International
Ecuador expands sea life protections around Galapagos
AFP
Ecuador created a massive new marine reserve Friday north of its Galapagos islands, forming a Pacific corridor up to Costa Rica’s Cocos Island National Park to preserve species of migratory fauna, such as sharks.
President Guillermo Lasso, on board a scientific vessel from the Galapagos National Park (PNG) anchored in the bay of Puerto Ayora off Santa Cruz Island, signed the decree creating the new reserve called “Hermandad” (Brotherhood).
To mark the opening of the marine reserve, he then cut a ribbon made out of materials collected during coastal cleanups conducted in the Galapagos.
The new reserve is incorporated into the 138,000 square kilometers (50,200 square miles) of reserve that have existed since March 1998.
So the archipelago that inspired English naturalist Charles Darwin has now expanded to an impressive 198,000 square kilometers of protected marine area.
The Galapagos marine reserve, in which industrial fishing is prohibited, is the second-largest in the world. More than 2,900 marine species have been reported within the archipelago, which is a Natural World Heritage Site.
Authorities are planning for protected areas in adjacent Colombia and Panama to join later, creating an international marine biosphere reserve.
The leaders of those two countries also signed the decree along with Lasso.
Lasso announced the expansion of the Galapagos marine reserve, which has unique flora and fauna and fragile ecosystems, in November in Glasgow, on the occasion of the COP 26 climate summit.
The project was in exchange for a reduction in Ecuador’s international debt.
– A ‘clear message’ –
The creation of the “Brotherhood” reserve is a “clear message for the world,” said Lasso Friday, describing it as a “new relationship with the Earth, a new understanding of what constitutes progress for humanity.”
Colombian President Ivan Duque and former US president Bill Clinton attended the event, together with government officials from Costa Rica and Panama.
Duque said that eventually adding Colombia’s Malpelo islands and Panama’s Coiba islands to the vast marine reserve will allow for the migration of species such as sea turtles, whales, sharks and manta rays.
This new reserve “will guarantee the survival of 40 percent of the world’s marine species,” Duque said.
“We may be a small territory… but the planet is also ours,” said Lasso.
“The seas are great regulators of the global climate,” he said, adding that “taking care of them is not naive idealism, it is a vital necessity.”
Located in the Pacific some 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) off the coast of Ecuador, the Galapagos Islands are a protected wildlife area and home to unique species of flora and fauna.
The archipelago was made famous by British geologist and naturalist Charles Darwin’s observations on evolution there.
International
Protests persist in Uruapan after mayor’s assassination as citizens demand justice
Five days after the assassination of Carlos Manzo, the mayor of Uruapan in the western state of Michoacán, and following the appointment of his widow, Grecia Quiroz, as interim mayor, hundreds of people continue protesting for the third consecutive day demanding justice.
On Wednesday, around 200 vehicles belonging to transport associations and business owners blocked roads in central Uruapan and several major avenues across the city.
Meanwhile, in Morelia, the state capital, two university marches were scheduled. Demonstrations since Monday have been marked by clashes, police response, and protesters forcing their way into the Michoacán Government Palace.
About 200 kilometers away, in the port city of Lázaro Cárdenas, another demonstration was called for 6:00 p.m. local time, in which the Association of Producers and Exporting Packers of Avocado of Mexico (APEAM) announced it would join the demand for greater security.
Total Shutdown Planned in Uruapan
Local business chambers and organizations in Uruapan have called for a “total shutdown of activities” this Friday, the 7th, at 10:00 a.m. (16:00 GMT). They are urging residents to place a black ribbon at the entrance of their homes or businesses as a sign of mourning.
The groups plan to march wearing black or white shirts under the slogan: “For those who are gone, for those who are afraid, for those who remain standing.”
International
Sexual assault attempt on Mexico’s president sparks outrage in historic center
A man harassed and groped Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum without her consent on Tuesday while she walked through Mexico City’s historic center, just meters from the National Palace, greeting members of the public.
The man, who appeared to be intoxicated, attempted to kiss the president from behind before grabbing her. Security personnel immediately intervened and detained him, with video footage showing Sheinbaum visibly tense following the incident.
Sheinbaum was on her way to the first National Meeting of Universities and Higher Education Institutions at the Education Secretariat headquarters, located just a few blocks from the palace. She chose to walk to the event due to the short distance.
During the stroll, in one of the busiest parts of the capital, the man took advantage of the crowd surrounding the president, approaching her from behind, trying to kiss her neck and placing his arms around her.
Hours later, federal authorities confirmed that the suspect — identified as Uriel Rivera Martínez — had been arrested and taken to the Mexico City Prosecutor’s Office for Sexual Crimes, according to the National Detention Registry.
Legal sources stated that Sheinbaum was the victim of a flagrant sexual abuse offense under Mexico City’s Penal Code, noting that no close assistant intervened at the very moment the assault occurred.
According to a 2024 survey by the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI), 15.5% of women in Mexico have experienced sexual harassment, groping, exhibitionism or attempted rape — five times the percentage of men, at 3.2%.
International
Longest government shutdown in U.S. history deepens airport and aid crisis
The U.S. government shutdown reached a historic milestone on Wednesday, becoming the longest in the nation’s history as Republicans aligned with President Donald Trump continue to clash with Democratic opposition over the federal budget.
The shutdown entered its 36th day, surpassing the previous record set in 2019 during Trump’s first term in office.
Over the past six weeks, the budget impasse has left roughly 1.4 million federal workers without pay. Employees deemed “essential,” including air traffic controllers and law enforcement officers, have been required to continue working despite not receiving their salaries.
Conditions at airports are growing increasingly strained. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned that the federal government may be forced to partially shut down U.S. airspace due to staffing shortages.
“So if we go another week from now, Democrats, you will see massive chaos… you will see massive flight delays,” Duffy cautioned.
Social assistance programs have also been disrupted. On Tuesday, Trump stated that food aid relied upon by millions of Americans would not be distributed until the government reopens — contradicting earlier administration comments indicating that partial benefits could still be provided.
Protests persist in Uruapan after mayor’s assassination as citizens demand justice
Sexual assault attempt on Mexico’s president sparks outrage in historic center
Longest government shutdown in U.S. history deepens airport and aid crisis
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
Extension of the state of emergency approved in southern Chile
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