International
Mystery deepens in Émile Soleil case as family members are arrested
The death of Émile Soleil, a two-and-a-half-year-old boy who went missing from a village in the French Alps in July 2023, remains unexplained—even after a hiker discovered his skull and teeth nine months later.
At the time, prosecutors stated that the cause of his death, which shocked France, could have been “a fall, involuntary manslaughter, or murder.” Police later found additional bones and pieces of the child’s clothing.
Émile had been spending the summer at his maternal grandparents’ home in the small village of Le Haut-Vernet, located at an altitude of 1,200 meters in the Alps, when he disappeared on July 8, 2023. The last known sighting of him was as he walked along one of the village streets.
His mother and father were not present on the day he went missing.
However, the investigation took a dramatic turn on Tuesday morning, shifting its focus to the boy’s family.
The grandparents and two of their children, whose identities have not been disclosed, were arrested on charges of “premeditated murder and concealment of a body,” prosecutor Jean-Luc Blachon said in a statement to AFP.
Speculation had been reignited on March 13 when investigators were seen in the village, seizing a large planter placed at the entrance of the local chapel.
Authorities stated that the arrests were the result of months of investigation, with forensic teams now examining “several areas of interest.”
Following Émile’s funeral service in February, his grandparents had released a statement saying that “the time for silence must give way to the truth,” adding: “We need to understand, we need to know.”
The disappearance of Émile deeply impacted France, particularly as it revived memories of another tragic case: the 1984 death of four-year-old Grégory, whose body was found lifeless on the same day he vanished—an unsolved case that still haunts the nation’s collective memory.
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.
International
Caracas shuts embassy in Oslo without explanation following Machado’s Nobel win
Venezuela has announced the closure of its embassy in Norway, just days after opposition leader María Corina Machado was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the Venezuelan diplomatic mission provided no explanation for its decision on Monday.
“It is regrettable,” a ministry spokesperson said. “Despite our differences on several issues, Norway wishes to keep the dialogue with Venezuela open and will continue to work in that direction.” The ministry also emphasized that the Nobel Committee operates entirely independently from the Norwegian government.
In its announcement, the Nobel Committee stated that Machado met the criteria established by Alfred Nobel, “embodying the hope for a different future, where the fundamental rights of Venezuelans are heard.”
International
Sheinbaum: Urgent to restore access to towns cut off by heavy rains
Thousands of military personnel and civilians in Mexico worked tirelessly on Tuesday to clear roads blocked by the torrential rains of recent days, which have left more than 300 communities cut off across central and eastern regions of the country. Authorities also launched mass fumigation efforts in several affected areas to prevent the spread of dengue fever.
The official death toll remains at 64, though dozens of people are still missing. President Claudia Sheinbaumacknowledged that the government does not yet know the full situation in many of the isolated villages, which range in population from 500 to 1,000 inhabitants.
“The reopening of roads is one of the greatest urgencies,” Sheinbaum said. “It’s essential to guarantee air bridges, food supplies, clean water, and a proper census of the isolated communities so we can determine the condition of every person living there.”
Private construction companies are also assisting the effort with heavy machinery and technical support to help reopen highways and reconnect rural areas.
Armed forces target illegal mines in Northern Ecuador with bombing raids
Caracas shuts embassy in Oslo without explanation following Machado’s Nobel win
Sheinbaum: Urgent to restore access to towns cut off by heavy rains
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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