International

A Colombian woman researches the benefits of being bilingual

Vanessa Diaz is a Colombian woman who migrated to Miami when she was 12 years old. She is now a psychologist, with a PhD in Developmental Psychology, and who works at Virginia Tech. Vanessa studies and researches language development. And she focuses on bilingual children in the United States.

Diaz spent her childhood in Miami and was surrounded by the Latino community. So her transition was more smooth. However, she underwent a radical change when she moved to Gainesville to pursue her doctorate in child psychology and neuroscience at Virginia Tech. “This was the first time I experienced discrimination. Many people criticized my accent and thought I had not lived in the United States,” she said.

This experience prompted Vanessa to pursue a research on children and how being bilingual affects them. To her surprise, she discovered that there is actually a negative stereotype about children who speak two languages.

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“Many people assume that bilingual children are speech delayed, when they really need particular support. In language development, children have limited capacity. At one and a half years of age, they can speak 50 words. If you give this child an English language test, he will only know 25 words because he knows the other 25 words in Spanish. Then, someone will immediately say that he or she has a delay. But they don’t. And that shows that there is no understanding of what bilingualism is, and it has become a pathological condition,” she said.

There are cognitive benefits to being bilingual. It makes it much easier for a person to learn other languages. And it also makes you more open-minded. “The second language is the most difficult. Then learning another one becomes quite easy,” the scientist explained.

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She has also studied the concept of the mind and how bilingual children and adults develop it in a more advanced way compared to someone who speaks only one language. People who speak different languages have different cultures and depending on the culture, there is a different way of thinking. Therefore, they are more receptive to knowledge and learning.

Sources: Planet Boston Latino Daily and Connections.

Central America

U.S. extradites Iranian man over alleged sanctions evasion scheme

The United States has extradited from Panama an Iranian national accused of evading economic sanctions against Iran by illegally exporting U.S. technology. He is scheduled to appear this Monday before a court in Seattle.

Reza Dindar, 44, was extradited on April 17 after being detained in Panama since July 2025 on charges related to export control violations between 2011 and 2012, allegedly carried out through companies based in China.

The defendant appeared before a U.S. district court in Seattle, where he faces charges of violating sanctions imposed by the United States on Iran in 1995 during the administration of Bill Clinton. These sanctions prohibit the unauthorized export, re-export, or supply—directly or indirectly—of U.S. goods, technology, or services to Iran or its government.

According to the indictment, between 2010 and 2014, Dindar led the company New Port Sourcing Solutions in Xi’an, China, which allegedly concealed the procurement of U.S. products for shipment to clients in Iran.

International

Elon Musk skips French court appearance over X investigation

Billionaire Elon Musk did not appear this Monday before French authorities, who had summoned him for a voluntary statement as part of an investigation into his social media platform X, prosecutors told AFP.

The platform has been under investigation since early 2025 following complaints from lawmakers alleging bias in its algorithms, which may have altered its functioning and interfered in politics in France.

The probe has since expanded to include other alleged offenses, such as complicity in the distribution of child sexual abuse material, as well as the role of Grok in spreading denialist content and sexually explicit fake images.

In early February, investigators raided X’s offices in Paris. The company has denied any wrongdoing, describing the searches as “political” and “abusive.”

At that time, the Paris prosecutor’s office summoned Musk and former CEO Linda Yaccarino to provide voluntary testimony as those responsible for the platform during the period under investigation.

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Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau also stated that X employees were called to testify as witnesses between April 20 and April 24.

International

Four injured in shooting at Teotihuacán archaeological site in Mexico

Four more people were injured by gunfire during the ആക്രമ attack at Teotihuacán, one of the most emblematic archaeological complexes in Mexico, authorities confirmed.

The Secretary of Security of the State of Mexico, Cristóbal Castañeda, reported that the victims include two Colombian nationals, one Russian, and one Canadian. Additionally, two other individuals were injured due to falls, according to a statement from local authorities.

President Claudia Sheinbaum expressed concern over the incident, stating on social media that “what happened today in Teotihuacán deeply pains us.”

Federal authorities recovered a firearm, a knife, and ammunition at the scene, which remains under the protection of state police and the Guardia Nacional, according to the federal Security Cabinet.

Located about 50 kilometers from Mexico City, Teotihuacán is a major tourist destination frequently visited by both domestic and international travelers.