International
Brussels is still “available” in the negotiation on the CGPJ
The European Commission remains “available” in mediation in the negotiations between the PSOE and the PP to try to renew the General Council of the Judiciary, despite the postponement of the fourth meeting scheduled for Wednesday in Madrid.
“The discussions between the parties continue. The Commission is still available to participate,” the Justice spokesman of the Community Executive, Christian Wigand, told EFE on Monday when asked about the reasons for the postponement of the fourth meeting.
The decision to postpone to an unspecified date is not due to reasons on the agenda of the Commissioner of Justice, Didier Reynders, nor to the fact that he has been elected today as one of the three official candidates to occupy the General Secretariat of the Council of Europe, community sources told EFE.
The positions between the two parties are still far away, other community sources added.
The last meeting of Reynders, Bolaños and González Pons to try to resolve the blockade of the renewal of the CGPJ, whose mandate has expired for more than five years, took place on March 13 in Strasbourg (France) and, like the two previous ones held in Brussels, it was concluded without agreement.
Reynders had then been “convinced” that it was possible to reach an agreement, but at the last appointment he already warned that for this the “political will” on the part of the negotiators was necessary.
While the PSOE insists on agreeing on the renewal of the members of the CGPJ before undertaking the reform of the appointment process, the PP maintains that both must happen in parallel; the European Commission, for its part, is in favor of the renewal of the members of the CGPJ being addressed as a priority and “immediately” after the process for the reform is initiated.
When the talks began, Brussels set a period of two months, which in theory would expire on March 31, the date on which Reynders should leave his position as commissioner to campaign for the presidency of the Council of Europe, although it has not yet been reported when his leave of absence will begin.
The Assembly of the Council of Europe will hold the election during the meeting it will hold between June 24 and 28 in Strasbourg (France), so that the next secretary general will assume the position on September 18.
Reynders, a 65-year-old Belgian French-speaking liberal, has been a European commissioner since December 2019, after during the previous twenty years he occupied different ministerial portfolios in his country (Finance, Foreign Affairs and Defense). He was also deputy prime minister between 2004 and 2019.
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.
International
Colombia says it would not reject Maduro asylum request as regional tensions escalate
The Colombian government stated on Thursday that it would have no reason to reject a potential asylum request from Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro should he leave office, as regional tensions persist over the deployment of U.S. military forces in the Caribbean since August.
“In the current climate of tension, negotiations are necessary, and if the United States demands a transition or political change, that is something to be assessed. If such a transition results in him (Maduro) needing to live elsewhere or seek protection, Colombia would have no reason to deny it,” said Colombian Foreign Minister Rosa Villavicencio in an interview with Caracol Radio.
However, Villavicencio noted that it is unlikely Maduro would choose Colombia as a refuge. “I believe he would opt for someplace more distant and calmer,” she added.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro also commented on Venezuela’s situation on Wednesday, arguing that the country needs a “democratic revolution” rather than “inefficient repression.” His remarks followed the recent detention and passport cancellation of Cardinal Baltazar Porras at the Caracas airport.
“The Maduro government must understand that responding to external aggression requires more than military preparations; it requires a democratic revolution. A country is defended with more democracy, not more inefficient repression,” Petro wrote on X (formerly Twitter), in a rare public criticism of the Venezuelan leader.
Petro also called for a general amnesty for political opponents and reiterated his call for forming a broad transitional government to address Venezuela’s prolonged crisis.
Since September, U.S. military forces have destroyed more than 20 vessels allegedly carrying drugs in Caribbean and Pacific waters near Venezuela and Colombia, resulting in over 80 deaths.
U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly warned that attacks “inside Venezuela” will begin “soon,” while Maduro has urged Venezuelans to prepare for what he describes as an impending external aggression.
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