International
The pope suffers from “bilateral pneumonia” and his clinical picture remains “complex”
Pope Francis suffers from bilateral pneumonia that requires additional pharmacological treatment to that used for polymicrobial infection and his clinical picture remains “complex”, the Vatican reported on Tuesday.
“The chest computed tomography that the Holy Father underwent this afternoon, prescribed by the Vatican health team and by the medical team of the Polyclinic Foundation “A. Gemelli,” demonstrated the appearance of bilateral pneumonia that requires additional pharmacological therapy.”
Pope Francis will not attend the jubilee hearing scheduled for this Saturday, while at the mass on the occasion of the Jubilee of the Deacons on Sunday he will be replaced by the head of the dicastery for Evangelization, Rino Fisichella, the Vatican reported on Tuesday.
Pope Francis spent a quiet night and during the morning he has dedicated himself to reading the press, on the fifth day of hospitalization at the Gemelli Polyclinic in Rome.
The medical reports released this Monday explained that the pope’s clinical picture is “complex”, so his hospitalization will be prolonged at the Gemelli Polyclinic in Rome, where he is admitted for “a polymicrobial infection of the respiratory tract”, which forced him to change the therapy he receives.
Despite his hospitalization, Francisco spoke again last night with the parish of the Sagrada Familia, the only Catholic church in Gaza, his parish priest, the Argentine priest Gabriel Romanelli, explained to the Italian media.
For the moment, it has only transpired that the pontiff has spent his fourth night quietly at the Gemelli and today an update of the report on his health conditions and on whether the treatment is working is expected.
“The Holy Father continues without fever and with the prescribed treatment. The clinical conditions are stable,” said the latest statement issued on Monday afternoon, the Holy See, about the state of health of the 88-year-old pontiff.
Previously, the Vatican had explained that the latest tests carried out showed “a polymicrobial infection of the respiratory tract that has forced to further modify the therapy” of Francis, whose treatment had already been modified on Saturday, after the first tests.
The Vatican added that the “complex clinical picture will require adequate hospitalization”, which suggests that the pope will remain in the hospital for several days and that he will probably miss some of the many acts of the Holy Year, as has already happened with this Monday for the Jubilee of the artists in the Cinecittà studios or the Jubilee of the deacons this weekend.
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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