International
Tropical storm Pamela weakens as moves inland over Mexico
AFP
Pamela made landfall on the western coast of Mexico on Wednesday as a Category One hurricane but weakened to a tropical storm as it moved inland while bringing torrential rain, strong winds and taking down trees and poles.
At 1200 GMT, Pamela crossed on to land about 65 kilometers (40 miles) north of the Pacific port of Mazatlan, in the northwestern state of Sinaloa, with sustained winds of 120 kph (75 mph) and was moving at 22 kph (14 mph), according to data from the Miami-based National Hurricane Center (NHC).
But as it moved over land, Pamela lost strength and was downgraded to a tropical storm with sustained winds of 100 kph, the NHC said.
At 1500 GMT the center of the storm was 140 kilometers from Mazatlan and heading northeast at 37 kph, the NHC added.
Sinaloa was the Mexican state worst affected by the hurricane, which also brought heavy rainfall to neighboring Nayarit and Durango, Mexico’s national water commission said.
In Mazatlan, home to 500,000 people, Pamela brought down trees and poles, and left some streets submerged with water, an AFP reporter noted.
Sinaloa’s civil protection force published images of rescuers helping residents of affected areas before taking them to shelters.
On Tuesday, 16 US citizens were taken to shelters after being stranded at the local airport when their flights were cancelled due to bad weather.
They are due to remain there until conditions improve, said Eloy Ruiz, the local civil protection coordinator.
Authorities called on residents of rural areas to move to shelters due to the risk of flooding.
In Villa Union, a town of 13,000 people, 25 families living in a high-risk area were taken to shelters, local authorities said.
Sinaloa’s government declared a red alert on Tuesday night in 10 municipalities. Many of those residents rushed to supermarkets to stock up on food and water.
School classes and other activities have been temporarily suspended.
The NHC said heavy rainfall may trigger flash flooding and mudslides as Pamela tracks inland.
Storm surges are expected to produce “significant” coastal flooding and “large and destructive waves,” the center added.
The remnants of Pamela could drench portions of Texas and Oklahoma by late Wednesday and Thursday with the potential for “considerable flash and urban flooding impacts.”
Because of its location, Mexico is often hit by tropical storms and hurricanes on both its Pacific and Atlantic coasts.
In August, Hurricane Nora made landfall in the Pacific state of Jalisco, killing a child and leaving one person missing.
Hurricane Grace left at least 11 dead on the eastern coast of Mexico’s mainland in the same month.
In September, Hurricane Olaf made landfall on the Baja California peninsula, causing minor damage.
International
Meta Says Russia Seeks to Ban WhatsApp for Defending Secure Communication
U.S. tech giant Meta, the parent company of WhatsApp, said that Russia is seeking to ban the messaging app because it “challenges government attempts to violate people’s right to secure communication.”
Russian authorities have encouraged citizens to switch to state-backed applications, and in August they already blocked WhatsApp’s calling feature.
On Friday, the communications regulator Roskomnadzor claimed that the platform was being used to “organize and carry out terrorist acts in the country, recruit perpetrators, and facilitate fraud and other crimes.”
“If the messaging service does not comply with Russian law, it will be completely blocked,” the regulator warned.
WhatsApp remains one of Russia’s most widely used messaging services, alongside Telegram.
Moscow is pressuring both platforms to grant authorities access to user data upon request for investigations into fraud and activities the government labels as “terrorist.”
Human rights advocates fear the demand could be used to target critics of the Kremlin, President Vladimir Putin, or the war in Ukraine.
International
Archbishop Wenski criticizes Trump’s deportation policies, calls for stronger push for reform
The Archbishop of Miami, Thomas Wenski, has called for increased pressure on the U.S. Congress to advance comprehensive immigration reform and criticized President Donald Trump’s mass deportation policies, arguing that they “do nothing to help.”
“We need to apply more pressure on Congress so lawmakers can make the necessary changes. It is also important for the Administration to listen to our voice. We do not want to be anyone’s enemy—we are Americans,” Wenski said in an interview with EFE.
The religious leader, who heads one of the dioceses with the largest Latino and Haitian populations in the United States, issued a call to defend the rights of migrants. He also emphasized that the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has maintained a strong and public stance in favor of migrants for decades.
International
Trump relaunches diplomatic push to finalize U.S.-Backed peace plan for Ukraine War
U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that his diplomatic team will resume meetings with delegations from Russia and Ukraine in an effort to pressure both sides to accept the peace plan proposed by Washington to end the war in Ukraine.
As part of this new round of talks, U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff will travel to Moscow to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Meanwhile, Army Secretary Dan Driscoll will hold discussions with Ukrainian representatives to narrow differences on the remaining points of the agreement.
Trump also confirmed his intention to meet personally with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and with Putin, though he emphasized that such meetings will only take place “when the agreement is fully finalized or in its final stage.”
The president claimed that his administration has made “tremendous progress” toward resolving the conflict and reiterated that the war “never would have started” if he had been in the White House at the onset of the crisis.
The U.S.-backed peace plan consists of 28 points and has been revised following feedback from both sides. According to Trump, only “a few points of disagreement” remain under active discussion.
One of the most controversial aspects of the proposal is the suggestion that Ukraine cede parts of the Donbas region to Russia and limit the size of its armed forces. Kyiv is working closely with Washington to soften these clauses in search of an arrangement that does not compromise its sovereignty or security.
With this diplomatic push, Trump aims to solidify his role as the main mediator in the conflict and steer the war toward a political resolution after years of devastation, humanitarian crisis, and rising global geopolitical tensions.
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