International
Salvadoran stands out among hundreds of university students in Beijing
Latinos at the prestigious Beijing University of Chemical Technology (BUCT) can be easily counted. Even scarcer are the Salvadorans in this study center, one of the best in the People’s Republic of China and the most outstanding in Biological Engineering, which is the career chosen by Rodrigo Ventura.
Ventura, originally from Soyapango, wanted to become a biologist from his adolescence and first thought of studying Medicine in El Salvador and then specializing in genetics. But that path would take too many years and, even so, he could not fully fulfill his dream.
So he decided to start looking for more options. 18-year-old, he focused on studying in China because, as he told “Diario El Salvador,” here “technology is superior in all laboratories and in support of science.”
China is a global benchmark in technological and scientific advances. Ventura was aware of this from a young age. He sought scholarships sponsored by the Chinese embassy in El Salvador with the support of the Agency for Cooperation (ESCO). He applied in a higher education center in Beijing, in Shanghai and another in Wuhan.
It was chosen in the Chinese capital, none other than by a center that trains high-level chemical talents to work for science and technology. The BUCT has three campuses, east and west, located on Beisanhuan Donglu Street in Chaoyang, and the Changping campus.
Currently, Ventura, 21, is part of the team of 25 students from different branches who represent his university in the iGEM (International Genetically Engineered Machine Competition), the most important contest in the world in synthetic biology and where international faculties participate.
iGEM started in 2003 at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Current competitions include graduates, high school and community laboratories from about thirty countries.
The multidisciplinary team of young people representing the Beijing University of Chemical Technology chose the name of Broccoli Masters because they seek to synthesize the sulforaphane molecule – which is found in this plant. The molecule is anticancer, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant. This experiment has already been achieved with the “Escherichia coli” bacterium, but never in this way.
An alternative treatment to fight cancer would be achieved, more accessible and with lower costs. This is also one of the central principles of biosynthesis, explains Ventura, who is in his second year of study.
The competition is difficult and most of the participants are Chinese. There are about 200 teams, and only twenty of these are from Latin America. Two dozen others were scored in Beijing alone. It consists not only of the scientific part, but they must take the knowledge outside the Laboratory of Biosynthesis and Efficient Separation of Natural Active Ingredients. Young people will also visit communities to make it known.
Biosynthesis is also more environmentally friendly than other conventional methods of producing substances. Yu Linwei, 23, studies the third year of the same career as Ventura and coordinates the competing team of iGEM. Yu emphasizes that chemical engineering leaves a strong footprint of pollution on the environment. Colleagues agree that China supports this type of project with students to promote better care of the planet, a fundamental part of the government policies of the socialist country.
The iGEM final will be in October in Paris, France. Ventura also went through an interview process to be part of the team that represents the university. “I want to do my bit for the promotion of Salvadoran science,” he says.
The young man arrived in China in October 2022, when there were still strong restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the world. He had to do three weeks in quarantine, while starting virtual classes.
In addition, it participates in the national competition of university students of life sciences, in the Beijing competition for saving water, energy and reducing carbon resources, and in the national contest for outstanding work in renewable energies; all focused on encouraging students to contribute to a greener world.
In these three competitions his project is the generation of green hydrogen using bacteria. These consume less energy to solve current needs, such as the purification of aquifers. “These projects can be occupied in El Salvador,” says Ventura.
“I don’t want to be alone here, but to return to my country and apply everything I’ve learned. What’s the point of coming here and I have all the knowledge to myself. In addition, it is a way of saying thank you to my country and China for the opportunities. They trusted me to take on this challenge. Doing one of these projects in the country is like saying thank you,” he adds.
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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U.S. and Mexico Reach Deal to Address Water Deficit Under 1944 Treaty
Several people shot in attack on Brown University campus
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