International
Pope Francis: ‘We are destroying the world with war’
“We are destroying the world” with war, Pope Francis declared this Tuesday in a message broadcast during the closing of the Sant’Egidio peace forum held in Paris.
“I make their cry, and that of many people affected by war, my own, and I direct it to political leaders: Stop the war! Stop the wars!” urged the Argentine pontiff in his text, which was read during a ceremony in front of Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris.
“We are already destroying the world. Let us stop while there is still time!” he exhorted.
“We must pray for peace” in the face of “the risk that many conflicts, instead of ending, may dangerously expand,” the pope insisted.
His message was read during the closing ceremony of the 38th “International Meeting for Peace” by Sant’Egidio, a Catholic community close to the Vatican, which since Sunday had brought together in Paris dozens of religious dignitaries, experts, cultural figures, civil society leaders, and politicians.
Founded in 1968, the Sant’Egidio community, present in more than 70 countries, has become one of the channels for the Vatican’s “backdoor diplomacy” and has been particularly active in Africa and Latin America.
“May this gathering inspire all believers to rediscover the vocation of fostering fraternity among peoples today,” Pope Francis, also known as Jorge Bergoglio, remarked.
“Too often in the past, religions have been used to fuel conflicts and wars, a danger that still lurks today,” warned the pope.
Religions must not “become instruments to fuel nationalisms, ethnicisms, populisms,” Francis insisted. “Woe to those who try to drag God into taking sides in wars!” he added.
During the event, a minute of silence was observed for the victims of wars, and religious leaders lit candles.
A survivor of World War II, Gilberte Fournier, 93, urged that “the memory of the great evil, the great defeat of humanity that is war,” must not be lost.
The Sant’Egidio community also made a “call for peace” to demand “a radical change […] from political leaders, warlords, and all peoples” to prevent leaving future generations with “a world destroyed by war and ecological crisis.”
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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