International
Boric announces regiver of university debt and proposes a new financing system
The President of Chile, Gabriel Boric, announced his promised bill to forgive part of the debt that more than 1.2 million university students contracted in special credits to pay for their studies, while presenting a new public financing system.
“Most of those who are listening to these words today know someone who is in debt today for having studied in higher education with the State-Endorsed Credit (…) Today the CAE is a problem for all of Chile,” Boric said on national television.
Created in 2005 during the government of the socialist Ricardo Lagos (2000-2006), the CAE allowed thousands of young people with limited resources to access universities, but “over time it became a burden for students and their families,” the president added.
Despite what was promised in the campaign, the pardon will not be universal, but partial, and will be made “based on criteria of justice and merit,” and it will be taken into account if the person ended his career or if he has the debt up to date, Boric explained.
“Thus, we will support debtors with fewer resources, we will recognize those who have responsibly paid their dues and we will encourage the regularization of those who still owe payments,” he said.
The legislative initiative, which will be presented this Tuesday in Parliament – where the Government does not have a majority – replaces the CAE with the so-called Public Financing for Higher Education (FES), an instrument with which beneficiary students do not disburse resources or go into debt, but pay their careers with a kind of progressive tax when they join the labor market, of no more than 8% of their monthly salary.
The FES, Boric said, “will involve a significantly lower fiscal expenditure than the State currently disburses for CAE,” which to date amounts to 9 billion dollars.
“Banks will not participate in this new financing instrument. With the FES, there will be no room for speculation, abuse, or profit, but a fair reward for the training received,” he concluded.
Boric, 38, forged his political career in the student mobilizations of 2011 in favor of gratuitousness and against the CAE.
The initial interest of the CAE was 6%, but after the mobilizations the rate was reduced to 2% during the government of the center-right Sebastián Piñera (2000-2014).
Even so, those who graduate usually earn low incomes and pay credit to banks for years.
International
Maduro accuses U.S. of aggression over Caribbean military drills
The government of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro denounced on Sunday what it called a “military provocation” following the start of joint military exercises between the United States and Trinidad and Tobago off the coast of Venezuela.
Caracas reacted to the arrival of the U.S. warship USS Gravely in Trinidad and Tobago — a small Caribbean archipelago located just off Venezuela’s coast — as U.S. President Donald Trump steps up pressure on his Venezuelan counterpart.
The Venezuelan government also announced the capture of a group of alleged mercenaries it claims were linked to the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).
According to AFP journalists in Port of Spain, the U.S. destroyer was visible off the coast of the Trinidadian capital on Sunday morning.
In an official statement, Caracas asserted that the maneuvers “are not defensive exercises, but rather a colonial military operation aimed at turning the Caribbean into a space for lethal violence and U.S. imperial domination.”
International
Argentina’s Milei secures strong victory and calls for dialogue after election surge
Argentine President Javier Milei secured a surprising and resounding victory in Sunday’s legislative elections, vowing to push forward with his ultraliberal reform agenda during the second half of his administration.
The result brought relief to the government after weeks of intense pressure on the Argentine peso, which had forced Milei to seek financial assistance from U.S. President Donald Trump, who had reportedly made his support contingent on the outcome of the vote.
“Today we passed the turning point; today begins the construction of a great Argentina,” Milei declared in his victory speech, where he entered to rock music but adopted a more measured and conciliatory tone once at the podium.
The ruling party, La Libertad Avanza (LLA), won 40.8% of the vote, outperforming the Peronist (center-left) coalition, which garnered 31.6% across its various factions.
In third place came Provincias Unidas, a bloc promoted by provincial governors seeking to break the country’s political polarization, with 7.1% of the vote, according to preliminary data from the National Electoral Directorate, with over 90% of ballots counted.
With this outcome, the ruling coalition expanded its presence in Congress, approaching the one-third threshold needed in both chambers to uphold presidential vetoes on contested bills. However, Milei will still need to forge alliances to advance deeper structural reforms that require broader majorities.
“We will undoubtedly have the most reformist Congress in Argentina’s history,” Milei predicted from his campaign headquarters, adopting an unusually conciliatory tone as he called for dialogue with governors and other political forces.
International
Trump to Meet Qatari Leaders During Asia Stopover to Discuss Gaza Peace
U.S. President Donald Trump will meet on Saturday with the Emir and Prime Minister of Qatar during a stopover on his trip to Asia, officials reported. Qatar plays a key role in maintaining the fragile peace agreement in Gaza.
The Qatari leaders will board Air Force One at the end of the day when it lands for refueling at Al Udeid Air Base, the regional headquarters of U.S. military forces, a White House official said.
This marks Trump’s first trip to Asia since taking office in January. His agenda includes two regional summits, a bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, and planned encounters with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
In Qatar, the previously unannounced meeting will also include U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who recently returned from Israel after working to maintain the Gaza ceasefire agreement.
Qatar has been a key mediator in indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas since the conflict began and is one of the guarantors of the peace deal alongside the United States, Turkey, and Egypt.
This week, Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to discuss critical next steps in the agreement, including the establishment of a security force in Gaza and the future of Hamas. Meanwhile, Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohamed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani has been a central negotiator since the outbreak of the war following Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
Maduro accuses U.S. of aggression over Caribbean military drills
Argentina’s Milei secures strong victory and calls for dialogue after election surge
Trump to Meet Qatari Leaders During Asia Stopover to Discuss Gaza Peace
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
-
International3 days agoControversial $130 million donation to Pentagon sparks debate over troop pay
-
International3 days agoPentagon deploys USS Gerald R. Ford after narco-boat operation kills six
-
International5 days agoUruguay’s Orsi and Tony Blair discuss AI cooperation and child poverty policies
-
International4 days agoColombia ready to replace suspended U.S. support, President Petro asserts
-
International5 days agoColombia conducts nationwide emergency drill focused on hidroituango dam
-
International5 days agoCuba accuses U.S. of pressuring countries ahead of UN vote on embargo
-
International4 days agoCristina Fernández calls Argentina’s legislative elections “decisive” to stop Milei
-
International2 days agoTrump to Meet Qatari Leaders During Asia Stopover to Discuss Gaza Peace
-
Central America5 days agoU.S. and Panama hold joint jungle exercises to strengthen security ties
-
International4 days agoTrump announces over 3,000 arrests in major U.S. crackdown on drug cartels
-
International4 days agoPutin calls U.S.-Russia summit a “mistake” without guaranteed results
-
International16 hours agoArgentina’s Milei secures strong victory and calls for dialogue after election surge
-
International2 days agoMaduro Requests Supreme Court to Strip Opposition Leader López of Venezuelan Citizenship
-
International16 hours agoMaduro accuses U.S. of aggression over Caribbean military drills