International
Macron: France will accompany Morocco in the defense of its autonomy plan for the Sahara
French President Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday that his country will accompany Morocco in international bodies to defend the autonomy plan proposed by Rabat in 2007 as a solution to the Western Sahara conflict.
“Anchored in history, respectful of reality and promising for the future. This position is what France will implement to accompany Morocco in international instances,” Macron said in a speech delivered before the two chambers of the Moroccan Parliament on the second day of his state visit to Morocco.
The only basis for resolving the Sahara conflict
Macron again defended “autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty” as the “only basis” to resolve the conflict of the former Spanish colony, words that provoked the applause of the parliamentarians, who stood in the hemicycle.
“I reaffirm it here before you: for France, the present and future of this territory is part of the framework of Moroccan sovereignty,” said Macron, who recalled the letter he sent to King Mohamed VI on July 30 in which he expressed France’s new vision regarding this conflict.
Macron said that Morocco and France are “faithful allies in murky times” and said that his country “has never failed Morocco in all the existential issues it faces.”
According to the French president, at the head of these issues is the conflict of the former Spanish colony, administered 80% by Morocco and whose sovereignty is disputed by the Saharawi independence fighters of the Polisario Front.
Macron: we have decided to write a new book
The French president specified that France’s new position on the Sahara “is not hostile to anyone” but “allows us to open a new page among us as with all those who want to act in a framework of regional cooperation in the Mediterranean with the neighboring countries of Morocco and with the European Union.”
Macron said that he has agreed with King Mohamed VI to “write a new book together” in their bilateral relationship to face “the challenges of the century,” a “historical opportunity and a strategic duty” for both countries.
His state visit to Morocco puts an end to almost three years of diplomatic crisis and one of its high points has been the speech before parliamentarians, in which also the phenomenon of irregular immigration and the need for a “natural and fluid cooperation in consular material.
“This is a matter of mutual trust,” he said, and emphasized that “for many French people it is one of the most important expectations,” so he indicated that “results” are needed.
International
Chile declares state of catastrophe as wildfires rage in Ñuble and Biobío
Wildland firefighting crews are battling 19 forest fires across the country, 12 of them concentrated in the Ñuble and Biobío regions, located about 500 kilometers south of Santiago.
“In light of the severe fires currently underway, I have decided to declare a state of catastrophe in the regions of Ñuble and Biobío. All resources are now available,” the president announced in a post on X.
Authorities have not yet released an official report on possible casualties or damage to homes.
According to images broadcast by local television, the fires have reached populated areas, particularly in the municipalities of Penco and Lirquén, in the Biobío region, which together are home to nearly 60,000 people. Burned vehicles were also reported on several streets.
“The Penco area and the entire Lirquén sector are the most critical zones and where the largest number of evacuations have taken place. We estimate that around 20,000 people have been evacuated,” said Alicia Cebrián, director of the National Disaster Prevention and Response Service (Senapred), in an interview with Mega TV.
In recent years, forest fires have had a severe impact on the country, especially in the central-southern regions.
On February 2, 2024, multiple wildfires broke out simultaneously around the city of Viña del Mar, located 110 kilometers northwest of Santiago. Those fires resulted in 138 deaths, according to updated figures from the public prosecutor’s office, and left approximately 16,000 people affected, based on official data.
International
Former South Korean President Yoon sentenced to five years in prison
Former South Korean president Yoon Suk-yeol was sentenced on Friday to five years in prison for obstruction of justice and other charges, concluding the first in a series of trials stemming from his failed attempt to impose martial law in December 2024.
The sentence is shorter than the 10-year prison term sought by prosecutors against the 65-year-old conservative former leader, whose move against Parliament triggered a major political crisis that ultimately led to his removal from office.
Yoon, a former prosecutor, is still facing seven additional trials. One of them, on charges of insurrection, could potentially result in the death penalty.
On Friday, the Seoul Central District Court ruled on one of the multiple secondary cases linked to the affair, which plunged the country into months of mass protests and political instability.
International
U.S. deportation flight returns venezuelans to Caracas after Maduro’s ouster
A new flight carrying 231 Venezuelans deported from the United States arrived on Friday at the airport serving Caracas, marking the first such arrival since the military operation that ousted and captured President Nicolás Maduro.
On January 3, U.S. forces bombed the Venezuelan capital during an incursion in which Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were captured. Both are now facing narcotrafficking charges in New York.
This was the first U.S.-flagged aircraft transporting migrants to land in Venezuela since the military action ordered by President Donald Trump, who has stated that he is now in charge of the country.
The aircraft departed from Phoenix, Arizona, and landed at Maiquetía International Airport, which serves the Venezuelan capital, at around 10:30 a.m. local time (14:30 GMT), according to AFP reporters on the ground.
The deportees arrived in Venezuela under a repatriation program that remained in place even during the height of the crisis between the two countries, when Maduro was still in power. U.S. planes carrying undocumented Venezuelan migrants continued to arrive throughout last year, despite the military deployment ordered by Trump.
Guatemala prison uprisings leave 46 guards held by gangs
Chile declares state of catastrophe as wildfires rage in Ñuble and Biobío
Former South Korean President Yoon sentenced to five years in prison
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
-
International5 days agoColombian Defense Chief Meets U.S. Officials to Advance Bilateral Narcotics Strategy
-
International4 days agoUkraine declares nationwide energy emergency amid russian attacks and extreme cold
-
Central America4 days agoBukele warns crime can become a ‘parallel government’ during visit to Costa Rica
-
International4 days agoIran closes airspace amid U.S. threats and deadly nationwide protests
-
International2 days agoU.S. deportation flight returns venezuelans to Caracas after Maduro’s ouster
-
International4 days agoX moves to block Grok from creating sexualized images of real people amid legal scrutiny
-
International4 days agoHillary Clinton skips Epstein inquiry as house panel threatens contempt charges
-
International4 days agoFrance joins Denmark’s ‘Operation Arctic Resistance’ in Greenland amid U.S. tensions
-
International4 days agoU.S.–Denmark tensions escalate as Trump pushes NATO to back U.S. claim on Greenland
-
International4 days agoUK Intelligence estimates russian casualties in Ukraine at over 1.2 million
-
International5 days agoPeruvian Court Orders Definitive Dismissal of Money Laundering Case Against Keiko Fujimori
-
International2 days agoCanada accuses Iran of killing its citizen during anti-government unrest
-
International4 days agoSwiss Canton of Valais Grants Emergency Aid to Victims of Crans-Montana Bar Tragedy
-
International2 days agoSheinbaum highlights anti-drug gains after U.S. says challenges remain
-
Central America11 hours agoGuatemala prison uprisings leave 46 guards held by gangs
-
International4 days agoU.S. to suspend visa processing for applicants from 75 countries
-
International2 days agoFormer South Korean President Yoon sentenced to five years in prison
-
International12 hours agoChile declares state of catastrophe as wildfires rage in Ñuble and Biobío