International
Mulino reiterates that he would be willing to give asylum to Maduro in Panama to solve the crisis
The president of Panama, José Raúl Mulino, reiterated that he would be willing to give political asylum to the Venezuelan president, Nicolás Maduro, to solve the crisis in the Caribbean country after the questioned presidential elections on July 28.
“If that is the contribution quota to get out of this that Panama has to do, putting our soil for this man (Maduro) and his family to leave Venezuela, Panama would do it, without any doubt,” Mulino said in an interview with CNN, in which he maintained his position of offering that asylum in order to be a facilitator to the crisis.
Mulino also did not rule out the option of offering political asylum to other members of Chavismo, if necessary.
“As far as Panama can cooperate (it will). And if that is the quota of cooperation (extending asylum) that we have to do, I would do it,” added the Panamanian president, who has been a strong critic of the Venezuelan elections, even before it was held and the situation unleashed behind them.
Mulino “transmitted” to the president of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula, through the Foreign Ministry, the disposition of Panama “to be the bridge or transition of leaving Venezuela to a third country,” although, he added, he does not believe “that he can stay in Panama (Maduro),” since that “it would cost him a lot to sell it to the population, but it is not the first time that Panama has helped a crisis of this nature.”
The Brazilian president, along with the Colombian, Gustavo Petro, and the Mexican, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, have opted for a more cautious position after the announcement of Venezuela’s electoral results, by abstaining or absent from voting in the Organization of American States (OAS) on a frustrated resolution that required the publication of the minutes.
The Venezuelan National Electoral Council (CNE) proclaimed the current president of that country, Nicolás Maduro, as the winner with more than 51% of the votes, but without providing any evidence, unlike the platform of the majority opposition, which has shown electoral records that show the winner of his candidate, Edmundo González Urrutia, with a wide margin.
Mulino said on several occasions during the interview that “it is not the first time that Panama faces this type of problem with political characters on the run” and that “there have been other leaders fleeing, who have fallen here, with the idea of Panama of providing a solution to the political and internal problems.”
The president recalled the cases of former Argentine President Juan Domingo Perón in 1956, Guatemala’s Jorge Serrano Elías (1990-1993) and the former Haitian coup general Raoul Cedrás (1991-1994), to whom Panama granted asylum.
Panama recognized Edmundo González as the “president-elect” after considering the elections in Venezuela fraudulent. Both countries suspended diplomatic relations and closed airspace.
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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