International
Education and young people are key to a “responsible digital future,” say the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in Colombia
Education and young people are the keys to a “responsible digital future,” defended the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry and Meghan, in Colombia where they advance a visit focused on cyberbullying and online violence.
The dukes participated in the Responsible Digital Future Forum in Bogotá, where together with the vice president and minister of Equality of Colombia, Francia Márquez, and the journalist and Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Ressa, they addressed technological challenges and how to build a digital future that works for all people, taking into account the most vulnerable.
“Artificial Intelligence (AI) is scary, and one of the solutions is education, since it is becoming increasingly difficult to stop this force from the source. It is up to us to determine the true of the false” in the digital world, said the Duke of Sussex.
The prince added that they were impressed with the visit they made to a school in the Colombian capital with the children and “the knowledge and awareness they have,” and concluded that: “responsibility and accountability are the things that I think would make the most difference” for a more responsible digital future.
“When you look at the statistics, young people in Latin America review social networks above the average, a total of 67 times a day (…) The digital age has created a culture in which if you don’t have something cruel, don’t say it, and that has radically changed the way we relate,” lamented the Duchess of Sussex.
In this sense, Meghan spoke from her mother’s perspective, being concerned about “how our children are going to adapt and how to keep them safe” in the digital age, something that has been “fundamental” in the activism that the couple is the flag.
“We have a responsibility to be an example for children,” the Duchess insisted.
“In this country young people are committing suicide, and many times it is the fault of social networks where they suffer harassment (…) When I reached the Vice Presidency I did not measure to what I was exposing myself, the amount of aggressions and violence that I have had to endure in these two years, not only me but my children and my partner, it is huge, many times I hate with severity,” lamented Márquez, who also attributed online violence to “the lack of laws.”
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry and Meghan, began a four-day visit to Colombia this Thursday, where they will tour different parts of the country, learn about their biodiverse culture and wealth, and address current problems such as cyberbullying and online violence in schools and forums.
The duke and the duchess visited, along with the Colombian vice president, on their first day a school in the south of Bogotá, where they talked with students and teachers about how digital in education transforms lives and the importance of technology to close social gaps.
The visit “aims to open doors and lay doors to make visible and address a problem that today concerns all humanity: cyberbullying, violence in digital environments and discrimination,” the vice president told the media at a press conference at the Casa de Nariño (presidential headquarters).
But this visit, which is the first made by the dukes to Latin America and that occurs after the mother of the prince of Harry, Lady Di, did not make the trip she had planned to Colombia due to her hasty death, is “a great opportunity to visit our nation and show what we Colombians and Colombians are: people who in the midst of adversity do their best to give their best,” Márquez explained.
The visit will continue tomorrow with a tour of another school in Bogotá and from there on Saturday and Sunday the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will leave first for Cartagena de Indias, where they will be in San Basilio de Palenque, the first free town in Colombia, and on Sunday the city of Cali.
International
Police investigate deaths of Rob Reiner and wife as apparent homicide
The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) is investigating the deaths of Hollywood actor and filmmaker Rob Reinerand his wife as an “apparent homicide,” amid a wave of tributes to the director of classics such as When Harry Met Sally.
According to U.S. media reports on Sunday, Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner were found dead at their Los Angeles mansion with what appeared to be stab wounds.
Several political figures shared messages of condolence following the reported deaths of the director of A Few Good Menand his wife.
While the LAPD did not officially confirm the identities of the victims, it stated that homicide detectives were dispatched to the Reiner residence.
“At this time, no additional details are available and the investigation into an apparent homicide is ongoing,” the Los Angeles Police Department said in a statement posted on social media.
LAPD Deputy Chief Alan Hamilton told reporters that no arrests have been made and that no individuals are currently being questioned as suspects.
“I’m not going to confirm whether anyone is being questioned at this moment or not. We are going to try to speak with as many family members as we can,” Hamilton said.
CNN reported that a family spokesperson confirmed the deaths of Reiner and his wife.
California Governor Gavin Newsom, former U.S. President Barack Obama, and former Vice President Kamala Harrisissued statements expressing their condolences.
International
U.S. and Mexico Reach Deal to Address Water Deficit Under 1944 Treaty
The United States and Mexico have reached an agreement to comply with current water obligations affecting U.S. farmers and ranchers and for Mexico to cover its water deficit to Texas under the 1944 Water Treaty, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said in a statement.
The department уточified that the agreement applies to both the current cycle and the water deficit from the previous cycle.
On Monday, U.S. President Donald Trump accused Mexico of failing to comply with the water-sharing treaty between the two countries, which requires the United States to deliver 1.85 billion cubic meters of water from the Colorado River, while Mexico must supply 432 million cubic meters from the Rio Grande.
Mexico is behind on its commitments. According to Washington, the country has accumulated a deficit of more than one billion cubic meters of water over the past five years.
“This violation is severely harming our beautiful crops and our livestock in Texas,” Trump wrote on Monday.
The Department of Agriculture said on Friday that Mexico had agreed to supply 250 million cubic meters of water starting next week and to work toward closing the shortfall.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, quoted in the statement, said Mexico delivered more water in a single year than it had over the previous four years combined.
Trump has said that if Mexico continues to fall short of its obligations, the United States reserves the right to impose 5% tariffs on imported Mexican products.
Mexico’s Deputy Foreign Minister for North America, Roberto Velasco, said that a severe drought in 2022 and 2023prevented the country from meeting its commitments.
International
Several people shot in attack on Brown University campus
Several people were shot on Saturday in an attack on the campus of Brown University, in the northeastern United States, local police reported.
“Shelter in place and avoid the area until further notice,” the Providence Police Department urged in a post on X. Brown University is located in Providence, the capital of the state of Rhode Island.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on his social media platform Truth Social that he had been briefed on the situation and that the FBI was on the scene.
At 5:52 p.m. local time (11:52 p.m. GMT), Brown University said the situation was still “ongoing” and instructed students to remain sheltered until further notice.
After initially stating that the suspect had been taken into custody, Trump later posted a second message clarifying that local police had walked back that information. “The suspect has NOT been apprehended,” the U.S. president said.
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