International

The EU warns of “a serious crisis” in Venezuela if the results are not verified

The High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, has again demanded the publication of Venezuela’s electoral records and has warned that, in case Nicolás Maduro insists on saying that he has won without being able to verify it, this country “may enter a serious crisis.”

“If Maduro insists on saying that he has won and does not want to understand that, for the international community, without verification there is no assumption of results, Venezuela can enter a serious crisis. We are all trying to prevent this from happening,” said Borrell, who appeared before the media on Monday on the occasion of the course ‘Quo Vadis Europa?’ that he directs this week at the Menéndez Pelayo International University in Santander.

The head of European diplomacy sees “clear” that Maduro “refuses to show the minutes.” “I should have done it, it’s had time,” he added.

And he has abounded in the fact that “if there is no verification of the results, the results cannot be accepted.”

“I know that Maduro has dedicated very affectionate words to me, it is not the first time, but I have to insist on the same thing: If the results cannot be verified, they cannot be accepted and, at the moment, they are not verifiable. Well, rather, they are through the information provided by the opposition,” he said, alluding to the fact that the Venezuelan opposition has managed to gather “80% or more” of the minutes and give a result “radically different from the one that Maduro proclaims.”

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In addition, Borrell has called the “pin of sarcasm” that Maduro has appealed to the Supreme Court of Venezuela to “defend him.” “I don’t know what he is going to issue as a sentence because his function is not to count the electoral results,” he said.

The high representative has called to wait to see what happens in the coming days, although he has added that there are more than 2,000 people arrested and “the repression is accentuated,” and he trusts that the international community will maintain its demand to verify the results.

Asked about the negotiations, he explained that they are still ongoing and, “even some Latin American country has proposed repeating elections and sharing power between the Government and the opposition.” “I don’t know how to do that, but nothing will be done, surely, until the Court speaks,” he said.

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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.