International
Leo XIV urges to defend “the dignity” of migrants
Pope Leo XIV urged this Friday to defend the dignity of migrants, which “is always the same, that of a creature loved and loved by God,” in the speech he gave to the representatives of the diplomatic corps accredited to the Holy See.
“In the change of era that we are living, the Holy See cannot exempt itself from making its own voice felt in the face of the numerous imbalances and injustices that lead, among other things, to unworthy working conditions and increasingly fragmented and conflicting societies,” he said before the representatives of the 184 countries with which the Holy See maintains diplomatic relations.
And he said that “it is also necessary to strive to remedy global inequalities, which trace deep grooves of opulence and indigence between continents, countries and even within the same societies.”
The American pontiff made an appeal to those who “have the responsibility of government to apply to build harmonious and peaceful civil societies” and said that “this can be done above all by investing in the family, based on the stable union between man and woman.”
So “no one can exempt themselves from favoring contexts in which the dignity of each person is to be tuted, especially those most fragile and defenseless, from the unborn child to the elderly, from the sick to the unemployed, whether these are citizens or immigrants.”
And he recalled his own life “unfolded between North America, South America and Europe” and his own history, which is that of “a citizen, descendant of immigrants, who in turn has emigrated” so “each of us, in the course of life, can find ourselves healthy or sick, busy or unemployed, in his homeland or in a foreign land”.
“His dignity, however, is always the same, that of a creature loved and loved by God,” he said.
As a cardinal, Robert Francis Prevost had criticized the anti-immigrant policy of US President Donald Trump on social media.
This Friday, in his first meeting with the diplomatic corps, León XIV also advocated giving new impetus to multilateral diplomacy and to those international institutions that were loved and conceived above all to resolve the controversies that may arise within the international community.
And he recalled Pope Francis’ last request on Easter Sunday to abandon the race to rearmament.
“It is a time of conversion and renewal, and above all the opportunity to leave the contests behind and begin a new path, animated by the hope of being able to build, working together, each according to their own sensitivities and responsibilities, a world in which each of us can realize our own humanity in truth, in justice and in peace,” the pope concluded before the diplomats.
International
U.S. and Mexico Reach Deal to Address Water Deficit Under 1944 Treaty
The United States and Mexico have reached an agreement to comply with current water obligations affecting U.S. farmers and ranchers and for Mexico to cover its water deficit to Texas under the 1944 Water Treaty, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said in a statement.
The department уточified that the agreement applies to both the current cycle and the water deficit from the previous cycle.
On Monday, U.S. President Donald Trump accused Mexico of failing to comply with the water-sharing treaty between the two countries, which requires the United States to deliver 1.85 billion cubic meters of water from the Colorado River, while Mexico must supply 432 million cubic meters from the Rio Grande.
Mexico is behind on its commitments. According to Washington, the country has accumulated a deficit of more than one billion cubic meters of water over the past five years.
“This violation is severely harming our beautiful crops and our livestock in Texas,” Trump wrote on Monday.
The Department of Agriculture said on Friday that Mexico had agreed to supply 250 million cubic meters of water starting next week and to work toward closing the shortfall.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, quoted in the statement, said Mexico delivered more water in a single year than it had over the previous four years combined.
Trump has said that if Mexico continues to fall short of its obligations, the United States reserves the right to impose 5% tariffs on imported Mexican products.
Mexico’s Deputy Foreign Minister for North America, Roberto Velasco, said that a severe drought in 2022 and 2023prevented the country from meeting its commitments.
International
Several people shot in attack on Brown University campus
Several people were shot on Saturday in an attack on the campus of Brown University, in the northeastern United States, local police reported.
“Shelter in place and avoid the area until further notice,” the Providence Police Department urged in a post on X. Brown University is located in Providence, the capital of the state of Rhode Island.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on his social media platform Truth Social that he had been briefed on the situation and that the FBI was on the scene.
At 5:52 p.m. local time (11:52 p.m. GMT), Brown University said the situation was still “ongoing” and instructed students to remain sheltered until further notice.
After initially stating that the suspect had been taken into custody, Trump later posted a second message clarifying that local police had walked back that information. “The suspect has NOT been apprehended,” the U.S. president said.
International
Colombia says it would not reject Maduro asylum request as regional tensions escalate
The Colombian government stated on Thursday that it would have no reason to reject a potential asylum request from Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro should he leave office, as regional tensions persist over the deployment of U.S. military forces in the Caribbean since August.
“In the current climate of tension, negotiations are necessary, and if the United States demands a transition or political change, that is something to be assessed. If such a transition results in him (Maduro) needing to live elsewhere or seek protection, Colombia would have no reason to deny it,” said Colombian Foreign Minister Rosa Villavicencio in an interview with Caracol Radio.
However, Villavicencio noted that it is unlikely Maduro would choose Colombia as a refuge. “I believe he would opt for someplace more distant and calmer,” she added.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro also commented on Venezuela’s situation on Wednesday, arguing that the country needs a “democratic revolution” rather than “inefficient repression.” His remarks followed the recent detention and passport cancellation of Cardinal Baltazar Porras at the Caracas airport.
“The Maduro government must understand that responding to external aggression requires more than military preparations; it requires a democratic revolution. A country is defended with more democracy, not more inefficient repression,” Petro wrote on X (formerly Twitter), in a rare public criticism of the Venezuelan leader.
Petro also called for a general amnesty for political opponents and reiterated his call for forming a broad transitional government to address Venezuela’s prolonged crisis.
Since September, U.S. military forces have destroyed more than 20 vessels allegedly carrying drugs in Caribbean and Pacific waters near Venezuela and Colombia, resulting in over 80 deaths.
U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly warned that attacks “inside Venezuela” will begin “soon,” while Maduro has urged Venezuelans to prepare for what he describes as an impending external aggression.
U.S. and Mexico Reach Deal to Address Water Deficit Under 1944 Treaty
Several people shot in attack on Brown University campus
Colombia says it would not reject Maduro asylum request as regional tensions escalate
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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