International
The ruling party assures that Claudia Sheinbaum will be the first female president of Mexico
The president of the ruling party Movimiento de Regeneración Nacional (Morena), Mario Delgado, assured that his candidate, Claudia Sheinbaum, will be “the first female president” of Mexico to prevail in the presidential elections.
“We are fortunate to live in a stellar moment in the history of our country and also for our Latin America and the world. Claudia Sheinbaum will be the first female president in the history of North America,” Delgado said at the campaign headquarters in the Mexican capital.
The announcement of the ruling party comes after the closure of the voting centers at 18:00 local time (00:00 GMT), although the National Electoral Institute (INE) still does not offer official results.
According to Delgado, his exit polls give Sheinbaum a “very wide” advantage over the opposition candidate, Xóchitl Gálvez, with “two to one difference.”
“There is no doubt about Claudia Sheinbaum’s triumph,” said the leader of Morena.
Delgado described the former head of government of Mexico City (2018-2023) as “a woman who has conquered the people of Mexico” along with “a popular movement that has touched the hearts of Mexicans.”
“She is also a woman who has dedicated a large part of her life to walking with the greatest leader of our time, Andrés Manuel López Obrador,” she continued.
Morena’s national leader assured that this “represents the irrefutable triumph of women against machismo, inequality and violence” and that with his “inspiration” he will “guarantee the change to the destiny of women in the country.”
“As an indigenous woman in Chiapas (southern state of Mexico) told our candidate and future president, it represents the unfulfilled dream of her grandmothers,” he added.
On the other hand, Delgado pointed out that Sheinbaum managed to “close his mouth to a tiny opposition” which he also called “racist, classist and corrupt.”
“The people have shown that they do not let themselves be fooled, neither by hate campaigns, nor by lies. The votes beat the bots,” he said.
In turn, Delgado said that Morena will win the “full car in these elections,” that is, the main executive positions.
“Just as we set ourselves the goal, that we were going for 10 out of 10, the eight governornacies (state), the head of government (Mexico City) and you know which one else,” Delgado said at a press conference after the closure of voting centers in the majority of the country at 18:00 local time (00:00 GMT).
Although there are still no official results, Morena’s leader assured in the party’s operations center in the Mexican capital that his projections point to “a resounding triumph of Clara Brugada, who will be the next head of government” of Mexico City. The former DF had Claudia Sheinbaum, she ruled from 2018 to 2023.
In addition, he said that the polls give the triumph to his candidates in Jalisco, Claudia Delgadillo, and in Veracruz, to Rocío Nahle, which would imply governing in some of the most populated entities in the country.
He also asserted that his candidates for the state governments of Yucatan, Morelos, Puebla, Chiapas and Tabasco are shaping up winners.
Finally, in Guanajuato, one of the main bastions of the opposition, he said that there are “very closed numbers,” so they will “wait to have the minutes to defend the triumph.”
Delgado argued that he could not give more details of the presidential result “because the boxes (voting tables) are still open in some entities of the country” and they still cannot “make any reference to the federal election.”
“We are taking a full car in these elections,” he insisted.
If not governing in any state before the 2018 election, Morena now controls 21 entities, plus two other of her allies, the Green Party in San Luis Potosí and the Social Encounter Party (PES) in Morelos.
This Sunday’s main contest will define who will succeed López Obrador, who expects the triumph of the ruling party, Sheinbaum, over the opponents Xóchitl Gálvez, of the coalition of Fuerza y Corazón por México, and Jorge Álvarez Máynez, of Movimiento Ciudadano (MC).
The National Electoral Institute (INE) will publish the Preliminary Electoral Results Program (PREP) from 20:00 central hours (02:00 GMT), while between 22:00 and 23:00 local time (04:00 and 05:00 GMT) it will announce the quick count, which can define the winner of the presidency.
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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