International
Polling stations close in half of the US states, including Pennsylvania
The polling stations of half of the US states have already closed at 20.00 local time (01.00 GMT), including Pennsylvania, the hinge state that grants the most compromises for the Electoral College and of which the results are not yet known.
Polling stations in Pennsylvania closed at 8:00 p.m. local time (01.00 GMT), although in Cambria County, a Trump bastion, they will remain open until 10:00 p.m. local time (03.00 GMT on Wednesday) due to problems with counting machines.
That state, where there are 19 compromises, is the most important of the seven keys that will determine the outcome of the presidential elections.
Counting in the US elections.
The closure of polling stations in Pennsylvania marks the beginning of the vote count, since state legislation establishes that ballots, both those deposited at the polls and those sent by mail, cannot be counted until the end of election day.
This regulation could significantly delay the vote counting process and delay the announcement of the results beyond tonight.
Most of the eyes are on this and six other hinge states that are called to decide today’s elections, of which Georgia and North Carolina have also closed, with 16 compromises each.
They also closed at that time in Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee and the District of Columbia.
In the previous two hours, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, South Carolina, Vermont, Virginia, North Carolina, West Virginia and Ohio did it.
At 03.00 GMT on Wednesday the schools in Montana, Nevada and Utah will end their day, while at 04.00 GMT on Wednesday they will do so on the west coast (California, Oregon, Washington and Idaho).
2020 Elections
The results of most states will soon arrive, but in the key states, predictably very tight, it can take several hours or even days to project a winner.
That can generate a situation similar to that of the last 2020 elections, when the winner was not known until four days later.
Americans do not decide by popular vote who will be their next president, but they designate a number of voters in each state who make up the Electoral College and who are responsible for electing the next tenant of the White House.
The Electoral College has 538 compromises and, to win, Trump or Harris need at least a majority of 270.
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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