International

Chancellor Scholz to Vance: We will not accept intrusions in democracy and elections

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz responded this Saturday to US Vice President JD Vance that the Central European country will not accept that foreigners meddle in democracy and the German elections with their support for the far-right party Alternative for Germany (AfD) and calls to eliminate the cordon sanitaire that the other parties have imposed on it.

“The AfD is a party, which, from its ranks trivializes as ‘bird shit’ of German history National Socialism and its monstrous crimes – crimes against humanity, such as those committed in (the Nazi concentration camp of) Dachau,” Scholz said in his speech at the Munich Security Conference.

The Chancellor recalled that Vance had visited the day before his controversial speech in which he criticized European democracy precisely in the extermination camp northwest of Munich, where he said that this terrible place – where at least 41,500 people died of hunger, diseases, torture, murders and the consequences of imprisonment – reminds everyone the reason why “we must work so that this does not happen again.”

Therefore, Scholz stressed, the commitment to the “never again!” is not compatible with support for the AfD, and “that is why we will not accept strangers intervening in our democracy, in our elections and in the formation of democratic opinion in favor of this party.”

The social democratic politician, who is running again as a candidate for chancellor in next Sunday’s general elections, emphasized that this “is not acceptable, and even less among friends and allies,” in reference not only to Vance and his speech in the middle of the German election campaign, but also, although without naming him, to the explicit support of technological billionaire Elon Musk to AfD.

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“We firmly reject it. We decide for ourselves what happens to our democracy. Us and no one else!

The German chancellor maintained that “current democracy in Germany and Europe is based on the historical certainty that democracies can be destroyed by radical anti-democrats.”

“That is why we have created institutions that make our democracies defenses against their enemies. And rules that do not restrict our freedom, but protect it,” he insisted.

Vance’s speech has created great discomfort in Germany and among several European leaders who listened to his words in Munich, since his central thesis was that the main threat to Europe did not come from either Russia or China but from the interior of the continent itself.

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International

Maduro urges UN to intervene for venezuelan migrants detained in El Salvador

Nicolás Maduro, who was sworn in for a third term in January following his controversial re-election, urged United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk to intervene on behalf of Venezuelan migrants detained in El Salvador after being deported from the United States.

During a broadcast on the state-run Venezolana de Televisión (VTV), Maduro claimed these Venezuelans were “kidnapped”, forcibly disappeared, and held in “concentration camps.”

He also criticized U.S. President Donald Trump and El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele for failing to release the list of migrants deported on March 16, who were allegedly accused of belonging to the transnational gang Tren de Aragua, which originated in a Venezuelan prison.

“Reports say there are 238 Venezuelans kidnapped in prisons, in concentration camps, in El Salvador. A week after they were taken and thrown into these camps, neither the U.S. government nor Nayib Bukele have published the list of those they have kidnapped in El Salvador,” Maduro stated, calling it a “forced disappearance.”

International

Canada updates U.S. travel advisory amid immigration policy changes

In a coordinated action with several European allies, Canada has updated its travel advisory for citizens visiting the United States, citing changes in immigration policies and law enforcement under President Donald Trump’s administration.

Germany, the United Kingdom, Denmark, and Finland have issued similar warnings, highlighting stricter border screenings, tighter visa restrictions, and new federal guidelines that particularly affect transgender and non-binary travelers.

These advisories reflect growing diplomatic concerns over how the recent U.S. policy shifts are impacting foreign visitors, especially tourists and long-term travelers. Additionally, this marks a rare instance in which multiple NATO allies publicly warn their citizens about travel to the United States.

International

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem to meet with Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum on friday

U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem will meet with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum next Friday.

According to statements made to Fox News, the Trump administration official will travel this week to El Salvador, Colombia, and Mexico.

On Wednesday, Noem is scheduled to meet with Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, with whom she will tour the mega-prison built to detain gang members in the country.

On Thursday, she will visit Colombia, where she will hold talks with President Gustavo Petro and top law enforcement officials.

On Friday, Noem will be in Mexico, where she is expected to meet with President Claudia Sheinbaum and Foreign Affairs Secretary Juan Ramón de la Fuente.