International

Venezuela’s Guaido calls for ‘sincere unity’ after election defeat

AFP

Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido called Monday for “sincere unity” following a disastrous defeat in regional elections the day before.

The fractured opposition broke a three-year election boycott to take part in mayoral and gubernatorial votes but paid for its failure to put up single candidates against President Nicolas Maduro’s ruling United Socialist Party (PSUV).

Opposition figures won in only three out of 23 states, while Maduro allies won 18 governorships and are well-positioned to claim the final two.

The PSUV candidate also took the mayor’s office in the capital Caracas.

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Guaido himself rejected the election over fears it would not be fair, and refused to vote.

“It would be unfair to talk of an election failure” in an “alleged election that wasn’t one,” insisted Guido, adding that it was “absolutely flawed” and “clearly unequal.”

“Those that managed to snatch (posts) from the dictatorship is a feat… my respects,” said Guaido.

But he said what happened on Sunday highlighted “the obvious need for unification” among opposition forces if they are to challenge the ruling party, or Maduro in the 2024 presidential election.

“It is an event that should bring us towards greater unity, a sincere unity,” said Guaido.

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Guaido has lost much of the luster he gained with his audacious bid in January 2019 to oust Maduro through popular will.

He used this position as then-parliament speaker to declare himself acting president after the legislature dismissed Maduro as a “usurper” over his 2018 reelection that was widely dismissed by the international community.

But Guaido was never able to force Maduro, who maintained the support of the powerful military, out of the presidential palace. and within six months he had lost most of his pulling power.

Although around 60 countries recognized Guaido’s claim to be acting president, much of the opposition broke ranks and rejected him as their leader.

“It’s time to open our arms” to bring everyone back into the same fold, said Guaido.

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Election authorities said Monday that 42.2 percent of the 21 million registered voters went to the polls on Sunday, although it is yet to publish final official results.

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.