International
Venezuela reporta primeros siete casos de ómicron
AFP/Redacción
Venezuela detectó los siete primeros casos de la variante ómicron del coronavirus, anunció este miércoles el presidente Nicolás Maduro.
“Detectaron los primeros siete casos de ómicrón en Venezuela (…). Era inevitable”, dijo Maduro.
El mandatario socialista informó que los casos fueron identificados en Caracas y el vecino estado Miranda (centro), así como en Lara (oeste), con viajeros que regresaban a Venezuela.
Llegaron en distintos vuelos desde la semana pasada, procedentes desde Panamá, República Dominicana y España -vía Turquía-, expresó Maduro en un acto transmitido por la televisión estatal.
Ómicron, reportada por primera vez por Sudáfrica el pasado 24 de noviembre, se transmite más fácilmente que las variantes anteriores, pero también causaría síntomas más leves, según la Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS).
“Estos primeros casos nos ponen en alerta máxima” para “reforzar las medidas de prevención y bioseguridad”, expresó la ministra de Ciencia y Tecnología, Gabriela Jiménez.
Ya la variante ómicron había sido reportada en varios países de América Latina como Argentina, Brasil, Chile, Colombia, México y Panamá.
Según el gobierno de Maduro, 87% de la población de Venezuela ha sido vacunada contra el covid-19, aunque cifras de la Organización Panamericana de la Salud (OPS) indican que solo alrededor de 36% de los habitantes han recibido dos dosis.
De acuerdo con las cifras oficiales, puestas en duda por organizaciones como Human Rights Watch por considerar que esconden un elevado subregistro, esta nación de 30 millones de habitantes registraba hasta el martes 442.178 casos de covid-19 y 5.299 muertes.
International
Sexual assault attempt on Mexico’s president sparks outrage in historic center
A man harassed and groped Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum without her consent on Tuesday while she walked through Mexico City’s historic center, just meters from the National Palace, greeting members of the public.
The man, who appeared to be intoxicated, attempted to kiss the president from behind before grabbing her. Security personnel immediately intervened and detained him, with video footage showing Sheinbaum visibly tense following the incident.
Sheinbaum was on her way to the first National Meeting of Universities and Higher Education Institutions at the Education Secretariat headquarters, located just a few blocks from the palace. She chose to walk to the event due to the short distance.
During the stroll, in one of the busiest parts of the capital, the man took advantage of the crowd surrounding the president, approaching her from behind, trying to kiss her neck and placing his arms around her.
Hours later, federal authorities confirmed that the suspect — identified as Uriel Rivera Martínez — had been arrested and taken to the Mexico City Prosecutor’s Office for Sexual Crimes, according to the National Detention Registry.
Legal sources stated that Sheinbaum was the victim of a flagrant sexual abuse offense under Mexico City’s Penal Code, noting that no close assistant intervened at the very moment the assault occurred.
According to a 2024 survey by the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI), 15.5% of women in Mexico have experienced sexual harassment, groping, exhibitionism or attempted rape — five times the percentage of men, at 3.2%.
International
Longest government shutdown in U.S. history deepens airport and aid crisis
The U.S. government shutdown reached a historic milestone on Wednesday, becoming the longest in the nation’s history as Republicans aligned with President Donald Trump continue to clash with Democratic opposition over the federal budget.
The shutdown entered its 36th day, surpassing the previous record set in 2019 during Trump’s first term in office.
Over the past six weeks, the budget impasse has left roughly 1.4 million federal workers without pay. Employees deemed “essential,” including air traffic controllers and law enforcement officers, have been required to continue working despite not receiving their salaries.
Conditions at airports are growing increasingly strained. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned that the federal government may be forced to partially shut down U.S. airspace due to staffing shortages.
“So if we go another week from now, Democrats, you will see massive chaos… you will see massive flight delays,” Duffy cautioned.
Social assistance programs have also been disrupted. On Tuesday, Trump stated that food aid relied upon by millions of Americans would not be distributed until the government reopens — contradicting earlier administration comments indicating that partial benefits could still be provided.
International
Deadly fire in bosnian nursing home leaves 11 dead and dozens injured
At least 11 people were killed and more than 30 others were injured after a fire broke out overnight at a nursing home in Bosnia, authorities reported on Wednesday.
The cause of the blaze, which started late Tuesday on the seventh floor of a residential building in the city of Tuzla, remains unclear. Local media reported that the upper floors of the facility housed elderly residents with limited mobility or medical conditions.
Tuzla Mayor Zijad Lugavić said that firefighters and rescue workers were among the injured. Municipal authorities convened an emergency meeting on Wednesday to assess the situation and coordinate response efforts.
Ruža Kajic, a resident living on the third floor, said she had just gone to bed when she heard “bursting sounds” and saw flames descending from the upper levels.
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