International

Migrants want to stay on Mexico’s southern border because of Sheinbaum’s industrial plan

Migrants on the border of Mexico and Guatemala want to work on the Mayan Train, the Interoceanic Corridor and the industries promised by Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum to mitigate migration, which would strengthen the area as an industrial pole of Central America, according to officials.

In the largest city of that border, the Mexican Tapachula, foreigners and businessmen expressed to EFE their optimism after the meeting two weeks ago between the president of Guatemala, Bernardo Arévalo, and Sheinbaum, who proposed bringing the Mayan Train and manufacturing industrial poles to the region.

Denis Olivera Aguirre, secretary of the Promoting Association for the Development of Markets in Tapachula, considered that these works would encourage the arrival of migrants because of the employment that there would be.

“In their countries they are suffering a rather delicate situation of security, of economy. So, seeing a source of work, maybe call more to Guatemala and Mexico, in fact, with the closure that (President) Donald Trump made for the United States, this (site) later will be a source of work,” he commented.

The municipal president of Tapachula, Aarón Yamil Melgar Bravo, recalled in an interview with EFE that Sheinbaum said from his campaign that Tapachula will be the economic capital of the state of Chiapas and Central America.

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The mayor explained that there are almost 400 hectares available for industrial projects such as “the completion of the train tracks that connects from the Isthmus of Tehuantepec to Puerto Chiapas” to promote trade between the Pacific and the Atlantic, and between North and Central America.

“They will be able to take the containers down and up the ship and lower the containers from the trains and, obviously the other branch of the railway tracks will go to Suchiate (border with Guatemala),” he explained.

Sheinbaum has insisted that to alleviate migration it is necessary to address the causes, after the record of more than 925,000 irregular migrants in Mexico from January to August 2024, above any full year.

“What do we say about migration? That it is not about putting national guards everywhere, but about giving well-paid employment so that people do not have to migrate out of necessity, so one of the objectives is to work with Guatemala to develop that pole on the border,” he said on April 11.

The projects encourage migrants like the Venezuelan Luz Marina, who considered them a “great proposal” and news for migrants interested in working in Mexico after Trump’s restrictions.

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“We are in the best position to help Mexico and Guatemala, if we are interested in better working conditions, that they consider our support, there are many who are interested in agreement. There will be from 700, 800 or up to 1,000 Venezuelan, Cuban, Haitian migrants and a very good working hand,” he said.

Deivy Gurrola, from Cuba, asked the Mexican authorities to encourage a regular stay for migrants who wish to work on these projects, “that there are factories, that companies be established to be able to find work quickly.”

“I would be interested in being able to work, I could pay rent (rent), support myself here in Mexico, because we do look for a little economy, work that accommodates the price, we would like to work,” she said.

Mexico received more than 24,000 deportees in the first eight weeks of Trump’s new presidency, including 4,567 foreigners, according to the latest update from Sheinbaum, who has promised support to those who decide to stay in the country.

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International

IEA warns Middle East conflict could spark worst energy crisis in decades

The ongoing conflict in the Middle East could trigger the worst energy crisis in decades, warned Fatih Birol, head of the International Energy Agency (IEA), who described the situation as “very serious.”

Speaking at the National Press Club in Canberra, Birol compared the current scenario to the oil crises of the 1970s, noting that during those events the world lost around five million barrels of oil per day in each crisis.

“Today, we have lost 11 million barrels per day—more than the two major oil shocks combined,” he said.

The Turkish economist referred to the conflict that began on February 28, following attacks by the United States and Israel against Iran, which have significantly disrupted global energy markets and driven oil prices higher.

Birol warned that the global economy is facing a “very, very serious threat” and expressed hope that the crisis will be resolved soon.

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“No country will be immune to the effects of this crisis if it continues in this direction. Global efforts are urgently needed,” he emphasized.

International

Colombian Air Force Hercules plane crashes during takeoff with troops onboard

A Lockheed C-130 Hercules operated by the Colombian Air Force was involved in a “tragic accident” while taking off from Puerto Leguízamo, in the Putumayo department of southern Colombia, as it was transporting troops, Defense Minister Pedro Sánchez reported on Monday.

The minister stated on social media that the exact number of victims and the causes of the crash have not yet been determined. He also extended his condolences to the families affected and urged the public to avoid speculation until official information is confirmed.

“This is a deeply painful event for the country. Our prayers are with the victims and their families,” Sánchez said, adding that emergency protocols have been activated and an investigation is underway.

Meanwhile, President Gustavo Petro expressed hope that there would be no fatalities in what he described as a “horrific accident that should not have happened.”

Petro also highlighted ongoing efforts to modernize the country’s air fleet and reiterated the need to acquire new helicopters and transport aircraft to strengthen military mobility, particularly in remote regions.

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According to local media reports, approximately 110 soldiers were on board the aircraft. So far, at least 20 injured military personnel have been rescued.

International

Paris prosecutors alert U.S. over alleged deepfake strategy linked to Elon Musk

The Paris Prosecutor’s Office said on Saturday that it had alerted authorities in the United States over suspicions that tech entrepreneur Elon Musk may have encouraged the spread of sexualized deepfake content on the social platform X to artificially boost the company’s valuation.

According to prosecutors, the controversy surrounding explicit AI-generated videos—reportedly linked to Grok, the platform’s artificial intelligence system—may have been deliberately triggered to increase the market value of X and X AI.

The office added that the alleged strategy could be tied to the planned June 2026 public listing of a new entity formed through the merger of SpaceX and X AI.

French authorities said they contacted the U.S. Department of Justice as well as legal representatives at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) earlier this week to share their concerns.

Responding on X in French to a report about the case, Musk referred to French prosecutors using an offensive term.

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When contacted, X’s legal representative in France did not immediately comment.

Grok, the platform’s AI system, has its own account on X, allowing users to interact with it or request content generation. For a period, users were able to tag the bot in posts to generate or edit images, a feature that may have facilitated the spread of such material.