International
Maduro rejects Panama’s offer of asylum and US guarantees in the midst of the crisis after the elections
The president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, rejected the asylum proposal of his counterpart from Panama, José Raúl Mulino, as well as the guarantees of the United States to solve the crisis after the presidential elections, whose official result ratified the Venezuelan president as the winner, an announcement that the largest opposition coalition considers fraudulent.
Through the state channel VTV, Maduro asked the president of Panama to govern his country and not pretend to do so in Venezuela, while he demanded respect from the United States.
“That the United States (…) is willing to give me anything, I am happy (…) I would ask him for respect for Venezuelan democracy; second wish, respect for the independence and stability of Venezuela; third wish, that we reach an agreement of understanding for 50 years where they stay where they are and let Venezuela be calm,” the president said.
On the other hand, Maduro said that Mulino sent him a message, after assuming the mandate, to “count on him” and to promise that relations between Venezuela and Panama would be resumed, but then the head of the U.S. Southern Command “visited him”, and after a meeting,” Maduro continued – “he left agitated” to convene a summit to deal with the post-election crisis in the Caribbean country.
“Unanimously, Latin America and the Caribbean said (to Mulino): ‘Who are you, compadre? You were wrong, you don’t have the power to convene a summit,” said the Venezuelan president.
However, last Thursday, Mulino reported that between six and seven presidents confirmed attendance at this meeting, while raising the possibility of it being done next week, when several leaders are going to coincide in the Dominican Republic in the swearing-in of Luis Abinader as re-elected president.
Maduro warned Mulino that “whoever messes with Venezuela dries up” and “goes badly,” after the president of Panama proposed the summit to “rehearse more actions that support the democracy and popular will” of the Caribbean country.
Both Panama and the United States do not recognize the results announced by the Venezuelan electoral body and said that the winner of the presidential elections is the standard-bearer of the largest opposition coalition, Edmundo González Urrutia, who gathered “83.5%” of the electoral records that – he assures – demonstrate his triumph, something that Maduro considers as “forged documents.”
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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