International
Former Uruguayan President José Mujica, who has a gastrostomy, is operated on

The former president of Uruguay José Mujica was operated on this Saturday in the sanatorium where he was hospitalized, where he had a gatrostomy for feeding.
This was indicated in a press conference by his personal doctor, Raquel Pannone, who stressed that the procedure was carried out in the morning hours, its result was “excellent” and the former president is recovering accompanied by his wife, Lucía Topolansky.
“The situation, as I told you 48 hours ago, was to try to achieve oral feeding in the best conditions, with the right preparation. We tried to do it and the result was not entirely satisfactory,” said the doctor, who added that that led them to make the decision to climb a new step and do a gastrostomy for feeding.
What is the purpose of the intervention with former President Mujica?
“This gastrostomy allows us safe access for food and hydration, with a good flow and to be able to allow, while this happens, the esophagus can be repaired naturally. That’s what we bet on: to have it better nourished, well hydrated and give the esophagus time to fulfill the natural stages of recovery,” Pannone said.
He added that it is not known how long this process will take and that it will depend on its nature and evolution. He also added that when it ends, Mujica will return to a normal diet.
Meanwhile, the doctor explained, the former president will be fed with certain preparations or with foods with an adequate consistency.
“Progressively, we will continue to test oral tolerance and as soon as this is okay he will eat normally again,” Pannone reiterated, who added that Mujica will remain hospitalized for a few more days.
Boarding since Thursday
The former president who arrived this Thursday at a sanatorium in Montevideo, has been under rehydration due to the little liquid intake he was receiving.
This was explained that day by Pannone in a press conference in which he indicated that the former president has a fibrosis in the esophagus as a result of the radiotherapy treatment he received in that area, which generates difficulties in feeding.
“’Pepe’ is back in the sanatorium. The cause of the transfer to the sanatorium this time has to do with the fat that he was receiving very little liquid intake at home by oral route and he was not receiving enough food. That was the reason for moving it,” the doctor pointed out.
He added that he was tested and he began to be rehydrated intravenously.
Last week, the former president had already entered the sanatorium after having difficulties feeding himself due to the radiotherapy treatment he received months ago, as a result of a malignant tumor in the esophagus.
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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