International
López Obrador’s head of Security will be the main secretary of the Sheinbaum Government
The current Secretary of Security of Mexico, Rosa Icela Rodríguez, will be the head of the Ministry of the Interior (Segob) of the Government of Claudia Sheinbaum, so the main position of her cabinet will be in the hands of one of the closest profiles to President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, as announced on Thursday by the future president of the country.
Rodríguez has been head of the Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection (SSPC) since October 2020, so she is considered one of López Obrador’s preferred officials, and previously she was Secretary of the Government of Mexico City (2018-2020) in the local mandate of Sheinbaum (2018-2023), to whom she is also close.
The Segob is the most important position of the Government of Mexico after the presidency, since its holder is responsible for replacing the president in case of absence, conducting domestic policy, implementing immigration measures and negotiating with unions, companies, governors and the other powers.
“He has a vast experience and we have worked together and I know that the Ministry of the Interior will perform in an excellent way and with a lot of professionalism and honesty,” Sheinbaum said when announcing it at an event in Mexico City.
As Secretary of Security of the federal government, Rodríguez has received criticism because the crisis of violence has not been resolved, with a cumulative of more than 184,000 homicides so far since the six-year term of López Obrador (2018-2024).
While the opposition has accused it of ceding public security tasks to the Armed Forces, since the National Guard, created by the president as a civilian body in practice, obeys the Ministry of National Defense (Sedena), although there is still a lack of constitutional reform to formalize this management.
The elected president, who will be the first president of Mexico, highlighted that Rodríguez, “of course, is the first woman in the history of Mexico to hold this position” of Security.
Rodríguez was the main appointment of Sheinbaum’s third cabinet announcement, who will take over on October 1 and still needs to appoint head of key units such as Labor, Defense and Navy.
The official promised to continue with the “second floor of the Fourth Transformation of Mexico,” in reference to López Obrador’s political movement.
“It is a privilege to walk by your side as the first woman president in the history of our country, with you we arrived all together, grandmothers, mothers and daughters, a high responsibility, like the one you trust me now, requires a high commitment as well,” Rodríguez said.
He also guaranteed that “there will always be coordination and dialogue,” in addition to “acting with respect and civility.”
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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