International
Argentine government denies dictatorship claims regarding télam closure, announces company plan
The Argentine government has refuted allegations linking the closure of the state news agency Télam to dictatorship tactics, asserting that the move is in line with President Javier Milei’s campaign promises and announcing forthcoming plans for the company.
During a regular press briefing at the Casa Rosada (government headquarters), presidential spokesperson Manuel Adorni addressed concerns about the initial steps taken towards Télam’s closure, including police cordoning off its offices and blocking its website. Adorni emphasized that the closure “is not part of a dictatorship,” stating that it solely aligns with the president’s campaign pledges.
“The closure of Télam has nothing to do with media pluralism or press freedom issues; it is merely fulfilling what the president promised during his campaign. The president has now ordered its execution. There is not much more to add,” remarked the spokesperson.
The Plan for Télam
Adorni revealed that Télam incurred losses of 20,000 million pesos (approximately 24 million dollars at the current official exchange rate) this year. He announced that this week, “the Government’s plan for the closure of the company and the fate of its workers will be unveiled.”
He stated that “technical teams are analyzing different alternatives,” indicating uncertainty about whether the closure of the state media outlet “is a matter that should or should not go through Congress.”
As depicted by the official account of the workers’ assembly (Somos Télam) on the social media platform X, Télam’s premises were cordoned off at midnight on Sunday, while union delegates were present, describing it as “an attack on freedom of expression.”
Adorni suggested that the police presence was likely intended “to prevent any confusion” and ensure “security and assurance that no one who should not be there” was present, unrelated to the government or Télam.
Similarly, the agency’s website displays the national emblem and the message “page under reconstruction.”
All national and international media accredited for Monday’s press conference addressed the closure of the agency founded in 1945, which employs 700 workers and was intervened by the government on February 5th, along with other state media outlets, and signed a manifesto in support of its employees.
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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