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Entitled “Reaffirming Reconciliation for Future Generations,” the presidential statement noted that the ceremony seeks to deepen the commitment to unity, healing, and nation-building, the Department informed.

Ramaphosa emphasized in his keynote address the importance of transforming spaces that once represented conflict into platforms for honest dialogue, justice, and a shared national identity.

As the Ministry of Sport, Arts, and Culture recalls, that location was the site of the Battle of the Blood River (Ncome) in 1838, lending the commemoration significant symbolism.

The confrontation, which took place 187 years ago between Zulu forces and Voortrekkers (settlers of Dutch origin), generated conflicting narratives in the country for over a century.

Since 1995, the democratic government has redefined the date as a day of unity and collective reflection.

jdt/iff/lam/mv

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ICRC Spokesperson in Gaza Amani al-Naouq stated that continuous Israeli attacks, the collapse of buildings damaged by floods, and bad weather have tragically increased the number of victims in Gaza.

Quoted by Al Quds newspaper, Al-Naouq emphasized that many civilians were forced to take refuge in those dilapidated structures despite the risks, as they have no other option.

The spokesperson noted that despite the ceasefire, conditions have not returned to what they were before the escalation in October 2023, because thousands of families remain separated.

Additionally, she added, people are having difficulty accessing food, drinking water, medicine, and adequate shelter.

Al-Naouq revealed that more than 80 percent of the population of the coastal enclave has been affected by successive evacuation orders from the Israeli Army over the last two years.

jdt/iff/lam/rob

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According to the Polsat news agency, Bosak questioned Nawrocki’s assertion about “the loss of the element of cooperation” between the two nations. “I disagree with those words, because to lose something, you must first possess it,” the legislator noted.

According to Bosak, there was never a true partnership between Poland and Ukraine, and instead of cooperation, there was fierce rivalry.

Political analysts in Warsaw agree that tensions have grown since the new head of State criticized the lack of gratitude for Polish support after the start of the Russian special military operation in Ukraine, and the bilateral relationship has been affected by historical and economic disputes.

Nawrocki, speaking to the news portal Wirtualna Polska stressed that “relations cannot be considered cooperative while Kyiv ignores key issues for Poland,” such as the rights of Poles in Ukrainian territory.

Although Poland has been one of Ukraine’s closest European allies since 2022, differences have surfaced with the change of government in Warsaw.

The first official meeting between Nawrocki and Volodymyr Zelensky will take place on December 19 in the Polish capital.

jdt/arm/mem/ehl/amp

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According to preliminary information released by W Radio, the device was detonated on the road as the police motorcycle passed by, killing Sub-Lieutenants Jorge Leandro Gomez Ochoa, 36, and Rober Stiven Melo Londoño, 33.

The officers were taken to medical centers after the attack but did not survive, the news outlet reported.

The report added that authorities are conducting the necessary investigations to determine who is responsible for the incident, which occurred in the early hours of this morning near the María Isabel Urrutia Coliseum, in the southern part of the capital of Valle del Cauca.

jdt/arm/mem/ifs

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On his social media account, the minister denounced that this latest hostile act against the South American country’s oil corporation was aimed at paralyzing the operations of this important Venezuelan institution.

According to the head of Cuban diplomacy, “these actions are part of the psychological warfare and increased pressure by the United States government to overthrow the Venezuelan government,” headed by President Nicolas Maduro.

The Cuban government categorically rejected “this despicable action, orchestrated by foreign interests in collusion with stateless actors seeking to undermine the country’s right to sovereign energy development,” according to a statement from the institution.

Washington has deployed military forces and resources in the Caribbean Sea, monitoring the coasts of the South American country, whose cargo was seized on the high seas from one of its oil tankers.

The whereabouts of the crew remain unknown.

jdt/jha/lld

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“President Xiomara Castro has requested the firm support of the Honduran people and the Libre Party (Liberty and Refoundation, the ruling party) in the face of intelligence reports indicating real threats of a possible coup d’état that seeks to destabilize the constitutional order,” Zelaya stated.

On his Twitter account, the former president, who was overthrown in 2009 by a military coup in collusion with the right-wing National and Liberal parties, indicated that these warnings necessitate maintaining democratic vigilance and peaceful citizen mobilization in defense of the institutions.

The Libre party leader also announced that next Thursday, Castro, in her capacity as commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces, will transfer command to the new Chief of the Joint Staff.

“This institutional act reaffirms the civilian, democratic, and constitutional leadership of the government and dismantles the coup attempts that aim for chaos and division,” emphasized the former president and husband of the first female president in Honduran history.

The general coordinator of the progressive group defended what he described as the president’s proven democratic commitment and her absolute respect for the principle of alternation in the presidency.

He demanded that coup-plotting political sectors and de facto powers refrain from interrupting or sabotaging her constitutional mandate, which, he emphasized, ends on January 27, 2026.

jdt/jha/edu

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The death toll will continue to rise due to dozens of people still missing.

On Tuesday, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) spokesman of the Kwilu province, David Obama, announced that authorities recovered 10 new bodies from the shipwreck on the Kwango River, which brings the total to 38 dead.

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The vessel was headed to Bandundu city with more than 700 sacks of corn, cassava, and charcoal. It had no official voyage registration, although it is estimated to have been carrying approximately 100 people.

The accident occurred on Sunday night near the village of Bolo, in the Bagata territory of Kwilu province. Initially, 28 bodies were recovered, but as rescue efforts continued, the total rose to 38 dead.

The death toll will continue to rise due to dozens of people still missing. The DRC government announced the closure of 240 illegal ports on rivers and lakes, used for transportation in a country with limited infrastructure and extensive rainforest.

#Burundi 🇧🇮 “Africa is under constant pressure from multiple global interests. To seize the continent’s vast resources, powerful nations fuel conflict and instability. They wage a shadow war invisible, yet ever-present, hidden behind diplomacy and false narratives. In this… pic.twitter.com/VenLvVbthJ

— Nadia MUGUNGA (@Nadia_MUGUNGA1) December 12, 2025

In April, a shipwreck on the Congo River left 148 dead after the vessel caught fire, and on September 11, 128 people died after a boat caught fire and sank in the west of the country. These incidents highlight the precarious state of transportation.

The vessels are often precarious, overloaded, and lack adequate signaling, which increases the risk of fatal accidents on the Congolese waterways.

Among the victims were several teachers traveling to Bandundu to collect their salaries. The cause of the accident remains unknown, while rescue teams continue working to recover missing bodies.

#FromTheSouth News Bits | Africa: In the southeast of the Democratic Republic of Congo, at least 100 people died after the collapse of an artisanal copper mine in the town of Mulondo. Artisan miners' associations confirmed the death toll of 100 and reported dozens missing. pic.twitter.com/ZD0z8CP3pe

— teleSUR English (@telesurenglish) November 20, 2025

teleSUR: JP

Source: EFE – La Jornada

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A release published on the Foreign Ministry’s official website states that the document, signed in the framework of the 18th Conference of Italian Ambassadors, held at that Ministry’s headquarters in Rome, reaffirms both nations’ support for the Palestinian National Authority (PNA).

The text highlights the essential role of the United Nations and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in an effective humanitarian response and announces the establishment of a joint platform to coordinate efforts.

The document establishes the importance of leveraging the possibilities offered by the United Nations base in the port city of Brindisi, in the southern Italian region of Apulia, as a strategic hub for the rapid delivery of essential aid.

The United Nations Logistics Base (UNLB), which has operated in this southern city since 1994, is part of the Logistics and Administration Division of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations of that international organization.

The stresses the urgency of guaranteeing access to humanitarian aid for the inhabitants of the Gaza Strip during the winter season, in compliance with UN Security Council Resolution 2803, which provides for the unimpeded resumption of such assistance.

jdt/iff/lam/ort

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President Sheinbaum is also monitoring Xiomara Castro’s complaints about a possible coup in Honduras.

On Tuesday, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum made it clear that she does not agree with Maria Corina Machado, the far-right politician who is calling for foreign military intervention in Venezuela.

RELATED:

President Maduro Rejects Corina Machado’s Accusations Against the Venezuelan People

Sheinbaum said she cannot support political destabilization actions in any form because they run counter to the Mexican Constitution, which promotes self-determination of peoples and the peaceful resolution of conflicts.

The Mexican president also clarified that while someone may seek international support to facilitate dialogue-based solutions to political disputes in a country, interventionism and foreign interference are not part of the historical stance of the Mexican state.

Sheinbaum also rejected a spurious comparison between Honduran President Xiomara Castro and far-right politician Machado, given that these two figures cannot be equated on the assumption that both are rejecting presidential elections in their respective countries.

“It is different. One of them is calling for foreign intervention. We, by conviction and by constitutional mandate, are against interventionism and interference,” Sheinbaum reiterated, emphasizing that she supports each people deciding its own destiny.

Previously, Sheinbaum had avoided speaking about Machado after she received the Nobel Peace Prize. When asked about that international recognition, Sheinbaum reiterated her position and Mexico’s willingness to continue defending the self-determination of peoples.

“The last time I said ‘no comment,’ and I continue to say ‘no comment’… Mexico will always defend the self-determination of peoples, noninvasion, noninterference and the decision of peoples to have the governments they decide to have,” Sheinbaum said conclusively.

Machado represents the smiling face of Washington’s regime-change machine, the polished spokesperson for sanctions, privatization, and foreign intervention dressed up as democracy. https://t.co/3ZYBcEOaUR pic.twitter.com/HymSNl6Qrm

— tim anderson (@timand2037) October 10, 2025

Regarding the Honduran political situation, the Mexican president said her administration is monitoring the complaints made by President Castro about a possible coup in her country. Sheinbaum also confirmed that her Foreign Relations Secretary is maintaining diplomatic communication on the issue.

These remarks come after Castro publicly denounced the existence of maneuvers aimed at destabilizing her administration following the Nov. 30 presidential elections, in which interference by U.S. President Donald Trump evidently favored one of the right-wing candidates.

On Monday, Castro said intelligence reports had determined that former President Juan Orlando Hernandez — a convicted drug trafficker sentenced to prison by a U.S. court but pardoned by Trump — was planning to return to Honduras to proclaim the winning candidate of the 2025 presidential elections.

“An aggression is underway aimed at breaking the constitutional and democratic order through a coup against my government,” the Honduran leader said, at a time when there is still no final official declaration of the election results.

#FromTheSouth News Bits | Nobel Peace Prize winner, Adolf Perez Esquivel, questioned the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to Maria Corina Machado, an extremist who calls for a military invasion of her own. pic.twitter.com/GS3P7KANNd

— teleSUR English (@telesurenglish) December 15, 2025

teleSUR/ JF

Sources: EFE – La Jornada

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Tracking the Evolution of Consensus from the 1947 Partition to the Crisis of Gaza Governance in 2025.

Key United Nations resolutions on Palestine trace a clear, dramatic line: from the initial partition of a homeland and the sacred right of return for refugees, to the legal condemnation of a systematic occupation and its settlements, and finally, to intense struggles over Gaza’s immediate future and the final fate of Palestinian statehood.

RELATED:
ICC rejects Israel’s appeal to halt investigation into crimes in Palestine

Read together, these resolutions reveal a persistent, overwhelming international consensus on Palestinian self-determination, yet they simultaneously expose the profound limits of a UN system often held hostage by geopolitical power dynamics and vetoes.

For activists, journalists, and citizens committed to justice, understanding this powerful legal and diplomatic archive is crucial for tracking the fulfillment of the Two-State Solution principle.

🇺🇳 General Assembly adopted draft resolution “The right of the Palestinian people to self-determination” by a vote of 164 in favour to 8 against (Argentina, Israel, Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, United States) with 9 abstentions. pic.twitter.com/FQcceYgF11

— UN Palestinian Rights Committee (@UNISPAL) December 16, 2025

The Foundational and Legal Framework

The foundational resolutions are not mere historical footnotes; they are the bedrock documents that established the core principles for resolving the conflict, focusing on partition, the human right of return, and the “land for peace” formula.

Our starting point is UNGA Resolution 181 (II), adopted on November 29, 1947. This is the fateful resolution that proposed the partition of British-mandate Palestine into two independent states—one Arab and one Jewish—while designating Jerusalem as an international corpus separatum.

Though the plan’s implementation was tragically cut short by the 1948 war and the displacement of the Nakba, Resolution 181 became the formal basis of the two-state solution narrative that, despite decades of colonization, still anchors diplomatic efforts today.

Just a year later, UNGA Resolution 194 (III) (December 11, 1948), addressed the humanitarian catastrophe: the plight of Palestinian refugees. This text enshrined the fundamental human right of Palestinian refugees—the families who were expelled or fled their homes during the 1948 war—to return to their homes and/or receive compensation.

This demand, known universally as the “Right of Return,” is far from symbolic; it is a central, non-negotiable point for the Palestinian people and remains the official mandate of UNRWA (the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees).

The 1967 Six-Day War shattered the post-1948 reality and generated the core legal formula for the peace process: UNSC Resolution 242 (November 22, 1967). Considered the most important Security Council resolution, 242 established the guiding principle of “land for peace.”

Its twin demands are clear: 1) The withdrawal of Israel from the territories occupied in the 1967 conflict, and 2) The cessation of all claims of belligerency and the recognition of the sovereignty and security of every state in the region.

Building upon this framework, UNSC Resolution 338 (October 22, 1973), adopted during the Yom Kippur War, reaffirmed 242 and ordered the parties to immediately begin negotiations to establish a just and lasting peace in the Middle East.

“It’s a colonial approach”, says Karen Attiah, former Washington Post global opinions editor, on Trump’s so-called “peace” plan for Gaza.

🎧 Tune into the radio show: https://t.co/g30KZaBod4 pic.twitter.com/pBxLY4WS3P

— CODEPINK (@codepink) December 14, 2025

Condemnation of Occupation and Settlements

As the occupation deepened, the UN produced a second, crucial cluster of resolutions focused specifically on the illegality of the Israeli occupation and the systematic expansion of settlements, which the international community overwhelmingly views as the primary obstacle to peace.

1. UNSC Resolution 2334 (2016): The Anti-Settlement Consensus

This legally binding Security Council resolution delivered a sharp rebuke, reinforcing the international consensus against all settlement activities.

• Flagrant Violation: The resolution explicitly condemns Israeli settlement activities in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem. It emphatically reaffirms that the establishment of settlements lacks legal validity and constitutes a flagrant violation of international law and a major obstacle to the two-state solution.
• Transcendence: The resolution’s adoption was a watershed moment because the United States chose to abstain (rather than exercising its veto), allowing the legally binding resolution to pass and effectively validating the international legal consensus that settlements are illegal.

2. UNGA Resolution A/RES/ES-10/26 (2024): Setting a Deadline for Occupation

Adopted during an Emergency Special Session, this resolution is emblematic for setting a specific, urgent timeframe for ending the occupation, leveraging the findings of the world’s highest judicial body.

• Deadline on Occupation: Adopted by an overwhelming majority, the resolution demands that Israel end its illegal presence and policies in the occupied Palestinian territories within 12 months.
• Reparations and ICJ Link: The text calls on Israel to cease all its illegal policies, including forced evictions, and demands reparations for the damage caused. Crucially, this resolution transforms the ICJ’s advisory opinion—which declared the Israeli occupation illegal—into a specific political deadline, raising the stakes considerably.

Recent Diplomatic and Geopolitical Milestones

These recent resolutions highlight the dramatic shifting diplomatic landscape, consolidating Palestine’s status and reflecting intense international pressure, especially regarding the governance of Gaza and the global demand for a ceasefire.

1. UNGA Resolution 67/19 (2012): Diplomatic Recognition and Statehood Status

• Historic Diplomatic Victory: Approved by 138 votes, this resolution was a major diplomatic breakthrough, elevating Palestine’s status at the UN from an “observer entity” to a “non-member observer State” (similar to the Vatican).
• Legal Personality: This consolidated Palestine’s international legal personality, enabling it to join international bodies like the International Criminal Court (ICC), thereby strengthening its capacity to pursue accountability for war crimes.

2. UNGA Resolution A/RES/ES-10/27 (2025): The Global Call for a Ceasefire in Gaza

Adopted by a large majority, this resolution reflects the powerful global moral and political consensus in the face of a devastating humanitarian crisis.

• Immediate Demands: It demands an immediate, unconditional, and permanent ceasefire and the immediate release of all hostages and prisoners, reflecting overwhelming international frustration with the Security Council’s paralysis.
• Ending the Blockade: It strongly condemns the unlawful denial of humanitarian access and demands that Israel immediately end the humanitarian blockade of Gaza, imposed since March 2025, to guarantee the unrestricted entry of large-scale aid.
• Accountability: The text powerfully recalls the provisional measures ordered by the ICJ in the genocide case against Israel, directly linking immediate humanitarian demands to longer-term accountability.

3. UNSC Resolution 2803 (2025): The Trump Plan and Gaza’s Transitional Governance

This is one of the most recent and controversial resolutions, adopted with 13 votes in favor and two abstentions (China and Russia). It reveals the geopolitical struggle over the future shape of the region.

• New Governance Structure: It endorses the “Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict” (widely known as the Trump Plan). This framework establishes a Peace Council as a transitional administration for Gaza and authorizes the creation of an International Stabilization Force (ISF).
• Geopolitical Disruption: This resolution is emblematic of a disruptive geopolitical approach, with critics arguing it is a way to circumvent the traditional peace process and impose a new, external governance structure—a move viewed by many in the Global South as a form of neo-trusteeship that subordinates Palestinian self-determination to external security interests.

🇵🇸 🇪🇹 “We affirm our historic position on the right of the Palestinian people for self determination. As Ethiopia has pronounced in its position during the adoption of the resolutions on the two states result solution, the international community should join hands to end the… pic.twitter.com/Mata1GsnZQ

— State of Palestine (@Palestine_UN) September 25, 2025

The UN’s Role and the Path to Palestinian Self-Determination

The pattern of UN resolutions highlights an enduring international consensus: Palestinian self-determination and statehood are inalienable rights, and the occupation and settlements are illegal under international law.

In December 2025, the General Assembly adopted resolutions (A/RES/80/134 and A/RES/80/129) that once again forcefully demand Israel’s complete withdrawal and reaffirm the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination, grounding this position in the ICJ’s ruling that declared the occupation illegal.

The broad, almost unanimous, voting majorities in the General Assembly underscore Israel’s growing diplomatic isolation on the world stage, often with only the United States and a handful of allies voting against.

While these resolutions are not always legally binding, they carry immense political and moral weight. They consolidate the legal case against the occupation and translate the ICJ’s findings into undeniable diplomatic pressure, insisting that lasting peace is inseparable from the realization of Palestinian rights.

This UN record is a strategic tool to expose the asymmetries of the international order and to insist that global consensus must finally translate into political will to end the occupation.

Sources: Al Jazeera – teleSUR – ONU – ACNUR – UNGA

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Belarus president insists on dialogue to address international issues.

In an interview with Newsmax, Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko warned that a potential U.S. military aggression against Venezuela would turn into a “second Vietnam” for Washington.

RELATED:

Mexico Rejects Machado’s Calls for Foreign Intervention in Venezuela

He is “absolutely convinced” that conflicts between Washington and Caracas can be resolved peacefully. The Belarusian president directly conveyed this message to the U.S. special envoy to Belarus, John Coale.

“I told him this would be a second Vietnam. A war will lead nowhere,” Lukashenko stated, arguing that military intervention would only cause the Venezuelan people to unite around their government, strengthening national resistance to foreign aggression.

He also questioned the accuracy of U.S. reports on the alleged drug trafficking from Venezuela and rejected any implication of President Nicolas Maduro’s involvement in such activities. “You don’t have facts, and neither do I. I don’t think that’s the case,” he emphasized.

Lukashenko insisted that global problems such as drug trafficking, irregular migration, and transnational crime cannot be solved through force. He called for the establishment of international cooperation mechanisms based on dialogue and shared responsibility.

“You cannot defeat drugs with missiles. You have to think, not fight,” he said, pointing out that these are global phenomena requiring joint solutions.

The Belarusian leader also highlighted that he maintains open communication channels with Washington and expressed his willingness to address the Venezuelan issue directly with President Donald Trump.

Valentin Rybakov, Belarus’ permanent representative to the United Nations, said Lukashenko was “very frank” with the U.S. delegation and warned that a war against Venezuela would not benefit the American people, the Venezuelan people, or the international community.

These remarks come amid a growing U.S. military escalation in the Caribbean, where the Pentagon has significantly increased the deployment of naval, air, and ground forces under the command of U.S. Southern Command (SouthCom).

Since August, Washington has sent warships with thousands of troops to areas near Venezuela, claiming the operation is aimed at fighting drug trafficking—a narrative that Caracas sees as a pretext to justify hostile actions and prepare for intervention to seize the country’s oil.

On November 29, U.S. President Donald Trump warned that Venezuela’s airspace and its surroundings should be considered “completely closed.” Days later, on December 12, he announced the imminent launch of ground operations against cartels in Latin America. In response, the Venezuelan government reiterated that it would fully exercise its sovereignty, supported by international law.

From Caracas, Venezuelan authorities have denounced that the U.S. military buildup and the involvement of neighboring countries in logistical operations are part of a broader encirclement and pressure plan aimed at imposing regime change and controlling the country’s strategic resources.

For the Bolivarian government, these actions constitute a covert aggression that threatens regional peace in Latin America, an area historically declared as a “Zone of Peace.”

#FromTheSouth News Bits | Nobel Peace Prize winner, Adolf Perez Esquivel, questioned the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to Maria Corina Machado, an extremist who calls for a military invasion of her own. pic.twitter.com/GS3P7KANNd

— teleSUR English (@telesurenglish) December 15, 2025

teleSUR/ JF

Sources: RT – Newsmax

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Every day, President Claudia Sheinbaum gives a morning presidential press conference and Mexico Solidarity Media posts English language summaries, translated by Mexico Solidarity’s Pedro Gellert Frank. Previous press conference summaries are available here.

IMSS-Bienestar: progress in pharmaceutical supply

The director of the IMSS-Bienestar well-being program, Alejandro Svarch Pérez, reported that the Health Routes have enabled the delivery of more than 115 million units of medicines, with thousands of healthcare centers and hospitals now supplied. Pharmaceutical supply is guaranteed throughout 2025 and 2026. President Claudia Sheinbaum was emphatic, declaring that companies that failed to deliver medicines will not receive contracts in the future.

Housing for Well-Being: lotteries with social priorities

Sheinbaum explained that Conavi housing is aimed at those without access to the Infonavit or FOVISSSTE government housing agencies and that since demand exceeds supply, allocation will be carried out through public lotteries in different states.

The National Housing Commission (Conavi) reported that 444 families applied for 139 homes; 20% will be allocated for rental to young people, and 66 homes will be assigned directly to senior citizens or people with disabilities. From Puebla, the Ministry of Agrarian, Territorial, and Urban Development (SEDATU) noted that the target of 390,973 homes has already been reached and that more than 6,400 additional homes will be delivered in 2026.

Fentanyl: addressing the causes, not just the substance

Sheinbaum reported that Donald Trump’s executive decree and the legislative moves promoted in the United States regarding fentanyl are being analyzed. She stressed that Mexico’s approach is different, that the anti-drug strategy must focus on the social and health causes that give rise to consumption. She warned that if the root causes are not addressed, addiction can shift to any other drug.

Violence in the Mexico City Congress: dialogue must prevail

Regarding the violent incidents that took place yesterday in the capital’s Congress, the President stated that violence is not the way and that dialogue must always be prioritized. She recalled that when Morena was in the opposition, legislative protests were carried out without aggression and with respect.

Latin America and the advance of the far right

Referring to the victory of José Antonio Kast in Chile, Sheinbaum recalled that the country experienced one of the most atrocious periods of repression during the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet, led by the extreme right, which is now once again present on the political scene.

Influenza H3N2 alert and health protocols

Minister of Health David Kershenobich urged the population to get vaccinated in light of the global alert over H3N2 influenza. He indicated that only one case has been detected in Mexico, although it is rapidly spreading in the United States and Europe. He also announced the implementation of 10 national protocols to standardize care for chronic and acute illnesses.

• 

  Mañanera

  People’s Mañanera December 16

  December 16, 2025

  President Sheinbaum’s daily press conference, with comments on pharmaceuticals supply, social housing lottery, CDMX Congress fiasco, Ultra-right victory in Chile and H3N2 alert.

• 

  Analysis

  Tariffs & Industrial Sabotage

  December 16, 2025December 16, 2025

  The government’s stated reasoning for anti-China tariffs rings hollow when considering the flood of cheap US imports destroying the Mexican countryside and production dominated by US corporations exploiting Mexican labour.

• 

  Analysis

  Salvador Zarco: The Train & A Life

  December 16, 2025December 16, 2025

  The locomotive mechanic, trade unionist and communist helped found the Railroad Workers Museum after fighting the neoliberal privatization of Mexico’s railways.

The post People’s Mañanera December 16 appeared first on Mexico Solidarity Media.

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Mining projects valued at more than US$63 billion are scheduled to start in 2026.

On Wednesday, the Standing Committee of the Peruvian Congress will decide whether to extend the registration period for informal miners in the Comprehensive Mining Formalization Registry (REINFO).

RELATED:

Peruvian Congress Approves Extension of Mining Formalization Process

On Dec. 4, the Parliament’s plenary approved a one-year extension of REINFO, which modified the initial two-year proposal. However, Congressional regulations stipulate that any bill initially approved must undergo a second vote at least seven days later.

Previously, Prime Minister Ernesto Alvarez stated that two non-negotiable conditions were extending REINFO for only one year and preventing the return of 50,000 excluded miners, to avoid illegal mining.

Interim President Jose Jeri added that if the approved ruling did not align with the Executive’s position, it would be returned with observations, and the REINFO would expire on Dec. 31. However, the debate was included on the Committee’s agenda, which keeps its functions after the closing of the annual Legislature.

La minería de mineros ilegales peruanos no se detiene, ahora avanza sobre el proyecto Conga de Newmont en Cajamarca, Perú. Autoridades advierten contaminación con mercurio y pérdida de control en zonas donde la minería formal no se desarrolla.#MineríaIlegal #Oro #Newmont #Perú… pic.twitter.com/ZOhiIDVrk9

— Mine Academy (@mine_academy) December 15, 2025

The text reads, “Illegal mining by Peruvian miners continues and now advances on Newmont’s Conga project in Cajamarca, Peru. Authorities warn of mercury contamination and a loss of control in areas where formal mining is not practiced.”

Hundreds of informal miners mobilized in various locations across the country and demanded the approval of the law. In 2024, Parliament had already extended the REINFO for one year, but failed to reach a consensus on a new Law for Small-Scale and Artisanal Mining.

Last Thursday, Mining Vice Minister Carlos Talavera announced that a “decisive phase” will begin in 2026 with mining projects valued at more than US$63 billion. The Ministry of Energy and Mines (MINEM) anticipates 21 projects, all scheduled to begin in 2026.

Talavera added that global demand for critical minerals will double by 2040, requiring up to 80% more than current consumption. Copper production grew by only 3% in the last year; however, revenue exceeded US$5.8 million thanks to favorable international prices.

#FromTheSouth News Bits | Peru: In Cajamarca, more than 500 workers of the Canadian mining operator Shauindo observed an indefinite strike to demand better wages. pic.twitter.com/h1j5JUmux9

— teleSUR English (@telesurenglish) December 5, 2025

teleSUR: JP

Source: EFE – IIMP

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This editorial by Arturo Huerta González originally appeared in the December 16, 2025 edition of La Jornada de Oriente, the Puebla edition of Mexico’s premier left wing daily newspaper. The views expressed in this article are the authors’ and do not necessarily reflect those ofMexico Solidarity Media*, or theMexico Solidarity Project.*

Editor’s note: Under the current USMCA agreement’s Article 32.10, a potential free trade agreement between Mexico and a “non-market economy” like China or Vietnam (or potentially even India or Brazil: the US is able to determine what a “non-market economy” is) is subject to veto by the United States of America, who as the dominant economic power in the Mexican economy have a considerable interest in sabotaging Mexican development.
Enacting the anti-China tariffs would guarantee that Mexican domestic production remains at a disadvantage against US capital, which is heavily financed, as well as able to access special tax concessions from the Mexican government and financing Mexican SMEs cannot; particularly when it comes to acquiring industrial inputs and affordable Chinese manufacturing equipment, which is now almost solely produced by China. Rather than benefitting from anti-China tariffs, Mexican firms may be actively sabotaged in competition in a closed market with primarily EU and US competitors who can access and import Chinese manufacturing equipment into Mexico via subsidaries, or afford to pay steep import fees. In such an environment, Mexican investment will tend towards areas with a high rate of return, such as real estate speculation, currently hyper-gentrifying and socially cleansing neighbourhoods in cities like Mexico City and Guadalajara.

The Mexican government has stated that the tariffs imposed are not against China and other Asian countries, with which Mexico does not have a free trade agreement, but rather are aimed at strengthening domestic industry and the national economy. The truth is that this tariff policy serves the interests of the U.S. government , which wants Mexico to stop importing from China and instead buy from the U.S., thus reducing its trade deficit with Mexico. Furthermore, they want to diminish China’s presence in Mexico, which falls within the framework of the Monroe Doctrine of “America for the Americans.”

The Secretary of Economy Marcelo Ebrard stated that “the tariffs Mexico applied to countries with which it does not have trade agreements have a single objective: to preserve the jobs of 300,000 people who are currently disadvantaged by imported products.” The problem is that the vast majority of domestic production is at a disadvantage compared to all imports, which is why these have grown more than exports. This has led to a decline in industry and a loss of self-sufficiency in the production of staple grains, which has reduced economic growth, increased unemployment and underemployment, widened the trade deficit, increased dependence on capital inflows, and made the economy more fragile.

The high tariffs favor US multinational corporations operating in Mexico that produce polluting cars.

The government states that the tariff reform vis-à-vis Asian countries “is about protecting sectors of our economy that are facing competition from very low prices.” This raises the question: why doesn’t the government also impose tariffs on cheap imports from countries with which it has free trade agreements, imports that harm domestic production , increase unemployment , and reduce formal employment? Why doesn’t the government accept the demands of domestic farmers to remove staple grains from the USMCA or impose tariffs on such imports to protect domestic production and employment and ensure food self-sufficiency ?

If the government truly wanted to strengthen the economy, it would have to impose tariffs on all imports, including those from countries with which it has free trade agreements. It’s important to remember that the national economy’s growth from the 1940s until 1981 was due to the prevalence of protectionist policies and the existence of economic policies that favored productive development.

The private sector stated that “the reforms to increase tariffs on imports from countries with which Mexico does not have a trade agreement reflect an industrial policy consistent with the country’s needs .” However, it should be noted that tariffs alone will not lead to increased productive investment or progress in import substitution. Cheap credit, subsidies, and a competitive exchange rate are required, none of which exist in the country. Without import substitution, import tariffs will put pressure on national inflation and will not stimulate growth.

Mexico has evaded many tariffs other countries have imposed on them because its export industries are entirely dominated by US capital, so President Trump would be tariffing US corporations. Mexican domestic firms that do export to the US, such as in the areas of aluminum, steel and tomatoes, are subject to US tariffs.

The Mexican Automotive Industry Association, comprised mainly of multinational corporations , celebrated the tariffs imposed on Chinese car imports, given their growing presence in the national market due to their lower cost and the fact that they are electric and environmentally friendly. The high tariffs favor US multinational corporations operating in Mexico that produce polluting cars. Furthermore, the Mexican government has not imposed any conditions on these tariffs that would require these companies to lower their prices and increase the production of non-polluting vehicles, thereby increasing national added value.

For its part, the National Chamber of the Iron and Steel Industry also celebrated the establishment of tariffs on China and acknowledged that Mexican steel exports to the United States have fallen 50 percent since the “unfair implementation of the tariffs that the US has established,” but did not advocate for tariffs to be established on imports from the US.

While the Mexican government imposes tariffs on China in response to US pressure, it ignores the demands of domestic farmers to remove staple grains from the USMCA trade agreement, and relevant authorities even refuse to engage in dialogue with them. A meeting had been scheduled for Wednesday, December 10, 2025, at the Ministry of the Interior, with representatives from the Ministries of Finance, Economy, and Agriculture. However, the meeting was moved at the last minute to the Ministry of Agriculture. Farmers from many states arrived, but only 25 were allowed into the meeting. The rest were denied entry to the building, and after protests, they were finally allowed into the lobby, where they were prevented from crossing a barrier. No officials from the Ministry of Finance or Economy attended the meeting; only an Undersecretary of Agriculture and lower-level officials from the Ministries of the Interior and Agriculture were present. The farmers protested the government’s failure to take seriously the dialogue it had offered to end the highway blockades. At the end of the meeting, the farmers handed over a document with their demands and indicated that if their requests were not resolved during the week of December 15-19 , they would take to the roads again.

• 

  Analysis

  Tariffs & Industrial Sabotage

  December 16, 2025December 16, 2025

  The government’s stated reasoning for anti-China tariffs rings hollow when considering the flood of cheap US imports destroying the Mexican countryside and production dominated by US corporations exploiting Mexican labour.

• 

  Analysis

  Salvador Zarco: The Train & A Life

  December 16, 2025December 16, 2025

  The locomotive mechanic, trade unionist and communist helped found the Railroad Workers Museum after fighting the neoliberal privatization of Mexico’s railways.

• 

  Culture | News Briefs

  Cultural Promoters: Demand for Zaco’s Resignation at Railway Workers Museum is “Arbitrary”

  December 16, 2025

  The trade unionist was fired by Mexico City’s Ministry of Culture, who still have yet to recover sculptures of Fidel Castro and Che Guevara that were stolen by ultra-right wing mayor Alessandra de la Rojo Vega.

The post Tariffs & Industrial Sabotage appeared first on Mexico Solidarity Media.

From Mexico Solidarity Media via This RSS Feed.

The Zionist state uses ‘renewable detention without charge’ to silence human rights defenders.

On Tuesday, the military court at Israel’s Ofer prison approved a six-month administrative detention order — without charges and renewable indefinitely — for prominent Palestinian activist Ayman Ghrayeb.

RELATED:

ICC rejects Israel’s appeal to halt investigation into crimes in Palestine

“The summary proceeding was conducted in secret and behind closed doors, denying Ghrayeb’s own lawyer access to any information about the accusations against him beyond a vague insinuation of incitement, and without disclosing any evidence to prove or refute the alleged charges,” according to a statement shared by Bilal, Ayman Ghrayeb’s brother.

The Palestinian activist has already served one month of the term while in custody. “We don’t know anything about Ayman right now,” Bilal said in a text message exchange, explaining that Israeli authorities have prevented his lawyer from visiting him in prison.

Ghrayeb is being held under administrative detention, a measure Israel applies to Palestinians detained in the West Bank, under which detainees can be held without trial, without formal charges and for an indefinite period in renewable six-month terms.

Today: activists protested in front of Ofer prison where many Palestinians are being held and tortured. The protestors demanded the release of activists Ayman Ghrayeb and all political prisoners. Ayman was kidnapped by the occupation forces and is being held in administrative… pic.twitter.com/NKIOhOTT5c

— Resistance Solidarity Network (@RSolidarityNet) December 14, 2025

As of late September, Israel was holding 3,474 Palestinians in prison under the “administrative detention” method, according to estimates by the Israeli human rights organization B’Tselem.

Israeli occupation forces detained Ghrayeb on Nov. 17 in the village of Fasayil, in the Jordan Valley, east of the West Bank. He was in the village documenting violence by Israeli settlers in the area, an activity he regularly carries out in the Palestinian territory.

Human rights defenders said Israeli soldiers confiscated the phone and camera Ghrayeb uses to film settlers. One witness to the arrest said Ayman received a call from the Shin Bet before the detention, intimidating him over his activism.

Immediately after his arrest, Ghrayeb was held at the Israeli military base of Samra, in the Jordan Valley. Zionist soldiers kept him handcuffed, without access to food, and subjected him to beatings for three days. Initially, both the Israeli army and police denied that Ghrayeb was in their custody.

#FromTheSouth News Bits | Middle East: Storm Byron battered the Gaza Strip, killing at least 14 people and injuring others as harsh winds and relentless rain struck buildings already weakened by Israeli bombardments and thousands of displaced families. pic.twitter.com/e3KGGCnPCW

— teleSUR English (@telesurenglish) December 16, 2025

teleSUR/ JF

Source: EFE

From teleSUR English via This RSS Feed.

This article by Luis Hernández Navarro originally appeared in the December 16, 2025 edition of La Jornada, Mexico’s premier left wing daily newspaper.

A railroad worker by choice, for Salvador Zarco Flores, “the train is poetry, it is life. It is history, it is everything.” A political prisoner of the 1968 student movement, upon his release from Lecumberri Prison in 1971, he attended a meeting at the UNAM Faculty of Philosophy, thanked his fellow prisoners for their solidarity in securing his freedom, and never returned to the classroom. Instead, he didn’t rest until he found work as a railroad worker.

Prison and work were his schools. Prison taught him many lessons about the good and bad of human nature. There, he says, we are all naked. He also discovered the “blessed value of manual labor.” The railroads and the working class allowed him to meet men who were generous beyond measure, to the point of saying “enough!” Dedicated men. Men who would give their lives for a cause. He found that proletarian solidarity is a matter of flesh and blood, not just ideas or books.

A great admirer of the Chinese Revolution and the Russian people, on his wedding night in Morelia, he went into a used bookstore and found O. Piatnitsky’s book, Breaking the Night: Memoirs and Revelations of a Bolshevik. He read it nonstop until dawn.

In 1967, while at university, he joined the Spartacus Communist League (LCE). He was first assigned to the oil workers’ branch and then reassigned to the railway workers’ branch. He was impressed by the union. The workers sheltered the activists, guided them so they wouldn’t get lost, and told them which path to take.

In the streets, during the 1968 protests, young people demanded the release of Demetrio Vallejo, leader of the 1958-59 workers’ uprising, who had been imprisoned for 11 years, four months, and one day. Vallejo, along with Ho Chi Minh and Emiliano Zapata, was a figure revered by the students. A detachment of railway workers, complete with banners, was present in Tlatelolco on October 2, 1968.

In prison, Jerónimo (that was his nom de guerre) began to study the history of the guild and fell in love with that brotherhood. “This is where I belong!” he told himself. In Lecumberri, he befriended the railroad worker Cayetano Horta, detained in Tlalnepantla, whom he called “my general.” He was in charge of cleaning the cellblock in exchange for financial assistance from the political prisoners.

Jerónimo began working for Ferronales on the tracks, first in Hidalgo and then in Veracruz. He, his wife at the time, and their two eldest children lived in a makeshift camp trailer, which included a bedroom, dining room, living room, bathroom, and kitchen. They cooked on makeshift wood-burning stoves. The track maintenance crews lived there, performing the heaviest and lowest-paid work outdoors. They were responsible for keeping the tracks in the best possible condition to ensure the safety of the trains. Their privacy was limited. Their private lives were almost entirely public.

He worked there for a year, until he joined the workshops, a key point for organizing the workers’ struggle. The workshop workers were the backbone of the union. When he and his family returned to the city, a man who was a natural leader of the crew told him: “I’m asking you to do something: send me a photo and some works by Mao Zedong.”

A locomotive mechanic and electrician, unyielding to the corrupt union bosses, he discreetly and naturally organized a reformist union movement from the ground up. He led Section 15 and the oversight committee, while also supporting the demands of local residents and promoting independent unionism in various factories, reading groups, and film clubs. Over time, Zarco and Demetrio Vallejo became close comrades in the Railroad Workers’ Union Movement.

In 1997, Salvador was laid off along with about a hundred other workers. An uneven resistance against the privatization of the railway system began. It was impossible to stop it. The sale of the industry stripped the country of strategic assets, placing them in the hands of foreigners and unscrupulous businessmen, and facilitated the destruction of the collective bargaining agreement, mass layoffs, the dismantling of the union, and the cancellation of services.

Faced with inevitable defeat, Salvador, along with a group of workers, focused on preserving the historical memory and culture of the railroad workers and the industrial heritage of the former state-owned company. Under his leadership, on May 1, 2006, the Railroad Workers Museum was inaugurated in the old La Villa station, near the Basilica of Guadalupe. They didn’t even have “a nail to display.” With the support of Teresa Márquez, the National Museum of Mexican Railroads loaned them a 601 locomotive and other pieces for their first exhibition about the many and varied trades of the railroad workers.

Gradually, the museum has built its own collection through donations, purchases, loans, and other arrangements. It has organized exceptional exhibitions such as From Nonoalco to Tlatelolco 1958-1968, dedicated to the railway workers’ struggle and the life of Demetrio Vallejo. Furthermore, the institution is a vibrant cultural center, an open space for other groups to carry out activities, such as the Teodoro Larrey Book Club.

The name of the book club has a long history. In 1900, in Puebla, a handful of railroad mechanics met in a room of a boarding house rented by Teodoro Larrey. There, the Mexican Mechanics Union was born, the first railway workers’ resistance organization. It sought to end the exploitation of Mexican workers. Salvador Zarco is a worthy heir to both Teodoro Larrey and Demetrio Vallejo. The formidable and effective work he has carried out in recent years at the helm of the museum and in the recovery of the historical and cultural heritage of the railroad workers deserves proper recognition.

• 

  Analysis

  Salvador Zarco: The Train & A Life

  December 16, 2025December 16, 2025

  The locomotive mechanic, trade unionist and communist helped found the Railroad Workers Museum after fighting the neoliberal privatization of Mexico’s railways.

• 

  Culture | News Briefs

  Cultural Promoters: Demand for Zaco’s Resignation at Railway Workers Museum is “Arbitrary”

  December 16, 2025

  The trade unionist was fired by Mexico City’s Ministry of Culture, who still have yet to recover sculptures of Fidel Castro and Che Guevara that were stolen by ultra-right wing mayor Alessandra de la Rojo Vega.

• 

  Analysis | Interviews

  Taibo II: Suppressing Self Criticism in 4th Transformation More Dangerous Than a Rupture

  December 16, 2025December 16, 2025

  In an interview, the writer and Morena founder emphasized the pursuit of unity at all costs can be counterproductive, as it hinders the purging of those who replicate the practices of “old politics.”

The post Salvador Zarco: The Train & A Life appeared first on Mexico Solidarity Media.

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Caracas accuses the prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago of maintaining a hostile agenda against Venezuela since taking office and of being criminally complicit in US military massacres of civilians in the Caribbean.

The government of Venezuela announced the immediate termination of any contract, agreement, or negotiation for the supply of natural gas to Trinidad and Tobago following the direct complicity of that country’s government in the theft of Venezuelan oil carried out by the US administration on December 10 through the seizure of an oil tanker.

In an official statement dated December 15, 2025, in Caracas, the Venezuelan Executive reported that it has full knowledge of the participation of the Trinidadian government in this operation, described as an act of international piracy that constitutes a serious violation of international law, as well as of the principles of free navigation and free trade.

The document directly points to the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Kamla Persad-Bissessar, whom it accuses of maintaining a hostile agenda against Venezuela since assuming office. Persad-Bissessar’s administration has presided over the installation of US military radar systems on Trinidadian territory with the aim of harassing and intercepting vessels transporting Venezuelan oil.

According to the statement, these actions have turned Trinidad and Tobago into an advanced US military platform in the Caribbean that is used to attack Venezuela and facilitate operations to strip it of its energy resources—what Caracas defines as an unequivocal act of vassalage.

In the face of this escalation of hostilities, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro recalled that Venezuela had already previously withdrawn from the Framework Agreement on Energy Cooperation signed between the two countries and that this new episode represents a definitive breaking point in the bilateral energy relationship.

The statement concludes with a political and sovereign warning, in which the Venezuelan State reaffirms that it will not allow any colonial entity or its allies to undermine its sovereignty, its right to development, or control over its strategic resources.

As such, the statement by Venezuela’s government clearly frames its decision within a doctrine of comprehensive defense against what Caracas considers a coordinated imperial offensive aimed at suffocating the country’s economy and energy resources.

Venezuela: President Maduro Calls US Seizure of Oil Tanker Act of Piracy, Reports Crew Forcibly Disappeared

(Telesur)

 Translation: Orinoco Tribune

OT/CB/SL

From Orinoco Tribune – News and opinion pieces about Venezuela and beyond via This RSS Feed.

The French president backs age-verification system similar to controls on porn sites.

On Tuesday, French President Emmanuel Macron said he hopes to have a law in place by early 2026 to ban access to social media for children under 16.

RELATED:

Mexican Agency Presents Cybersecurity Plan

He cited Australia’s model, which has banned social media for those under 16 for about a week, and said France’s plan is to implement a verification system similar to the one in force since 2024 to prevent minors from accessing pornographic websites.

Macron said the drastic measure is justified because “the major platforms are not interested in cooperating” in controlling certain content that can incite or trigger mental health problems among young people.

“Before age 16, emotional life is not structured, the brain is not mature, and minors can be destabilized if they are exposed to social media content,” the French leader said, citing the risks of depression, cyberbullying, sedentary lifestyles and sleep problems.

Australia has banned social media for kids and teens under 16. They cannot set up new social media accounts and existing profiles are being deactivated including Tiktok, X, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat and Threads.

Good move ! Save the kids.

pic.twitter.com/hIHkFy4JPq

— Dr. Gatimu, Ph.D. (@Gatimu) December 10, 2025

Macron welcomed the EU’s decision to make it the responsibility of each member state to “establish” the age of majority for accessing social media.

In that context, Macron said he supports applying to social media the same controls France has used to regulate access to pornographic websites, which were being accessed by about 2 million minors each month, with an average age of 12.

France’s 2024 law regulating the internet established an age-verification system based on the issuance of a certificate of legal age under a “double anonymity” practice designed to protect users’ privacy. The system includes submitting a user’s national identity card or a photograph later analyzed by artificial intelligence to verify age.

#France | Emmanuel Macron’s deadline expires with no solution to the country's political crisis. pic.twitter.com/epcXv03DEy

— teleSUR English (@telesurenglish) October 8, 2025

teleSUR/ JF

Source: EFE

From teleSUR English via This RSS Feed.

This interview by Alejandro Páez Varela and Álvaro Delgado Gómez of author, Morena founder and head of Mexico’s parastatal publisher Fondo de Cultura Económica, Paco Ignacio Taibo II, originally appeared in the December 16, 2025 edition of Sin Embargo.

Mexico City. Paco Ignacio Taibo II, historian, founder of Morena and director of the Fondo de Cultura Económica , warned about the risks of minimizing and avoiding self-criticism within the Fourth Transformation movement, noting that this could be more damaging to the left than a possible internal division.

The writer reviewed the Latin American political landscape and, in an interview with Los Periodistas, a program on SinEmbargo Al Aire, stressed that the search for unity at all costs can be counterproductive.

Senator Pedro Haces (middle) with El Limones (right). Pedro Haces was in the news recently for attempting to re-start a parliamentary friendship group with israel that had been shut down earlier this year after protests.

“Many times the righteous decision not to cause a split, a division, not to leave cracks due to a lack of unity, becomes a negative phenomenon because it allows for errors within your own forces,” he stated, speaking about the presence of figures who have “entrenched” or “tied down” within Morena, such as Deputy Pedro Haces Barba, Ricardo Monreal’s right-hand man, linked to the financial operator of the criminal group.

Since last week, the capture of Edgar “N,” alias “El Limones,” a member of the Los Cabrera criminal group, has put Pedro Haces, who is also the national leader of the Autonomous Confederation of Workers and Employees of Mexico (CATEM), in a difficult position. Haces has tried to distance himself from the extortionist leader, but his claims that he doesn’t know him have been refuted with photographs and videos of the two of them.

Taibo II explained that in recent sessions of Morena’s Advisory Council, it was agreed that the Commission of Honor and Justice should act ex officio in cases like this. “It was agreed that the Commission of Honor and Justice should de facto investigate any complaint generated where there has been… the commission should take its own hands and investigate it,” he emphasized.

Adrian Rubalcava, a fiscally incompetent former mayor of a borough with no subway, with no experience in public transportation, accused of ties to organized crime, from the right wing of Mexico’s political class, was appointed head of one of the world’s most important public transit systems earlier this year.

He explained that the objective of this action is “to distinguish between slander and reality,” so that the Commission can “ascertain whether these accusations are substantiated and conduct an examination,” without needing to wait for a formal complaint, since “this change in Morena’s behavior can be useful in the coming months, where a cleanup is undoubtedly necessary.”

For Taibo II, the problem of “lowering self-criticism and self-reflection is even more dangerous than the problem of unity.” In this sense, he explained the “Swiss cheese theory”: “If you leave an information vacuum, the right wing will fill it. Don’t worry. If there’s a hole in the cheese, they’ll fill it.” Therefore, he maintained that the response to the systematic slander of the right-wing media is not silence, but rather rigorous self-criticism.

One of the points of internal criticism that Paco Taibo II identified is the resurgence of practices associated with “old politics,” such as opacity regarding personal fortunes. “Morena was born with the aim of destroying the PRI’s method of mobilizing supporters. It wasn’t about mandatory coercion, pressure, blackmail…,” Taibo II recalled, but he warned that these methods “are being reproduced within our ranks again; they are a clear indicator that something is rotten.”

One of the figures who has resorted to this type of mobilization is Haces himself with the members of CATEM and, for example, Adrián Rubalcava, the former PRI member and aggressor of journalists who today directs the Collective Transportation System, the Metro, who has also mobilized his “dragons”.

Manuel Vázquez Arellano, Ayotzinapa survivor & MORENA deputy who confronted Pedro Haces’ over his israel friendship group also expressed concerns over a false unity with disreputable figures this past Monday.

“I sometimes find myself thinking, ‘I don’t trust this guy…’ What I can say is that he should clearly explain the relationship between his wealth, right? And his knowledge, and where it came from,” Taibo II stated. “Every member of Morena should have an ethical obligation to answer this question: How much do you spend, and where did you get it?”

Furthermore, he criticized the “aesthetics of the old power” visible in some paintings, which consists of the accumulation of money to accumulate political power and distribute employment, a “factory of distributing loyalty for employment” of the PRI right.

The director of the FCE also expressed his discontent with the dismissal of Salvador Zarco as director of the Railway Museum and a long-time supporter of the Vallejo faction, an act that “bothers him greatly” and which he considers an institutional error. However, he insisted that the main focus should be on internal reform.

“I ask myself the same two questions that someone who has been an activist for 50 years asks: I knew Salvador when he was underground, persecuted, starving to death at the hands of the corrupt union bosses of the railroad workers, witnessing the resurgence of Vallejo’s movement. When we came to power, in an act of justice, Salvador was sent to direct the railroad museum, which immediately fulfilled two functions. It served the purpose of a museum dedicated to the railroad, but also the defense of the heroic Vallejo movement, which at the time represented some of the best of this country,” he noted.

When social democratic governments, to call them something, implement neoliberal policies, the people hold them accountable by saying, ‘Neoliberal policies are done better by the right than by you.'”

Taibo II also addressed the adverse electoral landscape for the left in Latin America with the victory of the Pinochet supporter José Antonio Kast in Chile, a victory for the far right that adds to that of Javier Milei in Argentina; Daniel Noboa in Ecuador, Rodrigo Paz in Bolivia, as well as the rise of José Jerí in Peru.

“When social democratic governments, to call them something, implement neoliberal policies, the people hold them accountable by saying, ‘Neoliberal policies are done better by the right than by you,'” he commented.

“ There are other factors that also have a degree of desperation observed from the outside. The Bolivian phenomenon of cannibalism—how do you analyze it? There came a point when the infighting among the different factions of the left was more intense than any criticism the right could generate. It’s not easy for the left to consolidate a proposal, make it the majority view, sustain it over time, and root it in the hearts of the majority of the population. In fact, in Mexico, what surprises us time and again is that the left continues to be a majority option in terms of public sentiment, and this is demonstrated constantly by opinion polls regarding Claudia Sheinbaum’s public image.”

• 

  Culture | News Briefs

  Cultural Promoters: Demand for Zaco’s Resignation at Railway Workers Museum is “Arbitrary”

  December 16, 2025

  The trade unionist was fired by Mexico City’s Ministry of Culture, who still have yet to recover sculptures of Fidel Castro and Che Guevara that were stolen by ultra-right wing mayor Alessandra de la Rojo Vega.

• 

  Analysis | Interviews

  Taibo II: Suppressing Self Criticism in 4th Transformation More Dangerous Than a Rupture

  December 16, 2025December 16, 2025

  In an interview, the writer and Morena founder emphasized the pursuit of unity at all costs can be counterproductive, as it hinders the purging of those who replicate the practices of “old politics.”

• 

  News Briefs

  Trump Classifies Fentanyl as Weapon of Mass Destruction

  December 16, 2025

  The US President also revived a military medal originally created to recognize US soldiers who fought against Pancho Villa’s forces, to be awarded to troops “defending” the border with Mexico.

The post Taibo II: Suppressing Self Criticism in 4th Transformation More Dangerous Than a Rupture appeared first on Mexico Solidarity Media.

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This article originally appeared in the December 13, 2025 edition of La Jornada, Mexico’s premier left wing daily newspaper.

Mexico City. A group of cultural promoters and social activists deemed the termination of Salvador Zarco Flores’s directorship of the Railway Workers Museum an “arbitrary act.” In a letter addressed to Clara Brugada, Head of Government of Mexico City, they requested that the former student activist and historic railway leader conclude his tenure after the museum’s 20th anniversary, which falls next May.

Last October, according to the letter, Zarco met with officials from the Mexico City Ministry of Culture, who asked for his resignation. He requested to conclude his term on May 1, 2026, so that he could “organize a grand festival to close a 20-year cycle” of the project he helped build with a group of railway workers.

The request was ignored, given that last Friday, December 5, the general director of Historical, Artistic and Cultural Heritage of local Culture “even asked her to sign her resignation.”

Zarco Flores became a railroad worker in 1974 and joined Demetrio Vallejo’s movement. He held union positions and was fired when then-President Ernesto Zedillo privatized the important means of transportation (La Jornada, 7/24/16).

In 2006, he was chosen to head the newly opened Railway Workers Museum, housed in the former La Villa station. The proposal came from Raquel Sosa, then Secretary of Culture for Mexico City, which has overseen the museum since its inception.

In August of last year, the National Museum of Mexican Railroads organized a tribute to him for his consistent career as a social leader, labor fighter and cultural promoter for more than 50 years (La Jornada, 8/26/24).

There Should be an Advisory Council

The agreement establishing the Railway Workers Museum, dated June 12, 2006, stipulates the need for an Advisory Council composed of seven members. The lack of this committee, which “requires the presence of two retired railway workers, and the possible absence of Maestro Zarco, could jeopardize the purpose for which the museum was created, which is to preserve and exhibit the struggle of railway workers and the labor movement in our country.”

The letter, released this week, states that to preserve the essence of the space, Zarco “has been in charge of convening and organizing, among other cultural activities, meetings with retired railway workers, in addition to establishing relationships with groups, collectives and other museums in the interior of the Mexican Republic, in order to preserve the memory and history of the railway struggle.

“At the initiative of Maestro Zarco, it has been an open space for other groups to hold courses, workshops, meetings, fairs, among other activities. The most emblematic case is the Teodoro Larrey Book Club (named in honor of the founder of the Mexican Mechanics Union, the predecessor of the Mexican Railway Workers Union).”

This initiative, in its 13 years of existence, has organized meetings, workshops and oral storytelling performances, in coordination with similar entities in the city, the rest of the country and other Latin American nations.

Teacher Salvador Zarco Flores is a symbol of resistance and dedication, since his militancy in the Spartacus Communist League.

The letter, signed by some 25 people from seven cultural groups, includes the demand that “everything possible be done to create the Advisory Council, in charge of ensuring that the commitment to preserving the historical memory and legacy left by the struggles of the railway workers continues,” a committee that “has not been created or convened.”

The museum has been under the sole responsibility of the General Sub-Directorate of Historical, Artistic and Cultural Heritage of the capital’s Culture, and as project coordinator leader, Zarco Flores, “who since his youth has been an example of struggle, constancy and perseverance.”

They also request that the current director be supported in publishing his memoirs as a worker, railway leader, and his experience leading the museum; likewise, that he be appointed a lifetime member of the advisory council.

Among the signatories is storyteller and journalist Hena Carolina Velázquez Vargas, who has led the Teodoro Larrey Book Club since its inception. She is the daughter of railway union leader Guillermo Velázquez, whose collection of union records was added to the museum’s holdings.

The text concludes: “We advocate that this space continue to pay tribute to the union that suffered one of the worst attacks by neoliberal governments when they handed over the National Railways of Mexico to private enterprise. With this, they lost their source of employment, but they became an example of struggle, dignity, and resistance, which has been a benchmark for the transformation of our country.”

• 

  Culture | News Briefs

  Cultural Promoters: Demand for Zaco’s Resignation at Railway Workers Museum is “Arbitrary”

  December 16, 2025

  The trade unionist was fired by Mexico City’s Ministry of Culture, who still have yet to recover sculptures of Fidel Castro and Che Guevara that were stolen by ultra-right wing mayor Alessandra de la Rojo Vega.

• 

  Analysis | Interviews

  Taibo II: Suppressing Self Criticism in 4th Transformation More Dangerous Than a Rupture

  December 16, 2025December 16, 2025

  In an interview, the writer and Morena founder emphasized the pursuit of unity at all costs can be counterproductive, as it hinders the purging of those who replicate the practices of “old politics.”

• 

  News Briefs

  Trump Classifies Fentanyl as Weapon of Mass Destruction

  December 16, 2025

  The US President also revived a military medal originally created to recognize US soldiers who fought against Pancho Villa’s forces, to be awarded to troops “defending” the border with Mexico.

The post Cultural Promoters: Demand for Zaco’s Resignation at Railway Workers Museum is “Arbitrary” appeared first on Mexico Solidarity Media.

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In the afternoon maximum temperatures will be between 25 and 28 degrees Celsius in the west and center, up to 31 degrees Celsius in the east.

At night, temperatures will be between 20 and 23 degrees Celsius, lower in inland locations to the west, says the report.

Specialists of the institution in their social networks explain that the cold front 7 will be installed on the western and central region and will maintain the probability of rain, which may be locally intense and cause flooding in areas with saturated soils.

The day will be windy from the east of the western province of Pinar del Rio to the center-south of the eastern Las Tunas, with bursts that can exceed 40 kilometers per hour.

The day will be slightly winter in areas of the interior and north coast of the west and center.

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Moskalkova stated that she made the request directly to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk.

“It is outrageous that renowned Russian archaeologist Alexander Butyagin remains detained in Warsaw. I await a response from Turk,” to whom she has appealed to facilitate the restoration of justice for her compatriot, Moskalkova wrote on her Telegram channel.

Author of several scientific publications, Butyagin is secretary of the archaeological commission of the renowned Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg and head of the Ancient Archaeology sector of the Northern Black Sea Region. Ukrainian police issued an arrest warrant for him in 2024.

According to reports, the researcher, wanted by Ukrainian authorities in connection with archaeological excavations in Crimea that allegedly caused the partial destruction of cultural heritage, with damages estimated at over 200 million hryvnias, or about 4.7 million dollars, was arrested in Poland.

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova called the accusations against Butyagin absurd.

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The report specified that more than 17 million people are suffering from food insecurity in Afghanistan, three million more than last year.

Despite this, the WFP has only received 12% of the funds needed to assist those most affected, the agency’s Director of Food Security, Jean-Martin Bauer, warned this Tuesday at a press conference held digitally from Rome.

The figures come from the latest report on food insecurity in Afghanistan by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC).

With the available funds, the WFP can only assist fewer than one million people per month, compared to the six million they aim to reach in the next six months, for which they would need $468 million (€398 million).

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In the annual report presented this Tuesday in Chile, the UN agency indicated that the area continues in a dynamic of low growth, in an international context still uncertain, and under the impact of tariffs imposed by the United States.

At the level of subregions, GDP shows differences and for South America an index of 2.9 is estimated this year, which will fall to 2.4 in 2026.

In Central America, the expansion will be 2.6 in 2025 and 3.0 next year, while the Caribbean, excluding Guyana, will record a growth rate of 1.9 this year compared to 1.8 in 2026, the document said.

ECLAC warns that fiscal consolidation measures and debt interest payments limit the scope for more active policies.

On the other hand, labour markets continue to recover, but at a slower pace, employment is growing moderately, unemployment gaps between men and women persist, and informality remains high in most countries, restricting the impulse for consumption.

The survey shows that inflation is continuing on a downward trend, but investment remains subdued and productivity does not show signs of picking up.

In 2026 the region would accumulate four years of low growth, with an annual average of just 2.3 percent.

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Besides maintaining 17 consecutive quarters of growth, Venezuela will have a GDP expansion of 6.5%.

On Tuesday, the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) confirmed that regional gross domestic product growth will rise to 2.4% in 2025, slightly above the 2.3% recorded last year.

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Venezuela Moves Towards Strengthening the Productive Economy and National Sovereignty

In its Preliminary Overview of the Economies of Latin America and the Caribbean 2025, ECLAC highlighted that Venezuela will post the most significant economic expansion in the region.

More specifically, the countries with the highest GDP growth rates will be Venezuela (6.5%), Paraguay (5.5%), Argentina (4.3%) and Costa Rica (4%). They are followed by Guatemala (3.9%), Honduras (3.8%), Panama (3.8%), El Salvador (3.5%), Nicaragua (3.5%), Peru (3.2%) and Ecuador (3.2%).

Trailing, but still posting positive figures, are the Dominican Republic (2.9%), Colombia (2.6%), Chile (2.5%), Brazil (2.5%) and Uruguay (2.2%). On average, Caribbean islands are projected to grow 1.9% in 2025. The economies of Cuba (-1.5%) and Haiti (-2.3%), however, are expected to contract in 2025.

JUST IN: 🇬🇧 🇺🇸 🇻🇪 Sky News completely exposes Trump’s Venezuela false flag.

Literally no one is buying that it’s about drugs.
pic.twitter.com/9ft5MSj3th

— ADAM (@AdameMedia) December 14, 2025

Latin America, the world’s most unequal region, grew 6.9% in 2021 as a rebound from the pandemic collapse, but slowed to 3.7% in 2022 and closed 2023 with growth of 2.3%, the same figure recorded in 2024 and the same rate ECLAC projects for 2026.

Commenting on the latest economic outlook, ECLAC Secretary Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs said that while current Latin American per capita GDP is slightly higher than it was 10 years ago, the pace of poverty reduction and the trend toward lower informal employment have stalled. Job creation also remains weak.

“More ambitious productive development policies are needed, especially today under new conditions of geoeconomic rivalry, combined with macroeconomic policies that mobilize more resources for growth, innovation, economic diversification, productive transformation and the creation of quality jobs,” he said.

#Venezuela 🇻🇪 The Great Constituent Congress of the Working Class is taking place, where thousands of workers are discussing productivity and the defense of national sovereignty, among other issues. pic.twitter.com/yYjpWfDgTl

— teleSUR English (@telesurenglish) December 16, 2025

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Sources: ECLAC – EFE

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