International
António Guterres asks G20 leaders to “take a step forward” for peace in Ukraine and Gaza
The UN Secretary General, António Guterres, asked this Sunday to the leaders of the G20, who meet from today in Rio de Janeiro, to “take a step forward” for peace in the Gaza Strip, Lebanon, Ukraine and Sudan.
The G20 countries exert a “huge diplomatic influence” and “must use it to address the main global problems. First of all, peace” because while “the wars continue, people are paying a horrible price,” he said at a press conference in Rio.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres also expressed his “concern” about the state of negotiations at the Baku climate summit (COP29) and demanded “leadership” and “commitment” from the G20 countries to achieve a “satisfactory result.”
Regarding Donald Trump’s return to the Presidency of the United States, he assured that the “best possible response” is to “strengthen multilateralism.”
Guterres asks the G20 to “take a step forward” for peace
Guterres asked the G20 heads of state and government to address the major ongoing conflicts, something that Brazil, which holds the rotating presidency of the forum until November 30, has categorically rejected.
Brazil maintains that the G20 emerged as an economic coordination mechanism and, for this reason, is not the appropriate instance for the prevention and resolution of conflicts, something that, in its opinion, is the responsibility of the UN.
In fact, the Brazilian Presidency has organized three plenary sessions for the G20 summit on how to eradicate hunger in the world, the reform of international institutions and a final one on energy transition and sustainable development.
However, Guterres urged the G20 to “take a step forward for peace,” specifically in Gaza and Lebanon, the subject of bombing and invasions by the Israeli Army, as well as in Ukraine, under Russian fire for about three years, and Sudan.
In addition, asked about how the international community should be organized in the face of the possibility of Trump moving away from global agreements, such as climate agreements, Guterres said that “the most important thing is to recognize the importance of multilateralism” and “strengthen” its institutions.
Concern about COP29
At his press conference, the UN Secretary General also referred to the climate summit being held in Baku.
“I am concerned about the state of negotiations at COP29. Countries must agree on an ambitious climate financing target that is equal to the magnitude of the challenge facing developing countries,” Guterres said at a press conference on the eve of the G20 meeting.
He acknowledged that the negotiations are “far” from coming to fruition and warned that not reaching a consensus would have “negative” consequences for COP30, which will be held in 2025 in the city of Belém, in the Brazilian Amazon.
In this context, he recalled that the G20, which brings together the most powerful economies on the planet, are responsible for “80% of global emissions” polluting and, therefore, “must lead by example.”
In this way, he considered that “all G20 countries must make an additional effort” in their climate goals and gave as an example of a “good start” the recent announcements of “Brazil and the United Kingdom”, both members of the G20.
Guterres also firmly defended the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which he referred to as the ideal way to “confront the tremendous inequalities and injustices that exist in the world.”
The G20 is made up of Germany, Saudi Arabia, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, South Korea, France, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, the United Kingdom, Russia, South Africa and Turkey, in addition to the European Union and the African Union.
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
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