Central America
Young person will represent El Salvador at International Chemistry Olympiad in Switzerland
May 29 |
At the age of 18, Luis Ronaldo Chávez Escamilla is one of the three young people in the delegation that will represent El Salvador at the International Chemistry Olympiad.
The 55th edition of the international competition will take place from July 16 to 25 in Zurich, Switzerland.
“For me it is one of the most important things in my life. I see it not only as an academic achievement, but as a life experience. They have been shaping me as a person and have helped me discover what I am passionate about and what I want for my future,” she said.
He added that around 84 countries will participate in the Olympics, with approximately three to four representatives per country. There will be an average of 300 contestants in total.
This represents a challenge for the young man, who since he applied for the competition has dedicated himself to preparing for it. Luis is part of the Jóvenes Talento program, where he receives “training”, as he calls the classes. At home he also spends time solving math problems.
“It is the most difficult and needs many months of preparation, but this year, as I have already finished high school, I have dedicated myself to prepare for this; it is quite demanding,” he said.
His participation in the Olympics is part of his academic record. Luis, who since he was a child was very diligent in his studies, has competed in three more Olympiads, two of which are international and one national.
“Since I was a child I liked mathematics very much, but I had never discovered my passion as such, until fifth grade, when my dad came with the newspaper. Before, the National Math Olympiad was published in the newspaper and people who wanted to participate in the program had to solve certain problems and exams,” he told “Diario El Salvador”.
When he was 12 years old, his father came with the newspaper and proposed it to him as a challenge. With some trepidation she took the exams. “I passed the first stage and that’s when it caught my attention even more. I passed the second stage and qualified. That’s when I realized that I really had talent in the area of numbers,” he added.
In seventh grade, the young man took the exams for the Salvadoran Chemistry Olympiad (OSQ) for the first time. After his participation, he was able to enter the chemistry group in the Jóvenes Talento program.
“From seventh grade onwards, they allow participation in certain Olympic groups in each area of science. I was always interested in chemistry. My first class in the program was chemistry. In that group there are three levels: elementary, intermediate and advanced. Over the years I have moved up through the levels. Now I am in the advanced level, which is the highest level. Being part of these groups gives you the opportunity to take selective exams of all the classmates classified to participate in these international olympiads,” he said.
In 2021 and 2022 he had the opportunity to participate in the Salvadoran Olympiad and the Ibero-American Chemistry Olympiad. Although everything was virtual, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he won two bronze medals. A third silver medal was obtained by participating in the World Applied Chemistry Olympiad (WAChO), organized by the Indonesian scientific society.
According to the young man, he participated in the last Olympiad with a research project: “I won my silver medal with the sustainable chemistry project, which is the generation of electricity from wastewater,” he said.
In 2022, Luis won a half scholarship to study at the Monterrey Institute of Technology, a prestigious study center in Mexico, after obtaining a high score in the academic aptitude test.
Central America
Nicaragua’s Ortega and Murillo Mourn Pope Francis, Acknowledge ‘Difficult’ Relationship
Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega and Vice President Rosario Murillo, who also serve as co-leaders of the country, expressed their condolences on Monday following the death of Pope Francis, acknowledging that their relationship with the late pontiff had been “difficult” and “troubled.” Nicaragua officially suspended diplomatic ties with the Vatican during his papacy.
“Our relationship, as Nicaraguans who are believers, devoted and faithful to the doctrine of Christ Jesus, was difficult and troubled—unfortunately shaped by adverse and painful circumstances that were not always understood,” Ortega and Murillo wrote in a message of condolence.
“Despite the complexity and hardships, despite the manipulation we all know occurred, despite everything, we kept our hope alive through Christian faith,” they continued. “We understood the distance, and above all, the complicated and strained communication that prevented better relations. We also recognized the confusion caused by strident voices that disrupted any attempt at genuine interaction.”
Pope Francis had previously compared the Ortega regime to communist dictatorships and even to Hitler, a remark that further strained relations between Managua and the Holy See.
Central America
Cardinal Rodríguez to Attend Funeral of Pope Francis: “He Was Very Dear to Me”
Honduran Cardinal Óscar Andrés Rodríguez announced on Monday that he will attend the funeral services of Pope Francis, who passed away at the age of 88 at his residence in Casa Santa Marta due to a stroke.
“We will be there throughout the novena and then, God willing, at the burial,” Rodríguez said in a phone interview with HRN Radio in Tegucigalpa, apparently calling from Spain.
He added that the last time he saw Pope Francis was in October 2024, during and at the end of that year’s synod, and that they remained in contact through email. “Sometimes, the Pope would even call me,” said Rodríguez, who was born on December 29, 1942, and was made a cardinal by Pope John Paul II on February 21, 2001.
Rodríguez expressed deep sorrow over the passing of Pope Francis, saying: “He was a very dear person to me.”
However, he also shared a message of hope, pointing out that the Holy Father passed away during Easter: “This is a sign. He gave his life completely like the Lord Jesus, and though he died, we believe in faith that he has risen, now with Christ in eternal life.”
Rodríguez, who for ten years coordinated the Vatican’s Council of Cardinals, was one of the eight cardinals selected by Pope Francis to help govern the Catholic Church and reform the Roman Curia.
In January 2023, upon turning 80, Rodríguez stepped down as Archbishop of Tegucigalpa, and Pope Francis appointed Spanish priest José Vicente Nácher Tatay as his successor.
Central America
Senator Van Hollen Meets with Deported MS-13 Member in El Salvador; Trump and Bukele React
U.S. Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen, representing the state of Maryland, held a meeting in El Salvador with deported MS-13 gang member Kilmar Ábrego García, a member of the criminal group classified by the U.S. government as a terrorist organization.
“Kilmar Ábrego García, miraculously resurrected from the ‘extermination camps’ and ‘torture chambers,’ now sipping margaritas with Senator Van Hollen in the tropical paradise of El Salvador!” wrote President Nayib Bukeleon X (formerly Twitter), sharing photos of Van Hollen, Ábrego García, and a lawyer sitting together at a Salvadoran hotel.
The deported gang member is seen wearing a plaid shirt and a flat-brimmed cap, seated at a table with glasses and coffee cups. The senator also shared images of the meeting on his own social media accounts.
Bukele reaffirmed that Ábrego will remain in El Salvador and will not be returned to the United States.
“Now that his health has been confirmed, he has earned the honor of remaining under the custody of El Salvador,” Bukele added.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump criticized the senator’s meeting with Ábrego on Truth Social, calling Van Hollen “a fool” for advocating for Ábrego’s return to the U.S.
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