International
Ecuador to resume impeachment proceedings against former president Lasso
November 29 |
Ecuador’s National Assembly will resume this Wednesday the impeachment trial against former president Guillermo Lasso (2021-2023), for alleged corruption in the public sector, according to the call issued for the plenary session of the Legislative.
The summons, signed by the president of the Parliament, will be this Wednesday at 16.00 local time (21:00 GMT), to deal with an item on the agenda.
In addition, it states that, “Impeachment against the constitutional president of the Republic, Guillermo Alberto Santiago Lasso Mendoza, as established in Article 93 of the Organic Law of the Legislative Function and in accordance with Resolution RL-2021-2023-162”.
This process was left for a vote on May 16, after the then president Guillermo Lasso exercised his defense and the interpellants presented their evidence.
One day later, Lasso gave way to the “death cross” to dissolve the National Assembly and ordered to call for early elections, the second round of which took place on October 15 of this year.
Pamela Aguirre, president of the Political Control and Control Commission, explained to local media that in the plenary of the National Assembly there is still the interpellant Viviana Veloz, who will take up the arguments and continue the debate, where some assembly members will intervene.
Legislator Veloz, from the Citizen Revolutionary Party, was one of those who filed the charges against the then president in the previous Legislature.
Lasso was subjected to an impeachment process for irregularities in a contract, renewed during his administration, for the transportation of Ecuadorian oil, with a damage to the State for US$ 6.1 million.
The former president “will exercise his right to defense, arguing before the plenary of the National Assembly on the accusations against him”, according to Ecuadorian law.
International
Floods in Central Vietnam leave 28 dead, thousands displaced
The death toll from heavy rains and flooding in central Vietnam has risen to 28, with six people reported missing and 43 injured, local newspaper VnExpress reported Friday night.
More than 22,100 homes remain flooded, primarily in the cities of Hue and Da Nang. Floods and landslides have destroyed or swept away 91 houses and damaged another 181, the report added.
Around 245,000 households are still without electricity, particularly in Da Nang, where over 225,000 homes are affected.
Additionally, 80 stretches of national highways are blocked or disrupted due to landslides. Authorities expect the flooding to continue for another day or two in the region.
International
FBI foils ISIS-Inspired attack in Michigan, arrests five teens
Kash Patel did not provide further details, but police sources told CBS News that the potential attack was “inspired” by the Islamic State (ISIS).
“This morning, the FBI thwarted a potential terrorist attack and arrested several individuals in Michigan who were allegedly planning a violent attack during the Halloween weekend,” Patel wrote on X.
“Thanks to swift action and close coordination with our local partners, a possible terrorist act was prevented before it could be carried out,” he added.
CBS reported that five people between the ages of 16 and 20 were arrested on Friday. At least one of them was reportedly acquainted with a former member of the Michigan National Guard, who was arrested in May for plotting an ISIS-inspired attack on a U.S. military facility in the Detroit suburbs.
International
U.S. warns China over Taiwan during high-level defense talks in Kuala Lumpur
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth expressed concerns over China’s growing military activity near Taiwan during a meeting on Friday with Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun in Kuala Lumpur.
“It was a constructive and positive meeting,” Hegseth wrote on X. “I emphasized the importance of maintaining a balance of power in the Indo-Pacific and raised U.S. concerns about China’s actions around Taiwan,” the self-governed island that Beijing claims and does not rule out invading.
The meeting took place on the sidelines of the ASEAN Defense Ministers Meeting-Plus, one day after U.S. President Donald Trump met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Busan, South Korea. According to Trump, Taiwan was not discussed during their talks.
“The United States does not seek conflict and will continue to firmly defend its interests, ensuring it maintains the capability to do so in the region,” Hegseth added in his message.
Friday’s encounter followed a September 9 video call between Hegseth and Dong. Their previously planned meeting at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore was canceled due to Dong’s absence from the event.
Trump’s sit-down with Xi — their first since 2019 — resulted in some trade agreements but avoided addressing the issue of Taiwan, a long-standing source of tension between the world’s two largest powers.
Trump has taken a more ambiguous stance on Taiwan’s future compared with former President Joe Biden, who repeatedly stated that Washington would support Taipei if China launched an invasion. The Republican president has also criticized Taiwan for “stealing” the U.S. semiconductor industry.
Floods in Central Vietnam leave 28 dead, thousands displaced
FBI foils ISIS-Inspired attack in Michigan, arrests five teens
U.S. warns China over Taiwan during high-level defense talks in Kuala Lumpur
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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