International
López Obrador says that “all” Celac’s countries support Mexico in crisis with Ecuador
The president of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, said on Wednesday that “all” the countries of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (Celac), which held a summit on Tuesday, support Mexico for the assault on the Mexican Embassy in Quito.
“Well, everyone, everyone, helping, supporting Mexico, supporting Mexico,” the president said during his morning press conference.
The Mexican ruler made this evaluation after the meeting of the leaders of the region, convened on Tuesday by the president of Honduras, Xiomara Castro, in which Mexico asked them to join its complaint against Ecuador in the International Court of Justice (ICJ) after the assault on the Mexican Embassy in Quito on April 5.
At the summit, the president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, announced the closure of his Embassy and consulates in Ecuador in support of Mexico, while the president of Bolivia, Luis Arce, said that he will join the Mexican Government’s complaint.
Likewise, this Wednesday, López Obrador reported that after the meeting, the Honduran president notified him that she will also sympathize with Mexico and they will temporarily withdraw her diplomats from Ecuador.
“At the end he notified me that they will also show solidarity and are going to call their diplomatic representatives, that is, that this is nothing more the case of Venezuela,” he said.
Questioned by the absence at the summit of the president of Ecuador, Daniel Noboa, the Mexican ruler evaded a direct response and asked to exhibit the video of the meeting again.
“Let’s see it, because they talk about everything there and it helps us a lot,” he replied.
The controversy began after the raid of the Police at the Embassy of Mexico on April 5 to take away former Vice President Jorge Glas (2013-2017), sheltered there in the face of a corruption process.
And it has grown because a court in Ecuador declared last Friday the detention of Glas inside the diplomatic headquarters as illegal and arbitrary, although he was imprisoned while waiting to serve the sentence for the Bribery case and for illicit association in the Odebrecht case.
The situation has led the Mexican Government to file a complaint with the ICJ and ask the United Nations (UN) to suspend Ecuador from the agency.
Meanwhile, Noboa has assured that he does not regret ordering the assault on the Embassy and even pointed out that he will invite López Obrador to eat a ceviche and “probably” some tacos to fix the crisis, to which the Mexican responded that the conflict “is not a frivolity.”
International
U.S. warns China over Taiwan during high-level defense talks in Kuala Lumpur
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth expressed concerns over China’s growing military activity near Taiwan during a meeting on Friday with Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun in Kuala Lumpur.
“It was a constructive and positive meeting,” Hegseth wrote on X. “I emphasized the importance of maintaining a balance of power in the Indo-Pacific and raised U.S. concerns about China’s actions around Taiwan,” the self-governed island that Beijing claims and does not rule out invading.
The meeting took place on the sidelines of the ASEAN Defense Ministers Meeting-Plus, one day after U.S. President Donald Trump met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Busan, South Korea. According to Trump, Taiwan was not discussed during their talks.
“The United States does not seek conflict and will continue to firmly defend its interests, ensuring it maintains the capability to do so in the region,” Hegseth added in his message.
Friday’s encounter followed a September 9 video call between Hegseth and Dong. Their previously planned meeting at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore was canceled due to Dong’s absence from the event.
Trump’s sit-down with Xi — their first since 2019 — resulted in some trade agreements but avoided addressing the issue of Taiwan, a long-standing source of tension between the world’s two largest powers.
Trump has taken a more ambiguous stance on Taiwan’s future compared with former President Joe Biden, who repeatedly stated that Washington would support Taipei if China launched an invasion. The Republican president has also criticized Taiwan for “stealing” the U.S. semiconductor industry.
International
U.S. considering airstrikes on military sites in Venezuela, reports say
The United States may soon carry out airstrikes on military facilities inside Venezuela as part of an escalating offensive against Nicolás Maduro’s regime, according to reports Friday from the Miami Herald and The Wall Street Journal, citing sources close to the Trump administration.
Airstrikes could take place “within days or even hours,” the Herald reported. The Journal noted that while the option is under serious consideration, President Donald Trump has not yet made a final decision on authorizing strikes on Venezuelan soil.
Potential targets allegedly include military-controlled ports and airports used in drug trafficking operations, such as naval installations and airstrips, officials told the Journal.
The Herald also quoted a source saying that “Maduro’s time is running out”, suggesting that more than one Venezuelan general may be ready to detain and hand him over. However, officials declined to confirm whether the Venezuelan leader would be among the military targets.
Trump has repeatedly vowed to block the flow of illegal drugs into the United States, following nearly two months of airstrikes against vessels in the Pacific and the Caribbean. Those operations have destroyed 15 boats and left 61 people dead and three survivors since September 1.
“We are finally waging a war against the cartels — a war like they’ve never seen before — and we are going to win that battle. We are already winning at sea,” Trump told U.S. troops during a speech in Japan.
The reports on possible airstrikes come on the same day the United Nations accused the U.S. of violating international law with its maritime operations, saying those killed at sea may have been victims of extrajudicial executions.
International
Pope Leo XIV revives Global Compact on Education to confront cultural crisis
Pope Leo XIV announced on Friday that he will revive and update the Global Compact on Education, an initiative launched by the late Pope Francis aimed at deeply transforming global culture through education.
The announcement was made during an audience in St. Peter’s Square, held on the occasion of the Jubilee of the Educational World, which this week gathers more than 20,000 participants from 124 countries in Rome.
During his address, the pontiff — who is of U.S. origin and Peruvian nationality — emphasized the importance of restoring the value of educators and reinforcing the principles that support the pact.
“We must be careful: damaging the social and cultural role of educators means mortgaging our own future,” he warned before thousands in attendance. “A crisis in the transmission of knowledge leads to a crisis of hope.”
The Global Compact on Education, launched by Pope Francis, seeks an integral and long-term cultural transformation. It is structured around five pillars: dignity and human rights; fraternity and cooperation; technology and integral ecology; education for peace and citizenship; and culture and religions. To date, the initiative has been joined by over 553 schools and nearly 410,000 students, according to Catholic Schools data.
Pope Leo XIV also expressed concern over the widespread inner fragility affecting both students and teachers — many of whom feel overwhelmed by bureaucratic burdens.
He additionally addressed the role of artificial intelligence in education, warning that it may worsen emotional isolation among learners: “It can further isolate students who are already isolated, giving them the illusion that they do not need others — or worse, the feeling that they are unworthy of them,” he said.
U.S. warns China over Taiwan during high-level defense talks in Kuala Lumpur
U.S. considering airstrikes on military sites in Venezuela, reports say
Pope Leo XIV revives Global Compact on Education to confront cultural crisis
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
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