International
Harris distances himself from Biden for having called Trump’s followers “trash”
The Democratic candidate for the White House, Vice President Kamala Harris, dismated herself this Wednesday from the controversy unleashed by US President Joe Biden by calling the supporters of the Republican candidate, former President Donald Trump, “trash” for the racist joke about Puerto Ricans.
“I totally disagree with any criticism of people based on who they vote for,” the vice president told the press from the Andrews air base, on the outskirts of the capital.
Although Harris pointed out that Biden has already “clarified his comments,” the Democratic candidate repudiated any speech that divides society and reiterated the message of national unity she expressed on Tuesday night in a massive electoral rally in front of the White House.
“In the work I do I try to represent all people, whether they support me or not, and as president of the United States I will be the president of all Americans, whether they voted for me or not,” she said.
Controversy after controversy
Biden made the controversial comment on Tuesday night during an interview with CNN in which he defended Puerto Rico after a comedian described it as a “floating island of garbage” during Trump’s big electoral rally at Madison Square Garden in New York.
“Well, let me tell you something. (…) The only garbage I see floating around are his followers. His demonization is excessive and anti-American. It is totally contrary to everything we have done,” said the president, who in July resigned from running for re-election and passed the baton to Harris.
Biden’s words provoked rejection by both Trump and Republican Party politicians.
“He really doesn’t know what he said. It’s something terrible, terrible, but he really doesn’t know,” Trump replied at a rally in Allentown, a Latin-majority town in Pennsylvania.
Biden assures that he was not referring to Trump’s followers
The president rectified his comments on social networks, claiming that he was referring to the “hateful rhetoric” of comedian Tony Hinchcliffe in New York.
“I said it was garbage, the only word I find to describe it,” the president wrote. “The comments at that rally do not really reflect what we are as a country,” he added.
Likewise, the White House modified the transcript of the interview to point out that the president actually called Hinchcliffe’s words “trash” and not Trump’s followers.
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.
Mexican government prioritizes 191 communities after deadly floods
New road and bridge explosions raise alarm amid indigenous protests in Ecuador
Armed forces target illegal mines in Northern Ecuador with bombing raids
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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