International
Macron brings together European leaders and NATO in response to Trump’s plan for Ukraine
French President Emmanuel Macron meets this Monday in Paris with the main European leaders, the European Commission (EC) and NATO in response to the plan of US President Donald Trump to corner Europeans in an eventual peace process in Ukraine.
“The goal is to determine what Europeans can do for ourselves, taking into account the moment we live in Ukraine as a result of President Trump’s initiatives,” said an Elysee source.
Described as “informal” by the French presidency, the emergency meeting will bring together, in addition to the French host, the Heads of State and Government of Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, Poland, Spain, the Netherlands and Denmark.
The President of the European Council, António Costa, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the Secretary General of NATO, Mark Rutte, will also participate.
According to the Elysée, this meeting has been convened in a restricted way, with only eight European countries, for “practical” reasons, but the idea is that everyone involved “can participate” in future meetings.
The Paris event is held after the Munich Security Conference, in which Donald Trump’s government has confirmed its intention to leave Europeans aside in a possible peace process for Ukraine, three years after the Russian invasion.
Trump’s envoy for the war in Ukraine, General Keith Kellogg, argued for separating Europe from the negotiations, which would initially fall between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, who already had a first telephone conversation in the middle of this week.
This intention by Washington has made Europeans uncomfortable and worried, but also Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky himself, who would also be relegated to the background.
Among the participants of tomorrow’s meeting, Denmark is striking, which by GDP and population is not among the European powers.
However, Copenhagen is uneasy about Trump’s desire to take control of the island of Greenland, which is Danish territory.
The assistance of the United Kingdom, which ceased to be a member of the EU five years ago, has also surprised.
However, under the government of Labor Prime Minister Keir Starmer, London has approached Brussels and has moved away from its historical ally, the United States, especially since Trump joined the White House on January 20.
In fact, Starmer said he was prepared to move British troops to Ukraine to contribute to security guarantees in the Eastern European country.
Sweden has expressed itself in the same vein. Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard did not rule out that her country could send a military peace contingent to Ukraine to contribute to security guarantees in that country.
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
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Extension of the state of emergency approved in southern Chile
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