Massive car accident in Modena leaves eight injured, four seriously

Egyptian security forces detained hundreds of people, including foreigners, on the border with Sudan on accusations of illegal gold mining and smuggling. This was reported by the army on Monday.

Operational in the south

The southern region of Egypt is home to rich gold mines. The government has promoted large projects, such as the Sukari megaproject. The military statement indicated that the detainees total 87 Egyptians and 136 foreigners, without specifying nationalities. Additionally, “large quantities of equipment used in illegal mining operations” were seized.

The area borders Sudan, also rich in gold. The three-year armed conflict in that country has left much of mining unregulated. According to a 2024 report by a UN panel of experts, more than 50% of the gold mined in Sudan was smuggled out. Gold represents 70% of Sudanese income.

Videos on the internet showed hundreds of Sudanese at a border crossing. Sudanese media reported that they were miners detained and expelled by Egypt. Gold has been central to the Sudanese conflict: the paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces has trafficked tons from Darfur and Kordofan to finance itself.

The Egyptian military claimed that several suspected miners surrendered to authorities and were sent back to their country. He did not give further details about the nationalities. He also warned that he “reserves all available options to address all threats.”

Post-election tension in Colombia

The conservative Abelardo de la Espriella declared himself the winner of the second presidential round in Colombia. With 99.98% of the tables counted, he obtained 49.66% of the votes, compared to 48.70% for Senator Iván Cepeda. The difference exceeds 250,000 votes.

“The Colombian people have entrusted me with the supreme honor of serving as their next president,” De la Espriella said before thousands of supporters in Barranquilla. He promised to protect the freedoms and rights of everyone, even those who did not vote for him.

Cepeda asked to wait for the final scrutiny. “The pre-count is neither official nor binding,” he said, and anticipated that his party will challenge 33,000 tables throughout the country. The outgoing president Gustavo Petro wrote in X: “No one can be proclaimed president. It is the scrutiny that determines who is the president.”

De la Espriella responded: “To Mr. Petro and his heir I say: respect the will of the people of Colombia. Refrain from unleashing a social fire… pack your bags and prepare to exercise opposition.”

The 47-year-old candidate, nicknamed “El Tigre,” is a lawyer and businessman who made his fortune in wine, rum and clothing. Without political experience, he promises to take a tough line against armed groups and build mega prisons in the style of El Salvador. He was born in Bogotá but grew up on the Caribbean coast; He lived in Italy until before the campaign.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio congratulated him as “president-elect” and said he hoped to work on regional security and reduce irregular migration.

Election day passed with high participation of more than 41 million eligible voters. Violence remains the main concern: last year 14,780 homicides were recorded, the highest number since 2015, and extortion doubled in a decade.

The saleswoman Yolanda Hernández, who voted for Petro in 2022, now opted for De la Espriella: “We want there to be a change in Colombia because it is always the same violence, always everything the same.”

The electoral judges will carry out the final count in the coming days. The country awaits the official result in the midst of a polarized environment.

Ramiro Valdés, the last commander of the Cuban Revolution, dies

Ramiro Valdés Menéndez, commander of the Cuban Revolution and figure close to Fidel and Raúl Castro, died this Sunday at the age of 94. This was confirmed by the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC) and the island’s government in an official statement. No details were offered about the causes of death nor was it reported how the funeral will be.

“Ramiro Valdés Menéndez is deserving of the respect and admiration of the people of Cuba for his dedication and proven loyalty to the revolutionary cause,” said the note published in Cubadebate.

Valdés was part of the group that assaulted the Moncada Barracks in 1953, the act that began the armed struggle against Fulgencio Batista. He then fought under the command of Che Guevara and received the honorary title of Commander of the Revolution. He was also declared “Hero of the Republic of Cuba.”

He held senior positions in the government, including the Ministry of the Interior, but in 1986 he stepped down from power after an argument with Fidel Castro. He remained away from public life for 17 years. In 2003 he returned to the Council of State. In 2006, Raúl Castro appointed him Minister of Information Technology and Communications, despite being over 70 years old. In 2011 he became number three in the PCC, only behind Raúl and José Ramón Machado Ventura. In 2019 he became Deputy Prime Minister, a position created by the new Constitution.

Known for his critical stance towards the Internet, in 2007 he stated: “The wild horse can and must be dominated, and infocommunications, put to work for peace and development.” He rarely appeared in public and never spoke to the press.

President Miguel Díaz-Canel reacted on social networks: “The physical departure of the commander of the Revolution, Ramiro Valdés Menéndez, hurts deeply, like that of a father. That is how I always loved and respected him. This is how I will remember his support and advice, his discreet collaboration and exemplary dedication to the service of the Homeland.”