International
Ursula von der Leyen, re-elected as president of the European Commission for five more years
The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, obtained this Thursday the confidence of the European Parliament to repeat in office for five more years, thanks to the support of 401 MEPs in a hemicycle of 720 seats.
Before the vote, Von der Leyen explained to MEPs what their priorities would be for the new presidency, among which he confirmed his intention to appoint a Defense Commissioner, among whose objectives will be to promote a European anti-aircraft shield.
“We need to build common European projects, for example a complete air defense system, not only to protect our airspace, but also to send a clear and strong message of European unity in the field of defense,” Von der Leyen said.
In this way, he collected one of the proposals that the governments of Germany and Poland have promoted for the coming years.
Von der Leyen assured that European countries will always maintain the responsibility of their own troops, from their training to their deployment, but “there is much that Europe can do to support and coordinate efforts.”
In this sense, he said that he will extend cooperation between the EU and NATO.
German politics criticized the recent trip of the Hungarian Prime Minister, Viktor Orbán, to Moscow, which the Hungarian president has defended as a “peace mission” and Von der Leyen called a “appeasement mission”: no one wants peace as much as the Ukrainians, he said.
In this sense, she was in favor of “giving Ukraine everything it needs to resist and emerge victorious” and at the same time “doing everything possible to protect the Europeans,” with NATO as a pillar of the collective defense architecture and reinforcing a defense spending that she still called “too low and ineffective.”
The mention of Hungary was the only reference to any of the 27 member states in the entire speech and led some MEPs from the bench of the two far-right groups, where Orbán’s own MEPs sit, booing Von der Leyen with chants in defense of the president.
At another point in his speech, he asked for the confidence of the European Parliament to revalidate his position at the head of the Community Executive, warning that Europe now faces “a clear decision that will define our world in the next five years, but also our place in the world in the next fifty.”
German politics, which today needs a majority of 361 seats in a European Parliament of 720 members, said that it asks for the confidence of MEPs because it came to politics “to make a difference for the whole of society” and with the generations of its children and grandchildren.
“I am convinced that the version of Europe after the end of World War II, with all its imperfections and inequalities, is still the best version of history. I will never stand by and watch how they destroy it from the outside or from the inside,” he said.
Von der Leyen declared herself “ready to lead that fight with all the democratic forces” of the European Parliament and said that she will always “reject the extreme polarization of our societies” or that “demagogues and extremists” destroy the European way of life.
Regarding her program, the president of the European Commission assured that her future team will include key members on issues such as competitiveness, simplification of legislation and defense and its industry, among others.
He also announced that he will appoint a European Commissioner whose responsibilities will include addressing the housing crisis and the first ‘European Affordable Housing Plan’.
As part of her political guidelines for the next European Commission (2024-2029), published today, the president assured that the European Union must “urgently address the housing crisis” that affects “millions of families and young people,” despite the fact that it has no competence in these policies.
The European housing plan and the portfolio entrusted to a European Commissioner “will address structural factors, develop a strategy for housing construction, offer technical assistance to cities and Member States and focus on investment.”
To this end, the new Commission, he said, will work with the European Investment Bank (EIB) on a “pan-European investment” for affordable and sustainable housing in order to attract more public and private investment.
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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