International
Board of Brazil’s Petrobras elects Lula ally as new president
January 26 | By AFP |
The board of directors of Petrobras on Thursday appointed Jean Paul Prates, an ally of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, as head of the state oil company.
Prates, a 54-year-old lawyer and economist, was previously a senator in northeastern Rio Grande do Norte state and a member of Lula’s Workers’ Party.
Lula described Prates as a specialist in the energy sector when nominating him for the job on Twitter last month.
In a statement confirming the appointment, the Petrobras board said Prates had been chosen unanimously.
Prates has 30 years experience in the oil, natural gas, biofuels and renewable energy sectors.
“I have been given the mission of managing Petrobras in the coming years,” Prates said.
He added that he was “honored to lead a company that is the heritage of all Brazilians.”
Petrobras is the flagship of Brazilian industry. It is the largest company in the South American country but was at the center of the wide-ranging “Operation Car Wash” corruption scandal.
As part of the graft investigation, Lula was himself convicted of accepting a bribe and spent 18 months in jail before a judge annulled his conviction.
Petrobras went through some turbulent years during the presidency of Lula’s predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro.
The company went through four different CEOs during that period due major disagreements over Petrobras’s oil pricing policies.
Bolsonaro even went so far as to accuse Petrobras of theft over its price hikes.
The company sets prices based on the standard international rate for a barrel of oil.
The position of Petrobras chief executive is one that comes with great exposure to political pressure.
In its 68 years of existence, the company has had 39 CEOs, meaning they have lasted on average less than two years.
The markets have expressed fears that Prates could change the company’s pricing policies and that under Lula’s socialist government there will be greater interference in the running of state companies.
The Brazilian state owns 50.26 percent of Petrobras’s capital and Lula has ruled out privatizing the company.
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
Extension of the state of emergency approved in southern Chile
-
International4 days agoMexico City prepares for 13 million pilgrims at Basilica of Guadalupe
-
International3 days agoWashington declares State of Emergency as atmospheric river brings severe flooding
-
International3 days agoU.S. to require five-year social media history from tourists under Visa Waiver Program
-
Central America4 days agoHonduras’ electoral chief reports ongoing technical issues but says results remain intact
-
Central America5 days agoMexico and Guatemala launch joint security operation after Agua Zarca border attack
-
Central America4 days agoU.S. accuses Ortega regime of systematic human rights abuses in Nicaragua
-
Central America4 days agoU.S. finds no evidence of fraud in Honduras election despite delays
-
International2 days agoCuba battles out-of-control dengue and chikungunya epidemic as death toll rises to 44
-
Central America5 days agoHonduran University: Nullifying elections without proof of fraud undermines popular sovereignty
-
Central America3 days ago
OAS and EU urge honduran political actors to respect vote results and avoid unrest
-
Central America5 days ago
CNA director says Libre’s defeat stems from “lack of substance,” not messaging
-
Central America2 days ago
Honduras election crisis deepens as CNE president denounces intimidation attempts
-
International2 days agoColombia says it would not reject Maduro asylum request as regional tensions escalate
-
International5 days agoZelensky meets Pope Leo XIV as review of U.S. peace plan continues
-
International16 hours agoSeveral people shot in attack on Brown University campus
-
International3 days agoSix ecuadorian soldiers jailed pending trial for alleged extrajudicial execution
-
International2 days agoEcuador on track for record violence as homicides hit highest level in Latin America again
-
International13 hours agoU.S. and Mexico Reach Deal to Address Water Deficit Under 1944 Treaty