International
A U.S. media manager says he favored Trump to help him in his 2016 campaign
A director of a media outlet that testifies in the trial against Donald Trump, named David Pecker, said on Tuesday in a court in New York that he favored the campaign of the then Republican candidate in 2016 after an agreement that, according to the Prosecutor’s Office, was part of a “criminal structure” to corrupt the elections.
The former US president, present in the courtroom, is criminally accused of falsifying accounting records to buy the silence of the porn actress Stormy Daniels and that an alleged love affair between the two did not come to light that would have put in check his promotion to the White House eight years ago.
According to the Manhattan Prosecutor’s Office, the work of Pecker – former editor of the tabloid The National Enquirer – contributed to the plot by buying the publication rights of two other extramarital stories – an alleged ‘affair’ with model Karen McDougal and a false illegitimate son of Trump – to leave them stored in a drawer and thus protect the candidacy of the Republican politician.
A strategy known in English as ‘catch and kill’, which he applied after paying $150,000 to McDougal and $30,000 to the man who claimed to have the exclusive of Trump’s alleged unrecognized offspring, revealed Pecker.
“I made the decision to buy the story (of the alleged illegitimate son) due to the possible embarrassment it would mean for the campaign and for Mr. Trump,” he clarified.
Shortly before, the former American media magnate had explained that they also harmed the former ruler’s political rivals.
“What I had to do was publish positive stories about Mr. Trump and publish negative stories about his opponents,” Pecker, the first witness to testify at the trial, who was called by the Prosecutor’s Office after finishing the initial allegations, confirmed with a calm attitude.
Prosecutors argued on Monday that this “conspiracy,” in which Michael Cohen – former lawyer of the former president of the United States – was forged with a meeting at the Trump Tower in 2015.
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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