International
North Korea hosts a grand ceremony for the 30th anniversary of Kim Il-sung’s death
The North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, presided over a massive ceremony in Pyongyang on Monday on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the death of his grandfather, Kim Il-sung, the country’s founder, state media reported.
The event, which was attended by thousands of people, took place in Kim Il-sung Square in Pyongyang, the scene of the great celebrations and commemorations of the North Korean regime.
“The place was filled with ardent longing and deep mourning for President Kim Il-sung, the great revolutionary, the great man and the benevolent father, who gave himself to the homeland and the people, to socialism and the sacred cause of independence on a global scale for more than 70 years,” says an article about the event published today by the KCNA agency.
Kim Jong-un, who previously visited the Palace of the Sun of Kumsusan in Pyongyang to pay tribute to the embalmed remains of his grandfather and father, presided over the ceremony from the tribune located in front of the Great Palace of People’s Studies, from which Kim Il-sung Square is overlooked.
It was flanked by the four members of the Presidium of the Single Party Politburo, Kim Tok-hun, Jo Yong-won, Choe Ryong-hae and Ri Pyong-chol.
In the box you could also see the leader’s sister, Kim Yo-jong, who is deputy director of the Department of Propaganda and Agitation of the Workers’ Party.
After a minute of silence, it was his direct superior, Ri Il-hwan, director of the aforementioned department, who gave a speech entitled “The sacred revolutionary feats of the great leader comrade Kim Il-sung will be eternal,” in which the work of the founder of the country was praised and emphasis was placed on the work of Kim Jong-un to keep his legacy alive.
The event concluded with a salvo and with the well-known hymn “The song of General Kim Il-sung.”
The founder of North Korea died on July 7, 1994 at the age of 82 from heart failure.
With the support of the Soviet Union he became the first leader of the country after the end of World War II and over five decades he managed to impose himself over other factions and place his son Kim Jong-il (father of the current leader) as his successor.
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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