Citizens, opponents, civil society organizations and workers of the Judiciary of Mexico who are on strike, protested to raise the pressure against the reform of the president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who seeks to have popular elections to appoint judges and the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation (SCJN).
The protest was repeated in different states of the Mexican territory, while, in Mexico City, a concentration of people marched from the historic Monument of the Revolution, along the main Paseo de la Reforma avenue and to the capital’s Zocalo, in front of the National Palace, the main public square in the country.
Among the positions that were heard from the north and to the south of the country in various public squares, it was defended that the proposal aims to violate judicial independence, the career of officials who aspire to climb by merit, as well as warned of risks to Mexican democracy and the counterweights to power.
“Judicial power, national counterweight,” “without color or party, justice has been imparted,” “if the people are informed, the reform does not pass,” “We are not opposition, we serve the nation,” “democracy yes, dictatorship no,” were just some of the slogans of the demonstrators.
Among the 700 demonstrators registered by the Secretariat of Citizen Security of the Mexican capital, workers of the Judicial Power of the Federation (PJF) demonstrated in the Zócalo, who have been on strike for a week.
It was last Monday, August 19, when PJF workers, including base administrators, secretaries of agreements and actuaries, decided to interrupt the work and go to a work stoppage, placing chains and locks on the doors of several judicial precincts.
Then judges and magistrates were added, which means the strike of at least 1,200 Mexican players throughout the country, according to data from the National Association of Magistrates and District Judges (Jufed).
The administrative body of the PJF, the Council of the Federal Judiciary, although it has endorsed the stoppage of work, reported that a regime of minimum services will be maintained to deal with serious or urgent cases.
On Thursday, the Mexican Government treamed to fire those who do not show up to work, as well as to cut their salaries, while workers and judges refuse to resume activities until there is a real negotiation on the judicial reform that is being promoted in Congress.
Meanwhile, the reform proposed by López Obrador supposes that anyone with a law degree could apply to be elected to head a court, although legislators have maintained that there will be controls so that they end up nominated on a ballot and that the current judges will have the right to be able to participate to rejoin the PJF.
The above has also triggered a series of warnings to the business climate in the country, as pointed out by the rating agency Fitch Ratings or entities such as Citibanamex, Bank of America and Stanley Morgan.
While the ambassadors in Mexico of the United States and Canada have revealed concerns of investors in their countries and the Mexican peso has felt the climate of risk aversion, touching almost 20 units during the week.
The purse of Kristi Noem, Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, was stolen on Sunday night at a restaurant in Washington, D.C., Fox News Digital confirmed through several agency sources.
The handbag, taken by a white male wearing a mask, reportedly contained $3,000 in cash along with personal documents, including her passport, keys, driver’s license, and DHS badge, according to an agency spokesperson.
“Her entire family was in town, including her children and grandchildren. She was celebrating her retirement by treating them to dinner, activities, and Easter gifts,” the spokesperson added.
Crime continues to be a significant issue in the U.S. capital, particularly theft. However, violent crime reached its lowest level in 30 years last year, according to the Office of the Attorney General at the time.
When then-U.S. President Barack Obama and Cuban President Raúl Castro announced the reestablishment of diplomatic relations in December 2014—after decades of hostility—there was a third figure present in both speeches: Pope Francis.
This thaw in U.S.-Cuba relations—later reversed by Donald Trump—was the result of behind-the-scenes negotiations personally encouraged by Pope Francis, who passed away on Monday at the age of 88, just over a year after becoming head of the Catholic Church.
Upon learning the news of the breakthrough, the pontiff humbly stated, “This was made possible thanks to the ambassadors and to diplomacy,” which he called “a noble, very noble job.”
In 2015, months after the announcement, Raúl Castro visited the Vatican and met with the pope. Over time, Castro developed a fondness for Francis that he never had for his predecessors, Benedict XVI and John Paul II. “If the Pope continues talking like this, sooner or later I’ll start praying again and return to the Catholic Church—and I’m not joking,” said the younger Castro, who, like his brother Fidel (1926–2016), had been educated by Jesuits—the same order to which Pope Francis belonged.
Pope Francis visited Cuba later that year. Just days before his arrival, the Cuban government announced the pardon of 3,522 common prisoners as an act of clemency.
While in Havana, the pope met with Fidel Castro, who gave him a first edition of the book Fidel and Religion by Brazilian friar and liberation theologian Frei Betto.
Francis’s diplomatic approach also drew criticism from parts of the Cuban opposition. In a 2022 interview with Univision, the pope revealed he had “a human relationship” with Raúl Castro.
Dominican Republic President Luis Abinader has declared three days of national mourning starting Tuesday following the death of Pope Francis, who passed away on Monday at the age of 88 in his residence at the Casa Santa Marta.
In an official decree, Abinader highlighted the pope’s legacy “as a global leader who promoted significant reforms within the Catholic Church and was known for his humility, openness to dialogue, and commitment to peace among nations.”
During the mourning period, the national flag will be flown at half-staff at military facilities and public buildings.
According to a statement from the Office of the Presidency, although Pope Francis never visited the Dominican Republic during his papacy, he maintained a close relationship with the country. He expressed solidarity and empathy during difficult times, including offering prayers for the victims of the recent tragedy at a Santo Domingo nightclub on April 8, which claimed 232 lives and left more than 180 injured.
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