International
Maradona’s house arrest is again a focus of tension in the trial for his death
The decision for Diego Armando Maradona to recover from his last operation in a home hospitalization was today the focus of a new hearing of the trial for his death, in which a revealing recording was known where one of the accused doctors urged another to modify the historic clinic of the former footballer so as not to be legally responsible for the decision of home hospitalization.
Tuesday’s hearing had the testimony of psychiatrist Ana Marcela Waisman Campos, who was in contact with Maradona’s medical team during his hospitalization at the Olivos Clinic, located on the outskirts of the city of Buenos Aires.
In that clinic, the Argentine idol was operated on on November 3, 2020 for a subdural hematoma on his head, and remained there until the 11th of the same month, when he was transferred to a home in Tigre (province of Buenos Aires) to travel there for the rest of his recovery.
Waisman Campos stated that he visited the star in the clinic but that he refused to be treated by her.
The doctor also referred to her contacts with Maradona’s psychiatrist, Agustina Cosachov, and said that she was in contact with her during those days and that they discussed the case of the former soccer player.
During the hearing, in addition to making known conversations between the two on medical issues, an audio sent on November 10 by Cosachov to Maradona’s family doctor, Leopoldo Luque, was reproduced, in which she mentioned a recommendation by Waisman Campos to eliminate from the former footballer’s medical record the participation of both in the decision of home admission.
“This psychiatrist threw me some tips that I think are good regarding something that we have to put in the medical history before Diego leaves, that you can write because they put a lot of ‘family doctor, family doctor’ to be legally protected,” begins the recording, in which Cosachov is also heard warning Luque that the clinical history of the Olivos Clinic indicated that the decision of home hospitalization had been made jointly between the doctors and the family.
“So, she suggested to me, and the truth is that I respect her position very much in this, that legally it suited us, which is actually true, to make a last evaluation saying that the family, let’s say, in the face of the different therapeutic options, is the one who, understanding and understanding the risks of the options, agree and opt for home hospitalization, because legally we are more covered,” Cosachov adds in the recording.
The question of who chose to have Maradona recover in a home instead of in a clinic is one of the keys to the trial for his death.
The information provided by the witnesses who have testified so far indicates that, while the former footballer was recovering in the clinic, a meeting was held between relatives, doctors from the clinic, from the prepaid medicine company Swiss Medical and Luque and Cosachov in which two alternatives were considered: continue with the treatment in a rehabilitation clinic or do it in a home under the modality of home hospitalization.
Given Maradona’s pre-existing pathologies, the complaint states that the home hospitalization that was finally opted for was “a way to sentence him to death.”
Two of Maradona’s daughters, as well as their ex-partner Verónica Ojeda, declared in recent weeks that Luque was very clear in his recommendation that the former footballer recover in a house and flatly ruled out the option of admitting him – willfully or by force – to a clinic.
“We discussed the 3 options, it didn’t seem so bad because they promised us the same thing (in home hospitalization) as at the Olivos Clinic, and it never happened. They deceived us in the cruelest way,” said Dalma Maradona, one of the idol’s daughters, last Tuesday, who assured that the conditions of the house where their father was admitted did not fit what they had promised them.
On the housing conditions and the medical treatment that Maradona received there, two Swiss Medical workers told on Tuesday, who disconnected the prepaid medicine company from the failures in the care of the former footballer.
In addition to Luque, Cosachov, the doctor and coordinator of the Swiss Medical company, Nancy Forlini, the psychologist Carlos Díaz, the doctor Pedro Di Spagna, the coordinator of nurses Mariano Perroni and the nurse Ricardo Almirón are tried in this process.
Nurse Gisela Madrid is also on trial but will face a jury trial, as requested.
In this process, judges Maximiliano Savarino, Verónica Di Tommaso and Julieta Makintach must determine whether seven of the eight defendants are guilty of the crime of simple homicide with eventual malice, which has a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison.
International
Venezuela Earthquakes Spark Diplomatic Thaw With Former Critics
The devastating earthquakes that struck Venezuela have triggered an unprecedented diplomatic thaw between Caracas and several governments that had maintained strained relations with the country, raising hopes that the humanitarian response could pave the way for broader international engagement under the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump.
The United States, Chile, Argentina, El Salvador and Israel were among the first countries to announce humanitarian assistance, deploy search-and-rescue teams or establish direct contact with acting President Delcy Rodríguez to coordinate relief efforts in the hardest-hit areas.
Canada also joined the international response by announcing humanitarian aid while opening a domestic debate over the importance of maintaining diplomatic representation in countries such as Venezuela to better respond to emergencies and assist its citizens abroad.
The wave of international cooperation marks a sharp contrast to the diplomatic tensions that followed Venezuela’s disputed presidential election on July 28, 2024, in which Nicolás Maduro was declared the winner.
In the aftermath of that vote, the governments of Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Panama, Peru, the Dominican Republic and Uruguay publicly questioned the official election results, triggering one of the region’s most significant diplomatic crises in recent years.
The Venezuelan government responded by withdrawing its diplomatic personnel from several of those countries and demanding the departure of their representatives, further deepening the country’s international isolation.
The humanitarian emergency created by the twin earthquakes has now prompted renewed communication between Caracas and governments that had previously suspended or significantly reduced diplomatic engagement, underscoring how major natural disasters can temporarily reshape international relations despite longstanding political disagreements.
International
Venezuela Earthquake Death Toll Surpasses 1,700 as Search for Survivors Continues
Venezuelan authorities have raised the death toll from last week’s twin earthquakes to more than 1,700, as rescue teams continue searching for survivors in the country’s hardest-hit coastal region.
According to the latest official report released on Sunday, the powerful earthquakes, measuring magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5, have claimed at least 1,719 lives. National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez also reported that 5,034 people were injured, while 15,866 have been displaced and another 22,619 are receiving medical care.
The United Nations has expressed growing concern over the scale of the disaster, estimating that as many as 68,000 people could still be missing.
La Guaira bears the brunt of the disaster
The coastal state of La Guaira has suffered the greatest loss of life and the most extensive damage. The Venezuelan government has declared the area a disaster zone and placed it under military control as emergency operations continue.
Five days after the earthquakes struck, search-and-rescue teams remain on the ground, supported by additional heavy equipment and international rescue crews. However, hopes of finding more survivors beneath the rubble continue to diminish with each passing day.
One of the most dramatic rescue operations unfolded Monday in Catia La Mar, where emergency teams from El Salvador, Mexico, and Venezuela worked together to reach a 21-year-old man who has remained trapped inside a collapsed building since the earthquakes struck.
The twin earthquakes hit Venezuela on June 24, with the epicenter located between San Felipe and Yumare in the country’s northern region. The first quake, measuring magnitude 7.2, struck at 6:04 p.m. local time. Just 39 seconds later, a second and stronger magnitude 7.5 earthquake occurred farther to the southeast. Combined, the seismic activity lasted nearly three minutes, causing widespread devastation across several regions of the country.
International
Looting Spreads in Venezuela’s Hardest-Hit Areas After Deadly Earthquakes
Not even the wires were left behind at a small grocery store. Before the ground had even stopped shaking, looting and theft began in the areas hardest hit by the double earthquake that struck Venezuela.
Reports of robberies have multiplied in the coastal state of La Guaira, located near Caracas and now transformed into a landscape of collapsed buildings and debris.
Videos circulating on social media show groups of people removing boxes of household appliances from a damaged store. Other images show similar boxes being carried on top of vehicles and motorcycles.
Social media platforms have also been filled with accusations against police officers and military personnel who allegedly stole from homes and even from victims who died during the disaster.
A branch of a major pharmacy chain was looted, along with supermarkets and other businesses. Some residents have described the situation as “disaster tourism,” while others say the looting reflects hunger and desperation among people who lost everything in a country already facing a prolonged economic crisis.
“Is it fair that our own people turn against our own people?” said María Esther Bernal, 71, who rented commercial spaces to Chinese merchants, all of which were looted. “They left nothing behind, not even the wallpaper. They even took the cables,” she said.
“Next door, a man died. He was Chinese. People walked over his body while they looted the place. It was a supermarket,” she added.
An AFP journalist witnessed looting in La Guaira since Thursday, following the earthquakes.
Jenifer Mayora, 34, defended some of the actions, saying that “the things people took were because the owners of the stores allowed us to take them.”
However, she criticized the limited response from authorities. “I have been waiting for a mattress so my children can sleep,” she said.
Residents have expressed anger over what they describe as a slow and insufficient response from authorities after the double earthquake, which has left around 1,450 people dead and tens of thousands missing.
Communities are demanding not only faster rescue operations in La Guaira, but also stronger security measures and urgent assistance with food, water, and medicine.
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