International
Argentina will face reforms to promote an ‘trial in absence’ in the ‘AMIA case’
The Government of Argentina “works at full speed” to face reforms to promote a ‘trial in absence’ for the attack committed in 1994 against the Argentine Israeli Mutual Association (AMIA).
The terrorist act left 85 dead and 300 injured and remains unpunished, since it is not possible to judge it with the current legislation.
After the ruling issued by Chamber II of the Federal Chamber of Cassation in ‘Case AMIA II’, which declared as a “crime against humanity” the attack on the headquarters of the AMIA and seals the then Iranian Government and the Lebanese militia Hizbulá of these events, the Argentine Minister of Security, Patricia Bullrich, made that announcement at a press conference.
Although local media reported that the Executive raised the anti-terrorist alert and strengthened security around embassies and airports, Bullrich did not talk about it and limited himself to loading the inks on former Peronist president Cristina Fernández (2007-2015).
According to Bullrich, Fernández “wanted to hide (Iran’s terrorist character) behind a nefarious memorandum that led us to negotiate with the terrorists instead of moving forward with the investigation.”
With this he referred to the Memorandum of Understanding with the Islamic Republic of Iran, signed in 2013, with the aim of bringing positions closer to move forward with the investigation. Despite its approval by the Argentine Congress, the measure was prosecuted and, in May 2014, the law that approved the pact was declared unconstitutional, which never entered into force, because the Iranian Parliament never ratified it.
“The truth is that yesterday was a great day for Argentina,” he said.
The ‘trial in absence’, which is not possible according to Argentine legislation, although there are several bills that seek to enable it, was one of the reforms suggested by the judges of the Criminal Cassation Chamber who issued the ruling.
In addition to being the largest terrorist attack on Argentine soil, the attack on the AMIA was also the largest on Jewish targets outside Israel since World War II.
The Jewish community in Argentina, the largest in Latin America and the fifth in the world, celebrated the ruling, although it demanded an end to impunity for its leaders.
In a statement, the AMIA stated that it receives “in a favorable way” the claim that the attack “responded to a political decision” by Iran, executed by Hizbulah.
According to the entity, on several occasions the AMIA “has expressed that the judicial file accredits multiple evidence, and contains numerous evidences that allowed to establish, from the beginning of the investigation, the role of Iran and its active participation in the decision, organization and financing of the terrorist attack.”
However, he demanded that the intellectual and material responsible “be judged and serve their sentences for the atrocious crime against humanity they committed.”
“Impunity in the AMIA cause is a shameful mark for Argentine history and a debt of democracy,” the text added.
Therefore, and with three months to go before the 30th anniversary of the attack, the entity said that “it will not be satisfied with the arrival of widely known conclusions,” since it considers it “unacceptable” that local legislation is “the same” as at the beginning of the investigation, and asked for the development of “a legal framework that allows improving the conditions of investigation, intelligence, prevention and punishment.”
Also the president of the Delegation of Argentine Israeli Associations (DAIA), Jorge Knoblovits, opined that the ruling issued on Thursday was a cause for celebration for the Jewish community: “We must applaud these judges, who have had courage and probity.”
The DAIA recalled that “this is the line of investigation of the complaint of the prosecutor (Alberto) Nisman,” who led the investigations for 10 years until he was found dead at home on Sunday, January 18, 2015 in strange circumstances; the case, which was characterized as homicide in 2018, remains unresolved.
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.
U.S. and Mexico Reach Deal to Address Water Deficit Under 1944 Treaty
Several people shot in attack on Brown University campus
Colombia says it would not reject Maduro asylum request as regional tensions escalate
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
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