, where NATO will commemorate its 75th anniversary.
It was April 4 and, when he articulated these words, the president was about to sign the North Atlantic Treaty, which established the international organization, in this imposing building of classical architecture in the center of the American capital.
After 75 years, the Atlantic Alliance gathers again this week in the city, in this case for the celebration of its annual summit of leaders in a Washington convention center. And they will also take the opportunity to return to the Mellon Auditorium that saw her born.
In that space that since 1987 bears the name of the American banker Andrew William Mellon, the heads of state and government of NATO, today made up of 32 countries, will gather this Tuesday.
Originally from Pittsburgh (Pennylvania), W. Mellon was born in 1855 and, apart from his important impetus in industries such as aluminum, steel and petroleum, he was an American ambassador to the United Kingdom and Secretary of the United States Treasury.
In addition, a collector and philanthropist, he helped build the National Gallery of Art of the United States, located a few streets from the auditorium that remembers him.
It was inaugurated by President Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933-1945) on February 25, 1935 and, since then, with its six Doric columns in the portico, it has been imposed in the historic center of Washington.
A few hours before the souvenir event, in the surroundings of the complex of government buildings of the Federal Triangle – of which the Auditorium is part – there is a tense calm, since the construction is located within the perimeter of control that the security forces have delimited for these days.
It is not usual that the important avenue that gives access to the auditorium can be seen so lonely and that, during the three days that the summit lasts, it will be completely fenced to prevent any unauthorized vehicle or person from crossing the established borders.
The presence of vehicles from the District of Columbia Police and the United States Secret Service on every corner shows that streets without traffic respond to the sharp increase in security measures.
At the time of the foundation, it was the flags of 12 countries that presided over one of the rooms of the Auditorium: those of Belgium, Canada, Denmark, the United States, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, Norway, the Netherlands, Portugal and the United Kingdom.
In the same auditorium, the start will be given to a summit focused on storpin support for Ukraine and with current challenges on the table, among which the Russian war in Ukraine or the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza stand out.
“For us, war is not inevitable. Men with courage and vision can still determine their own destiny,” former President Truman said in 1949 with applause; in 2024, and from the same city, the partners have the opportunity to endorse that conviction.
International
Mexican authorities bust Meth Lab and seize tons of drugs and chemicals in multiple states
Mexican authorities dismantled a clandestine laboratory containing 2.5 tons of methamphetamine in the southeastern state of Chiapas, seized a warehouse with more than four tons of chemical precursors in Guerrero (south), and intercepted a trailer in Tijuana attempting to cross into the United States with 2.7 tons of drugs.
Omar García Harfuch, head of the Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection (SSPC), reported on Saturday via social media that agents from the Criminal Investigation Agency of the Attorney General’s Office (FGR), along with representatives from the Defense Secretariat, Navy (Semar), National Guard (GN), and SSPC, disabled the methamphetamine production lab in Chiapas and confiscated 2.5 tons of the drug.
A statement specified that the agents secured 2.5 tons of methamphetamine, barrels containing substances used to manufacture synthetic drugs, a firearm, and four trucks. In another operation in Guerrero, authorities located over four tons of chemical substances.
The discovery took place on a property in the community of Margarita Maza, Juárez, used to store materials for synthetic drug production. Sufficient evidence was collected and presented to a control judge who authorized the intervention of the property.
In Chiapas, authorities also seized more than 300 barrels and containers with chemicals for making synthetic drugs, as well as various metal containers and devices.
International
Maduro gains support from Venezuelan Assembly amid U.S. drug trafficking accusations
The National Assembly of Venezuela expressed its support this Saturday for President Nicolás Maduro, condemning the United States’ increase in the reward offered for his capture as an “act of aggression.”
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced on Thursday that Washington had doubled the reward to $50 million for Maduro’s capture, labeling him as one of the “world’s largest drug traffickers.”
“We reject the absurd and desperate actions announced by the U.S. Attorney General’s Office, which are clearly illegal and lack any real basis, beyond being a delirious attempt of aggression against the president (…) and against our rebellious and brave people,” said the Assembly leader, Jorge Rodríguez, while reading a letter he said was unanimously approved by the deputies.
“It is precisely President Nicolás Maduro (…) the protector of the strong democracy that shelters us and the leader who firmly upholds the rule of law and justice,” Rodríguez continued. He is also Venezuela’s chief negotiator in talks with Washington.
Bondi accused Maduro of using “terrorist organizations like the Tren de Aragua, the Sinaloa cartel, and the Cartel of the Suns to introduce lethal drugs and violence” into the United States.
“In 25 years of revolution, we have resisted and advanced despite constant imperialist aggressions. They have not succeeded, and will not succeed, with crude sanctions, criminal blockades, or senseless threats in diverting the noble path the Venezuelan people charted in the free elections of July 28, 2024, in which Nicolás Maduro was elected President of the Republic,” the statement read.
The Venezuelan opposition alleges fraud in those elections and claims victory, and as a result, has boycotted the 2025 legislative, regional, and municipal elections.
International
U.S. doubles bounty on Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro to $50 million
In February, the United States designated eight Latin American criminal organizations as “global terrorist” groups, including Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel, Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua, and the MS-13 gang. In July, it added the Cartel of the Suns to the list — a group Washington claims is led by Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
Last Thursday, U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration doubled the reward for information leading to Maduro’s arrest, raising it from $25 million to $50 million, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced on social media platform X.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio explained that labeling the Cartel of the Suns as a terrorist organization allows for a strategic shift in dealing with the Venezuelan regime, as it is now also considered a direct threat to U.S. national security, according to El Espectador.
In an interview with The World Over on EWTN, Rubio said the designation enables the U.S. to “use intelligence agencies, the Department of Defense, or any other element of American power to go after them.” He stressed this is no longer just a law enforcement matter, but a national security operation.
When asked at the White House whether he believes it is worth sending the military to combat Latin American drug cartels, Trump responded:
“Latin America has many cartels, a lot of drug trafficking, so, you know, we want to protect our country. We have to protect it.”
Mexican authorities bust Meth Lab and seize tons of drugs and chemicals in multiple states
Maduro gains support from Venezuelan Assembly amid U.S. drug trafficking accusations
U.S. doubles bounty on Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro to $50 million
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
Defense Minister commends salvadoran soldier for Central American Cross Country victory
Extension of the state of emergency approved in southern Chile
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