International
Biden’s campaign ignores criticism and affirms that he will return to the road soon

Despite the growing criticism about the suitability of the U.S. President, Joe Biden, to run for re-election, the president’s campaign continues to close ranks around the Democrat and this Saturday he assured that he will return to the road, as soon as he recovers from COVID-19.
“As soon as we have the green light, we will be back in the campaign” and the president “will continue to do so, as they have seen him do every day since the debate in Atlanta,” the campaign spokesman, Michael Tyler, said in a media call.
Biden is currently in isolation in his home in Delaware, after he tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday while campaigning in Nevada, a key state for the November elections.
According to the latest report by the president’s doctor, Kevin O’Connor, published on Friday, Biden has experienced a “significant” improvement although he continues with symptoms, especially dry cough and hoarseness.
All this while more and more Democrats in Congress are asking him to end his candidacy for next November’s elections. At least thirty have publicly asked Biden to retire.
Tyler did not take stock of the criticism this Saturday but assured that the president will return as soon as he can. He did not offer details about where he could reappear, but he explained that he will probably continue to focus on key states such as Nevada, Arizona, Georgia and North Carolina, as well as the so-called ‘blue wall’: Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan.
In the latter, in the town of Grand Rapids, former President Donald Trump (2017-2021) will offer a rally this Saturday, the first after the assassination attempt against him a week ago and also the first since he accepted the nomination this week at the Republican Party convention in Milwaukee (Wisconsin).
Trump will be accompanied by his vice president candidate, Ohio Senator J.D. Vance, at the first rally of the Republican presidential formula.
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.
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