International
Trump links Mike Johnson’s re-election to meeting his budget requirements
The president-elect of the United States, Donald Trump, linked on Thursday the re-election of Republican Mike Johnson as president of the House of Representatives to his compliance with his demands on the budget package and the debt ceiling.
“If the Speaker of the House acts decisively and firmly and gets rid of all the traps that the Democrats are setting for him, which would economically destroy our country, he will easily remain president,” Trump told Fox News Digital.
Trump has a huge influence on the Republican majority in Congress and could thwart Mike Johnson’s plans to continue presiding over the Lower House for the new legislature that will begin on January 3.
The president-elect, who will be invested on January 20, overturned on Wednesday the agreement reached by the Republican majority of the House of Representatives and the Democratic majority of the Senate to provide the Government with new funds and avoid an administrative closure before Saturday.
Trump and his ally, tycoon Elon Musk, in charge of cutting the next government’s spending on bureaucracy, oppose several budget provisions and demand the abolition of the debt ceiling.
Threat of government closure
The White House, through its spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre, accused Trump and his vice president, J.D. Vance, of “ordering the Republicans to close the Government” with their “threat”, said that “basic services” are in danger and demanded that conservative legislators “emay their word.”
The partial budget provides funds to the Government from midnight on Friday to Saturday, when the current ones expire, until March 14, with Trump already installed in the White House.
Trump pointed out some of the provisions that conservatives do not consider essential for the functioning of the Executive and that have generated rejection, such as a salary increase for legislators.
More than $100 billion in aid for victims of Hurricanes Helene and Milton or nearly $10 billion in support for farmers is also in question.
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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