International
Macron: France will accompany Morocco in the defense of its autonomy plan for the Sahara
French President Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday that his country will accompany Morocco in international bodies to defend the autonomy plan proposed by Rabat in 2007 as a solution to the Western Sahara conflict.
“Anchored in history, respectful of reality and promising for the future. This position is what France will implement to accompany Morocco in international instances,” Macron said in a speech delivered before the two chambers of the Moroccan Parliament on the second day of his state visit to Morocco.
The only basis for resolving the Sahara conflict
Macron again defended “autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty” as the “only basis” to resolve the conflict of the former Spanish colony, words that provoked the applause of the parliamentarians, who stood in the hemicycle.
“I reaffirm it here before you: for France, the present and future of this territory is part of the framework of Moroccan sovereignty,” said Macron, who recalled the letter he sent to King Mohamed VI on July 30 in which he expressed France’s new vision regarding this conflict.
Macron said that Morocco and France are “faithful allies in murky times” and said that his country “has never failed Morocco in all the existential issues it faces.”
According to the French president, at the head of these issues is the conflict of the former Spanish colony, administered 80% by Morocco and whose sovereignty is disputed by the Saharawi independence fighters of the Polisario Front.
Macron: we have decided to write a new book
The French president specified that France’s new position on the Sahara “is not hostile to anyone” but “allows us to open a new page among us as with all those who want to act in a framework of regional cooperation in the Mediterranean with the neighboring countries of Morocco and with the European Union.”
Macron said that he has agreed with King Mohamed VI to “write a new book together” in their bilateral relationship to face “the challenges of the century,” a “historical opportunity and a strategic duty” for both countries.
His state visit to Morocco puts an end to almost three years of diplomatic crisis and one of its high points has been the speech before parliamentarians, in which also the phenomenon of irregular immigration and the need for a “natural and fluid cooperation in consular material.
“This is a matter of mutual trust,” he said, and emphasized that “for many French people it is one of the most important expectations,” so he indicated that “results” are needed.
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
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