International

Venezuela rejects genocide against Palestine and U.S. blockades.

Photo: EFE

October 12 |

Venezuela’s Executive Vice President, Delcy Rodriguez, rejected Wednesday in Russia, as part of her tour in that country, the genocide committed by Israel against the Palestinian people and the unilateral coercive measures imposed by the United States (U.S.) and Western nations against nations with a sovereign vocation.

From Moscow, where he is participating in the sixth international forum Russian Energy Week, Rodriguez reiterated Venezuela’s position to call for a ceasefire against the people of Palestine and advocated for peace.

He stressed that “there have been decades of oppression and humiliation of a people who have the right to development and peace. We must unite in favor of Palestine,” he said.

He said that in Gaza and the West Bank a genocide is taking place before the eyes of the world. He said that the Palestinian resistance to Israel’s hostility “derives from decades of frustration of a people that did not find in multilateral spaces to have their rights respected”.

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He added that there have been decades of oppression, humiliation, assassinations, massacres and Palestinian children imprisoned and caged. “We call for an end to violence,” he demanded, and stressed that Zionism violates the rights of the Palestinian people.

She demanded respect for the United Nations resolutions to resolve the conflict, for the implementation of the two-state solution and for the creation of a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.

The Venezuelan Vice President also repudiated the unilateral coercive measures imposed by the White House and satellite countries against nations such as Russia, Venezuela, Iran, Iraq, Cuba and Nicaragua. She recalled that such measures cause significant hardships to the peoples and considered that, beyond these obstacles, they have served as an incentive for nations to seek alternatives so as not to halt their development.

Referring to the experiences of Venezuela, he said: “We have been summoned to the productive national union. In union we can move forward and overcome difficulties. These are lessons learned from these illegitimate, criminal, western blockades”.

Rodriguez commented that his country is represented in the Russian Energy Week in order to make contributions to contribute to the stability and fruitful development of the world energy market. He said that on Thursday he will speak at the forum and will address energy issues, transitional energy and other aspects related to industrial developments and the implementation of technological advances.

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The Russian Energy Week forum was inaugurated on Wednesday by the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, who invited the participating States to guarantee the sustainability of the international energy market with price stability in energy, raw materials, fuel and gas as priorities.

International

Mexico leads global cases of enforced disappearances, UN report finds

Mexico accounts for the highest number of urgent actions related to enforced disappearances worldwide, according to the latest report by the UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances.

The report, released by I(dh)eas, indicates that Mexico has accumulated 819 cases between 2012 and February 2026, representing 38% of the global total.

In the past five months alone, 40 new urgent requests have been recorded — more than one-third of all such actions worldwide during that period.

The report warns that this trend reflects a structural problem, as the urgent action mechanism — originally intended as an exceptional measure — has become routine in Mexico.

Although the Mexican state formally complies with response deadlines, the Committee identified significant shortcomings in the implementation of these measures. These include the lack of comprehensive search plans, delays in key investigative procedures such as video surveillance and phone data analysis, and insufficient inquiries into possible links involving state agents.

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The report also highlights inadequate protection for relatives and individuals involved in search efforts, including cases of reprisals.

Among the most serious incidents documented is the disappearance of a father who had denounced alleged involvement of authorities in his son’s case in the state of Guanajuato.

The accumulation of cases could lead to the application of Article 34 of the Convention, which would allow for the launch of an international investigation into systematic enforced disappearances.

Geographically, the state of Chiapas accounts for 30% of the new urgent actions, many of them linked to collective disappearances of migrants.

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International

Le pape Léon XIV appelle à relancer le dialogue pour une paix au Moyen-Orient

Le pape Léon XIV s’est entretenu par téléphone ce vendredi avec le président d’Israël, Isaac Herzog, soulignant la « nécessité de rouvrir » les canaux de dialogue afin de parvenir à une « paix juste » au Moyen-Orient.

Selon un communiqué du Vatican, les deux dirigeants ont insisté sur l’importance de relancer tous les mécanismes diplomatiques pour mettre fin au conflit en cours et œuvrer en faveur d’une paix durable dans la région.

Le communiqué précise également que les discussions ont porté sur la protection des populations civiles et sur le respect du droit international et humanitaire.

Cet échange intervient dans le contexte de la Semaine sainte, cinq jours après un incident à Jérusalem, où la police israélienne avait empêché le cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa de célébrer la messe du Dimanche des Rameaux au Saint-Sépulcre.

Le lendemain, le secrétaire d’État du Vatican, Pietro Parolin, avait convoqué l’ambassadeur israélien auprès du Saint-Siège, Yaron Sideman, pour exprimer le mécontentement du Vatican face à cet incident qualifié de « regrettable ».

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Cette situation avait suscité une vive réaction internationale, poussant le Premier ministre israélien Benjamin Netanyahu à intervenir pour assurer que le cardinal pourrait accéder au lieu saint.

De son côté, Herzog a confirmé l’échange sur son compte X, indiquant que les discussions ont également porté sur des sujets régionaux, notamment la guerre en Iran et la situation au Liban.

Le pape, d’origine américaine, participe actuellement à sa première Semaine sainte depuis son élection et doit présider ce soir le chemin de croix au Vatican.

International

Devotees in Philippines mark Holy Week with extreme rituals despite rising costs

Despite rising fuel prices driven by the conflict in the Middle East, thousands of devotees in Philippines took part this year in one of the country’s most intense Holy Week traditions.

In the city of San Fernando, located in Pampanga province, dozens of bare-chested penitents with covered faces walked barefoot along dusty streets, whipping their backs with bamboo lashes as part of a ritual that can draw up to 12,000 local and foreign visitors.

Journalists from Agence France-Presse reported seeing participants piercing their skin with glass shards attached to small wooden paddles to ensure bleeding during the ceremony — an act believed to atone for sins and seek divine intervention.

“I do this to pray for the healing of my seven-month-old baby, who is suffering from pneumonia,” said a devotee identified as John David at the start of the procession.

The 49-year-old participant explained that the practice runs in his family. “My grandfather started this, then my father, and now it’s my turn. I have witnessed healing miracles over the years through this act of faith,” he said.

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Many attendees traveled for hours to witness the climax of the ritual, in which some penitents allow nails, measuring about seven centimeters, to be driven into their hands before being raised on crosses in a reenactment of crucifixion.