International
A judge orders the Trump Government to restore Voice of America services
A US federal judge ordered this Tuesday to the government of President Donald Trump to restore the services of the government-funded media, Voice of America (VOA), which for more than 80 years provided information.
In his decision, Judge Royce Lamberth of the District of Columbia said that the dismantling of the American Global Media Agency (USAGM), which finances VOA and other media, was probably illegal and violated the Constitution.
“The government’s reluctance to spend funds in accordance with the congressional allocation laws constitutes a direct affront to the legislative power,” said the magistrate.
In the 37-page ruling, the judge said that the Trump Administration’s decision on the USAGM was “arbitrary and capricious.”
The US Executive must immediately return the work to all VOA employees and contractors. It must also defrost the financing of other affiliated networks, such as Radio Free Asia and Middle East Broadcasting Networks.
VOA’s programming must be restored and all the functions of USAGM so that its international media can “offer consistently reliable, reliable, accurate, objective and complete news,” the judge’s order states.
The organization had an annual budget of approximately 270 million dollars, had more than 2,000 employees, and broadcast in 49 languages. Its weekly audience exceeded more than 361 million people, according to The New York Times.
Trump has been very critical of this agency since his first term (2017 – 2021) and last March he signed the executive order that asked the directors of the agencies to eliminate all functions that are not legally established and reduce “the performance of their statutory functions and the associated personnel to the minimum required by law.”
“This order continues the reduction of elements of the federal bureaucracy that the president has determined to be unnecessary,” notes the edict signed on March 14 by the US president.
In this sense, Judge Lamberth has said that the dismantling of USAGM and its dependencies has even violated Trump’s own order.
“They took immediate and drastic measures to cut drastically… without considering their legal or constitutional functions, as required by the clear language of the Executive Order, and without considering the damage inflicted on employees, contractors, journalists and media consumers around the world,” the ruling stressed.
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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