International
Maduro leads the march in Caracas for the 33 years of Hugo Chávez’s “rebellion”
Nicolás Maduro, who was sworn in for his third six-year term in power after elections questioned by the opposition, led this Tuesday a march that toured Caracas to commemorate the 33 years of what he called the “rebellion” of Hugo Chávez, between 1999 and 2013, in reference to the failed coup d’état that the deceased ruler led as a lieutenant colonel.
“February 4 (…) was the rebellion against all forms of domination (…) February 4, 1992, the day of awakening and the Bolivarian rebellion,” Maduro said at the end of the march, which started from Plaza Venezuela and culminated in Paseo Los Próceres, located near the main military complex and academies in the country, Fort Tiuna.
Maduro said that Chavismo has “resisted in a creative, heroic way” and is “advanceding” in its “own model,” so he said that “great, blessed times have come for Venezuela for now and forever.”
“There is no force on earth that will take away the destiny and the great future of Venezuela,” he said.
Together with the Chavista leader, the Minister of the Interior and also first vice president of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV), Diosdado Cabello, pointed out that the soldiers of February 4 are with the revolution “in good times and in bad” and – he added – “if it is in bad times faster.”
“If the enemy made the mistake of making a mistake with us, he knows that he will have an immediate answer, a forceful answer, and we are going to show him that 33 years ago Hugo Chávez rose up with the people to never leave power again,” Cabello said, about the failed coup attempt against then-President Carlos Andrés Pérez, who died in 2010.
This Tuesday, which began with an event in the Mountain Barracks, a building located in the popular neighborhood of January 23 where Chávez’s remains rest, a PSUV congress is expected to begin to propose “to the high political command” the candidates for the regional and parliamentary elections of April 27.
The votes were called by the electoral body – controlled by Chavismo – and have been rejected by the majority opposition, which demands respect for the claimed triumph of Edmundo González Urrutia in the presidential elections of July last year.
In addition, Maduro criticized the Foreign Minister of Panama, Javier Martínez-Acha, of whom he said “is not able to defend” the Panama Canal, which US President Donald Trump has threatened to “recover.”
In an event in Caracas, the leader of Chavismo said that Martínez-Acha “lowered his pants” before the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, on his recent official visit to Panama, a country that promised not to renew a trade agreement with China and to work with the US Navy to “optimize the priority” of the transit of its ships through the Channel.
“Where is that idiot? What is the name of the Panamanian chancellor’s imbecile? That he pulled down his pants in front of Marco Rubio when he visited him now and is not able to defend the Panama Canal,” Maduro said in a speech.
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
-
Central America3 days agoGuatemala arrests first escaped gang member after Barrio 18 prison break
-
International3 days agoMexico reports 64 dead, 65 missing after devastating central region floods
-
International3 days agoVenezuela calls for continued global pressure to secure ‘just peace’ for Palestine
-
International3 days agoPope Leo XIV to skip COP30 in Brazil but plans future visit, Lula confirms
-
International5 days agoPeruvian president Jerí leads prison raids to tackle organized crime
-
International5 days agoVenezuela launches ‘Independence 200’ defense plan amid U.S. naval presence
-
Central America3 days agoFraijanes II prison in Guatemala reports gradual escape of 18th Street gang inmates
-
International2 days agoSheinbaum: Urgent to restore access to towns cut off by heavy rains
-
International3 days agoHeavy rains leave dozens dead in Hidalgo, Puebla, and Veracruz
-
International2 days agoArmed forces target illegal mines in Northern Ecuador with bombing raids
-
International2 days agoVenezuelan media faces fresh restrictions after reporting on opposition leader’s Nobel win
-
International13 hours agoMexican government prioritizes 191 communities after deadly floods
-
International2 days agoCaracas shuts embassy in Oslo without explanation following Machado’s Nobel win
-
International13 hours agoNew road and bridge explosions raise alarm amid indigenous protests in Ecuador