International

Trump leads in all key states and Harris’ options fade

The Republican candidate for the White House, Donald Trump, won in North Carolina and Georgia and, although the count continues, leads the recount in the other five key states, a situation that greatly complicates the options of Democrat Kamala Harris, who even decided to suspend the speech she was going to offer during the election night.

Shortly after midnight and after the defeat in these two important states became known, the US vice president and Democratic candidate for the White House canceled the message she was scheduled to offer from Howard University, in Washington.

In Florida, members of the Trump campaign and supporters gathered at the West Palm Beach convention center wait for the Republican to appear to sing victory tonight.

“I have won,” the former president said to his followers when he arrived at that party, although there were still no definitive results.

After winning in North Carolina and Georgia, it would only need to win in Pennsylvania, although it would also need the results of Alaska and a delegate in Maine, traditionally republican states but still lagging behind in the count.

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Of the seven key states, for the moment the winner has been announced in North Carolina and Georgia, while in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Arizona and Nevada the ballot continues but the former president remains in the lead in all of them.

Trump is at the advantage of Kamala by almost 40 delegates

In the presidential race, for the moment, the Republican is ahead of the Democratic Vice President by 247 delegates compared to 210, according to projections from the main US media.

Trump has managed to win, in addition to North Carolina (16), Indiana (11), Kentucky (8), South Carolina (9), West Virginia (4), Ohio (17), Alabama (9), Florida (30), Mississippi (6), Missouri (10), Oklahoma (7), Tennessee (11), Arkansas (6), Kansas (6), Louisiana (8), North Dakota (3), South Dakota (3), Texas (40), Wyoming (3), Montana (4), Utah (6), Idaho (4), Georgia (16) and 4 delegates from Nebraska.

While Harris has Vermont (3), Connecticut (7), Delaware (3), the District of Columbia (3), Illinois (19), Maryland (10), Massachusetts (11), New Jersey (14), Rhode Island (4), Colorado (10), New York (28), California (54), Oregon (8), Washington (12), New Mexico (5), Virginia (13), Hawaii (4), a delegate from Nebraska and another from Maine.

The Republicans have also managed to take control of the upper house, after they have managed to snatch two seats from the Democrats, according to media projections.

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At the Democratic headquarters, installed at Howard University in Washington, where Harris studied as a young man, the initial optimism was mitigated with an increasingly evident seriousness as the night lengthened and many people began to leave the place.

Large screens and national flags decorate a campus surrounded by a strong deployment of security and that has mainly welcomed students and alumni, all pending key states.

Meanwhile, tycoon Elon Musk, Eduardo Bolsonaro and British politician Nigel Farage are some of the guests at the dinner held in Mar-a-Lago, in southern Florida, where the Republican candidate has been following the election results.

Americans do not decide by popular vote who will be their next president, but they designate a number of voters in each state who make up the Electoral College and who are responsible for electing the next tenant of the White House.

The Electoral College is a body made up of 538 delegates who elect the states according to their population. The winning candidate in each state, even by a single vote, takes all his compromises with the exception of Nebraska and Maine. The candidate who reaches 270 wins the election.

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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.