International
Kamala Harris and Michelle Obama ally to warn about the danger of choosing Trump
Vice President Kamala Harris and the former first lady of the United States. Michelle Obama joined forces this Saturday to warn voters that “there is a lot at stake” in the November 5 elections, especially for women’s health and reproductive rights, if Donald Trump reaches the Presidency again.
In a crowded rally in Kalamazoo, in the key state of Michigan, the Democratic candidate and the former first lady raised their voices to charge against former President Donald Trump, between 2017 and 2021, and the setbacks in rights that, in her opinion, the United States has experienced.
“There is a lot at stake in this election,” Harris said, stressing that the current race for the Presidency is “en even more important” than that of 2016 or 2020.
Kamala Harris: “It is clear that Trump has become increasingly deranged”
“In the last eight years, Donald Trump has become more confused, more unstable and more angry, and it is clear that he has become increasingly deranged,” Harris accused.
Harris also used a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that granted partial immunity to the former president for the case of the assault on the Capitol on January 6, 2021. “Imagine Donald Trump without a barrier to stop him,” he stressed.
Kamala Harris again criticized her opponent for saying that she wanted generals like those of Adolf Hitler during his tenure in the White House and threatening to use the army against those who disagree with him.
Michelle Obama follows the questions to Trump
Obama was not left behind in criticism of Trump by confessing that she is “a little angry because we are indifferent to his erratic behavior, his obvious mental deterioration, and his history as a convicted criminal,” when comparing the Republican candidate with Harris.
The first lady also dedicated a good space of her speech of more than 40 minutes and anteroom to Harris to list the failures of the Trump Administration in describing the response to the COVID-19 pandemic as poor, when it discredited scientists and spread false information.
A message focused on women’s reproductive rights
The rally in Michigan also served for Harris and Obama to appeal to the vote of women and warn them about the risks of allowing the Republican to return to the White House.
“I ask you from the depths of my being to take our lives seriously,” Obama said. “We need you to vote for the only candidate in this race who will protect our lives. Kamala Harris will fight to restore our reproductive freedoms and defend our health,” he added.
They invite women to vote
The former first lady challenged women to keep their vote private, regardless of the political opinions of the men in her family and told them that voting for Trump or a third-party candidate “would bring collateral damage” to their wives, sisters and daughters.
For her part, Kamala Harris recounted how the three Supreme Court members elected by the Republican in his mandate helped repeal the Roe vs Wade sentence that protected abortion nationwide.
“They did what he wanted and now one in three women in the United States lives in a state where Trump prohibits abortion, and many of them have no exceptions in cases of rape and incest,” the candidate said.
Both Harris and Obama urged voters to cast their vote in advance.
Key support in Michigan
“I think Donald Trump is a not very serious man, but the consequences of him becoming president again are brutally serious,” Harris said.
The appearance of the former first lady at this Saturday’s rally is fundamental for the Democratic campaign that seeks to consolidate itself in the so-called “blue wall”, to which Michigan belongs, a state that offers 15 electoral votes to the winner.
Michigan is one of the seven competitive states in the United States that will decide the election in ten days.
Harris has leveraged great and recognized figures in the final stretch of his campaign. This Friday he performed in Houston (Texas) with Beyoncé, and on Thursday he shared the stage with former President Barack Obama (2009-2017) in Atlanta (Georgia).
International
Mexico leads global cases of enforced disappearances, UN report finds
Mexico accounts for the highest number of urgent actions related to enforced disappearances worldwide, according to the latest report by the UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances.
The report, released by I(dh)eas, indicates that Mexico has accumulated 819 cases between 2012 and February 2026, representing 38% of the global total.
In the past five months alone, 40 new urgent requests have been recorded — more than one-third of all such actions worldwide during that period.
The report warns that this trend reflects a structural problem, as the urgent action mechanism — originally intended as an exceptional measure — has become routine in Mexico.
Although the Mexican state formally complies with response deadlines, the Committee identified significant shortcomings in the implementation of these measures. These include the lack of comprehensive search plans, delays in key investigative procedures such as video surveillance and phone data analysis, and insufficient inquiries into possible links involving state agents.
The report also highlights inadequate protection for relatives and individuals involved in search efforts, including cases of reprisals.
Among the most serious incidents documented is the disappearance of a father who had denounced alleged involvement of authorities in his son’s case in the state of Guanajuato.
The accumulation of cases could lead to the application of Article 34 of the Convention, which would allow for the launch of an international investigation into systematic enforced disappearances.
Geographically, the state of Chiapas accounts for 30% of the new urgent actions, many of them linked to collective disappearances of migrants.
International
Le pape Léon XIV appelle à relancer le dialogue pour une paix au Moyen-Orient
Le pape Léon XIV s’est entretenu par téléphone ce vendredi avec le président d’Israël, Isaac Herzog, soulignant la « nécessité de rouvrir » les canaux de dialogue afin de parvenir à une « paix juste » au Moyen-Orient.
Selon un communiqué du Vatican, les deux dirigeants ont insisté sur l’importance de relancer tous les mécanismes diplomatiques pour mettre fin au conflit en cours et œuvrer en faveur d’une paix durable dans la région.
Le communiqué précise également que les discussions ont porté sur la protection des populations civiles et sur le respect du droit international et humanitaire.
Cet échange intervient dans le contexte de la Semaine sainte, cinq jours après un incident à Jérusalem, où la police israélienne avait empêché le cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa de célébrer la messe du Dimanche des Rameaux au Saint-Sépulcre.
Le lendemain, le secrétaire d’État du Vatican, Pietro Parolin, avait convoqué l’ambassadeur israélien auprès du Saint-Siège, Yaron Sideman, pour exprimer le mécontentement du Vatican face à cet incident qualifié de « regrettable ».
Cette situation avait suscité une vive réaction internationale, poussant le Premier ministre israélien Benjamin Netanyahu à intervenir pour assurer que le cardinal pourrait accéder au lieu saint.
De son côté, Herzog a confirmé l’échange sur son compte X, indiquant que les discussions ont également porté sur des sujets régionaux, notamment la guerre en Iran et la situation au Liban.
Le pape, d’origine américaine, participe actuellement à sa première Semaine sainte depuis son élection et doit présider ce soir le chemin de croix au Vatican.
International
Devotees in Philippines mark Holy Week with extreme rituals despite rising costs
Despite rising fuel prices driven by the conflict in the Middle East, thousands of devotees in Philippines took part this year in one of the country’s most intense Holy Week traditions.
In the city of San Fernando, located in Pampanga province, dozens of bare-chested penitents with covered faces walked barefoot along dusty streets, whipping their backs with bamboo lashes as part of a ritual that can draw up to 12,000 local and foreign visitors.
Journalists from Agence France-Presse reported seeing participants piercing their skin with glass shards attached to small wooden paddles to ensure bleeding during the ceremony — an act believed to atone for sins and seek divine intervention.
“I do this to pray for the healing of my seven-month-old baby, who is suffering from pneumonia,” said a devotee identified as John David at the start of the procession.
The 49-year-old participant explained that the practice runs in his family. “My grandfather started this, then my father, and now it’s my turn. I have witnessed healing miracles over the years through this act of faith,” he said.
Many attendees traveled for hours to witness the climax of the ritual, in which some penitents allow nails, measuring about seven centimeters, to be driven into their hands before being raised on crosses in a reenactment of crucifixion.
Mexico leads global cases of enforced disappearances, UN report finds
Le pape Léon XIV appelle à relancer le dialogue pour une paix au Moyen-Orient
Devotees in Philippines mark Holy Week with extreme rituals despite rising costs
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
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