International
Fabiola Yáñez breaks the silence about the alleged mistreatment of former Argentine President Alberto Fernández
Former Argentine First Lady Fabiola Yáñez spoke for the first time about the alleged violence she underwent by former President Alberto Fernández, who, she said, constantly threatened her with suicide and whom she took care of “so many things that he has done,” as she confessed.
The 43-year-old actress and journalist made these statements in an exclusive interview in Madrid, where she lives with her 2-year-old son Francisco, granted to the Argentine portal Infobae, the first since the complaint she filed before the Justice of her country against the former president (2019-2023) for physical violence and harassment became known.
Yáñez affirmed that Fernández committed numerous infidelities during their relationship; she denounced having been mistreated “for five years”; and she acknowledged that her last months as first lady, until last December, she lived separately from the then president in the guest house of the Quinta de Olivos (presidential residence) and not in another home for avoiding “a scandal.”
Fernández’s ex-partner was consulted for the dissemination of the photographs in which she is seen with bruises on several parts of the body, which were leaked to the press this week from the judicial file.
“I destroyed myself, but I was destroyed by my son. I would never have wanted a photo like that to come out of me. What woman do you want to see in all the television programs and in the media of the world like this? I don’t understand how the chats were leaked and that the photo was saved for the last moment (…) I don’t think there is a woman in the world who wants to look like this. There are other causes of violence that are always private,” he said.
However, he acknowledged that all the material disseminated “comes out of someone else’s phone,” alluding to a secretary of Fernández, whose cell phone is being investigated for a case of alleged corruption that could also affect the former president.
Yáñez, who failed to give more details about the alleged physical abuse out of respect for the judicial case, reported having suffered “telephone harassment” and “psychological terrorism.”
“This person (Fernández) was there for two months – there are all the chats and many people know it – threatening me day by day that if I did this, if I did the other thing, that he was going to commit suicide. That’s not done, that’s a crime. How am I going to be whole for my son if I have a person telling me those things? Day by the other, for two months. But it was the last thing this person did,” he said.
The former first lady acknowledged that her love story with Fernández lasted 14 years, but that it was broken in recent times and asserted that he committed infidelities with several famous women, whom she did not identify.
“I have taken care of this man; I have taken care of so many things that he has done, of so many things, that those videos that appeared the other day are little next to the things that he has done,” Yáñez said in reference to the filming allegedly taken by the then president at the Casa Rosada of a well-known radio and television journalist, who seems to flit with him, although from this one only his alleged voice is heard in ‘off’.
Yáñez said he had not obtained help from the Ministry of Women, Gender and Diversity, created by Fernández in 2019, and stated that he had made the decision to denounce “for all women who feel that they can’t do anything and that they are victims of this type of violence, whether psychological and/or physical, whatever it may be.”
“I was never a feminist but violence against women is one of the most reprehensible things that can exist in this world,” she said.
After the complaint filed on August 6, federal judge Julián Ercolini prohibited Fernández from leaving Argentina and ordered him not to approach or contact Yáñez by any means.
That day, in a brief statement, the former president denied the accusations against him and said that he would present evidence of his falsehood to Justice.
International
Looting Spreads in Venezuela’s Hardest-Hit Areas After Deadly Earthquakes
Not even the wires were left behind at a small grocery store. Before the ground had even stopped shaking, looting and theft began in the areas hardest hit by the double earthquake that struck Venezuela.
Reports of robberies have multiplied in the coastal state of La Guaira, located near Caracas and now transformed into a landscape of collapsed buildings and debris.
Videos circulating on social media show groups of people removing boxes of household appliances from a damaged store. Other images show similar boxes being carried on top of vehicles and motorcycles.
Social media platforms have also been filled with accusations against police officers and military personnel who allegedly stole from homes and even from victims who died during the disaster.
A branch of a major pharmacy chain was looted, along with supermarkets and other businesses. Some residents have described the situation as “disaster tourism,” while others say the looting reflects hunger and desperation among people who lost everything in a country already facing a prolonged economic crisis.
“Is it fair that our own people turn against our own people?” said María Esther Bernal, 71, who rented commercial spaces to Chinese merchants, all of which were looted. “They left nothing behind, not even the wallpaper. They even took the cables,” she said.
“Next door, a man died. He was Chinese. People walked over his body while they looted the place. It was a supermarket,” she added.
An AFP journalist witnessed looting in La Guaira since Thursday, following the earthquakes.
Jenifer Mayora, 34, defended some of the actions, saying that “the things people took were because the owners of the stores allowed us to take them.”
However, she criticized the limited response from authorities. “I have been waiting for a mattress so my children can sleep,” she said.
Residents have expressed anger over what they describe as a slow and insufficient response from authorities after the double earthquake, which has left around 1,450 people dead and tens of thousands missing.
Communities are demanding not only faster rescue operations in La Guaira, but also stronger security measures and urgent assistance with food, water, and medicine.
International
UN warns Venezuela earthquakes could affect up to 6.76 million people
Up to 6.76 million people could be affected by the devastating earthquakes that struck Venezuela on June 24, according to an assessment released by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), a United Nations agency.
The organization said the projections are based on available population data and damage assessments, and include up to two million people living in Caracas, the country’s capital.
The estimates highlight the potentially massive humanitarian impact of the disaster, the IOM warned.
Entire buildings collapsed in La Guaira, a coastal area north of Caracas, following the powerful twin earthquakes that reached magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5 on Wednesday.
The national death toll has risen to 920, while rescue teams continue searching for people trapped beneath the rubble in coastal regions and other affected areas.
UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher told AFP on Friday that more than 50,000 people were reported missing.
The IOM also revealed that it worked with Microsoft’s artificial intelligence laboratory on an initial satellite mapping analysis, which showed that 31.5% of buildings in the town of Catia La Mar had suffered damage.
Authorities and international rescue teams continue operations as Venezuela faces one of its largest humanitarian emergencies in recent years.
International
United Nations Coordinates Relief Efforts as Venezuela Death Toll Rises After Twin Quakes
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on Thursday expressed his condolences to the people of Venezuela following the two devastating earthquakes that struck the country and highlighted the ongoing coordination between UN humanitarian teams and interim President Delcy Rodríguez.
Speaking during the UN’s daily press briefing, spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said Guterres was deeply saddened by the loss of life and widespread destruction caused by the disaster.
“The Secretary-General is deeply distressed by the loss of life and the widespread devastation caused by the earthquakes that struck Venezuela yesterday. He extends his heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims and wishes a speedy recovery to those injured,” Dujarric stated.
Venezuela was struck on Wednesday by two powerful earthquakes measuring 7.2 and 7.5 in magnitude. According to official figures, the disaster has left at least 164 people dead and 971 others injured.
Dujarric noted that preliminary reports indicate significant damage across several states, including the capital, Caracas. Numerous casualties have been reported, while other individuals remain trapped beneath collapsed structures or are still missing.
“Critical infrastructure has been damaged and essential services have been disrupted,” the spokesperson said.
The United Nations confirmed that its humanitarian team remains in close contact with interim President Delcy Rodríguez and other relevant authorities as emergency operations continue.
To support relief efforts, the UN has established a coordination center in Caracas and is assisting local authorities to ensure that humanitarian aid reaches affected communities as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Guterres also welcomed the expressions of solidarity and offers of assistance from countries around the world that responded following news of the disaster, underscoring the importance of international cooperation in addressing the humanitarian emergency.
Looting Spreads in Venezuela’s Hardest-Hit Areas After Deadly Earthquakes
UN warns Venezuela earthquakes could affect up to 6.76 million people
United Nations Coordinates Relief Efforts as Venezuela Death Toll Rises After Twin Quakes
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