International

Researcher points to Russia as responsible for the “Havana syndrome”

A former U.S. military investigator believes that health incidents known as “Havana syndrome” have been the result of attacks by Russia, according to the results of an investigation issued by the 60 Minutes program.

The report comes out as a result of a joint investigation by the CBS television network, the Russian media outlet The Insider, and the German magazine Der Spiegel.

Retired Army Lieutenant Colonel Greg Edgreen, who handled the Pentagon’s investigation into what the United States officially describes as “anomalous health incidents,” said on the 60 Minutes program that the affected officials received an attack from Russia.

More than 200 American diplomats and relatives destined for different countries have suffered symptoms of the so-called “Havana syndrome,” which was first detected in the Cuban capital in 2016 and would manifest with dizziness, nausea, hearing problems or migraines.

A little more than a year ago, the United States intelligence concluded that it was “very unlikely” that a foreign adversary will provoke the so-called “Havana syndrome.”

20260224_estafa_mh_728x90

Edgreen told CBS that, in the investigation, the criterion for validating the evidence was very strict because the government does not want to accept realities such as the possible omission in its duty to protect Americans.

“Unfortunately, I can’t give the details, due to the classification,” he added. “But I can tell you that from very early (in research) I began to focus on Moscow.”

Edgreen said that the affected officials have excelled in their performance and “there was constantly a Russian link.”

According to the former soldier, “they worked against Russia, focused on Russia, and they did it extremely well.”
The then-President Donald Trump (2017-2021) decided following the detection of these health incidents to suspend consular services in Havana in 2017 and minimize diplomatic staff on the island.

Havana has denied any responsibility and set up a commission of experts that found no scientific or criminal evidence that linked the symptoms to possible sonic attacks, microwaves or other deliberate action.

20260224_estafa_mh_728x90

The Insider, for its part, published the testimony of Mar Polymeropoulos, identified as a former operations officer in the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), with assignments in places such as Baghdad and Kabul, and who suffered the symptoms related to “Havana syndrome” after a trip to Moscow in 2017.

The symptoms, according to this report, corresponded to the “Havana syndrome,” and for years Polymeropoulos had to struggle with his employer to access the medical care that his condition demanded.

60 Minutes indicated that, according to several of its informants last year, when President Joe Biden attended a North Atlantic Treaty Organization summit in Lithuania, a high-ranking official in the Pentagon became ill.

Edgreen pointed out that, in his opinion, “that indicates that there are no barriers to what Moscow will do, or who it will attack and that, if we do not face this head-on, the problem will get worse.”

A senior official of the United States Department of Defense who attended the NATO summit in Vilnius (Lithuania) in 2023 experienced strange symptoms similar to those of the so-called ‘Havana syndrome’, the Pentagon confirmed on Monday.

20260224_estafa_mh_728x90

“I can confirm that a senior official of the Department of Defense experienced symptoms similar to those reported in other instances,” Sabrina Singh, one of the Pentagon’s spokespersons, said on Monday during a press conference.

The official, whose identity was not revealed, was not part of the official delegation of the Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, at the NATO summit in Vilnius, but attended “separately, meetings that were part of the summit,” the spokeswoman explained.

Singh did not specify what type of symptoms the affected person suffered, citing medical privacy.

International

German president warns Iran war could spread and disrupt Strait of Hormuz

The president of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, warned Monday that the war involving Iran could expand and further disrupt shipping through the strategic Strait of Hormuz. He urged a swift end to hostilities between Iran, United States and Israel.

Speaking in Panama City during a joint appearance with Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino, Steinmeier said available information suggests Iran has significant capacity to disrupt maritime traffic through the key oil route.

“Iran has considerable potential to interfere with shipping through the Strait of Hormuz,” Steinmeier said through an interpreter. “We should therefore reach an end to the hostilities as soon as possible and call on all parties involved to make that happen.”

The remarks came during Steinmeier’s visit to Panama, the first by a German president to the Central American nation.

The German leader described the possibility of the conflict spreading as “very dangerous,” saying recent developments indicate that such a scenario cannot be ruled out.

20260224_estafa_mh_728x90

Over the weekend, U.S. President Donald Trump urged allied nations to help ensure safe passage for ships through the Strait of Hormuz after Iran moved to block the waterway in response to U.S. strikes. However, several allies—particularly in Europe—have shown little support for the proposal.

“Some are very enthusiastic, others are not, and some are countries we have helped for many years,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “We have protected them from terrible external threats, and they’re not that enthusiastic. And the level of enthusiasm is important to me.”

Meanwhile, Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s top diplomat, said the Strait of Hormuz falls “outside NATO’s scope” and stressed that “the war involving Iran is not Europe’s war.”

International

Mexico security chief meets DEA director in Washington to boost anti-drug cooperation

Mexico’s Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection, Omar García Harfuch, met in Washington with the head of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Terrance Cole, to discuss cooperation in the fight against drug trafficking and illegal arms flows.

The Mexican official said Monday on social media that he attended the meeting in representation of the Mexican government’s Security Cabinet.

“In Washington, D.C., I represented the Security Cabinet to hold talks with DEA Director Terrance Cole on the importance of strengthening bilateral cooperation to combat drug trafficking, curb the flow of weapons into our country, and reduce violence in Mexico through significant arrests,” García Harfuch wrote.

He added that, following instructions from Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, the government will continue strengthening international cooperation on security matters.

For his part, Cole said the meeting focused on cross-border collaboration to tackle drug trafficking and to build safer communities on both sides of the border.

20260224_estafa_mh_728x90

The meeting comes as Mexico and the United States begin a new round of dialogue on economic and security issues.

Earlier Monday, President Claudia Sheinbaum said she will look for the “best moment” to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump, adding that maintaining a good relationship with Washington is a priority for her administration.

International

Venezuela’s foreign minister accuses UN rights chief of “immoral bias”

Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yván Gil criticized the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, accusing him of having an “immoral bias” and acting as an “echo chamber for falsehoods” regarding the situation in Venezuela.

Gil’s remarks came after Türk stated that his office had not received an official list from Venezuelan authorities detailing the release of political prisoners, nor authorization to carry out visits related to the issue.

“The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights insists on a narrative biased against our country, repeating unfounded accusations while deliberately omitting the impact of unilateral coercive measures on the rights of the Venezuelan people,” Gil said in a message posted on his Telegram channel.

Without directly addressing the question of prisoner releases, the Venezuelan foreign minister also accused Türk of aligning with what he described as the “agenda of extremism in Venezuela.”

Gil added that, despite serious human rights violations occurring in other parts of the world, the UN official has chosen to maintain what he described as an “immoral bias” against Venezuela.

20260224_estafa_mh_728x90

The criticism is part of a broader dispute between the Venezuelan government and the UN human rights office over reports and investigations concerning the human rights situation in the country.