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.

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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).

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Even so, those who graduate usually earn low incomes and pay credit to banks for years.

International

German president warns Iran war could spread and disrupt Strait of Hormuz

The president of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, warned Monday that the war involving Iran could expand and further disrupt shipping through the strategic Strait of Hormuz. He urged a swift end to hostilities between Iran, United States and Israel.

Speaking in Panama City during a joint appearance with Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino, Steinmeier said available information suggests Iran has significant capacity to disrupt maritime traffic through the key oil route.

“Iran has considerable potential to interfere with shipping through the Strait of Hormuz,” Steinmeier said through an interpreter. “We should therefore reach an end to the hostilities as soon as possible and call on all parties involved to make that happen.”

The remarks came during Steinmeier’s visit to Panama, the first by a German president to the Central American nation.

The German leader described the possibility of the conflict spreading as “very dangerous,” saying recent developments indicate that such a scenario cannot be ruled out.

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Over the weekend, U.S. President Donald Trump urged allied nations to help ensure safe passage for ships through the Strait of Hormuz after Iran moved to block the waterway in response to U.S. strikes. However, several allies—particularly in Europe—have shown little support for the proposal.

“Some are very enthusiastic, others are not, and some are countries we have helped for many years,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “We have protected them from terrible external threats, and they’re not that enthusiastic. And the level of enthusiasm is important to me.”

Meanwhile, Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s top diplomat, said the Strait of Hormuz falls “outside NATO’s scope” and stressed that “the war involving Iran is not Europe’s war.”

International

Mexico security chief meets DEA director in Washington to boost anti-drug cooperation

Mexico’s Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection, Omar García Harfuch, met in Washington with the head of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Terrance Cole, to discuss cooperation in the fight against drug trafficking and illegal arms flows.

The Mexican official said Monday on social media that he attended the meeting in representation of the Mexican government’s Security Cabinet.

“In Washington, D.C., I represented the Security Cabinet to hold talks with DEA Director Terrance Cole on the importance of strengthening bilateral cooperation to combat drug trafficking, curb the flow of weapons into our country, and reduce violence in Mexico through significant arrests,” García Harfuch wrote.

He added that, following instructions from Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, the government will continue strengthening international cooperation on security matters.

For his part, Cole said the meeting focused on cross-border collaboration to tackle drug trafficking and to build safer communities on both sides of the border.

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The meeting comes as Mexico and the United States begin a new round of dialogue on economic and security issues.

Earlier Monday, President Claudia Sheinbaum said she will look for the “best moment” to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump, adding that maintaining a good relationship with Washington is a priority for her administration.

International

Venezuela’s foreign minister accuses UN rights chief of “immoral bias”

Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yván Gil criticized the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, accusing him of having an “immoral bias” and acting as an “echo chamber for falsehoods” regarding the situation in Venezuela.

Gil’s remarks came after Türk stated that his office had not received an official list from Venezuelan authorities detailing the release of political prisoners, nor authorization to carry out visits related to the issue.

“The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights insists on a narrative biased against our country, repeating unfounded accusations while deliberately omitting the impact of unilateral coercive measures on the rights of the Venezuelan people,” Gil said in a message posted on his Telegram channel.

Without directly addressing the question of prisoner releases, the Venezuelan foreign minister also accused Türk of aligning with what he described as the “agenda of extremism in Venezuela.”

Gil added that, despite serious human rights violations occurring in other parts of the world, the UN official has chosen to maintain what he described as an “immoral bias” against Venezuela.

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The criticism is part of a broader dispute between the Venezuelan government and the UN human rights office over reports and investigations concerning the human rights situation in the country.