International
Latvia will introduce mandatory national defense classes in all institutes
All Latvian high schools will teach mandatory national defense classes from the start of next year on September 1, Prime Minister Evikta Silina announced on Thursday in statements to the press.
With the decision, a 2018 law is made effective by which defense classes were first introduced on a voluntary basis in certain centers, in the tenth and eleventh years, with the subsequent goal of making them mandatory from 2024.
Silina spoke at a press conference after an ordinary Council of Ministers in Riga in which the Minister of Education, Anda Caksa, also participated, who indicated that the subject would include 112 hours of theory and practical exercises over two years.
Educational centers will have some flexibility to adjust their program and create space for the new mandatory classes, but not at the expense of science subjects or language and literature, Caksa said.
They will teach the instructor classes of the Voluntary Corps of Young Cadets, which has already participated in the pilot program and has its own programs of extracurricular and summer activities.
Caksa said that the requirements of the subject mean that educational centers must set up shooting ranges or have access to areas where they can practice shooting.
For his part, the Minister of Defense, Andris Spruds, explained that the subject will include topics ranging from the historical and theoretical basis of national defense, the role of the armed forces and civil defense to practical issues such as leadership, survival in the field, first aid and handling of weapons.
Although the idea of implementing the subject dates back to 2018, before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, at the moment the classes are seen as a preparation for the National Defense Service (VAD), the new military service that combines voluntary and mandatory elements implemented in 2023.
The first two rounds were covered with volunteers, but in the third there have been mandatory recruitments after some volunteers did not meet the specified requirements.
Silina also said at the press conference that the first shipment of drones to Ukraine will soon be on its way, within the framework of the coalition of 14 countries to supply these devices to Kiev.
Spruds refused to provide details about its characteristics but said that it is mainly first-person vision (FPV) drones, which allow the operator to operate the device depending on what he sees through the cameras.
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.
Bolsonaro diagnosed with skin cancer amid coup conviction
Milei praises Paraguay’s growth, calls Argentina’s last 20 years a ‘decline’
Trump administration launches large-scale immigration operation in Chicago
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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