International
Mahmud Abbas says that “the whole world is responsible” for Gaza for selling weapons to Israel
Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas said that “the whole world is responsible for what happens to our people in Gaza and the West Bank,” and demanded that the sale of weapons to Israel stop.
“Stond the genocide. Stop selling weapons to Israel. This madness cannot continue,” Abbas said before the UN General Assembly when it is almost one year after the war in Gaza, which has already left more than 41,000 dead, most of them civilians.
Received with applause
Abbas, who was received with a long salvo of applause when entering the room – something rare – took advantage of the speech to criticize the United States, “the greatest democracy in the world,” for having vetoed on three occasions resolutions of the Security Council that called for a ceasefire in Gaza.
“The US was left alone and said: ‘No, let the fighting continue’. He used his veto, and even worse, he provided Israel with deadly weapons that killed thousands of civilians,” he exclaimed, in a criticism also infrequent for his forcefulness towards the Washington Government, Israel’s main ally in the world.
Israel’s expulsion from the General Assembly
Abbas also announced that they will ask the General Assembly to take action to expel Israel from the United Nations, arguing that it has been in breach of United Nations resolutions itself since 1949.
On the other hand, Abbas presented a twelve-point plan for the post-war period in Gaza, which includes the request for “international protection for the Palestinians”, the holding of elections soon (but did not give a date) and the extension of the Palestinian Authority to the two territories of the West Bank and Gaza (where Hamas governs).
He also called for an international conference sponsored by the UN to implement the solution of the two States, Israeli and Palestinian – he did not cite Spain’s proposal to host that conference – and ended up announcing an upcoming visit to his to the Gaza territory, for which he asked for international help and the UN itself in order to “impress the occupying government and not prevent this initiative.”
At the end of his speech, two Palestinians who were in the audience began shouting “Free Free Palestine” and “From the river to the sea”.
International
U.S. allows Venezuela to fund Maduro and Cilia Flores’ legal defense
Until now, the U.S. administration had blocked the Venezuelan government from covering the legal fees of Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, who is also jailed and facing drug trafficking charges, due to international sanctions imposed on Venezuela.
The couple’s legal team had relied on that argument in an attempt to have the indictment dismissed, claiming that preventing a defendant from accessing counsel of their choice violates rights guaranteed under the Sixth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
However, the U.S. Treasury Department will now allow “defense attorneys to receive payments from the Government of Venezuela under certain conditions,” New York prosecutor Jay Clayton wrote in a letter dated Friday to Judge Alvin Hellerstein, who is overseeing the case.
According to the letter, the funds must have become available after March 5, 2026, and cannot come from Venezuelan oil sales regulated in the United States.
Since Maduro’s removal from power in early January, former Vice President Delcy Rodríguez has served as Venezuela’s interim leader.
The United States effectively controls Venezuelan crude exports, with revenues deposited into special accounts supervised by Washington.
Court documents filed on Friday show that the defense acknowledged the sanctions exemption and, for now, withdrew its motion seeking dismissal of the charges.
International
U.S. Sanctions Network Linked to Fentanyl Trafficking Across India, Guatemala and Mexico
The United States Department of State announced sanctions on Thursday against 23 individuals and companies allegedly linked to an international fentanyl production and smuggling network operating in India, Guatemala and Mexico.
According to the State Department, the network supplied precursor chemicals to the Sinaloa Cartel, which the United States has designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization.
Washington declared fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid, a weapon of mass destruction last year due to its role in the ongoing overdose crisis in the United States.
“By targeting the entire supply chain — from chemical suppliers in Asia to logistical intermediaries in Central America and cartel-linked networks in Mexico — the Trump Administration is dismantling networks that destabilize governance across our hemisphere and threaten U.S. security,” the State Department said.
In a separate statement, the Office of Foreign Assets Control detailed sanctions against three Indian chemical and pharmaceutical companies: Sutaria, Agrat and SR Chemicals, along with a sales executive accused of supplying precursor chemicals to contacts in Guatemala and Mexico.
In Guatemala, authorities sanctioned J and C Import and Central Logística de Servicios, as well as intermediary Jaime Augusto Barrientos.
The OFAC also designated several intermediaries and import companies operating in the Mexican state of Sinaloa.
As part of the investigation, U.S. authorities identified Ramiro Baltazar Félix as a member of Los Mayos, a faction of the Sinaloa Cartel, and Alejandro Reynoso, accused of operating clandestine drug laboratories in Guadalajara.
International
Pope Leo XIV Says Countries Have Border Rights but Migrants Deserve Respect
Pope Leo XIV said Thursday that migrants must be treated with dignity as he addressed the global migration crisis during a press conference aboard the plane returning from his tour of Africa.
The pontiff answered questions from journalists regarding his upcoming trip to Spain, which will include a visit to the Canary Islands, a region heavily affected by migration flows and growing political polarization surrounding the issue.
“Obviously, migration is a very complex issue and affects many countries — not only Spain, not only Europe, but also the United States. It is a global phenomenon,” the pope said.
Pope Leo XIV also questioned the role of developed nations in addressing the crisis.
“My response begins with a question: What is the Global North doing to help the Global South and those countries where young people no longer see a future and dream of going north, even when the North sometimes has no answers to offer?” he asked.
While acknowledging that “a state has the right to establish rules for its borders,” the pope insisted that the debate must go beyond border control and address the structural causes that force people to leave their home countries.
U.S. allows Venezuela to fund Maduro and Cilia Flores’ legal defense
U.S. Sanctions Network Linked to Fentanyl Trafficking Across India, Guatemala and Mexico
Pope Leo XIV Says Countries Have Border Rights but Migrants Deserve Respect
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
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