International
Venezuelan President receives diplomat Alex Saab after his release from prison
December 21 |
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro received on Wednesday diplomat Alex Saab, who was released after more than 1,280 days kidnapped in the United States (US).
The meeting is held at the Miraflores Palace, seat of the Government, in Caracas (capital), after the diplomat arrived in the country at the International Airport of Maiquetía Simón Bolívar, in the state of La Guaira, being received by the first combatant and deputy of the National Assembly, Cilia Flores, along with the diplomat’s wife, Camila Fabri, and other family members.
After receiving the diplomat, the President declared that “the only truth is that Alex Saab’s only crime was to overcome criminal sanctions, to look for medicines in times of pandemic”.
“I want to welcome this brave man, patriot, who resisted 1,280 days, 40 months, the most adverse conditions, the most painful, of kidnapping, filthy jails, physical torture, psychological torture, threats, lies; and after 1,280 days of kidnapping, the truth has triumphed, justice has triumphed”, he highlighted.
The Head of State said that he knew that “this day had to come, and this day has arrived”; he also thanked the efforts made by the President of the National Assembly (AN), Jorge Rodríguez, as well as the Governor of Miranda State, Héctor Rodríguez, “who have led this whole process that has allowed this exchange today with the Government of the United States of America, and the safe, alive and free rescue of Alex Saab Morán”.
“All the medicines that you were looking for Alex, arrived to the people; all the vaccines, arrived to the people. While you were kidnapped and tortured in Cape Verde, infamous Cape Verde, all those vaccines and medicines arrived. When that tremendous crisis due to the blockade, all the gasoline that you got in the world, arrived; all the food for the CLAP, arrived while you were kidnapped, Alex. All this arrived for a dignified people”, the President emphasized.
President Maduro also thanked “the negotiation part, Dr. Gerardo Blyde, and all the negotiation commission of the Barbados table, because they have also been part of the Barbados agreements and of this exchange that has taken place today”.
“I would like to thank in a very special way the Emir of Qatar, the State of Qatar, the Government of Qatar, because it has been a brilliant facilitator, of exquisite diplomacy for the rapprochement, for the dialogues, for the signing of the agreements, and for the partial fulfillment of the signed agreements (…) I am very grateful to all those who have contributed for this agreement to be fulfilled, for this positive step to be taken, for this exchange to take place”, he declared.
The President indicated to his US counterpart, Joe Biden, as well as to the politicians of that country, that “here is Venezuela standing up, with its own model, independent, sovereign, we will be nobody’s colony”. Likewise, he explained that they had previously talked with former President Donald Trump for the release of Saab, “we almost had it ready, what happened is that he lost the elections and there was a change of government, then we had to start all over again, but with Donald Trump we already had an agreement ready”.
On his part, diplomat Saab stated that “life is a constant miracle and today the miracle of freedom, the miracle of justice, has come true”, and thanked those who supported him during his kidnapping.
Thanks to the people of Venezuela. I am proud to serve the people of Venezuela and to serve this Government, a humane Government, a loyal Government, a Government that does not abandon and a Government that, like me, never gives up.
Previously, the Venezuelan Government informed in a communiqué, published by the Vice President of Communication, Culture and Tourism, Freddy Ñáñez, in which it is emphasized that “the people receive him with pride after having suffered three and a half years of illegal detention under cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment, violating his human rights and the Vienna Convention that confers diplomatic immunity”.
At the time, the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry denounced the arbitrary detention of diplomat Saab in Cape Verde, on June 12, 2020, and his illegal transfer to the U.S., on October 16, 2021.
“At the time of his illegal capture, Saab was traveling to Iran as a diplomatic agent of the Venezuelan State, in order to facilitate the acquisition of food in view of the impact of the Unilateral Coercive Measures (MCU) against the Local Supply and Production Committees (Clap), a mechanism of articulation with the communities that distributes food to more than 7 million families,” the Foreign Ministry explained.
International
Israel says 136 food aid boxes airdropped into Gaza by six nations
The Israeli military announced on Sunday that 136 boxes of food aid were airdropped into Gaza by the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Egypt, Germany, and Belgium.
“In recent hours, six countries conducted air drops of 136 aid packages containing food for residents in the southern and northern Gaza Strip,” read the statement, which added that the operation was coordinated by COGAT, the Israeli defense body overseeing civil affairs in the occupied Palestinian territories.
The Israeli military emphasized that they will “continue working to improve the humanitarian response alongside the international community” and reiterated their stance to “refute false allegations of deliberate famine in Gaza.”
The announcement comes as UN agencies warn Gaza faces an imminent risk of famine. More than one in three residents go days without eating, and other nutrition indicators have dropped to their worst levels since the conflict began.
The agencies also noted the difficulty of “collecting reliable data in current conditions, as Gaza’s health systems —already devastated by nearly three years of conflict— are collapsing.”
Meanwhile, Gaza’s Hamas-run Health Ministry reported on Sunday that hospitals in the enclave recorded six deaths from hunger and malnutrition on Saturday, all of them adults.
International
Seven inmates dead, 11 injured after violent riot in Veracruz prison
Seven inmates were killed and eleven others injured in a violent riot and clash inside a penitentiary in the Mexican state of Veracruz, local authorities reported on Sunday.
The disturbance began on Saturday afternoon at the Social Reintegration Center in the port city of Tuxpan, in northern Veracruz, when inmates staged a protest over extortion and assaults allegedly carried out by members of the criminal group known as Grupo Sombra.
The protesting prisoners clashed with another group of inmates and set fires inside and outside the facility, seizing control of the prison for more than 12 hours.
During the takeover, the rioters released several videos, including one showing four prisoners —believed to be members of Grupo Sombra— accusing them of being behind the violence and extortion inside the prison.
It wasn’t until Sunday morning that elements of the Mexican Army, the National Guard, and local police forces managed to enter the prison and regain control. The state’s Public Security Secretariat confirmed that around 9:00 a.m. local time a coordinated operation restored full order and reestablished control of the facility.
Authorities also reported that the fires set by inmates were fully extinguished.
Official figures confirmed the “tragic” deaths of seven inmates and injuries to eleven people, who are now receiving medical treatment in various regional hospitals.
This is the second deadliest riot in Veracruz in the past eight years. In 2018, a violent uprising at the La Toma medium-security prison left seven people dead (six police officers and one unidentified man) and at least 22 injured (15 officers and seven inmates).
The riot follows the kidnapping and killing of retired teacher and taxi driver Irma Hernández, a case that shocked the entire country and was attributed to Grupo Sombra. Images of Hernández kneeling, surrounded by armed men in the municipality of Álamo, sparked nationwide outrage. She was murdered after refusing to pay extortion demands from the criminal organization.
Despite these incidents, Veracruz has not seen a spike in the daily homicide average. In fact, there has been a 1.6% decrease in homicides in the first half of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024, according to the Executive Secretariat of the National Public Security System.
In 2023, the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI) reported 3,094 incidents in Mexican prisons —an 18.5% increase from the previous year— resulting in 100 deaths and 892 injuries.
International
Study finds COVID-19 vaccines prevented 2.5 million deaths worldwide
COVID-19 vaccines prevented an estimated 2,533,000 deaths worldwide between 2020 and 2024, according to an international study led by Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Italy and Stanford University in the United States, published in the journal JAMA Health Forum. Researchers calculated that one death was prevented for every 5,400 doses administered.
The analysis also found that the vaccines saved 14.8 million years of life, equivalent to one year of life gained for every 900 doses given.
The study, coordinated by Professor Stefania Boccia, revealed that 82% of the lives saved were people vaccinated before becoming infected with the virus, and 57% of deaths avoided occurred during the Omicron wave. In addition, 90% of the beneficiaries were adults over 60 years old.
“This is the most comprehensive analysis to date, based on global data and fewer assumptions about the evolution of the pandemic,” explained Boccia and researcher Angelo Maria Pezzullo.
Israel says 136 food aid boxes airdropped into Gaza by six nations
Seven inmates dead, 11 injured after violent riot in Veracruz prison
Study finds COVID-19 vaccines prevented 2.5 million deaths worldwide
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
-
Central America5 days agoFuneral turns tragic as armed attack leaves seven dead in Guatemala City
-
Central America5 days agoCosta Rica issues Yellow Alert and halts water activities over tsunami currents
-
International5 days agoThree salvadorans in Florida sentenced in $146 million construction tax fraud scheme
-
International5 days agoKremlin hails preparedness after Kamchatka quakes leave no casualties
-
Central America3 days agoDaniel Ortega’s last historic sandinista ally detained in Managua
-
International5 days agoU.S. launches ads urging undocumented migrants to self-deport via CBP Home App
-
Central America3 days agoHonduras sees ongoing killings of land defenders and attacks on press, warns NGO
-
Central America3 days agoGuatemala transfers top gang leaders to maximum security prison after funeral home massacre
-
International3 days agoTrump to build $200M ballroom at the White House by 2028
-
International2 days agoTrump administration blasts judge’s ruling reinstating TPS for Honduras, Nepal, and Nicaragua
-
International2 days agoStudy finds COVID-19 vaccines prevented 2.5 million deaths worldwide
-
Central America2 days agoCosta Rica faces historic vote on lifting presidential immunity for Rodrigo Chaves
-
International3 hours agoIsrael says 136 food aid boxes airdropped into Gaza by six nations
-
International3 hours agoSeven inmates dead, 11 injured after violent riot in Veracruz prison