International
Seventy-nine countries sign a declaration of support for the ICC after US sanctions
Seventy-nine countries, including many Latin Americans, signed this Friday a joint declaration of support for the International Criminal Court (ICC) at a time when it is attacked by the sanctions of the Government of the President of the United States, Donald Trump.
“Today, the Court faces unprecedented challenges: measures of sanctioning the court and its officials, as well as those who cooperate with it, have been adopted in response to the Court carrying out its mandate in accordance with the Rome Statute,” the statement reads.
However, neither the US government nor its president Donald Trump is mentioned by name, who on Thursday signed the executive order to announce financial restrictions and restrict the obtaining of visas to travel to the United States (where the UN headquarters is located) to individuals of the ICC, as well as their immediate family (partner and children), who collaborate in court investigations against US citizens or Washington allies.
“These measures,” says the joint statement, “increase the risks of impunity for the most serious crimes and threaten to erode the rule of international law; even more, sanctions can endanger the confidentiality of sensitive information and the safety of those affected, including victims, witnesses and members of the Court,” the text says.
“We regret any attempt to undermine the Court’s independence, its integrity and its impartiality (and) we emphasize its irreplaceable role in ending impunity, promoting the rule of law and fostering lasting law for human rights.”
Most Latin American countries sign the declaration, but the names of Argentina, Venezuela, Cuba, Nicaragua, Paraguay or El Salvador are missing.
Among the signatories of the declaration there are also several European countries such as Spain, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Poland or the Netherlands, but not Italy or Hungary; there are also US allies such as Canada, but not Australia. Numerous African or Asian countries close to Russia are missing.
In signing his executive order on Thursday, Trump stressed that the ICC has taken “illegitimate and unfounded actions against the United States” and Israel, defined as a “close ally,” and has “even more abused its power by issuing unfounded arrest warrants” against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Galant.
The United States has never recognized the jurisdiction of the ICC, nor has Israel, China or Russia. In total, there are 124 countries that recognize the ICC, but not all have signed the joint declaration.
The Secretary General of the United Nations, António Guterres, demanded that the ICC be allowed to work “with full independence”, after the executive order signed yesterday by Trump, to sanction the court.
“International criminal law is an essential element in the fight against impunity, which is unfortunately widespread in today’s world. The CPI is its essential element and must be allowed to work with full independence,” Deputy Secretary-spokesman Farhan Haq said at his daily press conference.
When asked about the possible impact of these sanctions on the visit of senior officials to the UN headquarters, located in the United States, Haq said he hopes that “any restrictions adopted against individuals will be applied in a manner consistent with the obligations of the host country” and “under the agreement relating to the UN headquarters.”
In his executive order, Trump said that the ICC has taken “illegitimate and unfounded actions against the US.” and Israel, defined as a “close ally,” and has “abused even more of its power by issuing unfounded arrest warrants” against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Galant.
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 America4 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
-
International4 days agoThree salvadorans in Florida sentenced in $146 million construction tax fraud scheme
-
International4 days agoKremlin hails preparedness after Kamchatka quakes leave no casualties
-
Central America3 days agoDaniel Ortega’s last historic sandinista ally detained in Managua
-
International4 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