International

The anti-chavista mayor of Maracaibo “was deprived of his defenders,” his wife denounces

The opposition mayor of the Venezuelan municipality of Maracaibo (northwest), Rafael Ramírez Colina – arrested on Tuesday – was “deprived of his defenders,” denounced this Saturday his wife, Vanessa Linares De Ramírez, who said that “deprivation of liberty” against the anti-Chavista was ratified in a hearing at the headquarters of the Bolivarian National Intelligence Service (Sebin).

“So far, we have received the news that a hearing has been held at the Sebin headquarters in Maracaibo, where, illegally, the deprivation of liberty of Mayor Rafael Ramírez has been decreed along with other detainees,” he said through X, without specifying the name of the other arrested.

He also stated that preventing access to private defense would contradict “due process and the legitimate right to defense” established in the Constitution and the laws, while affirming that “ace again” it is shown that it is “an act of political persecution.”

He added that “no one” has been able to see the mayor and it is not known “in what condition he is.”

What do they accuse the mayor of Maracibo of?

Ramírez Colina is accused by the Prosecutor’s Office of “serious irregular acts” related to corruption, while the Minister of Internal Affairs, Justice and Peace, Diosdado Cabello, points out to the opponent to deliver to “far-right political parties” resources obtained through tax collection.

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This Saturday, the opposition party Primero Justicia reiterated its rejection of the arrest of Ramírez Colina and agreed to “strengthen the complaints” before international bodies, without specifying which ones, in the face of “the deprivation of liberty and systematic judicialization as part of state terrorism,” applied – he said – by President Nicolás Maduro.

The mayor is one of the 154 opposition politicians who, according to María Corina Machado’s party, Vente Venezuela, are imprisoned in the country, most of them apprehended in the weeks before and after Maduro’s controversial re-election in the presidential elections of July 28, which many countries still do not recognize.

In these elections, Ramírez Colina supported the candidacy of the opposition standard-bearer Edmundo González Urrutia, and joined the “legitimate citizen request” for the electoral entity to “publish the results” disaggregated, after the complaint of “fraud” of anti-Chavismo, which claims that it defeated Maduro in the presidential elections.

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.