International
Trump, meeting with the Prince of Wales: “He is doing a fantastic job”
The President-elect of the United States, Donald Trump, met this Saturday in Paris with the Prince of Wales, William, after both participated in the reopening ceremony of the Notre Dame Cathedral.
The meeting took place at the residence of the British ambassador in the French capital, where they greeted each other with a handshake and a brief “delighted to see him.” Then, they posed before the photographers while Trump commented: “Hello everyone, you are doing a fantastic job,” pointing at the prince with his thumb.
At another moment of the greeting, Trump described William, heir to the British throne, as “a good man,” according to a video published on the social network X by Margo Martin, deputy director of communications of the US leader, who worked with him during his first term (2017-2021).
Trump and the Prince of Wales at the reopening of Notre Dame
Trump, Guillermo and several heads of state and government attended the reopening ceremony of Notre Dame, invited by French President Emmanuel Macron.
Hours earlier, an official spokesman for Kensington Palace confirmed that William planned to meet with Trump, who will take power on January 20, 2025, as well as with the first lady of the United States, Jill Biden, also in Paris.
The last time the two coincided was in 2019, during a state visit by the then president to the United Kingdom.
Now, the president-elect of the United States, Donald Trump, returned this Saturday to the international scene with a trip to Paris, where he starred in a peculiar handshake with French President Emmanuel Macron, and that his supporters of the American right interpreted as an attempt to “dominate” him.
The gesture took place on the steps of the Elysée Palace. When he got out of his vehicle, Trump pulled Macron’s right hand tightly towards his body while they both hugged and shook hands firmly, shaking them vigorously.
Although both smiled at the photographers’ flashes, it seemed that they clung to each other with intensity.
Uncomfortabon moment causes furor in Trump’s followers
The episode unleashed the fury of some Trump supporters, who on social networks made it clear that they saw the actions of the president-elect as a deliberate attempt to intimidate Macron.
“That’s my president,” the user ‘Johnny Maga’ said in X, while Miranda Devine, columnist for the conservative newspaper New York Post, wrote: “He’s back!” Both messages were shared by Karoline Leavitt, appointed by Trump as his future spokesperson in the White House.
In addition to the comments on social networks, conservative media in the United States highlighted the gesture.
The New York Post tited: “Trump dominates Macron during a tense handshake in a meeting prior to the reopening of Notre Dame,” while the Fox network summarized what happened by pointing out how Trump had “dominated” world leaders in Paris.
Expectations of the meeting
The meeting between both leaders had raised great expectations, since this was Trump’s first trip abroad since his electoral victory on November 5, and Macron was the first European president he met with.
This is not, however, the first peculiar handshake between the two leaders.
In May 2017, when they met for the first time before the NATO summit in Brussels, both starred in a squeeze so firm that their knuckles turned white.
Subsequently, Macron confessed to a newspaper that that gesture was not “innocent” and that, for him, it had represented a “moment of truth” to make it clear to his American counterpart that he would not be intimidated.
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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