International
Anti-chavismo denounces the arrest of two members of Machado’s security team
The Venezuelan opposition denounced this Sunday the arrest of two members of the security team of the anti-Chavista leader María Corina Machado, among them, her “protection leader”, Milciades Ávila, who had already been imprisoned on July 17 and released 36 hours later, with precautionary measures.
“Milciades Ávila and Edwin Moya, members of María Corina Machado’s security team, were kidnapped this weekend by members of the regime’s repressive forces,” said the Human Rights Committee of the Vente Venezuela (VV) party, a formation led by Machado, on the social network X.
The committee indicated that it does not know the whereabouts of Ávila and Moya, so it demanded to know where they are and their “immediate freedom.”
Alleged escape of María Corina Machado
“This new attack is part of the false file set up by the ruling party against all political dissidence and occurs just after recent statements by the regime’s own spokesmen about Machado’s alleged flight from the country,” he added.
He maintained that it is, “once again, a scenario of disinformation to further fence the leader and demoralize the country.”
Machado’s reaction
Meanwhile, Machado said, on the same social network, that he will not rest until he achieves the release of Ávila and Moya.
“I reiterate to their children and partners that they must feel very proud of them and I assure them that we will not rest until we bring them back free,” said the former deputy.
He also said that “(Nicolás) Maduro is wrong if he believes that with this persecution of innocent Venezuelans” he will arrest her.
For her part, the president of the political party Primero Justicia (PJ), María Beatriz Martínez, said that these arrests do not change “the truth they intend to silence.”
“Two months ago we won the elections cleanly, the world knows it and with repression and persecution, (Nicolás) Maduro only manages to sink further,” he added in X, despite the fact that the National Electoral Council (CNE) proclaimed the president as the winner of the presidential elections of July 28.
Juan Guanipa, 36 hours detained
Likewise, former deputy Juan Pablo Guanipa indicated, on the same social network, that Ávila and Moya are “two Venezuelans committed to their country who should not be under kidnapping for a second.”
On July 17, Ávila was arrested when he was in his home, according to Vente Venezuela at the time.
Machado’s security chief released him after more than 36 hours of detention, with a “precautionary measure of presentation in court” every 30 days, according to the information of the former deputy.
On Saturday, Maduro assured that Machado is preparing to leave the Caribbean nation, because – he said – the anti-Chavistas “are cowards.”
“Today I tell you, the supposed queen bee ran out of bee and is preparing Gucci suitcases (…) she knows what I am saying and ‘La Sayona’ (in allusion to Machado) is preparing to leave, compadre, I am also saying it, they are cowards,” said the president at the demonstration called to celebrate his controversial re-election in the state of La Guaira (north).
International
India Approves New Dengue Vaccine as Global Cases Continue to Rise
India has approved a new dengue vaccine as health authorities seek to strengthen prevention efforts against a mosquito-borne viral disease that affects millions of people worldwide every year.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), half of the global population is currently at risk of contracting dengue, which causes between 100 million and 400 million infections annually.
Since 2021, India has recorded more than one million dengue cases, including at least 1,500 deaths.
The virus can cause high fever, severe headaches, muscle pain, nausea, skin rashes and, in rare cases, internal bleeding and death.
The vaccine, authorized by India’s Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO), was developed by Japanese pharmaceutical company Takeda. The Indian Health Ministry said the vaccine is recommended in two doses for people between 4 and 60 years old.
The treatment has already been approved by health authorities in around 40 countries worldwide.
Meanwhile, Indian pharmaceutical company Panacea Biotec has begun the final phase of clinical trials for a single-dose dengue vaccine, aiming to provide another prevention option against the disease.
Brazil recently announced the suspension of the use of another single-dose dengue vaccine developed in the country after two suspected deaths were reported.
International
U.S. Sends First Humanitarian Aid Flight to Cuba Amid Ongoing Tensions Between Both Governments
The United States announced Tuesday the dispatch of a humanitarian aid flight to Cuba as part of a $100 million assistance package proposed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio in May.
The flight departed from Miami with the support of Catholic Relief Services, according to a statement from the U.S. State Department.
The administration of President Donald Trump, which has maintained restrictions on oil supplies to the island and tightened sanctions against the Cuban government, had initially announced humanitarian assistance in November following the devastating impact of Hurricane Melissa.
In February, amid rising tensions between Washington and Havana, Rubio announced an increase in aid while continuing to criticize the Cuban government.
The U.S. secretary of state accused Cuba’s communist authorities of obstructing the distribution of assistance. Washington has insisted that the aid be delivered through the Catholic Church to ensure it reaches Cuban citizens directly.
The Cuban government, meanwhile, has blamed the U.S. oil blockade for making the distribution of humanitarian assistance significantly more difficult.
The aid shipment comes as relations between the two countries remain strained, with disagreements continuing over sanctions, energy supplies and the management of humanitarian support.
International
Controversial Pesticide Law Passes in France, Sparking Ecological Concerns and Ministerial Fallout
The French Parliament on Tuesday approved a highly controversial agricultural law that allows certain farmers to use two pesticides considered harmful to bees, substances that had been banned in France but remain authorized in the European Union.
After the National Assembly, the lower house of Parliament, approved the agricultural bill in the early hours of Tuesday, the Senate gave its final approval with a vote of 214 in favor and 111 against, officially adopting the measure.
Following the decision to reintroduce the use of acetamiprid and flupyradifurone, the office of Environment Minister Monique Barbut announced that she would soon submit her resignation.
Supporters of the measure argue that French producers of sugar beets, apples and hazelnuts need access to these insecticides — banned in France since 2018 and 2019, respectively — to remain competitive with European farmers in other countries where the products are still allowed.
Opponents, including environmental groups, argue that the substances pose serious risks to bees and could also threaten human health.
“Let us be proud of the work that has been done,” said Senator Laurent Duplomb of the conservative Republicans party, one of the main supporters of the measure.
The vote came after France’s Constitutional Council, the country’s highest court, struck down a previous attempt last year to bring back acetamiprid, ruling that the measure could pose risks to human health. That decision followed a petition signed by more than two million people opposing the pesticide’s reintroduction.
The previous bill had also been promoted by Duplomb, who argued that French agriculture needed additional tools to compete in international markets.
India Approves New Dengue Vaccine as Global Cases Continue to Rise
U.S. Sends First Humanitarian Aid Flight to Cuba Amid Ongoing Tensions Between Both Governments
Controversial Pesticide Law Passes in France, Sparking Ecological Concerns and Ministerial Fallout
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