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Guatemala president warns millions could die as visits Ukraine
AFP
Millions around the world could die due to the “food crisis” caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Guatemala President Alejandro Giammattei said during a visit to Ukraine on Monday.
Giammattei, who was invited to Ukraine by counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky to view the damage caused by Russia’s invasion, hit out at the war’s global impact.
“An irrefutable proof of the consequences of this war are the global economic effects that have generated inflation, increased the cost of living and produced more poverty,” he said in a joint statement with Zelensky published by the Guatemalan presidency.
And he warned that the conflict would cause a future “food crisis that could mean the death of millions of people.”
Central America has been badly affected by the war as it imports all of its grain from the conflict zone.
Ukraine has been unable to export grain since the beginning of Russia’s invasion due to a blockade of its Black Sea ports by Kremlin forces.
“The whole world is suffering the serious consequences of the Russian aggression such as the food crisis and price destabilization,” said Zelensky.
“The cost of living is unfairly rising and only together can we protect the world and international legal order.”
Zelensky thanked Giammattei for his visit and called on the international community to set up a special court to “punish Russia for its aggression.”
During the visit, the two countries agreed to scrap visa requirements for Guatemalans traveling to Ukraine and to establish direct business contacts.
The visit was arranged during a telephone conversation between the two presidents in June, after which Giammattei had said they “spoke about reconstruction in Ukraine, where they need laborers, and so (Zelensky) asked that Guatemalans travel to work in Ukraine.”
In a brief press release, Guatemala’s communication secretariat for the presidency gave no details on when the visit began or how long it would last.
Following Russia’s initial invasion of Ukraine, Giammattei closed Guatemala’s embassy in Moscow.
The Central American country exports nickel to Ukraine while importing iron and steel.
Despite breaking off diplomatic relations with Russia, Guatemala continues to export coffee and bananas to the Eurasian powerhouse, while importing fertilizer, medical supplies and paper.
Russian troops invaded Ukraine on February 24 following months of rising tensions between the neighbors.
Like many countries affected by the war, Guatemala has since seen fuel prices shoot up.
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22-Year-Old Suspect Arrested After 33-Hour Manhunt in Small Western U.S. Town
The 22-year-old suspect, arrested Thursday night after a 33-hour manhunt, grew up in this small town in the western United States, surrounded by canyons and mountains.
His parents live in a typical middle-class American home, nestled on a winding street with perfectly maintained lawns. In this neighborhood, adjacent to the local church, Kris Schwiermann is still in shock.
Tyler was the eldest of three children, a “quiet, respectful, fairly reserved, but very, very intelligent” boy, the retired former school custodian told AFP.
“He was the ideal student, the kind of person you’d want in your class,” confirmed Jaida Funk, who was his classmate from elementary through high school, ages five to sixteen.
“I always thought he would become a businessman or a CEO one day, not this, what I’m discovering about him now,” the 22-year-old added. “It’s definitely unexpected.”
“He was quiet, but not odd, had friends, and talked to different groups,” she continued.
After graduating with honors from high school in 2021, Tyler briefly attended college before switching to an electrical apprenticeship program at a technical school near his home.
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Maduro warns Venezuela would enter armed struggle if attacked by foreign forces
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro stated on Friday that if his country were attacked, it would enter a phase of armed struggle, amid his claims of “threats” from the United States, which is conducting a military deployment in Caribbean waters near Venezuela’s coast under the pretext of combating drug trafficking.
Maduro emphasized that Venezuela is currently in the non-armed phase, which he described as political, communicational, and institutional, but added that if the country were somehow aggressed, it would move to a planned, organized armed struggle involving the entire population, whether the threat is local, regional, or national.
“We would enter a stage of armed struggle, in defense of peace, territorial integrity, sovereignty, and our people,” Maduro said during an event activating citizen militias, broadcast on state channel Venezolana de Televisión (VTV).
He also noted that Venezuela is currently in a phase of readiness and preparation to defend the country and will proceed to the deployment of defensive capacities, including training and retraining of the entire Venezuelan population.
Maduro described the Venezuelan people as pacifist yet warrior-like, asserting that “no one will enslave us, neither today nor ever.”
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USCIS gains law enforcement powers: Agents now authorized to investigate and arrest immigration violators
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), traditionally responsible for handling naturalizations, visas, residence permits, and work authorizations, is now expanding its role to include law enforcement powers, according to a statement released by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
Under the new directive, specially designated USCIS agents are now authorized to investigate, arrest, and bring to justice individuals who violate U.S. immigration laws. Previously, USCIS primarily managed administrative and bureaucratic processes, while enforcement responsibilities were handled by agencies like Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
Illegal immigration has been a central issue under President Donald Trump’s administration, with DHS reporting that over 300,000 migrants have been arrested in the first six months of his presidency. However, the number of people who have crossed U.S. borders illegally in recent years remains controversial, with experts estimating between 8 to 10 million individuals.
The policy shift also comes amid heightened legal battles over immigration enforcement. Recently, a federal judge blocked the deportation of minors to Guatemala, who were moments away from boarding a flight. Trump’s aggressive measures, including large-scale raids in cities like Los Angeles, have faced multiple judicial challenges, some upheld and others overturned at various federal levels, including the Supreme Court.
According to the DHS statement, the expanded authority allows USCIS to “manage investigations from start to finish rather than referring cases to ICE,” aiming to reduce backlogs and combat fraud within the immigration system.
USCIS Director Joseph B. Edlow will have the power to appoint and train special agents under the order signed by DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, ensuring that the agency can effectively execute its newly granted enforcement responsibilities.
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