International

Anti-chavismo denounces the arrest of two members of Machado’s security team

The Venezuelan opposition denounced this Sunday the arrest of two members of the security team of the anti-Chavista leader María Corina Machado, among them, her “protection leader”, Milciades Ávila, who had already been imprisoned on July 17 and released 36 hours later, with precautionary measures.

“Milciades Ávila and Edwin Moya, members of María Corina Machado’s security team, were kidnapped this weekend by members of the regime’s repressive forces,” said the Human Rights Committee of the Vente Venezuela (VV) party, a formation led by Machado, on the social network X.

The committee indicated that it does not know the whereabouts of Ávila and Moya, so it demanded to know where they are and their “immediate freedom.”

Alleged escape of María Corina Machado

“This new attack is part of the false file set up by the ruling party against all political dissidence and occurs just after recent statements by the regime’s own spokesmen about Machado’s alleged flight from the country,” he added.

He maintained that it is, “once again, a scenario of disinformation to further fence the leader and demoralize the country.”

Machado’s reaction

Meanwhile, Machado said, on the same social network, that he will not rest until he achieves the release of Ávila and Moya.

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“I reiterate to their children and partners that they must feel very proud of them and I assure them that we will not rest until we bring them back free,” said the former deputy.

He also said that “(Nicolás) Maduro is wrong if he believes that with this persecution of innocent Venezuelans” he will arrest her.

For her part, the president of the political party Primero Justicia (PJ), María Beatriz Martínez, said that these arrests do not change “the truth they intend to silence.”

“Two months ago we won the elections cleanly, the world knows it and with repression and persecution, (Nicolás) Maduro only manages to sink further,” he added in X, despite the fact that the National Electoral Council (CNE) proclaimed the president as the winner of the presidential elections of July 28.

Juan Guanipa, 36 hours detained

Likewise, former deputy Juan Pablo Guanipa indicated, on the same social network, that Ávila and Moya are “two Venezuelans committed to their country who should not be under kidnapping for a second.”

On July 17, Ávila was arrested when he was in his home, according to Vente Venezuela at the time.

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Machado’s security chief released him after more than 36 hours of detention, with a “precautionary measure of presentation in court” every 30 days, according to the information of the former deputy.

On Saturday, Maduro assured that Machado is preparing to leave the Caribbean nation, because – he said – the anti-Chavistas “are cowards.”

“Today I tell you, the supposed queen bee ran out of bee and is preparing Gucci suitcases (…) she knows what I am saying and ‘La Sayona’ (in allusion to Machado) is preparing to leave, compadre, I am also saying it, they are cowards,” said the president at the demonstration called to celebrate his controversial re-election in the state of La Guaira (north).

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.