International
Rutte and Trump discussed in Florida the issues of “global security” facing NATO
The Secretary General of NATO, Mark Rutte, and the President-elect of the United States, Donald Trump, met on Friday in Florida (USA) and addressed a “range” of issues on “global security”, the Alliance reported on Saturday.
The meeting took place in “Palm Beach, Florida, on Friday (November 22)” and “discussed the range of global security problems facing the Alliance,” NATO said on its website.
“The secretary general and his team also met with Congressman Mike Waltz and members of the president-elect’s national security team,” the Alliance added in a brief statement accompanied by a photo of Rutte and Trump smiling very much.
Last week, the US president-elect appointed Waltz, a Republican congressman for Florida, as a future national security adviser, and then stressed that he is an expert in “threats from China, Russia, Iran and global terrorism.” “He will be a tremendous champion in our search for peace through force,” he said when announcing his appointment.
Pre-appointment meeting of Trump
Rutte flew to Florida on a government plane from the Netherlands to meet with the future US president, Dutch media announced on Friday.
Rutte, former Dutch minister, used an aircraft of the Dutch government to fly to Palm Beach airport, near Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort, according to public television NOS.
NATO is responsible for the costs of the flight, since the Alliance does not have its own aircraft for the Secretary-General’s travel and regularly uses Member State aircraft for travel.
The reason for the trip was to hold a meeting with Trump, who was very critical of the Atlantic Alliance during his first term, and who will take office as the new president of the United States at the end of January.
The head of NATO previously mentioned that he had exchanged text messages with the Republican and assured that, during his first term, when Rutte was Dutch prime minister, the cooperation between the two “was positive.”
Trump, who already ruled the country between 2017 and 2021, was during his first term very critical of NATO and criticized his partners in the Atlantic Alliance who do not allocate enough money to collective defense.
During the last election campaign, he even suggested that he would encourage Russia to do what it wanted with European countries that do not increase their defense spending and, in addition, questioned the sending of US military aid to Ukraine.
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
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