International

Guterres says that “the lack of protection of civilians in Gaza is inconceivable”

The UN Secretary General, António Guterres, condemned Wednesday’s attack on a school in Nuseirat (Gaza) that served as a refuge for the displaced and said that “the constant effective lack of protection of civilians in Gaza is inconceivable.”

Guterres issued a statement after details of the bombing against the school became known, which led to the death of 18 people, including women and children and six employees of the UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA).

He recalled that also in wars “civilians and the infrastructures on which they rely must be protected.”

Israel justifies attack on school in Gaza

The Israeli Army said that nine of the dead were members of Hamas – it gave their names and surnames -, and of them, three officially worked for UNRWA, an accusation that the agency said “was not in a position to comment or verify,” according to a spokesman for the agency briefly commented to EFE.

Regarding the Israeli version that the school served as a Hamas command center, Guterres demanded that the incident be investigated “independently and thoroughly,” although he did not announce that the UN will carry out that investigation.

In what also seems like a critical evening to Hamas – but does not mention it – Guterres “called on all parties to refrain from using schools, shelters or surrounding areas for military purposes.”

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The victims of UNRWA

With regard to the UNRWA deaths, the statement specifies that with them the number of members of this organization rises to 220 since the beginning of the war.

Israel has accused UNRWA of collusion with Hamas and has gone so far as to put the number of its agents who have double militancy in hundreds; however, it has never been able to prove it, and the UN has defended its agency as “the backbone of humanitarian work in Gaza” and has made it clear that its absence could not be covered by any other UN agency.

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.

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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.