International
The Republican Party formally nominates Trump as its candidate
The Republican Party on Monday formalized, during its national convention in Milwaukee, the nomination of former US President Donald Trump as its candidate for the elections next November.
Just two days after surviving an assassination attempt at a rally, Trump was crowned by party delegates as the Republican candidate for the Nov. 5 election, in which he will likely face incumbent Democrat Joe Biden.
The nearly 2,400 delegates representing the country’s various states and territories cast their votes en masse for Trump, who ultimately obtained 2,387 votes.
When Eric Trump, the former president’s son, announced that Florida’s votes had been cast for his father, the number needed to formalize the nomination was reached and a standing ovation erupted to the tune of the song ‘Celebration’ by Kool & the Gang and Pat Boone.
Delegates gathered at the Republican National Convention also unanimously approved the selection of Ohio Senator JD Vance, a 39-year-old politician who is also a businessman and writer, as Donald Trump’s presidential running mate.
Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley opened the meeting with a moment of silence for the attack on Trump on Saturday during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, that left him injured in the ear and killed a member of the audience.
The venue is surrounded by tight security and the red, white and blue balloons, the colour of the American flag, are already ready on the roof to mark the celebrations following Trump’s final speech on Thursday.
This is the former president’s first public shower since a man shot him in Butler. In addition to the person in the audience who died, two others were injured and the attacker was neutralized by law enforcement.
According to what he told the conservative magazine Washington Examiner, the events have led him to rewrite his speech to focus on the need for unity in the country and not on his likely electoral rival on November 5, President Joe Biden.
The Republican National Convention kicked off in Milwaukee on Monday with Trump’s nomination mathematically assured: he needed the votes of 1,215 delegates to secure it, and the primary process guaranteed him 2,268.
In addition, his primary rival Nikki Haley, a former US ambassador to the UN, released her 97 delegates so they could vote for the former president.
The party’s unity around Trump has grown even stronger since the Republican survived the attack last Saturday in Pennsylvania.
International
Mexican government prioritizes 191 communities after deadly floods
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum confirmed on Wednesday that the death toll from recent rains and floods across several central states has risen to 66, while the federal government has activated air bridges and prioritized assistance in 191 isolated communities.
“Unfortunately, 66 people have died, and 75 remain missing,” the president said during her morning press conference. She added that the official death toll will be updated later in a new report.
As of Tuesday, authorities had reported 64 fatalities. Sheinbaum also announced the creation of a public information center to centralize official data on the deceased, missing persons, damaged homes, and cut-off communities.
According to the president, the number of missing persons has decreased thanks to coordination with state authorities.
“Through calls to phone line 079, 103 people who had been reported missing have now been located,” she explained.
Priority Municipalities
The president noted that the federal government has classified 191 communities as ‘priority’, a designation based mainly on the percentage of homes affected.
International
New road and bridge explosions raise alarm amid indigenous protests in Ecuador
Ecuadorian authorities are investigating two explosions that occurred early Wednesday, one on a road in the southern part of the country and another under a bridge in Guayas province. These incidents follow the car bomb explosion in the coastal city of Guayaquil, also in Guayas, which occurred the day before and left one person dead and 30 injured.
Press reports indicate that one person was injured and several vehicles were damaged in the explosion on the Cuenca-Girón-Pasaje road in the south.
“Besides yesterday’s explosion in Guayaquil, we have received reports of explosives placed on bridges along the Guayaquil-Machala and Machala-Cuenca routes to disrupt traffic,” said Roberto Luque, Minister of Infrastructure and Transport (MIT).
On his X social media account, Luque reported that authorities have been deployed to the sites to assess the damage and determine the current condition of the structures.
“What they haven’t achieved with their call for a strike, some are trying to achieve through terrorism,” he stated, referring to the 24 days of protests organized by the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities (Conaie) against rising diesel prices and other demands.
The protests, called at a national level, have Imbabura province as their epicenter. Roadblocks have also been reported in the northern part of Pichincha province, whose capital is Quito, while activities in the rest of the country continue normally.
International
Armed forces target illegal mines in Northern Ecuador with bombing raids
Ecuador’s Armed Forces carried out an operation on Monday — including airstrikes — against illegal mining in the town of Buenos Aires, in the country’s north, Defense Minister Gian Carlo Loffredo reported.
The mountainous, gold-rich area has been a hotspot for illegal mining since 2017, located in the Andean province of Imbabura.
In 2019, former president Lenín Moreno deployed around 2,400 soldiers to the region in an attempt to curb the illegal activity. “The operation began with mortar fire, followed by gunfire and bombing runs by Supertucano aircraft,” Loffredo said in a video released by the Defense Ministry.
He added that the operation would continue on Tuesday with patrols across the area to locate possible members of “irregular armed groups that may have crossed from the Colombian border.”
The Armed Forces stated on X that the intervention focused on the “complete elimination of multiple illegal mining tunnels” in the areas known as Mina Nueva and Mina Vieja.
The operation coincided with the deployment of a military and police convoy into Imbabura, which has been the epicenter of protests against President Daniel Noboa since September 22, following his decision to scrap the diesel subsidy.
Mexican government prioritizes 191 communities after deadly floods
New road and bridge explosions raise alarm amid indigenous protests in Ecuador
Armed forces target illegal mines in Northern Ecuador with bombing raids
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
Defense Minister commends salvadoran soldier for Central American Cross Country victory
Extension of the state of emergency approved in southern Chile
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