NewsMexico swears in the first female president amid a wave of reforms. Hurricane Helena claims lives. This is what happened in the news overnight
Mexico swears in the first female president amid a wave of reforms. Hurricane Helena claims lives. This is what happened in the news overnight
It happened while you were sleeping. Here's what global agencies reported during the night from Tuesday to Wednesday.
- Claudia Sheinbaum was formally sworn in as president of Mexico, becoming the first woman in the over 200-year history of the republic. She announced the strengthening of women's rights and assured that Mexico would remain a safe place for foreign investments. The 62-year-old Sheinbaum comes from the left-wing Morena party and is an ally of outgoing president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who ended his six-year term with a high 68% public approval rating, linked to the expansion of social programs.
- According to Homeland Security Advisor Liz Sherwood-Randall, the death toll from Hurricane Helena could reach up to 600. As of the latest media reports on Tuesday, authorities confirmed the death of 160 people. "The current data we have is that it looks like there could be as many as 600 lost lives, but we do not have any confirmation of that. We know there are at least 600 who are lost or unaccounted for," Sherwood-Randall declared. Entire communities are underwater in the western part of North Carolina, and at least 57 people have died in Buncombe County.
- Combat air force units equipped with anti-aircraft missiles have been deployed in Latgale, near the border with Belarus and Russia. Defence Minister Andris Spruds reported on Tuesday evening that a special radar for detecting drones has also been installed. Authorities have strengthened the air defence of the eastern border after an incident with an armed Russian drone that flew into Latvian airspace from Belarus and crashed several kilometres from the border in early September.
