International
Indigenous peoples of Mexico help migrants stranded in the south far from the border
Indigenous communities took the initiative to help and feed migrants who are stranded far from the border in southern Mexico, where uncertainty is aggravated days before Donald Trump assumes the presidency in the United States, next Monday.
In Oaxaca, one of the main cities in the south of the country, activists created a community canteen to give free food to migrants, mostly from Central and South America, who arrive to rest, raise money and resume their journey to Mexico City and, later, to the United States.
Its motto is ‘Nkaáymyujkeme’, a voice written in the Mixe language of the Sierra Norte de Oaxaca that means ‘Let’s all eat’, and which emerged during the first days of 2025, mainly for migrant children, when estimating that a “difficult year” is coming in the United States in the face of restrictive policies for mobility.
Oaxaca is the origin of migrants and to help only motivates the empathy of suffering hunger in the flesh when leaving the earth in search of a better life, its founder, Filadelfo Aldaz Desiderio, tells EFE.
“I think it is just from hunger, that is, from the hunger we spend in our communities, from the hunger we spend in the cities because in the end we are also people who migrate from our communities and, from that hunger we precisely do this work,” says the activist.
The country is concerned about the mass deportations promised by Trump because about half of the 11 million undocumented in the United States are Mexicans and almost 4% of Mexico’s gross domestic product (GDP) is represented by their remittances, which in 2024 received an estimated record of 65 billion dollars.
In addition, the Government of Mexico detected a record of more than 925,000 irregular migrants from January to August, a year-on-year increase of almost 132%.
In this scenario, initiatives such as ‘Let’s eat all’ arise, which is supported by citizen donations, since there is no political or religious group that sponsors the donation of food and hot drinks in bus terminals for migrants in the city of Oaxaca.
Desiderio, an indigenous mixe culture, explains that it is about helping, but also protesting.
“It’s just that in reality migration is not going to stop, that is, all people move around the world. However, the United States is going to paralyze these people a little, to persecute them, to torture them, even to murder them. It’s a whole foreign policy of the United States,” he says.
The menu for migrants of the first visit of the year that the canteen, led by indigenous people, delivers at the bus terminal was a plate of lentils, rice, beans and corn tortillas, accompanied by a glass of hot coffee to reduce the winter cold that in the city of Oaxaca drops to 6 degrees.
Juana Antonia Osorio, a 28-year-old Honduran who approached the group, is in the seventh month of pregnancy and is in a hurry to arrive in the United States, where Trump assumes the presidency on January 20.
“I want to reach the States before it is born so that it is American (American) and there I am going to put it to study,” .
Upon arriving in Oaxaca, Osorio ran out of money, so time was pressing.
“I want to get there quickly, but things have gotten complicated, right now I don’t have weights to continue the trip,” describes the woman, who will be a single mother because armed groups murdered her husband in Honduras.
The traveler now receives the support of the community canteen, which has undertaken a campaign to request economic resources and food to help migrants trying to reach the border and ask for asylum in the United States.
For some migrants, the food given is the only thing they will eat during their stay in Oaxaca.
“Until now we had not eaten, we have been walking all day, waiting,” says Cristian Martínez, a Venezuelan who seeks to get to Mexico City to work, save and then go to the United States.
International
Vatican speeds up Sistine Chapel preparations for upcoming conclave
Work is accelerating inside the Sistine Chapel as the Vatican prepares for the papal conclave set to begin on Wednesday. The preparations include the installation of a wooden floor, the setup of a stove for burning secret ballots, and the iconic chimney that will signal the election results.
A nearly five-minute video released by the Vatican on Saturday shows technicians assembling scaffolding beneath Michelangelo’s frescoes and laying a false wooden floor, where large tables will be placed to accommodate the 133 cardinals expected to vote.
Elsewhere in the chapel, workers are installing the heavy stove that will be used to burn the ballots. The footage, dated Friday, also shows firefighters climbing the tiled roof to prepare the chimney flue, which will emit either white smoke when a new pope is elected, or black smoke if no decision has been reached.
“This is a key stage for the Catholic Church,” said Silvio Screpanti, deputy director of Vatican infrastructure, on the Vatican’s official website. The stove has been discreetly tested, and in case of any issues, a technician will remain in a nearby technical room with a remote control to manage the stove, which now operates electronically.
A team of five electricians, five technicians, and two florists will remain on-site throughout the conclave. After taking an oath, they will stay within Vatican grounds with no outside contact, including with their families.
Some of these workers have participated in previous conclaves, while younger staff will receive guidance from more experienced colleagues, ensuring a smooth transition for future conclaves.
International
Venezuela achieves 22% drop in maternal mortality in first months of 2025
Maternal mortality in Venezuela decreased by 22% during the first four months of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024, Vice President Delcy Rodríguez announced on Saturday.
The significant reduction is attributed to a combination of public health policies focused on primary care, obstetric surveillance, and the promotion of community health, Rodríguez explained during a broadcast on the state television channel, following a meeting of the Sectoral Vice Presidents Council.
“These are lives saved thanks to the joint efforts of medical teams, community brigades, and the national healthcare system,” she said.
Contributing factors include the strengthening of prenatal care programs, free access to safe childbirth services, and the deployment of mobile medical units in remote areas. Additionally, emergency obstetric protocols were reinforced and specialized staff received further training.
The council meeting also addressed other areas of government action.
In the economic sphere, officials reviewed progress in the “13 Productive Engines” initiative, designed to boost key sectors such as agriculture, energy, tourism, and the pharmaceutical industry. The goal is to stimulate domestic production, generate foreign currency, and reduce external dependency.
In education, over two million students participated in the 19th edition of the National School Sports Games, held between March and April. Authorities highlighted the importance of these events in supporting the comprehensive development of the nation’s youth.
The government also assessed the national rain mitigation plan, which includes structural and preventive measures such as drainage maintenance, reinforcement of vulnerable areas, and the activation of early warning systems.
International
Trump signs order to end federal funding for NPR and PBS
U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday to halt federal funding for two public media outlets, PBS television and NPR radio, accusing them of being biased.
NPR and PBS are partially funded by American taxpayers but rely heavily on private donations.
Trump has long maintained a hostile relationship with most media outlets, which he has referred to as the “enemy of the people.”
An exception is the conservative Fox News channel, some of whose hosts have played important roles in the administration of the Republican magnate.
“National Public Radio (NPR) and Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) receive taxpayer funding through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB),” Trump said.
“Therefore, I direct the CPB board and all executive departments and agencies to cease federal funding for NPR and PBS,” he added.
The Republican leader argued that “neither of these entities provides a fair, accurate, or impartial portrayal of current events to the taxpayer citizens.”
At the end of March, Donald Trump called on Congress to end public funding for these two “horrible and completely biased networks.”
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Venezuela achieves 22% drop in maternal mortality in first months of 2025
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