International
Von der Leyen urges Caricom to defend peace in Ukraine in the face of “an unpredictable world”
The president of the European Commission (EC), Ursula von der Leyen, urged on Wednesday the countries of the Caribbean Community (Caricom) to raise their voices for peace in Ukraine since today’s world is “unpredictable” and it is “more important than ever to remain united.”
“We believe in freedom and people’s right to decide their own future. That’s why you have been supporting Ukraine since the beginning of the war,” Von der Leyen said at a press conference as part of the 48th annual meeting of Caricom’s heads of government in Barbados.
“Ukraine is a future member of the European family and supporting them means supporting us. It is also important to ask for peace, not only in Ukraine, but also in the Middle East, Sudan and Haiti,” he added.
These statements come hours after the President of the United States, Donald Trump, called his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky a “dictator” and warned him that, if he does not act “quickly”, his country could disappear.
The relationship between Trump and Zelenski has deteriorated following the talks held this week in Saudi Arabia between a US delegation and Russian representatives to end the war, in which neither Ukraine nor its European allies participated.
The European leader was accompanied at the conference by the new president of Caricom and Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley, whom she congratulated for her “exemplary leadership” to “fight against climate change that is truly existential” and amplify the voice of small island countries “for the benefit of humanity”.
“We have the goal of making the Caribbean islands feed on 100% renewable energy and we have discussed how to strengthen our cooperation with resilience and preparation to work together when natural disasters hit the area,” said the president of the EC at the meeting, which will last until Friday.
He also celebrated that Barbados is leading the way towards “a green transition and development” and stressed that “renewable energy provides energy independence, energy security and is the energy of the future.”
On the other hand, he highlighted the cooperation between Europe and the Caribbean countries in the field of health, after attending the signing of an agreement between the German institute of biomedical research BioMed X and Barbados.
This is within the launch of four projects of the global community investment initiative Global Gateway, one of which, under the title ‘Renewstable’, is the first for the storage of green hydrogen in the Caribbean.
In this regard, Mottley welcomed “EU support and cooperation, in particular to confront this existential (climate) crisis and build resilience”.
“Renewable energy is clearly a response to the climate crisis,” said the Prime Minister of Barbados and president of Caricom.
Mottley agreed with Von der Leyen that “the world faces very difficult challenges,” highlighting climate change, which affects the whole world and especially small island states such as Barbados.
Caricom members are Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Bahamas, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobag
International
El Chapo’s son Joaquín Guzmán López pleads guilty to U.S. drug trafficking charges
Joaquín Guzmán López, one of the sons of notorious Mexican drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, pleaded guilty on Monday to drug trafficking charges in a U.S. court, months after his brother Ovidio reached a similar plea agreement, according to local media reports.
The defendant appeared before a federal court in Chicago early Monday afternoon and changed his previous plea in the case, the Chicago Tribune reported. U.S. authorities accuse him of forming, together with his three brothers, the cartel faction known as “Los Chapitos.”
The group is believed to have continued the operations of El Chapo, who has been serving a life sentence in the United States since 2019.
Guzmán López, 39, was arrested after landing in Texas in a small aircraft alongside cartel co-founder Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada.
International
Venezuela authorizes return flights as U.S. continues deportations amid rising tensions
The arrival of U.S. aircraft carrying undocumented Venezuelan migrants continued regularly despite rising tensions between Washington and Caracas over President Donald Trump’s military deployment in the Caribbean.
Trump maintains that the deployment is part of an anti-narcotics operation, while Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro insists the true objective is to remove him from power and seize the nation’s oil resources.
Venezuela’s aviation authority has “received a request from the United States government to resume repatriation flights for Venezuelan migrants from that country to Venezuela,” the Ministry of Transportation said in a statement .
“Under the instructions of President Nicolás Maduro, authorization has been granted for these aircraft to enter our airspace,” it added.
Caracas will permit two Eastern Airlines flights to land on Wednesday and Friday.
Migration remains one of the Trump administration’s flagship issues. On Monday, the U.S. president held a meeting with his National Security Council to discuss the situation in Venezuela, a day after confirming he had spoken with Maduro by phone, without offering further details.
According to the Venezuelan government, roughly 75 deportation flights have been carried out this year, returning at least 13,956 Venezuelans from the United States.
International
20,000 rounds stolen from german army after driver leaves cargo unattended
The German army confirmed the theft of a shipment of ammunition that occurred a week ago while it was being transported by a civilian delivery driver, a military spokesperson told AFP, confirming earlier media reports.
According to Der Spiegel and the regional broadcaster MDR, around 20,000 rounds of ammunition were stolen from an unguarded parking lot near Magdeburg, in eastern Germany, while the driver was asleep in a nearby hotel. No information has been released regarding the identity of the suspects, and the military declined to specify the exact type or amount of ammunition taken.
Authorities have also not indicated how the perpetrators knew the cargo would be left unattended.
“The theft was discovered upon delivery at the barracks,” the German army spokesperson said.
A police spokeswoman confirmed to AFP that an investigation has been opened but refused to provide further details “for tactical reasons.”
Sources close to the German military, cited by Der Spiegel, believe it is unlikely the theft was a coincidence. They suspect the thieves waited for the driver to stop for the night before striking.
Der Spiegel also reported that the Defense Ministry normally requires two drivers for this type of transport to ensure the cargo is constantly monitored. However, in this case only one driver was assigned, meaning the civilian transport company failed to comply with the security protocols.
El Chapo’s son Joaquín Guzmán López pleads guilty to U.S. drug trafficking charges
Venezuela authorizes return flights as U.S. continues deportations amid rising tensions
20,000 rounds stolen from german army after driver leaves cargo unattended
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
Defense Minister commends salvadoran soldier for Central American Cross Country victory
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