Sin categoría
Djokovic makes other players ‘look like fools’: Tsitsipas
AFP
Novak Djokovic had put the Australian Open at risk and made other tennis players “look like fools” after travelling to Australia unvaccinated, world number four Stefanos Tsitsipas said Thursday.
The Serbian world number one, top seed and defending champion is looking to secure a 10th Australian Open title at Melbourne Park — it gets underway next Monday — and an unprecedented 21st Grand Slam crown.
But the vaccine-sceptic’s fate remains uncertain with Australia’s government pondering whether to revoke his visa again and throw him out of the country for breaking Covid protocols.
“For sure he has been playing by his own rules,” Tsitsipas said in an interview with Indian broadcaster WION.
“It takes a lot of daring to do and (is) putting a Grand Slam at risk… I don’t think many players would do that.”
Tsitsipas, who lost to Djokovic in last year’s French Open final, said nearly everyone at the Melbourne tournament had been vaccinated.
Others, he said, “chose to follow their own way which kind of makes the majority look like they’re all fools.”
Djokovic flew into Melbourne airport on January 5 carrying a vaccine exemption because of a claimed positive PCR test result on December 16.
Border agents rejected his exemption, saying a recent infection was an insufficient justification, tore up his visa and placed him in a detention centre.
But Djokovic’s high-powered legal team overturned the visa decision in court on Monday on a procedural matter related to his airport interview.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Thursday no decision had been made on whether to revoke Djokovic’s visa a second time.
Djokovic was nonetheless included in the first round draw of the Australian Open the same day.
Even if he is allowed to stay, there are questions over his preparations and fitness for the gruelling two-week tournament after he was forced to spend four nights in the detention facility.
Sin categoría
Political leaders recall Fidel Castro’s legacy
August 14|
On August 13, on the occasion of the 97th birthday of the historic leader of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro Ruz, the main figures of the Greater Antilles, as well as friendly countries remembered his legacy.
Cuban President Miguel Díaz – Canel Bermúdez, through his account on X, formerly called Twitter, said: “Cuba celebrates the 97th birthday of the most Martiano of its sons, of the historic leader of the Generation that fulfilled the dreams of the Apostle. It is a day to celebrate, without forgetting that every day is to give continuity to his work”.
For his part, the Prime Minister, Manuel Marreo Cruz, referred to the former president as “eternal young rebel” and stressed that “being faithful continuators of his legacy and his ideas is today the “best gift”.
Likewise, the Cuban Foreign Minister, Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, assured to remain on “the path of dignity, solidarity and social justice” that the leader bequeathed. “Fidel will guide with his ethics and morals our revolutionary diplomacy,” he stressed on the social network itself.
On the other hand, the president of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro Moros, affirmed remembering him “as a tireless rebel, intolerant of injustice and master of the impossible.” He added that “Fidel encourages us to continue fighting for the dignity of the peoples”.
Meanwhile, the Venezuelan Foreign Minister, Iván Gil, referred to the eternal Commander as “a soldier of ideas and a beacon of light” for all revolutionaries who walk the path of struggle “against imperial powers that continue attacking Our America”.
Fidel was one of the most outstanding statesmen, thinkers and revolutionaries of the 20th century. He led the war of liberation against the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista, under the protection of the U.S. government, in the 1950s, with the aim of generating the profound political, economic and social transformations that Cuba needed.
Central America
Salvadoran heroes who provided aid in Turkey return home
February 19 |
After nine days away from home, the Urban Search and Rescue Team (USAR) El Salvador and the Humanitarian Rescue Unit (HRU) of the Armed Forces, made up of 111 rescuers, military and health personnel, who carried out search and rescue work in Turkey, returned to Salvadoran soil.
This nation was strongly affected last February 6 by two earthquakes of magnitude 7.8 and 7.6 on the Richter scale, and El Salvador was one of the first countries to send rescue support.
The Salvadoran heroes landed on their return flight on Saturday afternoon at the San Oscar Arnulfo Romero International Airport, where they were received by the authorities of the Ministries of the Interior, Defense, Health, the Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs and the directors of Civil Protection and Firefighters.
“Thank you, a great job, it is a pride to work with you, it is a pride to have you at home, welcome heroes”, were the words of the Minister of the Interior, Juan Carlos Bidegain.
He added that thanks to the work done, El Salvador was able to demonstrate in Turkey that it has highly prepared teams that have now been placed among the elite USAR teams around the world.
“We are the ones who are grateful to you, what you have done, what you have done is incredible, what you have done is wonderful,” said Bidegain.
For his part, Erick Vázquez, lieutenant of the USAR-EL SALVADOR group, in his report to the authorities, highlighted the rescue of two people alive.
“We have done a job with all the logistics involved, we went to put into practice everything we learned. We had the joy of performing two rescues, a minor and a woman of approximately 30 years of age, we are proud to have done it”, celebrated Vázquez.
He explained that during their stay in Turkey, from February 9 to 17, they worked in 15 buildings, in which the canine unit and the rescuers did the work they were assigned to do, earning the respect and admiration of USAR groups from the rest of the world.
“Leaders of other USAR groups around the world have told us that we have positioned ourselves among the best, along with France, Germany and Egypt, among others,” Vazquez said.
The recognition given by the leaders of other USAR groups was also shared by Defense Minister Rene Francis Merino Monroy.
“I want to highlight the level of the two search teams of El Salvador [USAR and UHR] to provide assistance to other countries,” said the official.
At the same time he added: “We have in El Salvador a response team that can highly prepared to help foreign countries”.
Merino Monroy congratulated the USAR and UHR team of the Armed Forces for putting the name of El Salvador on high and fulfilling the mission entrusted to them.
“The mission that was entrusted to them, to the USAR and UHR group of the Armed Forces, to rescue lives was fulfilled, in addition to reviewing and cleaning each of the buildings in which they worked,” said the minister.
Turkey’s ambassador to El Salvador, Gül Büyükerşen, also received the heroes and expressed her gratitude for the support of the Salvadoran teams, as well as to President Nayib Bukele’s willingness to help from the first moment.
“President Nayib Bukele was one of the first leaders who spoke with my president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, by phone (after the earthquakes),” said the diplomat.
In addition, he stressed that “El Salvador may be a small country (in territory), but it has a big heart”.
Sin categoría
Biden promises Zelensky advanced air defense systems
AFP
US President Joe Biden on Monday promised to provide advanced air defense systems to Ukraine after Russian missiles rained down on the capital Kyiv and other cities, the White House said in a statement.
Biden spoke to President Volodymyr Zelensky and “pledged to continue providing Ukraine with the support needed to defend itself, including advanced air defense systems,” the statement said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has threatened more “severe” attacks against Ukraine after the biggest wave of strikes in months killed at least 11 in retaliation for an explosion that damaged a key bridge linking Russia to the Moscow-annexed Crimean peninsula.
After speaking with Biden, Zelensky tweeted that “air defense is currently the number 1 priority in our defense cooperation.”
Kyiv said Russian forces had fired more than 80 missiles on cities across the country and that Russia had also used Iranian drones launched from neighbouring Belarus.
Biden “conveyed his condolences to the loved ones of those killed and injured in these senseless attacks,” the White House said.
“He also underscored his ongoing engagement with allies and partners to continue imposing costs on Russia (and) holding Russia accountable for its war crimes and atrocities.”
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