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
China shows at the UN its “condemnation” of Israel for the “violation of Iran’s sovereignty”
The Chinese ambassador to the United Nations, Fu Cong, showed the “condemnation” of his country against the “violation of the sovereignty, security and territorial integrity of Iran” after the air attack launched by Israel against multiple targets in that country, the official newspaper Diario del Pueblo reports this Saturday.
That media echoes Fu’s speech to the UN Security Council on Friday, in which he demanded that Israel “immediately stop all its military actions.”
“China (…) opposes the expansion of conflicts, and is deeply concerned about the serious consequences that may arise from Israel’s actions. The intensification of regional tensions does not interest any of the parties involved,” said the Chinese emissary.
Beijing called on Tel Aviv and Tehran to “resolve their disputes through political and diplomatic means, and maintain peace and stability at the regional level jointly.”
In Fu’s view, the Israeli attack will have a “negative impact” on the negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program: “China has always been committed to the peaceful resolution of the Iranian nuclear issue through dialogue and consultations, and opposes the use of force, illegal unilateral sanctions and armed attacks on peaceful nuclear facilities.”
This Friday, China had already expressed its willingness to “play a constructive role” to curb the escalation of tensions and facilitate conciliation, in line with its traditional position of active neutrality in the region’s conflicts.
The Israeli attack, which according to Tehran caused dozens of deaths, including senior military commanders and at least six nuclear scientists, targeted key facilities such as the uranium enrichment plant in Natanz. Numerous civilian casualties were also reported.
Israel justified the offensive by claiming that the Iranian regime is secretly developing a program to manufacture nuclear weapons.
For his part, Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, promised a “severe response” and assured that the attack would reveal the “evil nature” of Israel.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres also expressed concern about the bombing, at a time when Iran and the US The United States is holding talks about the Iranian nuclear program.
International
Donald Trump’s government pauses its program of indiscriminate raides against migrants
The government of US President Donald Trump has decided to pause its campaign of discretionary roundings against migrants in certain areas due to its apparent concern about the growing unpopularity of these methods, according to The New York Times newspaper on Friday.
According to an email to which the newspaper has had access and the confirmation of US officials, the Executive has ordered the Immigration and Customs Control Service (ICE) to pause the beatings that affect the agricultural industry and the hospitality industry.
The spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security, Tricia McLaughlin, confirmed in a statement that “the president’s instructions” will be obeyed and the portfolio will also continue to “work to get the worst illegal foreign criminals out of the streets of the United States.”
The decision points out that this campaign of discretionary arrests to try to deport large-scale immigrants is harming industries and electoral constituencies whose support Trump wants to retain for next year’s legislative elections.
The new instructions were transmitted to ICE in an email sent last Thursday asking that “all investigations/law enforcement operations be suspended in work centers in the agricultural sector (including aquaculture and meat packing plants), restaurants and hotels.”
These new guidelines come in turn after more than a week of intense protests in Los Angeles against this immigration policy and that Trump himself admitted that the raids seem to be affecting the agricultural sector, which in states like California, where beatings have intensified, depend almost exclusively on immigrant labor.
Since his return to the White House in January, Trump has implemented an aggressive policy of hard hand against immigration and as a sample of his Cabinet officials recently held a meeting with the ICE leadership to order them to carry out 3,000 arrests a day, a mandate that seems to be behind the intensification of the raids.
International
Trump says he knew “everything” about the attack on Iran and assures that the dialogue remains open
US President Donald Trump said on Friday that Washington “known everything” about the Israeli attack on Iran and that the dialogue on Tehran’s nuclear program “is not dead.”
“We knew everything and I tried to avoid Iran all this humiliation and death. I tried hard to avoid it because I would have loved to see an agreement,” Trump said in an interview with Reuters.
The US president insisted on what he wrote today about the attack on social networks, where he said he gave an ultimatum of 60 days to Tehran to reach an agreement.
“We knew practically everything. We knew enough to give Iran 60 days to reach an agreement and today it is already 61 days,” he explained in the interview, in which he said he did not know what the current situation of the Iranian nuclear program is after the attack launched by Israel, which also ended the lives of key military leaders of the Persian country.
Regarding the dialogue between the US and Iran about the nuclear program of the ayatollahs, Trump assured that “he is not dead”, that “an agreement is still possible” and also recalled that on Sunday a sixth round of dialogue is scheduled in Muscat (Oman) that they consider is now in the air.
“We have a meeting with them on Sunday. Now, I’m not sure if that meeting will take place, but we have a meeting with them on Sunday,” he said.
The United States and Iran have held five rounds of talks on the Iranian nuclear program since April, with Washington demanding that Tehran discard its capabilities both to manufacture an atomic bomb and to enrich uranium, something that the ayatollahs considered unacceptable.
Both Israel and Trump himself had warned of possible preventive attacks on the Persian country due to this refusal by Iran.
First woman elected president in the Americas, Violeta Chamorro, dead at 95
Nicaraguan exile coalition urges Costa Rica to receive U.S. deportees fleeing Ortega regime
China shows at the UN its “condemnation” of Israel for the “violation of Iran’s sovereignty”
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
Defense Minister commends salvadoran soldier for Central American Cross Country victory
Extension of the state of emergency approved in southern Chile
-
International5 days agoDefense Secretary: National Guard deployment aims to preempt unrest nationwide
-
Central America5 days agoPanama begins reverse migration by sea for 109 stranded migrants
-
International4 days agoOne survivor confirmed after Air India flight crashes with 242 on board
-
International5 days agoMexico apologizes to Guatemala for police incursion after armed clash
-
International4 days agoShark attacks child in Florida
-
International5 days agoMiguel Uribe remains critical but shows progress following assassination attempt
-
International4 days agoOver 200 dead after London-Bound plane crashes in India
-
International5 days agoProposed U.S. tax threatens Mexico’s record remittance inflows
-
International4 days agoUncle Sam used in DHS poster calling for public to report immigrants
-
International3 days agoICE under fire for detaining undocumented teen from Florida foster care
-
International4 days agoAt least five others involved in attack on Miguel Uribe Turbay
-
International4 days agoHegseth dodges lawmakers’ questions on potential U.S. invasion plans for Greenland, Panama
-
International5 days agoMexico sees 13.5% increase in international tourists in April 2025
-
International2 days agoChina shows at the UN its “condemnation” of Israel for the “violation of Iran’s sovereignty”
-
International4 days agoArgentine government says Cristina Fernández sentence was fair and free of political influence
-
International5 days agoNoboa extends emergency rule—but prisons and mining hub excluded by court
-
International3 days agoIsrael warns of retaliation after iranian missiles hit civilian areas
-
International4 days agoEight Killed in Gaza as Hamas allegedly attacks Israel-Backed aid group
-
International2 days agoTrump says he knew “everything” about the attack on Iran and assures that the dialogue remains open
-
International2 days agoRight and far right leaders aspire to win the next elections in Latin America
-
International2 days agoDonald Trump’s government pauses its program of indiscriminate raides against migrants
-
International5 days agoCuban and chinese officials agree to expand cooperation amid official visit
-
International3 days agoCalifornia sues Trump over deployment of military forces in immigration arrests
-
International2 days agoMore than 2,000 protests in the US will condemn Donald Trump’s “authoritarianism” this Saturday
-
International2 days agoCriticism of ICE in Florida for arresting a minor from Honduras and taking him away from a foster family
-
Central America12 hours agoNicaraguan exile coalition urges Costa Rica to receive U.S. deportees fleeing Ortega regime
-
Central America11 hours agoFirst woman elected president in the Americas, Violeta Chamorro, dead at 95