International

Chilean President promises to prioritize social rights and security

Photo: @Presidencia_cl

June 1 |

The President of Chile, Gabriel Boric, declared today that his government’s roadmap in the next stage will have social rights, public safety and sustainable development as priorities.

During his second Public Account, from the seat of the National Congress in Valparaiso, the President mentioned some achievements of his administration, such as the increase in the minimum wage, the reduction of the working day and the elimination of health payments.

“But we must not be confident, nor relax in the fight against poverty”, said Boric, and called to move towards a country where equality of opportunities is effective, wage equality between men and women is achieved, and universal health and pensions are improved.

The dignitary insisted on the urgency of advancing in Parliament the Pension Reform, which seven months ago was presented in that instance and the vote on the project has not yet begun.

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He acknowledged that one of the great scourges of society is the so-called waiting list in hospitals, and reported that in the first year of his government, the time for surgery was reduced by 32.7 percent and the time for specialist consultations by 22 percent.

“This is a great advance, but it is not enough: half of the people still have to wait more than 330 days for surgery and more than 261 days to see a specialist,” he said.

Boric promised to reduce these times by 40 percent by the end of his term, for which additional resources are necessary, one more reason to insist on tax reform.

In his speech to the nation, the President admitted that he had to order his priorities in view of the degree of tensions presented by society, its fears and uncertainties, and the delay of the State in responding to them.

“We have made the fight against crime our first priority, allocating more resources for the police, creating the National Policy against Organized Crime and the Streets without Violence Plan, which is already making progress in reducing crime, dismantling gangs and seizing drugs and weapons,” he said.

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He stated that the State of Chile has been affected by this social pandemic for several years.

“It is hard to say it, but in terms of resources, technology and recruitment, crime, crime, drug and arms technology and recruitment, delinquency, drug trafficking and organized crime have modernized much faster than the state did to fight them and protect the population. to fight them and protect the population,” he said.

During the balance, the president reported that his administration increased the budget for security and order by 4.4 percent this year, the first increase after five years of stagnation.

In environmental matters, he mentioned the conclusion of an agreement for a marine protection corridor along the Pacific.

He added that in the coming weeks the Oceans Treaty will be deposited at the United Nations headquarters in New York after 16 years of discussion, and Chile presented its candidacy to become the world capital for its protection.

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International

Ecuador’s Noboa vows to continue “war” on criminal groups

Ecuador’s President Daniel Noboa said on Sunday that his government will continue the “war” against criminal organizations and warned that he will not yield to criminal gangs operating in the South American country.

During his state-of-the-nation address before the National Assembly, Noboa stated that criminal structures “will tire first” before his administration abandons its fight against violence and drug trafficking.

The president reaffirmed his hardline security strategy amid ongoing concerns over organized crime and drug-related violence in Ecuador.

International

Iran says agreement with U.S. to end Middle East conflict is in final stages

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Esmail Baqai, said Saturday that Tehran and the United States were in the “finalization phase” of a memorandum of understanding aimed at ending the conflict in the Middle East.

Speaking to Iranian state television Irib, Baqai explained that Iran had initially sought to draft a memorandum consisting of 14 clauses as part of the negotiations.

“We are currently in the phase of finalizing these memorandums of understanding,” he stated.

Shortly before Baqai’s remarks became public, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said there was “a possibility” that Iran could agree to a deal to end the conflict as early as Saturday.

“There is a possibility that later today, tomorrow, or within the next couple of days, we may have something to announce,” Rubio told reporters in New Delhi, adding that he hoped for “good news.”

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Despite acknowledging progress in the negotiations, the top U.S. diplomat warned that President Donald Trump could still decide to resume military strikes against Iran if talks fail to produce a final agreement.

International

WHO Warns Ebola Outbreak Is Spreading Rapidly in DR Congo

The World Health Organization on Friday raised the risk level of the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo from “high” to “very high,” the highest alert category used by the organization.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the outbreak is spreading rapidly across the country, particularly in the eastern provinces of North Kivu and South Kivu.

“The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is spreading rapidly,” Tedros stated during a press conference.

He explained that the WHO had previously classified the risk as high at both the national and regional levels, while maintaining a low risk assessment globally.

“We are now revising our risk assessment to classify it as very high at the national level, high at the regional level, and low at the global level,” he added.

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A WHO spokesperson told AFP that “very high” represents the organization’s highest risk category.

The outbreak has expanded across North Kivu and South Kivu, regions divided by the frontline between Congolese government forces and the armed group M23, which is reportedly backed by Rwanda and has seized large areas of territory since 2021.