International
The president of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, assures that he does not care if he is called a dictator
The president of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, assured on Sunday night, in his speech for the first year of his second consecutive term, that “he does not care that they call him dictator” and that he prefers that “to see how they kill Salvadorans.”
Personally, he has called me dictator in all the media that they have wanted and been able to. From Salvadoran pamphlets, to international pamphlets, the most prestigious (unspecified),” Bukele said during a solemn session of the Legislative Assembly held at the National Theater in San Salvador.
“You know what? I don’t care if they call me a dictator,” he said to deputies of Congress, representatives of the diplomatic corps in El Salvador and various institutions, and assured that “I mean that they call me dictator to see how they kill Salvadorans in the streets.”
And he continued: “I prefer these moments when I grab my cell phone and see: dictator, dictator, dictator… in the news and not see murder, murder, murder…)”.
“I prefer to be called a dictator but that Salvadorans can finally live in peace. Let them stay discussing their semantics and we will continue to focus on seeking results and contrary to the lies that they spread day and night, we have more results than any other government in our entire history,” he added.
The President of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, said on Sunday night, in his speech for the first year of his second consecutive term, that democracy, transparency, human rights and the rule of law “are terms” that are actually used to keep people submissive.
“Democracy, institutionality, transparency, human rights, the rule of law, sound good, they are great ideals in reality, but they are terms that are actually only used to keep us submissive,” Bukele said during a solemn session of the Legislative Assembly held at the National Theater in San Salvador.
“Sadly we are witnessing how our sister countries still believe in these international organizations, they still believe in these treaties that are supposedly to help us with our human rights and some politicians in the region (Latin America) unfortunately lend themselves to this game,” said the president.
“What they, the defenders of democracy and the rule of law, really want is that we are unable to punish the murderers in the name of a supposed ideal of human rights that is no more than the rights of criminals,” the president told deputies of Congress, representatives of the diplomatic corps in El Salvador and various institutions.
The first year of Bukele’s second consecutive term, identified as unconstitutional, is marked by alerts for “an authoritarian escalation”, the detention of human rights activists and the imprisonment of hundreds of Venezuelans, expelled from the United States and who do not face criminal proceedings in El Salvador.
In addition, Bukele defended the approval of a Foreign Agents Act that imposes a 30% tax on international donations to non-governmental organizations, compared to similar legislation used by countries such as Nicaragua to close organizations.
“A few days ago this Legislative Assembly approved the Foreign Agents Law: it is a law to protect international cooperation,” Bukele said in his first-year speech of his second consecutive mandate, prohibited by the Constitution.
The president pointed out, during a plenary session of the Legislative Assembly at the National Theater in San Salvador, that this law is “to ensure that those funds that come from abroad and that claim to be for social projects are really for that to help people.”
“Most developed countries prohibit foreign interference. We allow foreign interference. We only ask them to pay taxes just like everyone else,” Bukele pointed out to deputies of Congress, representatives of the diplomatic corps in El Salvador and various institutions.
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.
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U.S. and Mexico Reach Deal to Address Water Deficit Under 1944 Treaty
Several people shot in attack on Brown University campus
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