Mexico City protesters call for US respect for regional sovereignty

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Mexico City protesters call for US respect for regional sovereignty

2026-01-21 16:43 Last Updated At：21:57

Demonstrators gathered outside the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City on Monday, calling for respect for sovereignty in Latin America as the impact of U.S. military actions in Venezuela in early January continues to reverberate across the region.

Organized by civil organizations, the Mexican demonstrators voiced their concern over the forced seizure of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife by U.S. forces, saying it set a dangerous precedent.

"There was a violation of international law once again from the United States and its military. They think that they own the world, or at least this part of the world, our region," said Sebastian Ostria, a demonstrator.

The U.S. Embassy in the Mexican capital was closed in observance of a U.S. federal holiday, but that didn't stop protesters from expressing their anger over the latest U.S. intervention in the region.

"Latin America has always suffered from intervention, be it military, diplomatic or economic by the Central Intelligence Agency and other organizations funded by the United States. That is why it is so important to keep fighting to defend Venezuela and to defend our continent, because that also means defending our people," said Luis Flores, another demonstrator.

Mexico too is under pressure from Washington to allow U.S. military forces to operate inside the country in the fight against narcotrafficking, a request President Claudia Sheinbaum has repeatedly denied.

Last Friday, a series of notices from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration warned pilots to exercise caution along the Pacific coastlines of Mexico, Panama, Colombia and Ecuador over the next two months due to possible military activity.

Organizers said that this protest is not just about Venezuela, but also about a perceived return of so-called U.S. "gunboat diplomacy" in Latin America. As Washington expands its military activity in the region, the fallout from Caracas could soon be felt far beyond Venezuela's borders.

Portuguese voters prioritize housing, wages, healthcare as presidential race heads to runoff

As Portugal's presidential race enters a runoff, voters are voicing frustration over housing, wages, healthcare, and education.

On Sunday, Portugal launched the first major election of Europe's 2026 political calendar. Voters on the streets of Lisbon were focused more on day-to-day issues.

"The issue I carry the most when I'm casting the vote is about our housing prices, because we are having a major crisis. Even for young people, it's really hard to buy our first house. And even renting, the prices in Lisbon are collapsing, even outside, even the outskirts are collapsing. And about our healthcare national system, because it's also collapsing. It's a very complicated issue. And I'm a teacher and when I cast my vote, I need to think about my profession and my future colleagues as well," said Maria.

"I'm concerned about things such as education in Portugal, the healthcare in Portugal, the wages which are pretty low compared to other countries in Europe. Basically for me those are the key points - education, health and wages. And right now, also the cost of living in Portugal is pretty high," said Juan.

Portugal's presidential election will proceed to a second round, with Antonio Jose Seguro leading the first round with 30.69 percent of the votes, according to data released by the General Secretariat of the Ministry of Internal Administration.

Chega party leader Andre Ventura placed second with 26.97 percent of the vote, followed by Luis Marques Mendes of the center-right Social Democratic Party in third place, with 14.82 percent.

The move to a runoff marks the first time in 40 years that a Portuguese presidential election has required a runoff between the two leading candidates.

The runoff vote is scheduled for Feb. 8, with the winner to be determined by a simple majority.