International
North Korea hosts a grand ceremony for the 30th anniversary of Kim Il-sung’s death
The North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, presided over a massive ceremony in Pyongyang on Monday on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the death of his grandfather, Kim Il-sung, the country’s founder, state media reported.
The event, which was attended by thousands of people, took place in Kim Il-sung Square in Pyongyang, the scene of the great celebrations and commemorations of the North Korean regime.
“The place was filled with ardent longing and deep mourning for President Kim Il-sung, the great revolutionary, the great man and the benevolent father, who gave himself to the homeland and the people, to socialism and the sacred cause of independence on a global scale for more than 70 years,” says an article about the event published today by the KCNA agency.
Kim Jong-un, who previously visited the Palace of the Sun of Kumsusan in Pyongyang to pay tribute to the embalmed remains of his grandfather and father, presided over the ceremony from the tribune located in front of the Great Palace of People’s Studies, from which Kim Il-sung Square is overlooked.
It was flanked by the four members of the Presidium of the Single Party Politburo, Kim Tok-hun, Jo Yong-won, Choe Ryong-hae and Ri Pyong-chol.
In the box you could also see the leader’s sister, Kim Yo-jong, who is deputy director of the Department of Propaganda and Agitation of the Workers’ Party.
After a minute of silence, it was his direct superior, Ri Il-hwan, director of the aforementioned department, who gave a speech entitled “The sacred revolutionary feats of the great leader comrade Kim Il-sung will be eternal,” in which the work of the founder of the country was praised and emphasis was placed on the work of Kim Jong-un to keep his legacy alive.
The event concluded with a salvo and with the well-known hymn “The song of General Kim Il-sung.”
The founder of North Korea died on July 7, 1994 at the age of 82 from heart failure.
With the support of the Soviet Union he became the first leader of the country after the end of World War II and over five decades he managed to impose himself over other factions and place his son Kim Jong-il (father of the current leader) as his successor.
International
Uruguay’s Lower House votes to legalize euthanasia amid broad public support
The Uruguayan Lower House voted Wednesday to legalize euthanasia, following the examples of Cuba, Colombia, and Ecuador, marking a significant social shift in a predominantly Catholic region.
The bill to decriminalize assisted death was approved 64-35 in the 99-seat Chamber of Representatives after an emotional night-long debate. The legislation will now move to the Senate, which is expected to pass it into law before the end of the year.
Under the new law, mentally competent adults suffering from terminal or incurable illnesses will be able to request euthanasia.
A key amendment appeared to help convince lawmakers who opposed the original 2022 proposal, requiring that a medical board review a case if the two attending doctors disagree.
Representative Luis Gallo, who opened the debate, recalled patients whose struggles inspired the bill.
“Let us not forget that the request is strictly personal: it respects the patient’s free and individual will, without interference, because it concerns their life, their suffering, and their decision not to continue living,” said Gallo of the center-left governing coalition, Frente Amplio.
Public opinion polls indicate broad support for euthanasia, from President Yamandú Orsi downward. Uruguay has also been a pioneer in legalizing same-sex marriage, abortion, and cannabis use.
International
Trump deploys National Guard as Pentagon plans quick-reaction force for civil disturbances
The Pentagon is considering creating a task force of hundreds of soldiers to be rapidly deployed anywhere in the country in the event of domestic civil unrest, according to The Washington Post, which reviewed Defense Department documents on Tuesday.
The proposed unit, tentatively named the “Rapid Civil Disturbance Response Force,” would consist of 600 soldiers on “constant alert”, capable of responding to incidents within just one hour.
According to the report, the force would be split into two equally sized units: one stationed at a military base in Alabama in the eastern U.S., and the other in Arizona in the west.
Internal documents indicate that if approved, the initiative could cost hundreds of millions of dollars, particularly if troops are kept on 24-hour readiness and transported via military aircraft.
While the National Guard already maintains a rapid response unit, this new military formation would go further, potentially moving soldiers between states whenever necessary.
The plans remain preliminary, with funding potentially starting in fiscal year 2027 at the earliest.
This report emerges just hours after U.S. President Donald Trump ordered the deployment of the National Guard for the second time since returning to the White House in January. On Monday, Trump instructed this volunteer force, which supports the Army and Air Force in emergencies, to move to Washington D.C. to combat crime and remove homeless individuals from the streets—a third deployment to the capital.
International
Colombian president Gustavo Petro warns against U.S. military intervention in Venezuela
Colombian President Gustavo Petro defended his Venezuelan counterpart Nicolás Maduro after the U.S. administration labeled him as the leader of the “Cartel of the Suns” and authorized the Pentagon to use military force against drug cartels, which could lead to an intervention on Venezuelan soil to combat these criminal groups. Petro stated that any military operation without the approval of Colombia or Venezuela would represent an “aggression.”
Petro responded over the weekend following reports on Friday from U.S. media about President Donald Trump’s order to confront designated global terrorist organizations such as the Cartel of the Suns, the Sinaloa Cartel, and the Tren de Aragua, including operations on foreign soil. Furthermore, the U.S. State Department increased the reward for information leading to Maduro’s capture from $25 million to $50 million.
“I publicly convey my order given as commander of the Colombian armed forces. Colombia and Venezuela are one people, one flag, one history. Any military operation without the approval of the brother countries is an aggression against Latin America and the Caribbean. It is fundamentally contradictory to our principle of freedom. ‘Freedom or death,’ Bolívar shouted, and the people revolted,” Petro posted on his social media, clearly expressing his disagreement with potential U.S. military intervention in Venezuela.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in an interview on The World Over program on Friday that controlling these terrorist groups is decisive. He added that, for the U.S., these gangs are no longer just local street gangs but well-organized criminal enterprises spreading from Mexico, Guatemala, and Ecuador.
“We cannot continue treating these guys as local street gangs. They have weapons like terrorists, in some cases they have armies. They control territories in many cases. These cartels extend from Maduro’s regime in Venezuela, which is not a legitimate government,” Rubio told the audience.
Uruguay’s Lower House votes to legalize euthanasia amid broad public support
Trump deploys National Guard as Pentagon plans quick-reaction force for civil disturbances
Six officials detained for misusing municipal funds in Honduras, luxury goods found
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
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