International

Son of ex-president Chamorro detained in Nicaragua

AFP

Pedro Joaquin Chamorro, a journalist, former opposition lawmaker and son of ex-president Violeta Barrios de Chamorro, has been arrested on charges of undermining Nicaragua’s sovereignty, the National Police said Saturday.

Chamorro is just the latest opposition figure to be detained five months ahead of a presidential election in which President Daniel Ortega will likely seek re-election.

In raids that began on June 2, security and paramilitary forces have arrested at least 20 opposition figures, including five leading presidential candidates — one of whom is Chamorro’s sister Cristiana Chamorro, a favorite to face Ortega in November’s poll — as well as journalists, businessmen and a banker.

Pedro Joaquin Chamorro was arrested late Friday and faces charges of “inciting foreign interference,” “asking for interference” and “applauding” sanctions against Nicaragua, the National Police said in a statement.

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The charges are based on a law initiated by Ortega’s government and approved by the legislature in December purportedly to defend Nicaragua’s sovereignty — a measure widely criticized as a means of freezing out challengers and silencing opponents.

Chamorro’s brother — journalist and magazine director Carlos Fernando Chamorro — announced on June 21 that he was forced to leave the country due to the government’s political persecution.

Violeta Chamorro, president from 1990 to 1997, has been at home for two years suffering from various ailments. She is 91.

A firebrand Marxist in his younger days, Ortega led his Sandinistas in 1979 as they toppled a corrupt autocratic regime — a move that drew popular applause at the time — and seized control of the country.

He ruled until 1990, returned to power in 2007 and has twice won re-election. His vice president is his wife, Rosario Murillo.

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International

Iran Reports 201 Dead, 747 Injured After U.S. and Israeli Strikes

The Iranian Red Crescent Society reported Sunday night (local time) that at least 201 people were killed and 747 injured following attacks carried out by Israel and the United States against the Islamic Republic.

A spokesperson for the humanitarian organization said more than 220 rescue teams have been deployed across affected areas and that relief operations are continuing without interruption. The official highlighted the difficulty of treating the large number of wounded and the urgent need for additional resources in impacted provinces.

Out of Iran’s 31 provinces, 24 have reported damage, according to a statement carried by the Isna news agency. This marks the first overall casualty toll released by Iranian state-affiliated media since the launch of the offensive.

Among the dead are 85 schoolgirls from a school in the southern city of Minab, according to the country’s judiciary. “The number of martyrs at the Minab girls’ school has risen to 85,” the local prosecutor’s office said, as quoted by the judiciary’s website, Mizan Online.

Iranian President Masud Pezeshkian described the attack as a “savagery” that “constitutes a new black page in the record of countless crimes committed by the aggressors.”

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Meanwhile, the international community continues to monitor the situation closely amid concerns about possible further reprisals and the broader impact on Middle East stability, energy markets, and global security.

AFP noted that it was unable to independently verify the casualty figures or the circumstances surrounding the events.

International

Pope Leo XIV Urges End to ‘Spiral of Violence’ in Middle East

Pope Leo XIV on Sunday called for an end to the “spiral of violence” in the Middle East, following military strikes by the United States and Israel against Iran and subsequent retaliatory bombardments in the region.

“Faced with the possibility of a tragedy of enormous proportions, I urge the parties involved to assume their moral responsibility and stop the spiral of violence before it becomes an irreparable abyss,” the pontiff told the crowd gathered in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican.

Speaking during the Angelus prayer, the U.S.-born pope said stability and peace cannot be achieved through threats or weapons. “Stability and peace are not built with reciprocal threats or with arms that sow destruction, suffering and death, but only through reasonable, sincere and responsible dialogue,” he declared.

The leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics also called for diplomacy to “regain its role” amid escalating tensions.

In addition, the pope urged Afghanistan and Pakistan to urgently resume dialogue after several days of clashes between the two countries.

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International

Security Council to Hold Emergency Meeting on Middle East Crisis

UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Saturday condemned the “military escalation in the Middle East” following attacks by the United States and Israel against Iran and Tehran’s retaliatory strikes, just hours before an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council.

“I call for the immediate cessation of hostilities and de-escalation,” Guterres said in a statement.

The Security Council is scheduled to meet on Saturday at 21:00 GMT (4:00 p.m. in New York) to address “the situation in the Middle East,” the United Nations announced.

The meeting, during which Guterres will deliver remarks, was convened at the request of France, Bahrain, Colombia, Russia and China, according to a diplomatic source.