International
Mexico weaves fashion policy to help Indigenous communities
| Par AFP | Samir Tounsi |
Clothing designers inspired by traditional Mexican motifs, embroidery and colors are exhibiting their work at a fashion fair in Mexico City promoted by the government to support marginalized Indigenous communities.
Traditional blouses made by the Tzotzil people of Chiapas, embroidered patterns from Michoacan and shirts from Oaxaca were among the garments on show at the first of seven parades at the “Original” event.
“The creation of each product made in our community is a legacy of our ancestors,” said Carlos Alberto Delgado Martinez, one of around 500 exhibitors at the event, which runs until Sunday at the Los Pinos former presidential residence.
“It’s important that we artisans save our culture and defend it from plagiarism because each garment has a meaning. Each embroidery has an explanation,” he added.
As with the first edition in 2021, “Original” aims to fight what Mexico calls plagiarism of Indigenous textiles by foreign clothing brands, and to create a more equitable fashion industry.
“We’re not opposed to (the big fashion houses) using motifs of pre-Hispanic origin” as long as they recognize “the intellectual work and creativity” of Mexican artisans, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said Friday.
“The government is pursuing a policy of rehabilitating the dignity of Indigenous peoples,” Lopez Obrador’s spokesman Jesus Ramirez Cuevas told AFP.
“Mexico would not be what it is without its Indigenous peoples,” he said, underlining the government’s social programs for impoverished such communities.
“It’s time for them to play a central role in the construction of the (country’s) identity. Today, we recognize their art,” he added.
Mexico has lodged several complaints against major clothing brands including Zara, Mango and SHEIN for alleged cultural appropriation.
Last month it won an apology from US fashion house Ralph Lauren after Lopez Obrador’s wife Beatriz Gutierrez accused it of plagiarizing Indigenous designs.
French designer Isabel Marant also apologized in 2020 for the use of the traditional patterns from an Indigenous community.
Mexico’s culture ministry has called for “ethical collaboration” between clothing brands and artisans.
“No to plagiarism. No to cultural appropriation. Yes to original creations and the communities behind them,” Culture Minister Alejandra Frausto said.
The government is also trying to retrieve pre-Hispanic archaeological pieces from abroad and stop foreign auctions of such items that Lopez Obrador has branded “immoral.”
“You want to buy Mexican art? Buy this one, which is alive,” Frausto said, pointing to models dressed in blouses, shirts and belts made by Indigenous artisans.
International
Bolsonaro diagnosed with skin cancer amid coup conviction
Former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro has been diagnosed with skin cancer while serving a historic sentence for attempting a coup d’état. His medical team confirmed that the lesions have been removed and that, for now, he does not require further procedures, though he will need regular monitoring.
On Wednesday, September 17, Bolsonaro’s doctors confirmed the diagnosis. The announcement comes shortly after the former leader was convicted of orchestrating an attempted coup.
According to his physician, Claudio Birolini, Bolsonaro has “squamous cell carcinoma, which is neither the most benign nor the most aggressive form — it is intermediate.” Birolini warned, however, that this type of skin cancer “can carry more serious consequences.”
International
Milei praises Paraguay’s growth, calls Argentina’s last 20 years a ‘decline’
Argentine President Javier Milei praised Paraguay’s economic growth over the past two decades during a speech before the Paraguayan Congress on Wednesday (Sept. 17, 2025), crediting it to incentives that favored capitalism. At the same time, he contrasted that progress with what he described as Argentina’s deepening “decline” during the same period.
“If we compare the last 20 years of Paraguay with those of the Argentine Republic, we will find almost diametrically opposite results,” Milei told lawmakers during a special session of Parliament on the second and final day of his official visit to Asunción.
“While you have not stopped growing, we have deepened our decline. If we understand incentives as the engine of capitalism, Paraguay focused on preserving and strengthening them, while Argentina dedicated itself to chaining, directing, and suffocating them,” the right-wing leader stated.
International
Trump administration launches large-scale immigration operation in Chicago
The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump intensified a large-scale immigration operation in the Chicago area with the arrival of additional Border Patrol agents on Tuesday and the presence of Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem during a raid.
Noem posted a video on her X account showing the immigration operation, in which DHS reportedly removed “violent criminals” from the streets. The footage shows Noem observing the arrest of a man taken into custody at his home early Tuesday morning at an undisclosed location.
“I was in Chicago today to make it clear that we will not back down,” the secretary wrote. “Our work is just beginning,” she added.
The warning from Noem was echoed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Chief Gregory Bovino, who posted a video on X Tuesday showing multiple Border Patrol vehicles arriving in the city with the caption: “Chicago, we are here!”
Bovino, who led the immigration crackdown in Los Angeles implemented since last June, said the team will remain in Chicago to continue the mission they started in California.
Operation “Midway Blitz” is currently focused on the Chicago metropolitan area and its suburbs. Activists and residents have reported sightings of masked agents and unmarked vehicles in predominantly Latino neighborhoods.
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