International
The Parliament of Portugal begins its new legislature with a predominance of right-wing deputies
The Parliament of Portugal began a new legislature on Tuesday after the selections of March 10, with a majority of right-wing deputies, of which 80 are moderates of the winning coalition Democratic Alliance (AD), 50 ultras of the Chega party and 8 of Liberal Initiative (IL).
The deputies arrived early in the morning at the unicameral Assembly of the Republic (Parliament), where they greeted each other and chatted in a relaxed way.
In the seats of the Government sat the appointed Prime Minister, Luís Montenegro, leader of AD, and his collaborators, although the political leader has not yet announced his Executive, which will take office on April 2.
In the absence of a president of the chamber, the person in charge of opening the session was the head of the bench of the main formation that makes up the AD, the Social Democratic Party (PSD), Joaquim Miranda Sarmento, who was sitting next to Montenegro.
In a brief speech, Miranda Sarmento welcomed the 230 deputies, “who now begin functions, without forgetting those who served this Assembly and the country in the last legislature, the 15th legislature, and who now do not resume their place as deputies, and thank those who have ceased their functions for the work they carried out in favor of the country and the Portuguese.”
He wished that when this legislature ends, “in September 2028, the country could be better, the country could be more developed, richer, more prosperous and also more just.”
Despite the fact that Miranda Sarmento spoke of the end of the legislature in September 2028, the truth is that there are doubts that Montenegro and its future Government can complete it due to its tight victory against the Socialist Party, which has 78 seats, and its refusal to agree with Chega.
Miranda Sarmento gave way to the deputy who has been in Parliament for the longest time, António Filipe, of the Portuguese Communist Party, to preside over this session, waiting for the candidate proposed by the PSD to be president of the chamber, José Pedro Aguiar Branco, to be voted on Tuesday afternoon.
Filipe rose from his seat to occupy the position of president of Parliament and joked that he would never have imagined when he first entered the assembly at the age of 26 that he would one day be in this situation.
Also elected the two temporary secretaries for this session, Filipe went on to present the first draft resolution of this legislature, supported by all the parliamentary groups, to constitute a provisional commission that verifies the powers of the elected deputies.
After reading the names of the members of that commission, Filipe suspended the session until 3:00 p.m. local time (same time GMT), when the president of the chamber will be voted on.
After the absolute majority of the Socialist Party in the previous legislature, AD has 80 seats (78 of the PSD and 2 of the CDS-PP), followed by the socialists with 78 deputies and the far-right Chega, with 50.
The far-right formation was the party that grew the most in the elections of March 10, more than quadrupling its seats, which went from 12 to 50.
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
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