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
Erin brings strong winds and storm surge despite weakening offshore
Hurricane Erin weakened to a Category 2 storm on Tuesday but continues to pose a threat to parts of the U.S. East Coast with potentially dangerous flooding, according to meteorologists.
Although the hurricane’s eye is expected to remain offshore, experts are concerned about Erin’s size, as strong winds extend hundreds of kilometers beyond the storm’s center.
In its 18:00 GMT bulletin, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) lifted tropical storm warnings for the Bahamasand Turks and Caicos Islands, but kept them in effect for parts of North Carolina.
Erin was located several hundred kilometers southeast of North Carolina and was moving northwestward.
“This means there is a risk of potentially life-threatening flooding of 60 to 120 centimeters above ground level,” said NHC Director Michael Brennan.
He also warned of the possibility of destructive waves, combined with storm surge, that could cause severe damage to beaches and coastal areas, making roads impassable.
International
Three U.S. Warships deploy near Venezuela to combat drug trafficking
Three U.S. naval vessels are moving toward the coasts of Venezuela, according to international media reports on Tuesday, after White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt confirmed that President Donald Trump is ready to combat and curb international drug trafficking.
Reports indicate that the ships will reach Venezuelan waters within the next 36 hours as part of a recent U.S. deployment aimed at countering international narcotics operations.
The announcement coincides with Leavitt’s statement that Trump is prepared to “use the full extent of his power” to halt drug flows into the United States. The naval deployment involves approximately 4,000 military personnel.
“The President has been clear and consistent. He is ready to use every element of U.S. power to prevent drugs from flooding our country and to bring those responsible to justice. The Maduro regime is not the legitimate government of Venezuela—it is a narco-terror cartel,” the spokesperson said during a press conference.
International
Cuban authorities free salvadoran convicted in 1997 hotel bombing
Salvadoran national Otto René Rodríguez Llerena was released after serving a 30-year prison sentence for his involvement in a terrorist attack at a hotel in Cuba in 1997, the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported.
During his trial, Rodríguez Llerena admitted to placing an explosive device at the Meliá Cohiba Hotel under the orders of anti-Castro exile leaders. He was arrested the following year when he returned to Havana with another load of explosives that failed to detonate.
“The Cuban government reiterates its commitment to combating terrorism, respecting human rights, and the need for the international community to hold accountable those who promote such acts,” the statement read.
He was released on August 15 and is the second Salvadoran to complete his sentence. In December of last year, another Salvadoran, Ernesto Cruz León, was released after planting bombs at tourist centers, one of which killed an Italian tourist identified as Fabio Di Celmo.
A third Salvadoran, Francisco Chávez Abarca, also received a 30-year sentence from Cuban courts in 2010 after being extradited from Venezuela through Interpol for actions against Cuba.
Rodríguez Llerena had requested conditional release in 2016, arguing that his actions had not caused any direct fatalities, but no further information was released about his situation until now.
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