International
Cuba describes the OAS resolution on the elections in Venezuela as an “inference”
Cuba described as an “inference” the resolution approved by the Permanent Council of the Organization of American States (OAS) that requires the authorities of Venezuela to publish “expitely” the electoral minutes of last July 28 in that country.
“As we warned, the inter-interference resolution on Venezuela was imposed in the OAS,” the Cuban Foreign Minister, Bruno Rodríguez, wrote in X.
He also stated that the OAS, “which supported coups d’état, dictatorships and did not condemn US invasions in the region, lacks the authority to urge our countries to submit to spurious mandates. Cease interference.”
The organization’s resolution urges the National Electoral Council (CNE) of Venezuela to “expitly publish the minutes with the results of the vote of the presidential elections at the level of each polling station.”
It also calls for “respect for the fundamental principle of popular sovereignty through an impartial verification of the results that guarantees the transparency, credibility and legitimacy of the electoral process.”
The non-binding text was presented on behalf of the United States and Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Canada, Chile, Ecuador, Guatemala, Paraguay, the Dominican Republic, Suriname and Uruguay as co-sponsors.
His appeal joins the one also made this Friday by the European Union and 22 countries, including Spain, in favor of the “immediate publication of all the original minutes” of the elections and the “impartial” and “independent” verification of the results of those elections, in which according to the CNE Nicolás Maduro prevailed on Edmundo González Urrutia.
On July 31, 17 governments voted in favor of another OAS resolution that asked the Venezuelan authorities to publish “immediately” the minutes of the elections, but this initiative finally did not prosper.
That first text had 17 votes in favor, none against, 11 abstentions – like those of Colombia and Brazil, and five absences, so it did not achieve the absolute majority necessary to get ahead.
The CNE of Venezuela proclaimed the victory of the president, Nicolás Maduro, for a third consecutive term, in results rejected by the opposition and questioned by several foreign governments and international watch groups.
The main opposition coalition – the Democratic Unitary Platform (PUD) – led by Edmundo González Urrutia, assures that it obtained a “monumental victory” with 7.3 million votes, according to the electoral records obtained by that majority bloc.
Cuba, Venezuela’s political ally, was one of the first countries to recognize Maduro’s triumph decreed by the CNE, despite protests against this result.
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
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