International
Venezuela summons the ambassador of Spain for “intervent” statements by the Minister of Defense
Venezuela has called for consultations with the Spanish ambassador in Caracas, Ramón Santos, in the face of what the Government of Nicolás Maduro considers “insolent, intererentic and rude statements” by the Spanish Minister of Defense, Margarita Robles, who criticized the “persecution” and “limitation of fundamental rights” suffered by opponents in the South American nation.
The ambassador, as explained by Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yván Gil, on his Telegram channel, must appear at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs this Friday at the request of the Chavista Executive, which considers that Robles’ statements “point to a deterioration in relations between the two countries.”
Maduro’s Executive, Gil explained, has also called for consultation with his accredited ambassador in Spain, Gladys Gutiérrez, although he did not specify if the appointment is for the same date on which Santos must go to the Foreign Ministry or another.
Political crisis
Robles said, after the arrival of opposition candidate Edmundo González Urrutia, to Spain – where he has requested asylum considering that he suffered political and judicial persecution in Venezuela – that what the Government of the Caribbean country does with “many” anti-Chavistas is “unacceptable and unacceptable”
This Wednesday, the Venezuelan Parliament, controlled by Chavismo, proposed a resolution that it hopes to approve to urge Maduro to break “all diplomatic, consular, economic and commercial relations” with Spain, after the Spanish Congress, with the vote against the ruling Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE), agreed to recognize González Urrutia as elected president.
The electoral minutes
The opponent, who arrived in Madrid on Sunday, asked for asylum due to the “persecution” he said he suffered after the presidential elections of July 28, whose official victory was granted by the National Electoral Council (CNE) to Maduro, a result subsequently validated by the Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ).
However, the opposition insists that the winner was González Urrutia, a statement that he supported in the “83.5% of the electoral records” that he claims to have collected through witnesses and table members on the day of the votes, which – he assured – grant victory to the anti-Chavista by a wide margin.
However, the Government of Caracas assures that the minutes that were later published on a website by the opposition are “false.”
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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